O’Neal’s presence was overwhelming.
Kobe Bryant also gave 200 percent on defense, matching up directly against Su Xi.
This had an impact on the Pacers, but it diminished as Ron Artest and Reggie Miller started hitting their shots.
The two teams traded blows.
The Lakers maintained their lead all night. They also got so favorable calls, though it was within the normal scope of ho-court advantage. It was just like how the Pacers got a few calls in Indiana.
Carl Malone also had an excellent ga tonight. As the third option, his shooting was decisive and consistent.
Under these circumstances, the Pacers were forced to play catch-up the entire ti.
By the fourth quarter, Su Xi had led a charge that cut the deficit to just three points.
But then, Kobe went on a tear, hitting consecutive three-pointers.
Furthermore, when the Pacers resorted to fouling, the Lakers simply took O’Neal off the court.
This should have been the Pacers’ opportunity. Su Xi kept feeding the ball into the paint, but Little O’Neal failed to capitalize. He was practically a double agent, bricking so many shots in a row that even Carl Malone started taunting him.
By the ti Su Xi took control of the ball himself and tried to force the issue, it was already too late.
Su Xi gave it his all, going one-on-one against Kobe.
Although he didn’t have as many offensive moves as Kobe, he still fearlessly drove into the paint, forcing his way to the basket.
But Kobe’s touch was just too hot; he couldn’t miss.
In the end, the Lakers won the ga 106-94.
When the final buzzer sounded, Su Xi stood panting, hands on his knees, his eyes fixed on the scoreboard overhead.
1-2.
The Lakers had clawed one back in the series.
Kobe Bryant was the biggest reason for the Lakers’ win, finishing with a stat line of 32 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
Su Xi put up 23 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds, 4 steals, and 1 block in 29 minutes of play. He was just shy of becoming the youngest player to record a triple-double in the Finals.
Su Xi’s performance in this ga was beyond reproach. Though his shooting percentage was a little low, with the Pacers’ big n struggling, he was the team’s sharpest weapon on the periter.
...
The mood on the Pacers’ team bus was somber on the way back to the hotel. The loss had dampened everyone’s spirits.
Back in the locker room, Reggie Miller had given a long speech, encouraging everyone to keep fighting in the next ga.
Carlisle, anwhile, took all the bla during his press interview. "...Every one of our players perford exceptionally well, and I’m proud of all of them. The reason we lost this ga is my fault. I wasn’t prepared enough; I was blindly optimistic."
Carlisle was a good man. Publicly, he shouldered all the bla for the loss. Privately, he announced that the next day would be a day off, for everyone to do as they pleased.
The Pacers would be staying in Los Angeles for at least another week.
The Lakers had three consecutive ho gas.
On the team bus, a local TV analyst was babbling excitedly on the built-in television: "...As long as we win these three ho gas, then even when we go back to Indiana, we’ll have the series on match point and can finish it in one fell swoop! We will reclaim the honor that belongs to us! The greatest king of the new century has set sail once again tonight..."
Ron Artest changed the channel, not wanting to agitate the team any further.
Su Xi glanced up at the TV. It was an interview with a codian. Just as he looked up, he heard the codian, in his unique rhythmic delivery, answer a question about his profession: "...People have been laughing at since I was a kid. I just thought, fuck it, might as well charge them for it. That’s why I got into the cody business..."
Su Xi raised an eyebrow.
Back at the hotel, Su Xi lay in bed, tossing and turning.
He kept replaying the ga in his mind, wondering what he could have done better, where he had fallen short.
He thought back for a long ti but couldn’t co up with anything.
The Pacers’ inside presence had been weak, but not disastrously so. And he himself had played exceptionally well. His shooting percentage was a little low, but that was because he was the one forcing the issue and taking all the tough shots. On top of that, he had played 29 minutes at full throttle, giving it his all.
To lose despite all that could only an one thing: when both parts of the Lakers’ OK Combination were firing on all cylinders, the Pacers simply couldn’t compete.
’How did the OK Combination suddenly get so in sync?’
’They can’t keep playing at such a high intensity, can they?’
The more Su Xi thought about it, the more restless he beca.
He decided to turn on the TV, deliberately avoiding the sports channels so he wouldn’t get more upset.
But when he flipped to other channels, he felt even worse.
The entertainnt dia were all over the Pacers’ loss. While they praised the Lakers for securing a victory for the City of Angels, they were also painting Su Xi as the main culprit. They claid he had been corrupted by the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, that the beautiful won fawning over him from the sidelines had made him lose focus, ultimately costing the Pacers the ga.
Having this pile of crap dumped on his head, Su Xi was instantly pissed off.
’I’m so damn chaste, and you’re accusing of womanizing? Have I ever asked a single one of those won for their number? They were throwing themselves at , trying to touch , and I pushed them all away. And now look, I’m the one being painted as so kind of playboy.’
’Fuck.’
Su Xi cursed under his breath.
He couldn’t help but think of the codian’s interview.
A blaze of irrational anger welled up inside him. ’Fine. You all say I’m a playboy? Then I’ll show you a playboy.’
Su Xi dialed Jessica’s number and asked her to co pick him up at the hotel.
While he waited, Su Xi also called Mike O’Connor. "If there are any parties tomorrow, I’ll go. Just make sure they’re high-class."
Mike O’Connor saw the ssage and practically jumped out of bed in the middle of the night. This was fantastic! He could finally go out and ride Su Xi’s coattails again, finally get to flex a little.
...
Su Xi got into Jessica Alba’s car and they headed for Beverly Hills, to a house she had just recently purchased. Before she started dating Su Xi, she hadn’t been earning much. But ever since their relationship went public, the constant buzz had caused her popularity to skyrocket. She landed nurous comrcial endorsents, and her fa even spread to Asia.
This led to a significant increase in her acting fees as well.
As a result, she was able to purchase this French-style mansion.
Soon, Su Xi was letting her experience a pleasure she could have never imagined. It was a long journey that began in the garage... from the garage to the living room, to the elevator, to the bedroom...
It was a wild and sleepless night.
But it wasn’t just a sleepless night for them. It was a sleepless night for Scarlett Johansson as well.
Scarlett had just pulled into the hotel garage, planning to give Su Xi a surprise, when she saw him get into Jessica’s car.
Instead, Jessica gave her a shock.
For a mont, she even wanted to jump out of her car and snatch Su Xi away.
But then she spotted the paparazzi nearby, filming everything.
She didn’t want to cause a huge scene. In that mont, she demonstrated an unprecedented ability to see the bigger picture.
This act would later earn Su Xi’s admiration.
The dia, however, would not let such an explosive story slip by.
They had originally been tailing Scarlett, but they stumbled upon an unexpected jackpot. They had caught not only Jessica, but also Su Xi getting into her car... This footage alone was enough to send the entertainnt world into a frenzy.
It was the first ti the drama of two won fighting over one man had been so clearly docunted.
The SJ shippers had won a huge victory.
This was guaranteed to cause a dia firestorm.
Ti Warner clearly agreed, because they paid the paparazzo 500,000 USD for the exclusive rights.
And this was 500,000 USD in 2003.
This just went to show Su Xi’s imnse influence.
After acquiring the tape, Ti Warner didn’t rush to release it overnight. Instead, they prepared the press copy and streaming assets, planning to launch a dia blitz starting at noon the next day.
They intended to make back that 500,000 USD many tis over.
anwhile, Su Xi was completely oblivious to the storm about to break.
He was still in the heat of battle.
He was still thinking, ’Fuck it. Since everyone’s calling an unprofessional playboy anyway, I might as well give them a real show.’
...
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