Back on defense, Tracy McGrady went to guard James.

The Magic Team’s lineup was terrible. Besides Tracy McGrady, the only other recognizable name in the starting lineup was Juwan Howard. The shooting guard was the Croatian Gordon Giricek, the Point Guard was Tyronn Lue, and the center was Steven Hunter.

On the injured list lay a former successor to Jordan and former superstar: Grant Hill.

Back then, the Magic Team poached Tracy McGrady from Toronto, intending for him to be their Pippen. But Hill was too fragile, and before long... Tracy McGrady’s star rose meteorically, and he became the team’s number one option.

And he truly deserved all the praise.

Tracy McGrady was currently at his peak. Thanks to his otherworldly talent, especially his god-given coordination, his play style was not only highly effective but also incredibly fluid and elegant, deeply loved and sought after by fans. His jersey sales topped the charts last season.

In a way, both he and former Magic Team superstar Hardaway had picked up ’fragments of Jordan’s elegance’. They were both tall with long arms, and possessed incredible coordination.

LeBron James was a little lacking in that department. He backed Tracy McGrady down and drove into the paint.

Taking advantage of the space from Tracy McGrady’s momentary lapse, he forced a jump and put the ball up toward the hoop... CLANG!

A little too much power—it bounced off the rim.

Magic Team center Steven Hunter was still fighting for position when Su Xi charged in from the side. Unleashing his full speed, power, and explosiveness, he grabbed the basketball with both hands and slammed it violently into the hoop... BOOM!

Su Xi’s put-back dunk stunned the crowd.

But Howard, who had been sent staggering by the collision, wasn’t having such a good time.

He was miserable. He suspected the two rookie guards from the Cavaliers had grown up eating steel rebar and concrete. ’Getting hit by them... is so damn painful.’

’These aren’t rookies who came to the NBA to learn and adapt,’ he thought. ’They’re here to give us old-timers a lesson in physicality.’

"Nice one, Jack!" James gave Su Xi a thumbs-up.

"Great pass, Ah Zhan!"

Su Xi gave a thumbs-up in return.

They were busy flattering each other.

James beamed with joy.

They had a kind of harmonious chemistry.

The relationship between Ricky Davis and James, on the other hand, had soured. They barely passed to each other on the court and barely spoke to each other off it.

Davis was a bit proud and aloof. In reality, anyone with eyes could see he’d been more or less sidelined over the past few games. Yet he still put on airs, insisting every game that Su Xi and James clear out so he could showcase his "20+5+5 superstar" skills.

Back on defense, neither Davis nor James went to cover Tracy McGrady. So Su Xi, beaming, ran over to do it.

To them, guarding Tracy McGrady was thankless dirty work.

But to Su Xi, it was a reward. He loved going up against these super-talented players.

"Dare you to try another pull-up jumper?"

Su Xi spread his arms, pressing up on defense.

Hearing this, Tracy McGrady was amused.

He dipped down low, feinting a drive... and in the same motion, he suddenly pulled up... Su Xi’s explosiveness wasn’t weak by any means, and he quickly jumped to contest the shot.

But he was still half a beat too slow.

Tracy McGrady’s jump, explosiveness, height, wingspan, and soft touch all made his pull-up unstoppable.

SWISH!

The ball dropped cleanly through the net.

Tracy McGrady raised an eyebrow smugly. He looked at Su Xi, about to talk some trash.

But he found Su Xi grinning from ear to ear, looking completely overjoyed. He gave Tracy McGrady two thumbs-up and said, "I know you talked bad about me before, but your explosiveness is insane! You really are the number one perimeter player in the league!"

Su Xi’s whole game was sincerity.

The joy on his face was so pure, like a child who had just seen something amazing.

It made Tracy McGrady swallow the trash talk that was on the tip of his tongue.

’Looks like this kid really admires me. No need to hurt his feelings.’

"Hmph, you haven’t seen anything yet." Tracy McGrady lifted his chin haughtily and trotted proudly back to his side of the court.

Su Xi quickly chased after him. His Super Explosiveness Talent had just leveled up from 95 to 96. For that reason alone, Su Xi couldn’t help but offer two thumbs-up in sincere admiration.

Su Xi’s individual talent for explosiveness had now entered the ranks of the league’s top-tier players.

It was only a few points shy of James’s.

Although at later stages, every single point was extremely valuable and packed with substance.

Back on offense, James once again initiated the play. Tracy McGrady didn’t guard James, sticking to Su Xi instead.

Su Xi ran quickly to create space for James, but James cut into Ricky Davis’s tactical position. The two almost collided head-on, halting James’s attack. His first instinct wasn’t to pass the ball to the nearby Davis.

Instead, he passed it to Su Xi at the top of the arc.

Su Xi pump-faked, but Tracy McGrady didn’t bite.

He had started out in Toronto by focusing on defense. Back then, the Bulls were even willing to trade Pippen for Tracy McGrady because they valued his defense and playmaking ability, believing he could become the next Pippen and help Jordan build another dynasty.

But Boss Qiao absolutely refused.

Since Su Xi couldn’t fake out Tracy McGrady, he just put his head down and accelerated. Although Su Xi’s explosive speed was still no match for Tracy McGrady’s, he was stronger.

Tracy McGrady didn’t like high-intensity physical contact.

His ribs ached from bumping against Su Xi. ’Su Xi is so lean, getting hit by his bones is damn painful...’ Black players generally disliked that lean-but-strong body type.

As Tracy McGrady’s steps slowed, Su Xi seized the opportunity to drive straight into the paint and pass the ball to a trailing Carlos Boozer, who finished with a powerful dunk.

"There’s absolutely no finesse to your game."

On the way back to his side of the court, Tracy McGrady said to Su Xi with ’contempt’.