'Arrogant.'
Flores let out a low growl and stepped up to him.
He immediately initiated a powerful body check on Su Xi... THUMP!
On the first impact, Su Xi's body slid back half a step.
Su Xi shook his head in disappointment.
That one collision was enough to gauge Flores's true level.
Flores's strength was inferior to his. The power talent within him showed no sign of 'elation'.
This meant he would gain nothing from facing off against him.
Su Xi felt like a zombie that had cracked open Flores's head, only to find it full of shit.
'And someone of this level dares to run his mouth.'
Meanwhile, Flores came charging in for a second, ferocious collision. He believed Su Xi was weaker than him and intended to knock him over this time.
But just as Flores crashed into him, Su Xi abruptly changed direction. A surge of explosive power was instantly released, his body shifting laterally like a flash of lightning. Su Xi wasn't fast over long distances, but his immense explosive power made his movements in tight spaces incredibly swift.
Flores lunged at empty air.
Kobe, on the sideline, showed a hint of a smile. Just as Kobe thought Su Xi would blow past him...
Su Xi stopped in his tracks.
He waited for Flores to continue his aggressive defense. Flores didn't disappoint, quickly closing in on him again.
This time, Su Xi didn't dodge... THUMP!
Su Xi even turned slightly to bump him. His body felt the powerful recoil, momentarily losing its footing. Su Xi changed direction again, his path with the ball like a scimitar... he flashed by with an extremely low center of gravity.
This change of direction made Florence lose control of his center of gravity, his ankles twisting up.
On the sidelines, Kobe was reminded of Isaiah Thomas in his prime. He never expected Su Xi's ball-handling to be so skilled. He had always thought Su Xi was just an unremarkable ball-handler, a diligent defender.
Now, Su Xi was pulling more than just 100 USD out of his pocket.
After changing direction, Su Xi made a quick pump-fake motion... The fake wasn't very convincing; he'd learned it from Cameron.
But Flores was already dazed and confused from being bumped and shaken.
He jumped instinctively, like a pigeon in Peace Square.
BAM!
Su Xi changed direction again. A hesi-fake!
Flores landed hastily, his body starting to wobble.
Like a decaying leaf caught in a whirlpool.
Su Xi changed direction with a sudden stop, then spun past his side... The slight 'centrifugal force' from the move completely shattered Flores's already-compromised balance, and he collapsed helplessly onto his butt on the floor.
The North Shore Garden Arena erupted in screams.
Su Xi paused beside Flores, even glancing down at the man he had dropped before taking the shot...
Effortless! Dominant! Utterly stylish!
SWISH!
The basketball dropped through the net.
Su Xi turned back and stepped over Flores.
This scene ignited the passion of the North Shore Garden Arena. Nearly twenty thousand fans let out a deafening roar... You can always trust the lungs of Boston fans.
They bellowed with all their might, shouting wildly.
The Celtics' home court DJ also let out a thrilling, drawn-out roar: "Suuuuuuu... Xiiiiii!!!!"
The passionate adrenaline was completely ignited.
Su Xi raised both his hands high.
"SU! SU! SU!"
The unified roars in the North Shore Garden Arena formed a surging soundwave that crashed back and forth within the stadium.
In that moment, everyone forgot Flores's three unremarkable jump shots from earlier.
This play by Su Xi would go down in this year's NCAA highlight reel.
He played with Flores like he was spinning a top. In his hands, Flores was like putty that could be molded at will.
"Why has this kid never shown this kind of skill before?" Jim asked his assistant coaches, Haywood and Vincent, in astonishment.
They all shook their heads. They had no idea.
Meanwhile, an excited McNamara rushed over to Su Xi and asked the same question. "Hey, Jack! Why didn't you pull out these kinds of skills before? You're just... you're absolutely destroying them!"
"There was no need for it before." Su Xi's answer was simple and efficient. And quite philosophical.
But McNamara didn't get it. Why wouldn't you show off if you have the skills?
Many of the scouts in the arena were shocked. Even Terry, who knew Su Xi best, was wide-eyed. The replay on the big screen overhead clearly showed that Jack was, at the very least, an elite NBA-level ball-handling master.
But he had never shown it before.
Was this the 1255 USD in his pocket?
Meanwhile, on the court, Flores aggressively brought the ball up. He was fuming with humiliation, his emotions running high.
When Su Xi had stepped over him, he'd wanted to kill him.
This game was supposed to be his long-planned performance. In his Sports Illustrated interview, he had said, "I'm ready to shock the entire basketball world. I will shine brightly in the North Shore Garden."
Now, he had indeed shocked the floor of the North Shore Garden Arena—with his ass and his tailbone.
He brought the ball into the frontcourt, intending to use his body to bully Su Xi, just as he had bullied Duanni.
But before he could act, Su Xi was already all over him.
Su Xi's footwork was precise as he moved in to lock him down.
Flores was instantly caught in a swamp of monstrous strength, unable to break free. At the same time, his ball-handling was far inferior to Su Xi's.
Su Xi forced him to retreat step by step, even making him turn his back. The very instant he turned to pass the ball, Su Xi suddenly jabbed to the left.
Flores instinctively shifted right. At that exact moment, Su Xi spun sharply, his left hand shooting out for a fierce forward slap... SMACK!
The ball was cleanly stolen. Su Xi accelerated again, unleashing another burst of explosive power, and shouldered past Flores in a single step.
Poor Flores was shoved aside.
Su Xi grabbed the basketball.
And sprinted forward.
Flores could do nothing but scream "Foul!" at the referee.
The fans in the North Shore Garden Arena were already screaming for Su Xi.
They had long since abandoned this incompetent lame duck.
Su Xi glanced back and saw that the Manhattan College defense wasn't catching up; Flores was still complaining to the ref. He stopped at the three-point line, aimed at the hoop, and executed a training-camp-style three-point shot.
SWISH!
It went in.
Su Xi had scored 5 points right after entering the game, and the point difference was now only 1.
BEEP!
Manhattan College had no choice but to call a timeout. Their head coach had to intervene in some psychological therapy for Flores, whose mental state was visibly collapsing.
Su Xi had just come on and already hit him with two waves of attack right in his face, covering him in humiliation.
This was far more devastating than his earlier yelling and slant-eye gestures.
Now, the entire arena's fans had become Su Xi's supporters.
Public opinion is as fickle as flowing water.
SU! SU! SU!
The synchronized chants from the crowd gave Su Xi the MVP treatment.
Kobe Bryant was still looking at the big screen overhead, his expression filled with surprise.
He suddenly recalled what Su Xi had said yesterday: 'That guy really is doing it on purpose.'
He really had let Antonio get half a step ahead on purpose.
But just now, when defending Flores, he hadn't.
'So... why would he do that?'
'Just how vast is the iceberg beneath the surface?'
'Does he really only have 1255 USD in his pocket?'
It was the first time Kobe had ever been this curious about an unknown college rookie.
He even began to think: 'Should I recruit him for the Lakers? I could use a guy like him on my team.'
...
...