When Ron Artest was matched up against Su Xi, Larry Bird wasn’t surprised; he was delighted.
Earlier, Artest had been muttering nonstop on the bench: ’Listen, the one taking the final shot has to be Little Sheep Su Xi. It has to be that kid. That guy has the bloodthirsty killer instinct; LeBron is just a petulant child.’
Rick Carlisle had agreed to his risky decision.
When it really did turn out to be Su Xi taking the final shot...
Not only did Ron Artest excitedly demand the 1,000 USD he’d won from his bet with Reggie Miller...
Rick Carlisle and Larry Bird also breathed a sigh of relief.
To be honest, Reggie Miller, on the court, was also gratified, even though he had lost 1,000 USD. He hadn’t misjudged the man.
Miller, Carlisle, and Larry Bird all shared the sa sentint: ’Jack! Make the damn shot!’
That’s right. They were from the Pacers’ camp, but they were rooting for Su Xi to make the ga-winner.
It was a very complex psychological state.
Human emotions are strange.
Because they were acting out of self-interest... For them, Su Xi hitting the ga-winner now would yield the greatest returns in the future.
Just like LeBron Jas. Unable to get the ball, he was hoping Su Xi wouldn’t make the ga-winning shot.
Because from his perspective, he really didn’t want Su Xi to steal the lilight again. Su Xi had been in the spotlight more than enough. Right now, the entire locker room only knew of Little Sheep Su Xi, not the Chosen One.
Under Ron Artest’s defense, Su Xi slowly changed his dribbling path, adjusting his center of gravity.
At this mont, his Super Coordination Talent had reached 86.
His Super Flexibility Talent was at an incredible 100, on top of a Super Explosiveness Talent of 98 and a Super Speed Talent of 94.
Against any other defender who specialized in disrupting rhythm, Su Xi might have been thwarted due to his lack of brute-force offensive skills.
However, Artest’s defensive style was similar to Su Xi’s: engage with strength, push against the lower body, and use both hands for strong interference.
Across the entire NBA, what point guard had a more stable lower body than Su Xi?
Artest had the advantage in weight, but his absolute strength was no greater than Su Xi’s. Because after his battle with Carl Malone, Su Xi’s Super Strength Talent had reached 95.
He had beco a true monster of specialized talents.
Su Xi suddenly jab-stepped, and Ron Artest subconsciously shifted to the side.
At that mont, Su Xi made a subtle move as if to change direction.
Artest was a sharp defender. He quickly caught it and scrambled to adjust his center of gravity.
But the very instant he shifted his weight, Su Xi exploded forward, unleashing his full speed and explosiveness.
Su Xi’s drive was nearly as powerful as LeBron Jas’s, and his strength was even greater... He instantly pushed past Ron Artest’s defense.
Artest quickly backpedaled to pursue him, but just as he gave chase...
Su Xi stopped on a di and pulled back.
In that instant of tension and release, the distance between them suddenly widened.
Su Xi retreated back to the three-point line and took the jump shot... The ball rolled softly off his left hand... Artest’s attempt to block was futile; he couldn’t even manage the slightest bit of interference.
The ball flew higher and higher, past Artest’s horrified face, then traced a perfect arc as it began its descent.
BUZZ!
The buzzer sounded at that exact mont. The ga was over.
SWISH!
The ball sank gently through the net.
The ga-winner!
Su Xi’s second ga-winner of the season!
This ti, it was a buzzer-beater!
He left the Pacers with no chance at all.
BOOM!
The entire arena erupted like a sonic explosion.
Gand Arena could no longer contain its excitent. A powerful passion burst forth, followed by a unified chant: "Su! Su! Su!"
Su Xi spread his hands toward Artest and smiled. "I love the look on your face. It’s priceless, man."
Artest instantly snapped out of his daze and disbelief. He put on a fierce expression and yelled at Su Xi, "Next ti we et, I’ll definitely destroy you."
"Heh."
Su Xi chuckled. "Next ti? We’ll see about next ti."
Su Xi turned around, spread his arms, and closed his eyes, savoring the unified chant from Gand Arena.
This glory was his and his alone.
He had once again beco the guardian of this arena, no matter how much they favored their King.
But justice is inescapable!
Carlos Boozer rushed over, interrupting Su Xi’s mont of cool, and gave him a crushing hug. "Hey! Man! I knew you could do it! You just do it, you always do it! Nothing’s too hard for you, you’re a miracle in itself!"
All the Knights players rushed over to celebrate with Su Xi.
LeBron Jas walked over and gave him a sowhat perfunctory high-five, then pulled out his jersey to wipe the sweat from his face and left the court early.
Su Xi later gave an interview to the dia.
"There wasn’t much skill to it, and you don’t need a ’big heart’ or anything. The feeling was right, so I took the shot and it went in."
Su Xi explained his ga-winner to a reporter from the Fox Television Network. He seed so humble, but the content of his words was incredibly arrogant: "Ron Artest is the best periter defender in the league today. He’s flawless, except for the part where he can’t guard ."
"The Pacers are strong. But if this is all they’ve got, they should probably put their championship dreams on hold for now."
Su Xi continued his sharp critique of the Pacers.
The reporters present were all a bit stunned. They thought: ’Isn’t Jack being a little too arrogant? This is the Indiana Pacers, first in the East. Aren’t you afraid of retaliation for provoking them?’
But on second thought, considering Su Xi’s behavior recently... this was standard procedure.
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