Ben Wallace was trembling with anger on camera for TNT.

Kenny Smith was vividly recounting to him how Su Xi had talked about the Pistons, how he had said that phrase, "Swat both tigers and flies." Then, Smith helpfully explained, "The flies... that’s you guys."

Ben Wallace felt like his chest was about to explode.

"Just you wait. I hope he saves that trash-talking ability for the court," Ben Wallace snarled, grinding his back teeth.

He then emphasized again, "Our goal for the regular season is to sweep the number-one team in the league, because we’re going for the championship."

The fans at home could already feel the intense animosity just from watching the pre-game interviews.

The tension was off the charts.

Everyone was already interested in this defensive battle, this clash of titans in the East. But after TNT aired the pre-game interviews with both sides, the anticipation shot through the roof!

TNT’s ratings skyrocketed.

Game time arrived as scheduled, 7:30 PM Eastern Time.

The starting players for both teams walked onto the court.

When the arena DJ introduced the visiting players, Artest received the loudest boos and curses from the Detroit working-class fans.

But it probably wouldn’t be long before Su Xi became their most hated Pacers player—as soon as they saw his interview.

The Pacers’ starting lineup was: Foster, Little O’Neal, Artest, Reggie Miller, and Su Xi.

The Detroit Pistons’ starting lineup was: Melt Oku, Ben Wallace, Prince, Hamilton, and Billups.

As the two teams exchanged greetings, two players started talking trash to Su Xi.

One was Prince. The last time they faced off, Su Xi had injured him, forcing him to leave the game yelping in pain. He hated Su Xi’s guts. "Kid, I’m gonna eat you alive tonight."

"Heh," Su Xi said with a faint smile. "I’m not like you. Tonight, I’m going to let you go—let you go like a fart."

You...

Prince’s long face immediately contorted with rage, his eyes wide. He looked like he wanted to chew Su Xi to pieces.

But he couldn’t, because he wasn’t a mad dog. Yet.

Ben Wallace intentionally bumped Su Xi’s shoulder and snarled, "Rookie, if you’ve got the guts, come find me in the paint. I’m gonna swat you to pieces."

Su Xi smiled. The Little Elf had told him that Ben Wallace possessed a super-strength talent, and that his speed, agility, coordination, and vertical were all excellent.

"Don’t be impatient. Just wait. I’ll come to the paint to sanction you. I’ll even fart in that afro of yours," Su Xi told him calmly. "Let’s see if any fairy mist comes out."

"You..." Ben Wallace’s face turned ashen from Su Xi’s trash talk. He wished he could just punch Su Xi’s lights out.

But he couldn’t. Because he wasn’t a raging mad bull. Yet.

Artest, who was standing nearby listening to Su Xi’s trash talk, was filled with solemn respect. ’As expected of the man Larry Bird chose.’

’This level of trash talk... It would take me a lifetime to learn. How did I never think of using two farts to provoke an opponent?’

’A genius!’

This was the second time Artest had genuinely approved of Su Xi. The first was when Su Xi had punched his dad, hitting him so hard he tossed and turned all night and had to see a doctor in the middle of the night.

Just then, Billups walked over and locked eyes with Artest, a hint of hostility in his gaze.

Artest shot back fiercely, "What are you looking at? In a minute, I’m gonna fart so hard I shit myself and smear it all over your face!"

???

Billups’s brows furrowed. ’What the hell is wrong with him?’

He walked away with a disgusted look on his face.

Artest’s attempt at intimidation had failed. He felt a little dejected, but his spirit of self-improvement was strong. ’I still have so much to learn.’

TWEET!

The head referee blew his whistle, and the players took their positions.

The referee tossed the ball into the air for the tip-off between Oko and Foster.

Although Foster was a blue-collar player, his physical attributes were quite impressive. He was at the level where he could practice free-throw line dunks with Bender in team training.

SMACK!

He slapped the ball into Su Xi’s hands.

Su Xi caught the ball and pushed it forward.

He quickly reached Billups.

Billups faced Su Xi head-on, spreading his arms wide. His defensive skills were a level above Stephon Marbury’s. And unlike Marbury, he was adept at coordinating with his teammates.

In fact, before the game, Ben Wallace had told him, "Chauncey, you have to funnel that bastard Little Sheep Su Xi into my defensive zone. I’m going to destroy him."

So, Billups deliberately gave up a step to his left, trying to bait Su Xi into the trap.

But the moment Su Xi took his first step...

...he realized something was wrong. ’When did this kid get so strong?’

It only takes one move for an expert to know.

Su Xi’s step landed perfectly in the weak point of his defense. His speed, explosiveness, and read of the defensive intent were all far beyond what Billups remembered from their last encounter.

A terrifying thought popped into his head: ’His rate of improvement is unnaturally fast. No wonder they say he’s one of the four best rookies this year.’

After Su Xi’s first step... the ball hit the floor, following an unbelievable trajectory. At the same time, Su Xi lowered his center of gravity to a point Billups couldn’t reach.

He could only try to block him with his strong upper body.

The move caught him completely off guard.

But Su Xi stopped on a dime and quickly changed direction. Seizing the moment when Billups couldn’t recover his footing, he exploded forward with a jab step.

In that instant, from his seat behind the bench, Pistons General Manager Joe Dumars saw the ghost of his old partner.

’This kid... when did he learn Isaiah’s signature move?’

’He’s got at least 80% of it down!’

In his playing days, Dumars was a master defender. Jordan once said that Dumars was the best at defending him, the only one who ever truly threatened him.

This statement was clearly a jab at Gary Payton. The media had been buzzing at the time that Payton had shut him down in the Finals against the SuperSonics; in reality, Jordan did have a few poor performances in that series.

But Jordan’s take was that over his entire career, Dumars defended him best. Gary Payton wasn’t even a concern.

In the blink of an eye, Su Xi drove into the paint, and Ben Wallace quickly shifted over.

Ben Wallace was a top-tier help defender. Although the media loved to hype up his strength, he was actually very fast, with nimble footwork, a long wingspan that gave him great defensive coverage, and a top-class second jump.

An ordinary guard entering the paint would find it nearly impossible to escape once Wallace locked onto them.

That’s because most players tried to avoid physical contact with him. But if you played shy, it was easy to get trapped by his footwork, and then he’d block you with his incredible second jump and wingspan.

Su Xi, however, didn’t shy away. He went right at him.

Seeing Su Xi charge toward him, Ben Wallace was overjoyed. He immediately used his body to stick to Su Xi, applying about 70% of his strength. But Su Xi didn’t even stumble. Just as Wallace was about to apply more force...

...Su Xi suddenly exploded, taking a quick step inward.

He faked a pass to Little O’Neal with his left hand. Wallace’s excellent help-defense instincts made him shift his weight toward Little O’Neal.

But the ’cunning’ Little Sheep Su Xi was already leaping into the air, slamming the ball through the hoop with both hands.

BOOM!

Su Xi’s powerful dunk made the rim roar.

The entire arena was in an uproar.

The fans were stunned. To them, it just looked like the Defensive Player of the Year, Ben Wallace, was beaten in one step and left to defend with his eyes... Was he throwing the game?

Ben Wallace shouldn’t be like this.

"So this is the Defensive Player of the Year, huh?" Su Xi said, shaking his head at him after landing. He then asked, "How’d my exhaust smell?"

You...!

Ben Wallace clenched his jaw, his nostrils flaring. He looked like an enraged bull in a fighting pit.

But still, he couldn’t lash out.

He could only throw out a threat: "Just you wait, rookie! The show is just getting started!"

Su Xi gave a contemptuous smile. "Incompetent people are always talking about ’later,’ but they can never seize the ’now.’ Later."

Su Xi’s nonchalant attitude drove Ben Wallace mad with frustration. He had never loathed another player so much.

’If only the rules allowed fighting, how great would that be.’

’This kid is in the news every day for his romantic escapades, dating all over the place. How can he be so damn annoying on the court? Does he talk this crap to Scarlett and Jessica too?’

Wallace thought viciously.

As they crossed half-court, Reggie Miller reminded Su Xi to tone it down a bit.

How absurd.

A madman who once pushed Jordan while spewing trash talk, a madman who gave the choke sign to over twenty thousand fans at Madison Garden, a madman who made a throat-slitting gesture at Spike Lee, was actually telling a rookie to be more low-key.

What level of provocation had Su Xi reached, then?

"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing."

Su Xi gave Miller a reassuring look.

Miller nodded in relief, thinking: ’This kid Jack has a good personality. He actually listens to advice. He has the backbone of an 80s player but also the temperament to accept good counsel. His future is limitless.’

But just then, he heard Su Xi say to Little O’Neal, "Next time Ben Wallace gets the ball, I’ll body him up. I need to give him a little shock to the system with my strength."

Huh?

’This is what you call ’knowing what you’re doing’?’

Miller was astonished.

Fortunately, Billups didn’t pass the ball to Ben Wallace. He tried to take Su Xi one-on-one, but after one step, he didn’t have a good position, so he passed to Hamilton, who had run quickly into position.

Hamilton caught the ball and shot... CLANK!

The ball bricked.

Ben Wallace immediately boxed out Little O’Neal and lunged for the ball, about to grab it for a thunderous put-back dunk.

But in the instant his hands were about to snatch the ball, a giant palm appeared from behind his head... SMACK!

It slapped the ball hard... The ball slammed violently against the backboard... THWACK!

And bounced away.

Foster quickly jumped and grabbed the ball.

Ben Wallace looked closely. It was Su Xi again!

Su Xi had ruined his play again.

"So this is the Rebounding King, huh? Your nose for the ball is worse than mine, and I’m a guard."

Su Xi taunted him sarcastically, "From now on, just focus on defensive rebounds. Trying to learn everything will only hurt you."

Su Xi was throwing Wallace’s previous critique of him right back in his face, with a twist. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

This was a classic case of giving him a taste of his own medicine.

"I’m going to kill you, sooner or later," Ben Wallace warned viciously, his voice low and guttural.

"That’s what you say to your wife at night, too," Su Xi said nonchalantly. "But after three minutes, she starts complaining, ’If you can do it, do it. If you can’t, you can’t. What’s this nonsense about taking a break?’"

You...

Ben Wallace made a move to charge at Su Xi but was pulled back by Prince from behind.

"Don’t get angry. If you get angry, you’ll just prove his trash talk is true."

Ben Wallace took a couple of deep, harsh breaths before finally calming down.

By this time, Su Xi had already received the pass from Artest and was advancing the ball up the court.

Artest had been listening to their exchange from nearby. His admiration for Su Xi was now like a surging river, like the flooding Yellow River—uncontrollable and overwhelming.

’Jack’s mouth is so ’dirty,’ but on a whole other level!’

’How does he even come up with this stuff?’

’I gotta learn from him!’

’A defender who can’t talk trash is like a hamburger without the beef patty. It has no soul!’

...

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