The Best Point Guard-Chapter 105 - 32: An Unprecedented Steal Triple-Double

Chapter 105: Chapter 32: An Unprecedented Steal Triple-Double

Staples Center was completely sold out on October 25th.

LeBron James’s star power in the United States was immense. Everyone wanted to see just how good the number 23 player—hailed by the media as the "strongest rookie" and "future ruler"—really was.

Of course, Su Xi was another major draw for the fans. Su Xi had spent the entire summer in Los Angeles. He had been briefly implicated in Kobe’s legal case, though it was later cleared up as a misunderstanding. He had also appeared on the cover of a women’s magazine by Playboy, becoming the fantasy object on many a California woman’s nightstand. His good looks were widely reported in Hollywood, and some film companies even claimed they would have Su Xi make guest appearances in their productions.

And after Su Xi’s recent moniker, the "Genius Ender," had been hyped up in Oakland and Sacramento, people were eager to see what he was made of. Could he be even more impressive than the sensational Yao Ming from last year? After all, Yao Ming could go toe-to-toe with Shaquille O’Neal for the first fifteen minutes of a game.

Before the game, Su Xi spotted Jessica Alba. She was sitting with Vivian, wearing a number 33 Cavaliers jersey.

Su Xi averted his gaze when their eyes met; he’d been avoiding her for a while now. He hadn’t contacted Jessica Alba in nearly six months, but he could never forget learning to rap with her at that Avril Lavigne concert. He’d even gotten his Super Flexibility talent from her... Gary Payton was full of praise, saying Su Xi’s flexibility and long arms were the perfect weapons for a steal.

’So... she still hasn’t given up on me? She’s actually wearing my jersey and even winked,’ Su Xi thought.

"Oh! My God, the poor girl actually bought the wrong jersey."

LeBron James said as he walked over to Su Xi. Back in the locker room, he had already announced that Jessica Alba, the leading lady from his commercial, would be coming to watch him play.

Su Xi nodded. "Must be, LeBron. 23 and 33 do look pretty similar."

He certainly hoped so.

The game began shortly after.

Phil Jackson sat on the bench, resting with his eyes closed. He had no passion for the preseason. He also had no interest in this "Little Sheep Su Xi" that Kobe Bryant had recommended. ’My team is already packed with talent,’ he thought. ’We don’t need to add a so-called "Genius Ender".’

But a gasp from the crowd quickly made him open his eyes.

On the very first play, Su Xi stripped the ball right from Derek Fisher.

Fisher had just crossed half-court with the ball when Su Xi closed in to defend.

Fisher wasn’t in peak condition yet after the long offseason, and he was underestimating his opponent. He didn’t think much of it when Su Xi began to stick to him.

Then... SMACK!

Su Xi stripped him with almost no effort. It was simple: he cut off Fisher’s path, baited him into a crossover to the right, and then used his right hand to poke the ball away from Fisher’s left side.

After the steal, Su Xi exploded forward, knocking Fisher to the ground in the process.

He charged down the court like a raging bull.

Just then, James came streaking in from the side. Su Xi slammed a bounce pass, and while it was a bit inaccurate—too much force made it bounce high—LeBron’s incredible athleticism turned it into a highlight. James soared through the air, his head nearly touching the backboard, and threw down a reverse dunk with his left hand.

That was definitely a top-five play.

It could definitely make the top ten plays of the season!

A collective gasp swept through Staples Center before erupting into a massive cheer.

The play was incredible.

The commentator for the Fox Channel yelled, "LeBron’s talent is like he was handcrafted by God for basketball! And... Little Sheep Su Xi, what a fantastic steal!"

Phil Jackson’s eyes were wide open now. James ran over to high-five Su Xi. "Jack, that was perfect!" he said. "The Chosen One and the Genius Ender! We’re a perfect match!"

As he said this, he glanced toward the sidelines. He saw Jessica Alba on her feet, cheering excitedly.

He raised his eyebrows smugly. ’That’s right,’ he thought. ’Just like that.’

"That play had my touch, didn’t it?" Gary Payton said, turning his head to Kobe. "And we only coached him for two hours yesterday."

"He’s definitely got a gift for defense. And his passing is great, too," Kobe agreed with a nod.

But when Phil Jackson overheard this, it hit him differently.

He couldn’t help but look up at the replay. Su Xi’s steal was shown in its entirety, and it was impressive. The kid not only held his ground against Fisher’s strong upper body but also completely locked up his base, preventing him from moving forward and forcing him to take a detour... What surprised Phil Jackson even more was his flexibility and long arms.

He had watched tapes on Su Xi before, but he never expected him to improve this fast.

The game resumed.

When Fisher got the ball again, Su Xi immediately locked him down. Fisher had to jump near the half-court line just to pass it to Devin Brown, a pass that James nearly intercepted.

Su Xi was all over Fisher.

Fisher was completely passive, like a dead fish on a bed—not making a sound or even trying to move.

Eventually, he stopped bringing the ball past half-court altogether.

Six minutes into the game, Phil Jackson subbed in Gary Payton.

Before this, Stephen Silas had been telling head coach Paul Silas, "I’ve had him watching Gary Payton’s tapes lately, and he’s improving incredibly fast. He’s a born defender; I’m proud of his talent. The defense he’s showing right now is already at an elite level in this league."

Gary Payton was getting old, and his athleticism was in decline. His defensive skills and experience, however, were not.

Because this was a preseason game, winning or losing didn’t matter.

So, on almost every possession, he was coaching Su Xi. It wasn’t just one-on-one defense; he was teaching Su Xi how to provide help defense, how to form a defensive wall with teammates... As one of the top defenders in history, Gary Payton’s ability was beyond doubt.

And his legendary fast-talking finally found a successful application outside of trash-talking.

Su Xi was a quick study, understanding concepts almost instantly.

Everyone has a side that loves to teach, especially when they meet a student with such a strong aptitude for learning. You’d almost be willing to pay out of your own pocket to give them extra lessons.

It couldn’t be helped. After all, Su Xi already had the ’Super Sticky Defense Talent’ chip in his brain.

Under Payton’s personal tutelage, Su Xi’s comprehension of the ’Super Sticky Defense’ talent quickly reached 84%.

If Phil Jackson hadn’t benched Gary Payton in the second half, it could have gone even higher.

But this... was more than enough.

"Gary, since when do you like coaching guys on the court?" Phil Jackson asked Gary Payton in the locker room.

"Phil, if you met a player like Jack, you’d be dying to teach him everything you know, too. Believe me, that guy is the smartest basketball player in the entire NBA."

Gary Payton said with utmost seriousness, "Defense is the hardest thing in the world to learn. It requires an extremely high basketball IQ and intuition. But this kid’s rate of improvement is just insane. I feel like in some ways, he’s already better than I was in my prime."

"Anyone who gets in his face and scoffs at that ’Genius Ender’ nickname is going to be in for a rude awakening," Gary Payton declared.

Phil Jackson was skeptical, so in the second half, he had the 6’6" Karim Rush guard Su Xi. Karim Rush was very athletic; he came from a family of athletes. He had an older brother, Jalen Rush, who played for UCLA, and a younger brother, Brandon Rush, who would go on to be a lottery pick.

Although his skills were average, the guy was a great athlete.

However, what happened next was a disaster.

Su Xi began his suffocating performance.

The first time Karim Rush touched the ball, Su Xi stripped him at the top of the arc on the Lakers’ side of the court. The play ended with a thunderous dunk from Ricky Davis.

Then, after crossing half-court, Rush tried a quick pass, only for Su Xi to leap up and snatch the ball right out of the air.

The crowd went wild.

Phil Jackson’s interest was piqued; he hadn’t expected Su Xi to be this dominant.

Strength, explosiveness, astonishingly long arms, and a jaw-dropping ability to contort his body... He was born to play defense.

To be honest, Phil Jackson thought Su Xi’s defensive quality had already surpassed that of a rookie Gary Payton. In many ways, he was already better.

Payton couldn’t defend the post.

But Su Xi could actually do some work in the paint.

Karl Malone caught the ball at the free-throw line. The Cavaliers switched, and Su Xi bodied him up. Malone used a spin move to create a step of space... but just as he went up for the shot... Su Xi’s long arm slapped down... WHAP!

Another steal.

Kobe roared with laughter from the bench, a huge, exaggerated laugh.

He was loving Su Xi’s performance.

Just then, assistant coach Jim Clemons said, "Damn! The rookie has eight steals today. He’s also got ten assists, five rebounds, and nine points."

No sooner had he spoken...

...than Su Xi got another steal. LeBron James was covering Devin Brown, who jumped to make a pass. Su Xi suddenly shot out of nowhere and picked it off.

He raced down the court, drove into the paint, and finished with a left-handed layup.

This was only three minutes into the fourth quarter.

The Cavaliers were up by 11.

Phil Jackson was tempted. He was truly tempted.

Su Xi reminded him of Dennis Rodman: an energetic, versatile defender who was a ball of energy. And Su Xi didn’t come with all the messy off-court drama that Rodman did.

’Oh, my God. I really should have taken a gamble on him in the draft. Kobe was actually right for once,’ he thought to himself.

Seven minutes into the fourth quarter, Su Xi recorded his tenth steal. This one came in the paint, with Luke Walton passing the ball to Brian Cook inside.

The instant Cook caught the ball, Su Xi’s long arms were already on him. He didn’t even let Cook bring the ball up, simply snatching it from his waist.

When the jumbotron at Staples Center flashed Su Xi’s stat line—11 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 10 steals, and 1 block—the entire arena erupted.

Even though preseason stats don’t count toward official career totals...

...looking back at the whole of NBA history, how many players had ever recorded a triple-double with steals?

Gary Payton stood on the sideline, clapping proudly. He kept repeating to the Lakers bench, "I taught that kid! He’s The Glove, Generation Two! MAN! That’s the second-gen Glove right there!"

When Su Xi assisted Carlos Boozer for a layup, Payton couldn’t help but step onto the court and excitedly high-five him.

Phil Jackson called a timeout as well.

The entire arena chanted for Su Xi: "SU! SU! SU!"

In this meaningless preseason game, the Los Angeles fans gave all their cheers and applause to Su Xi.

And this was despite an eye-catching performance from LeBron James, who put up 28 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal—a superstar-level stat line.

But Su Xi’s triple-double with steals was just too incredible.

Seeing the entire arena on its feet, chanting Su Xi’s name, James felt a pang of jealousy.

But when he saw Su Xi walking over, he ran to meet him, and they jumped up for a celebratory chest bump.

"Jack, you’re my Pippen!" he roared in Su Xi’s ear.

’Pippen?’ Su Xi’s brow furrowed slightly.

...