The Best Point Guard

Jerome James finally understood. Su Xi had dragged him onto the court to be the sacrificial lamb.

Jerome had been comfortably slouched on the bench, just coasting and collecting his paycheck, when he was suddenly thrown onto the court.

He had planned to just mess around for a few minutes and then go back to the bench to rest.

But Su Xi kept forcing LeBron James to crash right into him... and since he couldn’t get out of the way, he had no choice but to absorb the impact.

All that flab on his body had become the perfect cushion.

LeBron James was miserable, but he was even more miserable.

And on offense, Su Xi didn’t let him rest either. He constantly had him come up to the high post to set a screen, after which Su Xi himself would drive into the paint.

Setting screens was no cakewalk. That bastard Snow didn’t hesitate to slam into his lower back.

’This is a fucking miserable way to earn money.’

’How could Su Xi just show up and shatter all the rules?’

’Isn’t he worried I’ll make the team fall behind? I’m a complete sieve on defense!’

Su Xi really wasn’t worried.

Because Jerome’s matchup, Ilgauskas, was a giant who wasn’t very mobile himself. When Jerome came out to set a screen, Ilgauskas was forced to follow him out of the paint.

Although Ilgauskas could bother Su Xi a little on his way to the rim, it wasn’t enough to stop him from driving straight to the basket.

Su Xi was still carrying the entire team on his own.

LeBron James was getting frustrated. He found that Su Xi was sticking to him like glue, constantly forcing him to crash into Jerome James. Even though Jerome James’s body was soft, he still weighed over three hundred pounds, and the sheer force of the impact was taking its toll.

So, LeBron James started passing the ball a lot more. Thankfully, the Knicks’ defense was atrocious, and his teammates were hitting their shots, so his assist numbers were steadily climbing.

At times like this, Su Xi would taunt him, "Why aren’t you shooting? Go on, dunk it."

James was fuming. ’You threw a giant meat shield in the paint, how the fuck am I supposed to dunk?’ he thought.

After more than five minutes of this, Jerome James really couldn’t take it anymore.

Running up and down the court left him gasping for breath. He was wheezing, his chest heaving violently.

He couldn’t help but say to Su Xi, "Jack, slow down. I’m really about to die. I can’t do this anymore."

He hadn’t played in a game for a very, very long time, and he’d spent the offseason partying. For him, just running up and down the court was strenuous exercise, let alone constantly taking charges from the league’s number one "tank."

Just then, the Cavaliers happened to call a timeout.

Jerome James staggered back to the bench, wheezing, and collapsed onto his seat. He waved his hands dismissively and gasped, "I can’t do it. I really can’t."

Tony Battie, who was sitting nearby, said, "How can a man say he’s finished? I think you’ve got another ten minutes in you."

"No, no, no."

Jerome hurriedly waved his hands, saying to Isaiah Thomas in a weak, thread-like voice, "Coach, I really don’t have it in me. Please play me less in the future. Give the young guys more opportunities. I’ll only drag the team down."

"Hey!"

Isaiah Thomas said with a straight face, "Even a piece of toilet paper has its use. Don’t sell yourself short. You were defending great out there! You made James afraid to even enter the paint. You did an outstanding job stopping his drives. In today’s league, how many centers dare to use their own bodies to block LeBron?"

"From now on, I’m not just going to use you—I’m going to use you a lot. This special talent of yours is something no other player possesses."

The Smiling Assassin emphasized.

You had to hand it to Isaiah Thomas, he was one devious character.

At his words, Jerome James’s pupils dilated. He was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

He was completely horrified.

Su Xi chimed in from the side, "Jerome and I have great chemistry. I’m responsible for funneling the opponent towards him, and he’s responsible for stopping them cold. It’s a seamless partnership."

Hearing that, Jerome James just wanted to die.

’He could have just been a useless bum in peace, but then fucking Su Xi shows up and starts recycling trash, even trying to turn it into treasure. Using him as a human shock absorber... isn’t that a death sentence?’

’Are you guys even human?’

Jerome wailed internally.

Drawing on what little humanity he had left, Isaiah Thomas made a substitution, sending in Channing Frye to replace Jerome.

This substitution wasn’t something Thomas had planned; it was what Su Xi had just whispered in his ear.

’Going from a meat shield to a beanpole? Is the switch really this drastic?’

But Isaiah Thomas had one good quality: absolute trust.

Without a second thought, he called out Channing Frye’s name.

Frye himself was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected to be put into the game.

So, he quickly took off his warm-up jacket and started to walk over to Isaiah Thomas to get his instructions.

But Isaiah Thomas just waved him off. ’Don’t bother with that routine, I don’t know either.’

"Just get out there. Once you’re on the court, follow Jack’s instructions."

Thomas instructed.

Channing Frye went onto the court in a daze. He quickly realized... ’The coach really is a genius. Isaiah Thomas is incredible.’

Once he got on the court, he was, in fact, running.

Su Xi immediately picked up the offensive pace, and he had Frye float around on the perimeter.

Su Xi drove into the paint himself.

On the very first play, Su Xi drove to the basket and leaped, only to be met by a double-team from Gooden and James. He made a slick over-the-shoulder pass back out beyond the three-point line. Channing Frye caught the ball at the top of the arc. Ilgauskas was a bit too casual in defending the young player; he just raised a hand from the free-throw line in a token gesture of defense.

But kids these days have no respect. Even though Channing Frye was nearly seven feet tall, he actually took a moment to check his feet on the three-point line before shooting... The ball sailed through the air in a perfect arc.