The Best Point Guard-Chapter 99 - 26: How Is This Rookie So Fierce?

Tangwald explained, "This is the head coach’s decision."

Ricky Davis stormed out, looking for the head coach.

After Su Xi sat down, Carlos Boozer complained in a low voice, "His stats are all padded. He always brings that up, but in reality, he’s nowhere near Kobe or Tracy McGrady’s level. Last season, Tracy McGrady averaged 32.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, while Kobe averaged 30 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. Davis padded his stats so much and only managed 20.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.5 assists."

Su Xi, sitting next to him, subconsciously reached out and patted his head.

Su Xi’s palms were getting bigger, and he was growing more and more fond of touching round things. If they were soft, even better.

Carlos Boozer also liked being patted by Su Xi. Su Xi’s hands were large and resilient, and being touched by them felt very comfortable... It was truly soothing, almost like electrotherapy.

After changing into his jersey, Su Xi went to practice.

He didn’t concern himself with how Ricky Davis and Paul Silas were handling the playbook issue.

The Cavaliers’ first preseason opponent was the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons had gotten a huge steal that summer, landing the second overall pick out of nowhere and also upgrading their head coach from Rick Carlisle to Larry Brown.

Larry Brown brought his team to Cleveland primarily to practice their tactics.

The league hoped this game would create the atmosphere of a matchup between the first and second overall picks.

Before the game even started, the fans at Gand Arena were roaring like a tsunami, building up the hype for James. They hoped James would completely devour Milicic.

Su Xi was in the starting lineup for this game.

Before the game started, Su Xi scanned the Pistons’ bench, searching for Prince.

In Frank’s latest version of the "Death Note," three people from the Pistons had bad-mouthed Su Xi. General Manager Joe Dumars was one, and his words were the harshest. Ben Wallace was another, but he hadn’t come to Cleveland today. Only Prince was on the active roster.

"Little Sheep Su Xi is nothing but a complete media fabrication. He’s just a role player, and his development path is as a defensive specialist. But Nike and the Chinese media are building him up to look like a superstar. I can’t imagine what a tragic fate awaits him in the NBA. This little guy who calls himself the ’Genius Ender’ will definitely be eaten up in one bite like ’sushi’."

"Nike’s 145 million USD is a joke. Even if it were only 22.5 million USD, it would still be the biggest waste of the century. They could have signed five homegrown American stars with that kind of money. Yao Ming gave them the wrong impression, as if any player from China can become an elite player."

This was from an interview Prince gave to Detroit’s Fox Sports channel on July 25th. When a reporter asked him to comment on Milicic and LeBron James, he went off-topic and started talking about Su Xi.

Frank collected this information and put it on the Detroit page of the "Death Note."

Unfortunately, Prince was not in the starting lineup.

The Pistons’ starting players were: Lindsey Hunter, Hamilton, Darwin Ham, Melt Oku, and Darko Milicic.

The Cavaliers’ starting players were: Su Xi, Kevin Ollie, LeBron James, Carlos Boozer, and Diogu.

Su Xi’s matchup, Lindsey Hunter, was a seasoned veteran. He entered the league as the tenth overall pick in 1993. In college, he had been a super scorer, known as a combination of the Smiling Assassin and Magic Johnson. But after entering the NBA, under the careful guidance of the Smiling Assassin, he developed into a strong defender and a steady Point Guard. He had stood by the Pistons through their darkest hours, then was traded, bounced around various teams, and even won a championship with the Lakers. That summer, his former teammate Joe Dumars brought him back to Detroit from Toronto to provide experience and defense for the team.

Diogu won the tip-off against Milicic.

Su Xi brought the ball past half-court. Lindsey Hunter came up to defend him, staring him down. As a former member of the Bad Boys Legion, he had plenty of ways to intimidate a rookie.

He glared at Su Xi with his bulging eyes. "Kid, you ready to get baptized by the strength of the NBA?"

He flexed his muscles!

He wanted to scare Su Xi.

But to Su Xi, it was like a devil’s temptation.

Lindsey Hunter swore he had never in his life seen such a sincere gaze. After he finished speaking, this Little Sheep Su Xi before him actually asked innocently, "Are you really that strong?"

Lindsey Hunter snorted. "Why don’t you try me and find out?"

Then, Su Xi turned around, backing down the 188-centimeter, 95-kilogram veteran bulldog.

Lindsey Hunter was surprised the kid was so blunt. He quickly exerted his strength, wanting to give the youngster a lesson. He even wanted to knock him right over, just like his old teammate Rick Mahorn used to do.

But, the next second... THUD!

Su Xi crashed into him as fiercely as a tank. Su Xi’s Super Strength talent was currently at 93, but after being tempered by Ah Zhan’s top-tier ’furnace’, his explosiveness had already reached 95, putting him among the absolute elite of the league.

When the two combined, they surged forward with overwhelming force.

It immediately formed a violent, unstoppable wave.

THUD!

The moment Lindsey Hunter was hit, he felt his insides churn as if they were being tossed by stormy seas. He had just finished a hamburger.

’Damn it, are kids these days all this ferocious?’

He staggered back half a step... a desperate attempt to preserve his pride. Normally, he would have needed to retreat a step and a half to absorb the impact.

But he just had to be stubborn about his pride, wanting to prove he wasn’t that old yet.

But before he could steady himself, Su Xi’s second blow struck fiercely... Su Xi used his full strength, thinking, ’The NBA is really on another level. Even a veteran Point Guard is this strong. I can’t let myself be looked down upon.’

Then... THUD!

Su Xi slammed violently into Lindsey Hunter. Hunter had wanted to brace himself with his hands, but the immense force struck him, and he suddenly felt like a surfer being crushed by a ten-meter-high wave... He lost his center of gravity instantly, his body completely out of his control. THUMP!

He fell flat on his butt. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The entire arena was in an uproar.

Larry Brown’s expression froze, and the Detroit bench wore looks of disbelief.

It was much the same on the Cleveland bench.

The fans near the court let out a few cheers.

But Su Xi turned around, stopped, glanced at Lindsey Hunter for a second, and took the shot!

SWISH!

It went in.

The moment the basketball swished through the net, the entire arena erupted. The wave of heat in Gand Arena surged, threatening to blow the roof off.

No one expected Su Xi’s first shot in the NBA to be so explosive.

"SU! SU! SU!"

The fans’ shouts merged into a torrent, like the passionate roar of a gladiatorial arena.

Su Xi’s very first career basket ignited the flames of Cleveland’s new season.

Meanwhile, Lindsey Hunter was clutching his old back. He raised his hand and signaled to the head referee that he couldn’t play anymore.

Su Xi thoughtfully helped him up.

"You’re not that strong. Next time, don’t suffer just to save face." Su Xi reached out and patted Lindsey Hunter’s head.

Larry Brown’s face was full of shock. ’This kid’s gotten even more ferocious! Why didn’t they listen to me during the draft? It would have been great to pick him!’

The entire Detroit Pistons bench was even more dumbfounded. ’Little Sheep Su Xi actually patted Lindsey Hunter’s head? Has he always been this brave?’

What bewildered them even more was that Lindsey Hunter, as a latter-day member of the Bad Boys Legion, didn’t fly into a rage.

He didn’t have time to get angry.

His mind was now filled with a single thought: ’This kid... how can a rookie be this ferocious? He’s a Point Guard!’

’Do the laws of physics even exist anymore?’

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