Ricky Davis repeated to the dia what he had said before the ga-winning play was drawn up.
"Without a doubt, Jack has shouldered the responsibilities of a leader. He’s always been the backbone of the team. When he’s on the court, our offense is always so smooth, and we can always defeat tough opponents."
"We love it when Jack has the ball."
"He can do everything. He’s a leader who leads by example. In every ga, he guards the opponent’s toughest offensive player. In every ga, he delivers the most crucial assists to his teammates. He’s a very old-school superstar. It’s not just about dominating opponents on offense; he personally takes on the toughest jobs on defense, never passing the buck."
"I originally thought the team drafted Jack to be my supporting player, but now I have to say, I’m willing to support Jack. He’s not Little Sheep Su Xi, he’s Goat Su Xi!"
Ricky Davis said this loudly during a dia interview in Orlando, raising the flag in support of Su Xi becoming the team’s leader.
His statent took everyone by surprise, including Larry Bird and Isaiah Thomas, who were actively making moves.
They had originally intended to create narratives about Su Xi being on par with Jas, fanning the flas of Jas’s jealousy. The ultimate goal was to create a situation where two tigers couldn’t share one mountain and force a trade for Jack.
But now, the enemy was in Cleveland?
Didn’t Ricky Davis always want to be the top dog? How could soone so rebellious and untamable publicly declare his support for Little Sheep Su Xi?
Was this genuine support? Or was he trying to pit Su Xi against Jas, using one rookie to defeat another?
Davis’s move caused a sensation throughout the league, and the eyes of the entire basketball world turned to them.
This was because the basketball dia had already designated the Cavaliers as the team of "The Chosen One," Jas. Even after Su Xi recorded a quadruple-double in his first ga, no one thought he should be the master of Cleveland.
But now, with the team’s original leader, Davis, stepping up to strongly support Su Xi, a powerful force had unexpectedly erged from within.
This imdiately shattered so established conclusions.
At the very least, people began to discuss: could Su Xi be a more suitable leader for the Cavaliers than LeBron Jas?
The dia were like sharks that had slled blood in the water, swarming in frantically. For a mont, little Cleveland was getting the sa treatnt as Los Angeles. Pundits make a living from analysis, after all. They analyzed the skills of Kobe and O’Neal, debating who was stronger and who had more influence.
Now, they were also debating Su Xi and Jas.
The mainstream dia still generally believed Jas was more influential and had a higher ceiling. However, many experts pointed to the data. While Jas’s efficiency was already high and his contribution value was unlike that of a rookie, Su Xi’s efficiency rating was... number one in the league!! When he was on the court, the Cavaliers had the highest plus-minus.
Moreover, Su Xi’s passing efficiency was better. And his defensive efficiency left Jas in the dust.
When these detailed advanced stats ca out, Jas started to get restless.
Although he kept insisting to Su Xi, "This is just Davis trying to sow discord. We’re about to trade him, we’re about to trade him."
But under the dia’s powerful offensive, with the "uncrowned kings" fanning the flas, the atmosphere within the team beca a little strange.
Jas and Su Xi were no longer as close as before. Jas even started consciously trying to build better relationships with his other teammates.
While in Miami, Carlos Boozer secretly told Su Xi, "Last night, Jas ca and knocked on my door, but I didn’t open it. He wants to win over."
"But you know , I support you," Carlos Boozer declared in a low voice. "I think you’re better than LeBron."
Although there were no apparent problems on the team’s surface, undercurrents were swirling within.
Davis’s words had exacerbated the division within the Cavaliers.
This was especially true on the court. Davis would intentionally run to set screens for Su Xi. Whatever Su Xi told him to do, he did it. He had the appearance of being completely obedient.
Davis and Su Xi already had great chemistry. Now that he was so cooperative, their offensive output was even more potent.
In contrast, LeBron Jas was trying too hard, and it was backfiring. He also began to deliberately chase advanced stats, but when he controlled the ball, the Cavaliers’ efficiency actually dropped again. This was because he was unnatural and a bit forced in his decisions between shooting and passing.
Being forced leaves traces. And with those traces, it’s impossible to be unstoppable.
Su Xi, on the other hand, played with increasing effortlessness.
The contrast between the two beca even more obvious.
In Miami, LeBron Jas had 17 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block.
Su Xi had 15 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Furthermore, at a critical mont, Su Xi passed to Carlos Boozer for the ga-winning shot. Before assisting on the ga-winner, Su Xi had stopped a drive by Wade.
Soon, they arrived in New Jersey.
In this ga, Su Xi hounded Jason Kidd the entire ti, forcing J Kidd to play passively and have a poor performance. However, the Brooklyn Nets still won in the end. Jefferson played outstandingly, drawing a foul on Jas in the final monts and hitting the ga-winning free throws.
The most regrettable thing for Su Xi about this ga was that Kitels didn’t play. He was out with an injury.
But Su Xi hadn’t forgotten him. Before the ga started, Su Xi taunted him through the dia: "Last sumr, Kitels said Reggie Williams was nothing special, just a hyped-up player. He spouted nonsense at Reggie’s funeral, saying he’d never cross paths with a nobody like , and that he’d be sitting in his 100,000 USD luxury car throwing bottle caps out the window."
"So, what about now? I’m here. Where are your bottle caps?"
Su Xi pressed on aggressively, "I got a Nike endorsent. I’m a friend of the Porsche brand. What about you?"
Su Xi was relentless.
He backed Kitels into a corner.
Furthermore, all the way from Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant ca out in support of Su Xi. He said: "I completely understand Jack’s retaliation against Kitels. I was there at the ti, so I know what the situation was like. He was just an unknown college student back then that nobody looked twice at. But at that mont, he had the courage to step up and challenge an NBA star to defend the dignity of his deceased friend. I comnd him for that, and I also stopped a violent altercation."
"Jack’s achievents in the NBA today have undoubtedly surpassed Kitels’s. Kitels owes him, as well as Reggie Williams and Dennis Scott, a formal apology."
Kobe was embroiled in his own controversy, but he still stepped up to strongly support Su Xi in this matter.
Those three weren’t the only ones at the scene at the ti.
Soon, the dia got the full story from other inside sources.
With the New York dia fanning the flas, the entire incident was quickly exposed.
Instantly, Kitels beca a public pariah. The New York dia heaped all manner of ridicule and sarcasm upon him. At the sa ti, Su Xi’s image as a loyal and righteous person was further highlighted.
Reggie Williams had been the pride of New York basketball, the leader of Syracuse University before Caron.
Moreover, he was also born in New Jersey.
Even New Jersey fans wouldn’t let Kitels off the hook.
After all, what he had done was truly despicable.
Because of this incident, Su Xi once again made headlines. People love this kind of underdog story, where the hero rises from the bottom and proves his opponents wrong.
This Chapter of Su Xi’s basketball career was like an Arican Dream story.
He seed more like the protagonist than even "The Chosen One," LeBron Jas.
After all, Jas was "The Chosen One" from the start; he wore a halo from day one.
Su Xi, however, had fought his way up step by step.
Naturally, people identified more strongly with the latter.
After all, in any fantasy novel, the protagonist always rises from the bottom, rather than starting out as a success story.
This is also the core of the Arican Dream.
Jas looked at the overwhelming dia coverage. Especially in New York, the world’s greatest city, Su Xi’s influence had completely surpassed his... at least for the ti being.
Outside Madison Square Garden Arena, there were even signs that read: Jack! Co back! We need you!
Su Xi was the number 8 pick, drafted by the Knicks and then traded away.
Moreover, he had also been a player for Syracuse University. Syracuse University has always been a source of basketball pride for New York.
After entering the arena, during warm-ups, many fans wearing Su Xi’s Syracuse University jersey ran to the sidelines to ask for his autograph. One kid was even wearing the composite jersey Su Xi wore on draft night... Su Xi took a mont to write a long, heartfelt ssage of blessing on the kid’s jersey, and also signed his own na, Scott’s, and Reggie Williams’s.
"Jack! Let’s find so ti to go one-on-one tomorrow."
After three days, Jas finally approached Su Xi for a private chat.
During this ti, Jas had been bottling up a lot of frustration.
He wanted to vent.
Su Xi said, "Sure! No problem."
Su Xi couldn’t have asked for more.
Especially seeing Jas’s look of pent-up frustration, he was clearly holding back strong emotions. Su Xi loved playing against geniuses who were emotional; it brought out more in them.
But after a little while, Ricky Davis, who was still practicing, was suddenly called over by a staff mber. They talked for a bit on the sidelines.
Then, Ricky Davis was seen taking out his phone to talk to his agent.
A mont later, he took off his Cavaliers jersey and started walking towards the locker room.
He didn’t take two steps before he turned back.
He found Su Xi. "Jack, there are a couple of things I want to tell you."
"I have no personal grudge against you. I was in the wrong about the Banks thing. I want to apologize for offending you that first ti."
"Second, you’re a very talented player. You have great leadership skills, and you’re fair and just. On the court, you never let personal grudges stop you from passing the ball. You see the bigger picture. Your nickna really suits you."
"Finally, I know you and LeBron have a good relationship. But believe , he won’t be able to tolerate you. Request a trade as soon as possible. This isn’t the place for you. If you stay with him, you’ll never have your day in the sun unless you curtail your own abilities to adapt to him."
"He can accept you becoming a star, but he can’t accept you becoming a bigger star than him."
"Everything I said in Orlando was the truth. You’re a better fit to be the leader than he is."
"Watch your back."
Davis clapped Su Xi on the shoulder, then left without looking back.
...
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