The Best Point Guard

Randolph easily made the and-one free throw.

The game continued.

Pat Riley stood on the sideline, as handsome as Al Pacino. His hair was meticulous, his suit immaculate. Even the playbook tucked into his suit pocket was folded neatly.

He had considered many ways the Knicks might play tonight, but he truly never imagined they would use Zach Randolph to lead the charge.

And that he would play so well, at that.

’What the hell is going on?’

He felt like he’d burned a few brain cells trying to figure it out; the whole thing was just too crazy for him. Zach Randolph had actually stood up and found a second life with the Knicks.

Before this game, Randolph had been the league’s pariah, a rat everyone wanted to chase out of town.

’Isaiah Thomas plays a good game.’

Pat Riley was slowly starting to understand. His opinion mirrored Reggie Miller’s: this was the work of the Smiling Assassin. The Smiling Assassin had always been known for doing whatever it took to win. And he had succeeded. He’d landed Su Xi in the summer, and now he had brought Randolph into the fold.

Pat Riley made a gesture, signaling for Wade to be more aggressive on offense.

In the 1990s, the rivalry between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks was known as a battle of destiny, and the animosity between the two teams ran deep. A key part of that history was Pat Riley himself. The glory of the New York Knicks in the nineties could be said to be his creation.

After establishing the "Showtime" era in Los Angeles, his penchant for harsh training and extreme strictness with his players led to a "palace coup" by Magic Johnson, which resulted in him leaving for New York.

In New York, he abandoned his previous flashy style of play, building a gritty, hard-nosed team around players like Ewing, Oakley, and Mason. With their iron-blooded defense, they became the front line of resistance against the Bulls’ dynasty. In those years, the Knicks met the Bulls in the playoffs almost every season, and every series was an earth-shattering war.

Although the Knicks lost those series, they won respect.

But Pat Riley was an ambitious man. He wanted more say in the Knicks Club, so he secretly contacted the Miami Heat. Before his contract with the Knicks had even ended, he joined the Heat, who had promised him more power, the title of club president, and even some stock options.

The Knicks, of course, were furious and took the case directly to the league.

At the time, many of the league’s rules and regulations were still incomplete. In the end, the Miami Heat sent the Knicks a draft pick and over a million USD to "trade" for Pat Riley.

Then, with the Miami Heat, Pat Riley essentially recreated the Knicks, building a rugged Miami team centered around Moning. Every time the two teams faced off back then, it was a battle of epic proportions—a slugfest, basically a fistfight with a basketball present.

One of their famous brawls produced an iconic image: Jeff Van Gundy clinging to Moning’s leg to protect his players from the melee.

Additionally, the Knicks once pulled off a miraculous eighth-seed upset against Miami, advancing all the way to the Finals and nearly winning the championship.

Because the old grudges ran so deep, the fans in the Miami American Airlines Arena were fired up.

They were practically baying for blood.

However, it didn’t have much of an effect on the Knicks.

The Knicks were a bunch of scoundrels; there wasn’t a curse they hadn’t heard, so why would they be afraid of a few swear words?

Zach Randolph had just come back from hell and high water; to him, these jeers were like being tickled with a feather.

Wade drove into the paint, right at his defender. But this time, Wade didn’t go for a layup; he slammed the ball straight through the hoop.

Wade was in the prime of his career. His physical attributes were at their absolute peak—a holy trinity of explosiveness, speed, and leaping ability. On top of that, his skills were exceptionally refined.

In some ways, his ability to penetrate and score was even greater than that of Su Xi and James.

This was because Su Xi and James, to a certain extent, still relied more on physical contact.

They weren’t as meticulous as Wade when it came to polishing their skills.

Wade’s explosive dunk ignited the passion of the American Airlines Arena. He roared in excitement on the court: "This is my house!"

It had already become his trademark.

Every time he said it, the entire crowd would go wild.

But for Larry Brown at the commentator’s desk, it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Because that was the same thing Wade had yelled last season when he hit the game-winner against the Detroit Pistons in Game 7.

That game had signaled the end of the Detroit Pistons’ era.

It also marked the lowest point of Larry Brown’s head coaching career. Now, here he was, appearing on a TV broadcast as a commentator.

After Wade’s explosive dunk, Su Xi launched his retaliation.

He had to.

He had reached such a high status that if he couldn’t respond in kind, he’d be seen as incapable of dominating his opponents. If you just wanted to be a superstar on the same level as Dwyane Wade, you could tolerate it.

But if you wanted to prove you were a cut above, to rule the league, you had to strike back immediately.

The demands on a true court dominator were always that high.

Because a ruler does not tolerate provocation. Just like Jordan in his prime—what guard dared to provoke him? Or O’Neal in his prime—what center dared to challenge him?

Su Xi received the ball. Facing Wade’s defense, he executed an incredibly quick jab step. The instant Wade shifted his weight back slightly, Su Xi made a sharp change of direction. He used his supreme physical gifts to pull off an utterly commanding crossover, getting half a step past Wade. At the same time, he cut towards the basket with surging explosiveness and blistering speed.