The Best Point Guard-Chapter 104 - 31: [Super Entangling Defense Talent]

Chapter 104: Chapter 31: [Super Entangling Defense Talent]

The parties at Kobe’s place were always pretty tame. He invited some Mexican and Italian chefs to cook for everyone, and there were also three stand-up comedians performing.

To be honest, it was all pretty average. The Mexican chefs, the Italian chefs, and the stand-up comedians.

Maybe Su Xi just had a high bar for comedy.

Kobe’s teammates were even more welcoming to Su Xi than he had imagined. Rick Fox immediately went up to greet him when he saw him. He asked Su Xi, "Hey, Jack, I heard Mike O’Connor is your agent now. He’s a good guy."

"You know him?" Su Xi was a little surprised.

"He used to be the ’Nevada Giant Cannon’ in the adult film industry. He retired for some... physical reasons, but he was still an agent for adult film stars for a while," Fox said. "He’s someone I respect a lot."

’Nevada Giant Cannon?’

Su Xi was surprised. He hadn’t expected O’Connor to have such a past. But he really did seem to avoid women now.

Su Xi chatted with Fox for a while, and then Gary Payton arrived fashionably late.

Gary Payton was one of the best Point Guards of the ’90s—at certain points, you could even say he was *the* best. His defensive prowess was immense. He was the first Point Guard in NBA history to be named Defensive Player of the Year, and he was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for nine consecutive years.

Nicknamed "The Glove," he was said to possess a defensive ability that could completely smother his opponents.

Many people said that after Gary Payton, it would be impossible for another Point Guard to be named Defensive Player of the Year. In fact, to this day, there has been no sign of that happening.

Stephen Silas had recently been making Su Xi watch videos of Gary Payton’s defense, and he had learned a lot from them.

Just then, Gary Payton walked straight over. He looked exactly as he did in all the video tapes: a shiny bald head, a seemingly skinny frame like a matchstick. He was perpetually chewing a piece of gum, CHOMP CHOMP, his mouth twisted to one side, his face fixed in a disdainful expression, ready to spout off some infuriating trash talk at any moment.

Seeing this magnificent sight, Su Xi felt an urge to call Mike O’Connor over and have them stand side-by-side to see who made a more detestable first impression.

O’Connor would probably win. O’Connor was the kind of person you saw and immediately thought was insufferably arrogant. His long neck, jutting chin, and arrogant goatee—God must have put some extra thought into creating him, deliberately intending to add a nuisance to the world.

"Hey, Little Sheep Su Xi."

To Su Xi’s surprise, Gary Payton actually recognized him and even took the initiative to greet him. "I’ve seen your games. Those few games you played in the NCAA were fantastic. You’re the most ’Glove’-style player I’ve ever seen."

"Great height, incredible wingspan, strong upper body, a terrifyingly solid base, and fearsome explosiveness. And your flexibility is so good... Sometimes I even feel like I’m looking in a mirror."

Gary Payton praised Su Xi, adding, "Unfortunately, your defensive skills and experience are still a bit raw."

As Gary Payton said this, the Little Elf automatically awakened and alerted Su Xi: "Super Clamping Defense Talent detected."

’Huh?’

Su Xi was startled, his eyes immediately locking onto Gary Payton.

’Yes, Gary Payton is the one who possesses a super talent developed through hard work.’

Su Xi was filled with awe and respect.

He had only known before that Gary Payton was strong on defense, but he never expected him to be *this* strong.

He had met so many superstars. So far, only three had evolved a super talent on their own: Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and the man right in front of him, Gary Payton.

’The Super Clamping Defense Talent.’

’"The Glove." A well-deserved nickname. It’s true what they say: a person might get a bad name, but never a bad nickname.’

"It’d be great if you had my defensive skills. At least that bastard Chris Webber wouldn’t dare run his mouth in front of you. He’s no tough guy, he only dares to bully rookies," Gary Payton said, his mouth twisted.

Su Xi’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but ask Gary Payton, "Mr. Payton, are you really willing to give me your defensive skills?"

"Of course," Payton said naturally. "I’d be thrilled if someone could carry on my defensive skills and take them to new heights. But unfortunately, I don’t have much time right now; I have to make a run for the championship. If I have time to run a training camp next summer, you’re welcome to come."

No!

Su Xi grabbed both of Gary Payton’s hands, his eyes filled with longing. He asked with utmost sincerity, "Mr. Gary Payton, are you really willing to give me your Super Clamping Defense Talent?"

Gary Payton frowned slightly, but he still looked seriously at this defensive Point Guard he admired and said, "Of course..."

As he spoke, he felt a slight numbness in his body.

It felt like something had drained out of him, but also not.

He continued, "If you want to learn, find some time and come look for me in Los Angeles."

"Okay." Su Xi was ecstatic.

The joy on his face was radiant, like an elementary school kid who just got the toy he’d always dreamed of.

Gary Payton looked at the overjoyed Su Xi and couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional. ’Youth is a wonderful thing. I used to love basketball this much, too.’

At that moment, Su Xi felt a massive amount of information being downloaded into his mind. This information rapidly shot through his limbs, forming a kind of muscle memory.

Su Xi’s understanding of defense grew exponentially.

If Su Xi had previously relied on his physical gifts and excellent defensive judgment, he now possessed a kind of ’defensive intuition.’ This intuition allowed him to react to an opponent’s moves with extreme speed, even anticipating their thoughts. It was like his body had been upgraded with a super-chip.

’So... this is what it feels like to have a super talent developed through training.’

Integration: 78%.

On one hand, it was because Su Xi’s physical talents hadn’t caught up yet; his coordination and agility were still lacking.

On the other hand, Su Xi still needed more training and comprehension. Without any changes to his physical attributes, the highest Su Xi could currently raise the Super Clamping Defense Talent was to 86%.

However, Su Xi’s 86% was definitely stronger than Payton’s own 86%, because Su Xi’s talents for strength, explosiveness, and flexibility had already surpassed Payton’s.

Once Su Xi’s other physical talents improved, he would be able to elevate the ’Super Clamping Defense Talent’ to a level that even Gary Payton could not reach.

"Gary, if I’m bodying up an opponent like this and he suddenly spins, what should I do?"

Su Xi started asking Payton questions.

Payton was taken aback for a moment.

But he quickly recovered. "When you’re fighting for position, you have to judge where his center of gravity is. If it’s more to his left, you have to cut off his left side. Use your right shoulder... body him up like this."

Gary Payton began teaching him on the spot.

Under Payton’s personal tutelage, Su Xi’s defensive integration level rose again. This was because... this type of acquired super talent relied more on comprehension. It was upgraded through one’s own mind.

Kobe joined in shortly after. He was a fiend for basketball technique.

He had mastered all sorts of offensive moves. Iverson once said himself that Kobe’s crossover was second only to his own. Jordan said that Kobe had learned all of his offensive moves. Later, Olajuwon would also say that Kobe was the player who best learned his footwork.

Kobe had learned defense from Gary Payton back in ’99. As a player drafted out of high school, Kobe had learned defense step-by-step. And he learned fast. That same season, he was selected to the All-Defensive Team alongside Gary Payton.

Su Xi sparred with these two defensive masters in turn, and his understanding of defense advanced by leaps and bounds.

In two hours, his integration reached 80%.

If the other Lakers players hadn’t gotten fed up with these three technique-obsessed freaks practicing defense and suggested leaving, both Su Xi and Kobe would have wanted to continue.

Because he noticed Su Xi’s understanding of defense was progressing at an incredible rate, and he loved playing with people who were obsessed with technique.

He even began to regret that he couldn’t get on the court for a real practice session with Su Xi tomorrow night.

He said, "I’m going to destroy every ounce of defensive confidence you’ve built up tonight."

Su Xi raised his eyebrows and replied confidently to Kobe, "You’re going to get bodied so hard you’ll lose all your offensive rhythm."

"We’ll see about that."

The two of them exchanged fighting words.

As he was leaving, Su Xi got into Gary Payton’s car. The moment he high-fived Kobe goodbye, the Little Elf reminded Su Xi: ’Kobe will soon comprehend the super "Shooting Rhythm" talent.’

This was the most difficult and also the most powerful super offensive talent.

Only those who have achieved mastery of all offensive techniques have a chance to unlock this super talent.

Su Xi couldn’t help but feel a surge of respect for Kobe. He asked the Little Elf two questions in his mind: ’If I completely master the Super Clamping Defense Talent and go up against Kobe’s Super Shooting Rhythm Talent, can I stop him?’

The Little Elf said: ’No. It would depend on both of your conditions at the time.’

’If I had the Super Clamping Defense Talent and the Super Shooting Rhythm Talent at the same time, would I be invincible?’

’Yes! But first, you have to raise all your physical attributes to a certain level. Moreover, these two acquired talents are very difficult to fully integrate. It requires an extremely high degree of effort. The later you get, the harder these acquired talents are to integrate. Every additional point of integration requires multiple times the effort of the last, and much of it is comprehended during critical moments in peak-level real combat.’

After answering this question, the Little Elf fell into a deep sleep.

Su Xi let out a breath and encouraged himself in his heart: ’Keep learning! There’s no end to it!’

On the way to the hotel, Su Xi was still talking about defense with Gary Payton.

Payton was deeply engaged in the conversation, holding nothing back as he shared his understanding of defense.

Su Xi benefited immensely.

His defense was now on a completely different level than it was three hours ago.

Moreover, Su Xi realized... as long as his speed or explosiveness improved further, his defense would reach an even higher level.

’The software has been upgraded; now the hardware needs to catch up.’

’When that time comes, Chris Webber... Heh heh.’

Gary Payton soon dropped Su Xi off at the hotel. Su Xi waved goodbye to Gary Payton.

As he walked into the hotel lobby, he happened to run into a proud-looking LeBron James. He was wearing a black suit, and sure enough, there was a tight-fitting athletic shirt underneath.

"Hey, Jack. What do you think of this outfit?"

James spun around and asked Su Xi.

Su Xi said, "It’s great."

"It is great. Jessica praised my taste. We just finished shooting a commercial. I invited her to come see our game tomorrow, and she happily accepted," James said gleefully.

"Congratulations," Su Xi said casually. Then, he suddenly remembered something. "Who did you say?"

"Jessica. Hollywood’s number one beauty, Jessica Alba."

James raised his eyebrows. "What? You know her too? I vaguely remember hearing Cameron say... something."

Su Xi didn’t want James to keep trying to remember.

He said, "I don’t know her. I need to go take a shower."

"Jack, you gotta clean up on defense for me tomorrow. I need to focus all my attention on offense. Female celebrities love spectacular dunks," James said to Su Xi.

"Sure thing, Ah Zhan. But the day after tomorrow, you have to play one-on-one with me."

"No problem, my Little Sheep Su Xi."

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