The Best Point Guard

At the same time, they couldn’t help but poke some fun at the Trail Blazers.

Even though, when they had previously evaluated the trade, they’d called dumping Randolph the best decision the Trail Blazers had made in the last decade. But now that Randolph was in the spotlight, they were saying the Trail Blazers had thrown away a top-tier All-Star for nothing.

Many Trail Blazers fans were starting to have regrets. ’Why did we send this unstoppable big fella to the Knicks for free, and even throw in an unprotected 2007 draft pick?’

Facts aside, was McMillan completely blameless in all this?

The basketball world began to reflect.

For McMillan, who had already been beaten twice, this wave of reflection was undoubtedly a third blow.

But it also proved an ironclad fact once again: in competitive sports, being bad is the original sin.

When you put up a god-tier performance, experts will naturally come out of the woodwork to sing your praises.

Of course, Su Xi was the exception.

Su Xi was the class enemy of the American basketball world.

The award ceremony after the game held no suspense. Before David Stern even stepped onto the court, everyone already knew the answer.

Zach Randolph raised his MVP trophy, just as he had wished.

His score of 71 would be forever recorded in the All-Star history books.

It would become a scoring record that could likely never be broken.

Although many people were already saying this stat was manufactured. They claimed it was the result of Su Xi force-feeding him the ball and Isaiah Thomas breaking the unwritten rules of the game by shamelessly stalling for time.

But 71 points was 71 points.

"Thank you to my family in New York, thank you Goat Su Xi, thank you Isaiah Thomas, thank you to my Knicks teammates, my good brothers. Thank you to all the fans in the arena, and thank you to everyone who voted for me. I did it."

Zach Randolph raised the trophy and yelled, "Turns out even the one who gets laughed at can reach the finish line! Skrrt, skrrt!"

After the game, during an interview, Randolph continued, "This is the greatest honor of my career, and it’s the only record I’ve ever set. I’m so grateful to the Knicks, and I’m so grateful to Goat Su Xi. He’s the one who helped me find my self-worth again. I will follow in Goat’s footsteps forever. I will do everything in my power to help the Knicks reach the top. We’re going to win the championship. We definitely will."

Randolph was even choking up a little.

The big fella hugged the trophy tightly, his mind caught in a vortex of memory, replaying the scene where he met Su Xi outside the Atlantic Casino.

He didn’t dare to imagine what kind of nightmare he would be facing if he hadn’t run into Su Xi back then, if he hadn’t turned around to say hello.

’This, right now, this is heaven.’

Randolph cried.

He cried like a 300-pound black fatty.

Isaiah Thomas smiled. It was the smile of a villain from a Hong Kong movie, facing down a helpless little girl. From his eyes to his expression, everything radiated a single message: ’Not happy about it? Go ahead, call the cops.’

"I’m the head coach. Do I need to explain my player rotations to anyone?"

"Every team has starters, a core, and bench players. The point is to win. Their skill has long proven that Su Xi and Zach are the cream of the crop among our starters. That’s why Zach scored 71 points tonight."

"Those guys were on the bench because they weren’t good enough? If they were so great, how come I’m the one coaching this team?"

"I don’t care about any ’Chosen One’. To me, ’The Chosen One’ is just a product of media hype. I only care about records, trophies, and historical achievements. What does ’The Chosen One’ have? Half a stolen Rookie of the Year trophy?"

"If the Pistons, Heat, Knight, or Pacers feel offended, they can come find me. I wish them the best of luck in beating us in a game."

Isaiah Thomas’s expression as he faced the reporters was incredibly punchable.

Throughout the entire press conference, he only said one thing with a smile. "Let me raise both hands and applaud Zach Randolph’s record-breaking night."

With this Houston All-Star Game, he had made four powerful enemies for the Knicks.

But it didn’t matter. The Knicks fans firmly supported him.

New Yorkers were arrogant by nature. They already considered themselves the greatest city in the world, so why should they be compared to any Tom, Dick, or Harry?

Before, it was because the Knicks were a disappointment.

Now that the Knicks had Goat Su Xi and had charged all the way to first place, why should they care what anyone else thought?

Isaiah Thomas was this arrogant? Perfect. He was the very embodiment of the New York spirit.

During the press conference, Isaiah Thomas was also asked about other things.

For example, the Knicks’ plans.

Isaiah Thomas said with the utmost seriousness, "Because we’ve already secured first place at the halfway point of the season and clinched a playoff spot half a season early, we plan to work on some tactics in the second half. We’ll be relaxing a bit when it comes to our record."

"We’ll be preparing for the playoffs. Hopefully, we don’t fall to eighth in the East. We wouldn’t want the fans to say we’re always pulling off eighth-seed upsets. Hahahaha."

"But if we fall into the lower half of the bracket, the teams in the top half probably won’t dare to push for wins either, right? What if they run into us? I just love telling the truth."

"I guarantee none of them want to face us. Don’t believe me? Go to Miami. If they say they’re willing to face us in the first round, we’ll adjust our strategy and specifically target their record."

Isaiah Thomas said, "And believe me, I’d do it."

On this point, everyone believed him without a doubt.

Isaiah Thomas had already demonstrated their madness.

The media was truly bored. Someone actually went and asked Shaquille O’Neal, "Isaiah Thomas said they’re going to tank in the second half of the season. If you guys aren’t afraid of them and want to face the Knicks in the first round, he’ll grant your wish."

"Huh?"

O’Neal didn’t even know how to react.

He was usually crazy enough himself, but he never expected Thomas to play an even crazier game.

"He said you wouldn’t dare to face them in the first round. Would you?"

The reporter made it crystal clear.

But, as expected, O’Neal didn’t give a direct answer. He said, "I don’t respond to hypothetical issues."

O’Neal knew just how crazy the two madmen on the Knicks were. The characteristics Thomas and Randolph displayed tonight proved they were the type of people who would do exactly what they said.

If he said he wasn’t afraid, they would absolutely tank all the way to a first-round matchup against the Miami Heat.

O’Neal really didn’t want to face such an unconventional team in the first round. What if they went crazy and pulled off an eighth-seed upset?

They were too unpredictable.

At the very least, he wanted to watch them play a round or two and get a clear look at their strategy before making any judgments.

...

Randolph returned to New York with the All-Star scoring record and the MVP trophy. He received a hero’s welcome, the New York Media hailed him as a historical miracle, and his prestige reached an unprecedented height.

He was ecstatic.

Then, he donated a large sum of money for underprivileged children to buy sneakers and jerseys.

This earned him even more praise.

It created a positive feedback loop.

Upon returning to New York, Isaiah Thomas once again emphasized to the media that the Knicks would be focusing on tactics in the second half of the season, so their record was no longer the top priority.

The fans all understood.

The media was also very supportive.

Before, when the Knicks couldn’t win, the media would curse and criticize them because they truly couldn’t win.

Now, the Knicks had proven they were in a league of their own. Losing a few games to polish their tactics for the playoffs was no big deal.

Isaiah even dared to mock the Miami Heat, widely recognized as the strongest team in the East, and the Heat didn’t say a word back.

Didn’t this just prove that the Knicks were on a higher plane, possessing a strength that no one dared to provoke?

This was exactly the kind of arrogance New Yorkers wanted.

The first game after the All-Star break, the Knicks faced the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons had been humiliated by Isaiah Thomas during the All-Star Game and were holding a grudge.

But even if the Pistons were raring for a fight, the Knicks had to stick to their plan.

The Knicks focused on practicing their offensive system.

The lineup featured the two big men inside, Su Xi, Crawford, and Jalen.

They slowly worked on gelling with this starting lineup.

Although the Pistons were missing Larry Brown and Ben Wallace, their defensive system was still intact, making them the perfect sparring partners.

The Knicks got into a chaotic back-and-forth with them, and were actually leading at halftime.

This made Isaiah Thomas extremely anxious. In the locker room, he asked worriedly, "Did we actually try out all the new plays? Don’t fall back on what you’re good at just to beat them. Right now, we’re trying to find our weaknesses."