The Best Point Guard

"Keep it up, Jack. You’ll definitely surpass Jordan."

Isiah Thomas patted Su Xi’s shoulder as he walked into the locker room.

Su Xi thought for a moment, then followed him inside.

The Knicks barely went over any plays.

They were just chatting.

Just before they went back on the court, Su Xi said, "From now on, you guys work with me. Feed me the rock."

"Zach, be my wingman."

Randolph was the Knicks’ player with the hot hand tonight.

"No problem."

Everyone agreed.

The trials of the entire regular season had forged them into an inseparable team.

Su Xi took a deep breath. ’It’s time to unleash my 93-point Super Offensive Skill.’

The Super Offensive Skill Su Xi had copied from Kobe had already been integrated up to 93.

Su Xi had been attempting difficult jump shots this season, though he didn’t use them much in each game.

But they were always desperate shots in desperate situations.

So, the results were excellent.

Isiah Thomas’s words had been a wake-up call for Su Xi. He knew it was time to play his true trump card.

TWEET!

The whistle blew, and the game resumed.

Pat Riley couldn’t hide his delight. He stood on the sideline, poised and graceful, feeling as if victory was already in his grasp.

Even though the Knicks had changed their lineup, he didn’t feel anything was amiss.

The Knicks’ new lineup was: Hardaway, Su Xi, Ariza, Randolph, and Jerome.

Jerome James was subbed in for Eddie Curry.

Thanks to his training this season, Jerome James’s physical conditioning had recovered well. He could contend with O’Neal for a little while, which was precisely why he had managed to swindle that big contract out of Isiah Thomas in the first place.

Wade went one-on-one against Su Xi, using an extremely skillful scoring technique. He drove into the restricted area, came to a quick stop, posted up with his back to the basket, and then took a step-back jumper.

Even though Su Xi’s defense was top-tier, he still couldn’t stop it.

Unfortunately for Wade, the jumper didn’t fall.

CLANG!

Jerome secured the rebound.

He passed to Hardaway.

Hardaway brought the ball past half-court, while Su Xi sealed off Wade tightly on the wing.

Hardaway passed the ball to him.

Su Xi posted up on Wade. His strength was immense, and he pushed inward with a powerful rhythm. Wade couldn’t hold his ground. Just then, Su Xi suddenly gave a shoulder fake... it was incredibly realistic. Wade’s defensive balance was broken in an instant. Su Xi spun in the opposite direction and went up for a jumper... His form was textbook, and his vertical was exceptionally high.

Standing on the sideline, Pat Riley thought he was seeing a shadow of Kobe... no, of Michael Jordan.

SWISH!

It was nothing but net.

Su Xi’s jump height, shooting form, and control of the ball were almost identical to Jordan’s.

Su Xi had just dominated Wade in the crucial elbow area.

This play put Pat Riley on high alert.

That area of the court is hotly contested territory.

If Su Xi could consistently score efficiently from one-on-one plays in that spot, it would be absolutely disastrous for the Miami Heat.

Pat Riley frowned. He needed to observe further.

This time, Miami passed the ball to O’Neal. O’Neal posted up on Jerome and backed him down with force. Jerome gave up half a step. On the second bump, Jerome pulled the chair.

O’Neal stumbled back two steps, and the referee called him for traveling.

He was getting old, after all.

If this had been a prime O’Neal, who would dare pull the chair? With his body control, he would have just spun for a monster dunk, no questions asked.

But no matter how hard the current O’Neal tried, he could never get back to the shape he was in at twenty-eight or twenty-nine.

Play resumed on the other end of the court.

Pat Riley’s eyes were locked on Su Xi.

Su Xi was at the elbow again, sealing off Wade, still posting him up.

He pushed inward again, but this time Wade pushed back a little too hard. Su Xi seized the opportunity, quickly spinning off him and pulling up for a jumper... SWISH!

Another one down.

Pat Riley started to panic.

If Su Xi kept scoring from that spot, he would be forced to shift the defense to help, and as soon as he did that, the other Knicks players would take advantage.

Su Xi’s scoring ability might not be as strong as Kobe’s or Jordan’s, but he was an excellent passer.

Plus, his drives to the basket were ferocious.

This was giving Pat Riley a major headache.

SWISH!

The Heat finally scored. Wade drove past Su Xi and passed to a cutting Walker, who hit the jump shot.

On the other end, Su Xi was back in his established spot, isolating on Wade. The moment Su Xi spun past him, Walker instinctively came over to help.

But Su Xi ignored his defense and pulled up for the jumper. Su Xi’s vertical was so high that it was impossible to block.

SWISH!

He made it.

That was three straight baskets for Su Xi.

Pat Riley had no choice but to call over James Posey, telling him to get ready to sub in for Walker and focus on double-teaming Su Xi.

The game continued.

O’Neal made a hook shot.

Back on offense, Su Xi went one-on-one again. This time, he spun past Wade and drove into the lane. Moning had to step up early to stop him, so Su Xi passed to Randolph. Randolph charged into the restricted area for a one-handed dunk.

TWEET!

Miami made a substitution. James Posey entered the game.

Pat Riley’s worst fear had come true.

Su Xi’s consistent scoring had forced the Miami Heat to change their defensive structure.

Fortunately, the Heat’s offense was still clicking. Wade used a screen from Moning to hit a jump shot.

Right after that, Su Xi was back at the elbow, isolating again. This time he faced the basket, took one step on his drive, stopped on a dime, and hit a step-back jumper... SWISH!

Another one.

Even Su Xi felt he was unusually hot tonight.

But it was also definitive proof that a 93-point Super Offensive Skill was truly a top-tier weapon in the league. At the very least, Su Xi felt no defensive pressure from Wade. ’Maybe it’s because Wade’s not tall enough, and everything he has, I have too,’ he thought.

The game continued.

The two teams traded baskets.

Pat Riley put "Mad Dog" James Posey on Su Xi. Su Xi switched up his attack, driving hard into the paint. Posey couldn’t stop him, and Su Xi repeatedly drew fouls inside the painted area.

This forced O’Neal to the bench with six minutes still left in the third quarter.

With O’Neal out, the Knicks brought in the "Little Shark."

Eddie Curry forced his way against Moning one-on-one, and Zach Randolph did the same against Haslem.

The balance of power in the paint had shifted.

Pat Riley couldn’t put O’Neal back in; both his stamina and his foul count were limiting his playing time.

The Knicks quickly regained lost ground during this stretch.

By the end of the third quarter, the Knicks had pulled ahead 71-70, taking a one-point lead.

The momentum had suddenly swung completely to the Knicks’ side.

The "garbage contracts" Isiah Thomas had signed in the past were now all playing crucial roles.

Eddie Curry and Jerome James had worn down O’Neal’s stamina. Combined with a fleet of power forwards like Tony Battie, Zach Randolph, and David Lee, the Knicks had actually gained an advantage in the paint... and this was against a Miami team with both O’Neal and Moning.

On television, Charles Barkley was full of praise: "I’m starting to be willing to admit that Isiah Thomas is a brilliant GM. Everything he did in the past has become great with Su Xi’s arrival. Before, everyone said he was signing one garbage contract after another. But look now! The GOAT arrives, and everyone is activated! He’s turned trash into treasure!!"

It wasn’t just Charles Barkley; Kenny Smith felt the same way.

Kenny Smith is known for his sharp tongue, but now even he had to admit: "Thomas’s contribution to the Knicks is undeniable. Maybe he doesn’t have much talent as a coach, but his eye for picking players is truly strong. We can all look forward to seeing what kind of super talent Isiah Thomas will select in 2007 with the Portland Trail Blazers’ draft pick."

Smith’s words were a knife to the heart.

To the hearts of Portland fans, that is.

It was already painful enough watching Zach Randolph, whom they had sent to the Knicks, transform from a pheasant into a phoenix.

But on top of that, Pritchard had also given them a draft pick—an unprotected one, at that.

If, by some chance, the Trail Blazers had a bad season next year—and a bad season seemed almost certain—

what would happen if that pick became the number one overall?

It would be just like the Pistons in 2003, when they got the second overall pick out of thin air.

With Isiah Thomas’s ability, he would never make the same mistake his former teammate Dumas did. What if he picked a super talent to team up with Su Xi?

Then the Knicks’ dynasty would be built entirely on the ruins of Portland.