Su Xi was now seen as a righteous figure, occupying the moral high ground.
Damn you, Stadumier!
Kenny Smith changed the subject. "That step-back jumper from LeBron just now looked a little like Jordan."
Huh?
Cole raised an eyebrow, finding the notion absurd. ’Dude, could you be any more obvious with the topic change? Like Jordan? More like Jordan’s grandma. If Jordan’s shot was textbook, Jas’s step-back was a kindergartener’s chaotic scribble on a blackboard—complete with the unbearable, ear-splitting sound of nails scraping against it.’
The ga continued.
On defense, Su Xi continued to stick to Stadumier.
Stadumier was furious; he’d been utterly humiliated on the last play. He demanded the ball from Ginobili again.
The mont he got the ball, he fiercely dropped his shoulder, bumped into Su Xi to create a sliver of space, then slamd the ball down once. Fueled by his rage, his explosiveness surged as he charged forward.
As he charged, the Super Explosiveness talent inside Su Xi surged once again, on the verge of a breakthrough.
He imdiately stuck to Stadumier.
Stadumier hadn’t expected Su Xi to be so quick. He took two steps but couldn’t shake him.
But he had already driven into the paint. Just as he ca to a sudden stop and Su Xi closed in, he ramd forward... putting all his strength, explosiveness, and boundless resentnt into the blow.
The collision did indeed knock Su Xi back half a step.
But in the instant Stadumier knocked him back, Su Xi’s long arm shot out and slapped the ball loose from right at his waist.
THUD!
The basketball hit the floor.
TWEET!
The head referee blew his whistle.
Calling an indisputable offensive foul on Stadumier.
Even without the foul call, Su Xi would have stolen the ball anyway.
This was too much for Stadumier. He flung his arm out and yelled at the referee, "Why?"
The head referee took a deep breath, fighting the urge to call a technical foul. He said, "You charged him. It was a clear charge." He even pointed up, telling Stadumier to watch the replay on the big screen.
Stadumier shot back, "Then what about what he did earlier? Wasn’t that a charge?"
"No," the referee said, his gaze sharp and unwavering.
Stadumier was on the verge of losing it.
But just then, Su Xi looked at him with a brilliant smile. "Thank you. My power just got another boost!"
Su Xi made sure Stadumier knew it.
That’s right. Su Xi’s Super Explosiveness talent, which had been stagnant for a while, had jumped from 98 to 99. Although it was only a one-point increase, the higher the stat, the more impactful each point was. It was like a brutal final exam where a single point could be the difference between life and death.
Su Xi’s explosiveness was now much greater than before. He was now at a top-tier level in the league, on par with LeBron Jas, if not even a sliver better.
How could he not be thankful for such a generous gift?
But to Stadumier, his thanks and his smile were the most cutting sarcasm imaginable.
If looks could kill, Stadumier’s glare would have been a blazing, sharp-edged sword of fire.
But what did it matter?
"Trash."
Su Xi tossed out the single word coldly and headed upcourt, ignoring the power forward’s impotent rage.
He had already left the confrontation far behind him.
Jas brought the ball past half-court and called for a screen from Kaman. As he drove quickly toward the paint, Su Xi instinctively moved to set a screen for him too. But Jas was too proud, refusing the help as if it were a handout.
He deliberately avoided the screen to the left and went right, driving into the paint.
He leaped up for a ferocious dunk!
Stadumier, still fuming, charged in and blocked Jas from behind... SMACK!
He swatted the ball against the backboard, and it ricocheted away.
After landing, he finally let out a cathartic roar.
But the sound had barely left his lips, and he hadn’t even had ti to beat his chest,
when Su Xi leaped up sharply from behind him. He snatched the rebound right in front of Nene and powerfully jamd it toward the hoop. His explosiveness and strength were so intimidating that Nene didn’t dare challenge him.
Nene dodged out of the way.
Just then, Stadumier turned around... OOMPH!
He was about to roar again when Su Xi’s crotch slamd right into his face, muffling the sound.
For a mont, he couldn’t breathe.
BOOM!
Su Xi viciously slamd the ball through the hoop, his body swinging forward with the montum.
Stadumier, who was still off-balance, stumbled and bumped into Jas.
Jas, having just been blocked from behind and then watching Su Xi’s follow-up dunk, was in no mood to catch Stadumier. He simply pulled away, and Stadumier went crashing hard to the floor.
The Staples Center erupted.
First, Su Xi had shouldered Stadumier aside for a rebound, and now he had posterized him with a violent dunk.
Pure adrenaline!
This was Shark-style basketball.
And the Los Angeles fans absolutely loved this brand of violent beauty.
They let out a deafening chant.
SU! SU! SU!
On TNT, Barkley was going wild. "Did you see that?! Did you see that?! That’s what happens when you ss with Little Sheep Su Xi! Who the hell does Stadumier think he is? He actually dared to provoke Jack!!"
"Everyone who provokes Jack will face the consequences!"
"And Stadumier wants Jack’s All-Star spot? What a joke! They’re not even in the sa league!"
Barkley was reveling in it, his comntary a cathartic release.
The viewers at ho were loving it too. Stadumier had no moral high ground, so the more brutally Su Xi dominated him, the more excited everyone beca, feeling he was getting exactly what he deserved.
This was a crusade of justice against evil!
This was the mighty fist of righteousness.
Damn you, Stadumier!
SQUEAK!
Su Xi landed, his eyes filled with contempt for all beneath him. He looked down coldly at the pathetic figure of Stadumier on the floor, and everyone saw him give a slow, dismissive shake of his head.
It was as if he were looking at a prisoner who had just been sentenced to death.
That mont was broadcast by TNT across the nation and around the world.
Everyone who saw it felt the sa thing: pure, unadulterated dominance.
"He must be the final boss of the rookie team, right?"
The fans couldn’t help but marvel.
In his looks, his aura, his appeal to the fans—in every way, Su Xi seed more like the main character.
At that mont, Doug Collins, a man whose fate was to elevate a true king, felt it strongly too.
He realized that Jas might be a false "Chosen One," and that Su Xi was the one truly favored by destiny!
Otherwise, how could one explain that whenever Su Xi shone brightly, Jas seed to dim in comparison?
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