This prevented Kobe from shaking the defense. He paused slightly, his eyes glancing to the left. Artest was in the corner, poised like he was facing a formidable enemy.
Kobe quickly abandoned the idea of passing. He had no choice but to leap up, forcing a jump shot despite having no space.
Su Xi wasn’t a great jumper, but his huge hand still nearly covered Kobe’s eyes.
CLANG!
Kobe’s jumper clanked off the iron.
Little O’Neal overpowered Luke Walton to grab the rebound.
Luke Walton’s weaknesses were becoming apparent. His soft and undersized fra put him at a disadvantage now that Su Xi was on the court.
Phil Jackson glanced at Carl Malone. "You’re in next possession."
"What do you need to do?" Carl Malone asked Phil Jackson.
"Just tone it down a bit," Phil Jackson advised, offering no other instructions. He knew Carl Malone would get physical with Su Xi. There was no way Su Xi could just casually bump his way past him again and again like he did with Luke Walton. Carl Malone’s massive fra was like a steel gate; Su Xi couldn’t just ram his head against it.
anwhile, Su Xi was still being hounded by Kobe.
Kobe stuck to him like a shadow, his defense incredibly focused and relentless.
Su Xi moved with an unorthodox, serpentine gait.
He weaved through the half-court, forcing the entire Lakers defense to shift.
As Su Xi ran toward the corner, Devin George couldn’t resist helping out on defense. That one mont was all it took. Artest flashed into open space, and Kenny Anderson passed him the ball.
Artest caught the ball and imdiately went into a shooting stance, forcing Kobe to switch onto him.
But as Kobe slid over, Artest had already fired the ball to Little O’Neal, who was posting up on the wing. Little O’Neal imdiately squared up for a one-on-one.
Kobe instinctively turned, intending to double-team.
Just then, Little O’Neal turned and kicked the ball out... to Su Xi, who caught it at the top of the arc—the sa spot where he’d hit his last shot.
Devin George had been shaken off long ago.
Kobe was so furious he gritted his teeth, glaring at Devin George with a death stare.
anwhile, Su Xi had already released his shot.
The ball traced a perfect arc through the air.
SWISH!
His second three-pointer tore through the net with a nearly identical arc.
With Su Xi on the court, the massive gap between the two teams had quickly shrunk to just one point.
The Pacers’ bench erupted.
Big Wei and Xiaowei also leaped to their feet, cheering for Su Xi.
That play... it showcased the Pacers’ perfect chemistry. They had complete trust in Su Xi, patiently moving the ball until it found his hands. Of course, Su Xi’s off-ball movent was also crucial.
Phil Jackson couldn’t help but suck in a breath. ’Little Sheep Su Xi should be called Little Fox Su Xi.’
’He’s too cunning.’
’Even the Desert Fox was only this good.’
On the last two possessions, on both offense and defense, he had initiated the play from the left corner, perfectly leveraging Artest’s natural talent. Although Artest hadn’t recorded any stats on either possession, neither play would have succeeded without him.
’How did he know that the left side is Kobe’s weak spot?’
Phil Jackson was a bit curious.
Just then, Carl Malone walked onto the court, replacing Luke Walton.
The first thing he did wasn’t to find his matchup, Little O’Neal. Instead, he whispered a threat into Su Xi’s ear. "Your little joyride is over. If you dare to run all over the place, I’ll break your ribs..."
Su Xi shot him a disdainful glance.
Carl Malone then heard a familiar Chinese phrase. "Fucking idiot."
Malone was now genuinely curious. What on earth did that phrase an?
’Is he insulting ? Or is it so wicked Eastern Curse Technique?’
Carl Malone grew more suspicious and paranoid, which only made him angrier.
Kobe went back on the offensive, once again taking on Su Xi one-on-one. In Kobe’s basketball philosophy, if one isolation play doesn’t work, try another.
Su Xi was still stuck to Kobe, using his strength to pressure him. Kobe executed a perfect shoulder fake, getting Su Xi to bite by half a step. He used the opening to rise up for a shot. Su Xi scrambled to contest but couldn’t get there in ti.
However, Kobe’s shot was just a little off, rimming out.
Carl Malone aggressively crashed the boards, but he was old, after all. Even though he threw an elbow at Little O’Neal, Little O’Neal still used his superior leaping ability to tip the ball away.
Artest secured the ball and passed it to Su Xi.
Su Xi caught the ball but didn’t rush to start a fast break.
He glanced back to see Little O’Neal clutching his ribs and pleading with the head referee.
The head referee remained impassive.
It was a tough spot for the ref. Without seeing the play develop, it was difficult to make a call.
Even though the whole world knew Carl Malone was a dirty player, he was still a big na, and his moves were subtle.
After bringing the ball past half-court, Su Xi passed to Kenny Anderson and continued his off-ball movent. Kobe Bryant gave chase imdiately. He couldn’t allow soone this incredible to exist, couldn’t let him co in and hit three straight shots to take the lead.
But now, Su Xi was knowingly walking into the tiger’s den.
With Carl Malone on the court, the Lakers’ paint was now occupied by two of the strongest interior players in the league.
The two tower-like figures stood in the paint. Just the sight of them was enough to deter any periter player from wanting to collide with that much muscle.
But Su Xi didn’t hesitate for a second. He charged straight into the paint.
As he charged, both Carl Malone and Shaquille O’Neal braced themselves, though not for the sa reason.
Just as Su Xi was about to squeeze through the gap between them, Carl Malone raised his elbow. But at the last second, Su Xi twisted his body, hugging close to Shaquille O’Neal’s side... he slipped right past.
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