The Best Point Guard-Chapter 63 - 60: Bird is Up to Something

"Jack is punishing Collison in the mismatch."

Billy Parker promptly delivered this crucial piece of information to the TV audience.

It might sound ridiculous. Su Xi was only 192 centimeters tall, while Collison had the standard 208-centimeter frame of a center who was practically unstoppable in the NCAA.

But Su Xi was all over him. Su Xi’s explosiveness and flexibility made it hard for him to get into a comfortable position. And even when he did establish position, Su Xi’s strength made it difficult for him to receive the ball cleanly.

His work in the paint became a struggle. He didn’t have a polished offensive skill set; otherwise, he would have been the one bullying Su Xi with his height.

Kosinrich was forced to look for a shot from behind the three-point line.

However, Syracuse University’s average height was much greater than the University of Kansas’s. This became especially obvious after Hakeem was drawn out to the perimeter.

Kosinrich’s shot clanked dramatically off the backboard and bounced back.

With a nimble spin, Su Xi got around Collison and shrewdly snatched the rebound.

Then he initiated a fast break. He bumped Kosinrich aside at the top of the arc and, with a screen from McNeil, drove straight into the lane. Graves was lying in wait, eager to make a play, but Su Xi made him jump with a simple pump fake before passing the ball out to the three-point line.

Hakeem seized the opportunity and hit the three.

The lead Kansas had built was collapsing.

The smile vanished from Roy Williams’s face the moment Su Xi started operating in the paint.

When Kosinrich brought the ball back across half-court, he signaled for Graves to body up Su Xi. Graves didn’t have much of an offensive game, but he had strength and a solid frame.

He leaned into Su Xi with all his might, using every ounce of his strength.

His strength stat was 94, which was close to a Super Strength talent rating.

Moreover, his body weight far surpassed Su Xi’s. With an equal strength stat, greater body weight provides an advantage. Not to mention, Su Xi’s Super Strength talent was only at 90 right now.

Under his monstrous strength, Su Xi was pushed back a step.

But he was still running his mouth, yelling, "Hey, did you forget to eat? This little bit of strength isn’t even enough to pick my teeth with."

Su Xi was baiting Graves.

Graves’s intelligence had been demonstrated before.

Provoked by Su Xi, he shouted, "Give me the ball!"

He had no idea what he would do once he got it, but at a time like this... could he back down?

Su Xi liked Graves’s personality.

Kosinrich passed the ball into Graves’s hands.

The moment he caught the ball, he put all his strength into backing down.

THUD!

That ferocious slam... Even though Su Xi was prepared, he was still brutally knocked back a step by Graves. He really couldn’t withstand it.

’But he was thrilled. After his strength talent had entered the 90s, its growth rate had become extremely slow.’

This all-out slam from Graves had finally pushed his Super Strength talent up to 91.

"You almost pushed me back."

Su Xi continued to taunt the foolish center.

As expected, Graves grew even angrier. He backed down again... THUD!

This time, he was pushing off from his very toes, wishing he could just shatter Su Xi on impact...

Perhaps it was the power of resentment, a mental boost.

This furious slam actually made Su Xi’s Super Strength talent climb again, to 92.

Su Xi absolutely loved this brave but brainless brute.

"Can you be any softer? Your girlfriend must be so disappointed in your all-show-no-go ass!!!"

Su Xi upped the dosage of his provocation.

Graves reacted as if an unspeakable taboo had been breached. He let out a piercing roar... "AHHH!"

Then, he recklessly and madly slammed backward again and again! One step! Two steps! Three steps!

He slammed into him three consecutive times, each time unleashing his full energy to the absolute maximum, fueled by pure resentment.

The surrounding crowd was dumbfounded. Was he unhappy? Was this basketball? Or was he just venting?

Su Xi was knocked back three steps, and his strength rose again: 93!

’So provoking an idiot could yield such a bountiful harvest,’ Su Xi thought, caught off guard and overcome with ecstasy.

’It seems my previous methods were all wrong.’

"Jeff, you idiot, what are you doing?" Roy Williams yelled from the sideline.

Only then did Su Xi notice that Graves’s frantic shoving had pushed him from the left side of the basket all the way to the right side... Graves had gone from a post-up with his back to the basket to a face-up isolation.

Graves realized it too, but his brain needed a moment to process. He froze for a second, then jumped up to shoot... SWAT!

McNeil flew in and slapped the ball away.

With quick eyes and even quicker hands, Su Xi snatched the loose ball.

Then he took off, sprinting down the court.

Behind him, an enraged bull was roaring.

He didn’t even know what he was roaring about. All he knew was that he felt incredibly frustrated.

Roy Williams slapped his forehead. It wasn’t the first time he’d had this thought: ’If only Graves had even a little bit of a brain, how good would he be?’

Su Xi brought the ball past half-court and ran a pick-and-roll with McNeil. He dished it to Cameron Antonio, who cut into the paint and scored with a left-handed layup.

Syracuse University had taken complete control of the game. With Su Xi neutralizing Collison’s destructive presence in the paint, they now had an advantage at multiple positions.

Back on defense, Su Xi didn’t bother tangling with Graves again. Besides roaring and spraying his own face with spittle, Graves had nothing more to offer him. The priority now was to further lock down Collison.

Collison posted up on Su Xi, backing him down, only to discover in horror that Su Xi’s strength had skyrocketed again.

Establishing his position became even more difficult.

’What happened?’

’What in the world did that stupid bull do? He threw a fit, and as a result, Little Sheep Su Xi’s strength grew even greater.’

’How am I supposed to play against this?’

Collison’s strength was around 86. Even with his weight advantage, he couldn’t overcome the disadvantage of having his lower body jammed, preventing him from using his power.

Collison finally managed to receive the ball. Just as he was about to turn, raise the ball high, and shoot over him, Su Xi flexibly darted past his hip... Su Xi’s incredible flexibility was something a tall center like Collison couldn’t even imagine... SMACK!

Su Xi’s long arm slapped the ball right out of his hands.

Josh Peis picked up the loose ball and passed it to Su Xi.

Su Xi dribbled across half-court. When he reached the top of the three-point arc, Kansas made a defensive miscalculation. They all collapsed inward, as if they expected Su Xi to charge into the paint.

But this was an opportunity not to be missed.

Su Xi pulled up abruptly behind the three-point line and released the shot... SWISH!

It went in.

The point deficit widened further.

Su Xi was breaking Kansas down from both inside and out.

"Being an all-around player in the NCAA means being a master of none in the NBA," Jordan commented sagely from his seat in the crowd.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes," Larry Bird readily agreed.

But he couldn’t hide the smile at the corner of his mouth.

’Something’s fishy.’

Even Isaiah Thomas noticed something was off with Bird. His acting was terrible.

’Could it be that he’s taken a liking to this powerful kid from Asia?’

Isaiah Thomas thought to himself, ’He seems like he’d be a good fit for us on the Pacers. Is he trying to recommend him to me?’

...