The Best Point Guard

The Knicks slaughtered the Cavaliers.

Su Xi showed no pride in it, acting as if this was only to be expected.

All the Knicks players shared this attitude, which made those who were making a fuss seem particularly unsophisticated.

"Fundamentally, we never considered the Cavaliers our rivals."

Isaiah Thomas was brutally honest. He wasn’t humble like before, nor did he offer a sincere apology for the team’s lack of a tactical system.

After all, just as he said, since they had never considered the Cavaliers a real opponent, why bother taking them seriously?

"I don’t know how Goat Su Xi sees LeBron James, but in my book, LeBron James is nothing special. His talent is great, and he has some skill. But if you want my honest opinion, in our era, the most he could have ever become is a Pippen. I don’t mean to disrespect Pippen; Pippen was great, of course. But to expect him to surpass Magic, Bird, and that damn bastard... that’s just not realistic. Every superstar who has ever dominated this league had at least one, if not several, elite skills that left their competition in the dust."

"Athleticism alone isn’t enough."

"When you think of Magic, you think of his unpredictable, lightning-fast playmaking, his post-up game, his unparalleled court vision. When you think of Bird, you think of his passing, his rebounding, his post game... his unstoppable jump shot. And that bastard needs no introduction. But when you all talk about LeBron James, what do you say? Athleticism! Athleticism! Talent and potential! Talent and potential! And then what?"

Isaiah Thomas was blunt. "Just look at Goat Su Xi. You can talk about his defense, his off-ball movement, his open jumper, his drive-and-kick plays. And now, you can even talk about his kaleidoscopic mid-range isolation game."

"And at the same time, his athleticism is also at an all-time level."

Isaiah Thomas said simply, "Everyone, please promise me this: after Goat Su Xi eliminates the Cavaliers in this series, never mention LeBron James in the same breath as Goat Su Xi again. It’s ridiculous."

"In this series, no one can say the Knicks have the superior roster, and no one can say Jack is on a better team, can they?"

"You’ve either got it or you don’t. What’s the point of talking about talent and the future?"

Every word from Isaiah Thomas after the game was an allusion to Nan Murong.

He was treating this series as his Battle of Mount Shaoshi.

Faced with such aggressive, in-your-face trash talk from the Knicks’ players and coach, James gritted his teeth. He nearly smashed the television in his hotel room.

The New York Knicks had gone too far!

He seethed, his teeth clenched.

Then, he poured his energy into analyzing the game.

He had to find a way to counter Su Xi. He would study Su Xi’s game inside and out, then have Larry Hughes completely shut him down.

This was the strategy of pitting a mid-tier horse against a top-tier one.

...

News of the Knicks’ slaughter of the Cavaliers was everywhere. The result left Knicks fans ecstatic and Cavaliers fans in tears.

In the middle of the night, many Cavaliers fans couldn’t help but wonder: if they had kept Little Sheep Su Xi back then, would things have been different?

But if they could really go back to that day, they would still choose LeBron James over Su Xi without hesitation. After all, James was their Chosen One, the pride of Akron.

This news also worried the two teams battling it out in the West. The Knicks’ strength far exceeded their expectations; they never imagined the Knicks could so decisively slaughter the Cavaliers, especially after losing their frontcourt presence.

The Cavaliers were simply no match for them.

The level of skill on display in the game was extremely high.

First, the Knicks’ roster was incredibly deep. Even after Zach Randolph and Eddie Curry departed, the New York frontcourt, now held up by Jerome James, Tony Battie, David Lee, and Channing Frye, was by no means weak. In fact, it had its own unique character.

Most importantly, Su Xi’s mid-range game was on par with the league’s top guards. He demonstrated his formidable ability to score from that area.

He had already displayed the ability and the methods to score from that spot earlier in the season.

But according to analysis from top experts, the ability Su Xi displayed in this game was at the absolute top tier of the league.

Some even believed that in the entire league, besides Kobe, Su Xi had already reached the level of Carmeron Anthony and Paul Pierce.

That was a terrifying thought.

Because unlike those players, Su Xi didn’t rely on just that to make his living. He had many other weapons: his ability to drive to the basket was among the league’s best, his passing was first-class, and his off-ball movement was also at the very top.

It was simply impossible to guard him.

On any given possession, he could pull out a pass, a cut, or a shot. How were you supposed to defend that?

Normally, possessing a triple threat of passing, cutting, and shooting is enough to make you a superstar in this league. Su Xi had all three.

This became a problem that plagued Popovich and Little General Johnson. They had to start considering how they would take down the Knicks in the Finals, should they first defeat their rival from Texas.

At that moment, both of them did the exact same thing.

They made a statement to the media.

"The Knicks will sweep the Cavaliers 4-0. There’s no doubt about it."

Popovich told the reporters, the reporters spread it through the media, and it created a sensation.

Popovich was a master of psychology, a cunning old fox. Why would he say that? Because he knew those words would provoke the Cavaliers. Provoking the Cavaliers themselves wasn’t a big deal; it would make them fight back. But once they fought back and provoked Little Sheep Su Xi, Little Sheep Su Xi would strike back with overwhelming force, certainly enough to destroy the Cavaliers.