Chapter 593 87: [You Must Marry an American Girl]

The final standings in the West were: Lakers, Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Jazz, Nuggets, Warriors, Rockets.

The records of the top four teams in the West were very close, and so were the bottom four.

The divide was clear, so the prediction was that all of the top four teams in the West would advance.

The predictions for the East were even simpler. Eastern Conference Finals: Knicks vs. Knights.

This was the matchup everyone wanted to see.

With the end of the regular season, the various regular season awards became a topic of heated discussion.

The most fiercely debated among them was the regular season MVP.

The three players with the most buzz right now were: Kobe, Nash, and James.

But now, Su Xi had burst onto the scene at the last moment.

He led his team to first place in the East, and he averaged 41.7 points, 7.3 assists, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game. These stats were mind-blowingly unique, even when compared to the entire history of the sport.

Not even Jordan had ever been that incredible.

What was even more incredible was that not only were Su Xi's personal stats so dominant and his team's record first in the East, but he had also developed a draft bust into a top-tier superstar center in the league.

The narrative was off the charts.

He not only perfectly met the criteria for the regular season MVP award, but he exceeded them by a massive margin.

Among those three highly-touted players, the Lakers, led by Kobe, had won two more games than the Knicks, but their average stats were worlds apart.

As for Nash, there was no comparison. Neither his stats nor his team's record could hold a candle to Su Xi's. Even his signature run-and-gun style was made to look amateurish and fragile by Su Xi and the Knicks.

As for LeBron James, his stats weren't as good as Su Xi's, his record wasn't as good as Su Xi's, and in head-to-head matchups, he had lost all four times, even ducking out of two of them.

If any of them won the regular season MVP, the public wouldn't be convinced.

Besides, Su Xi and the Knicks were a vengeful bunch who would retaliate over the slightest offense.

If they felt wronged, they wouldn't wait a day to strike back with a brutal beatdown, followed by relentless mockery.

Just look at what happened to Larry Brown after he crossed Su Xi. He's completely ruined.

His entire career was for nothing.

So now, the New York Media was making a lot of noise, aggressively building up hype, and fighting tooth and nail to get Su Xi his third consecutive regular season MVP.

Nike was also being very proactive, helping Su Xi campaign for this tremendous honor.

After all, now that Su Xi had shares in the company, they didn't have to pay him an extra bonus.

Since they didn't have to pay a bonus, why wouldn't they go all-out to support Su Xi in winning the award?

The more categories in which Su Xi surpassed Jordan, the better their shoes would sell.

At this point, many of the voters were in a difficult position.

Everyone knew that Su Xi's actual performance deserved the regular season MVP. But if he achieved a three-peat, surpassing Jordan, then... wouldn't the East truly prevail over the West in the basketball world?

In the midst of all this, the All-NBA Teams were announced first.

Su Xi made First Team All-NBA and First Team All-Defense, as did Kobe and James.

Su Xi was the only one from the Knicks to be selected for an All-NBA team.

Zach Randolph wasn't selected, nor was Milicic, but Milicic did win Most Improved Player without any debate.

If Milicic hadn't won it, the award might as well not exist.

Randolph was a bit dejected. He thought he should have been selected.

But Su Xi consoled him, "You'll have the chance to take down all three centers from the All-NBA teams. That's how you'll prove your worth."

The three centers on the All-NBA teams were Howard, Yao Ming, and O'Neal.

Howard was on the First Team, Yao was on the Second, and O'Neal was on the Third.

It was indeed an unshakeable lineup.

Zach Randolph didn't stand a chance. Even if he were considered a power forward, he still had no shot. He couldn't beat Duncan, Garnett, or Nowitzki, not to mention there was also Little O'Neal acting as a gatekeeper.

On April 17th, the Knicks played their first playoff game.

Their opponents were the Washington Wizards, who had traveled from afar.

The Wizards' leader was Arenas, who had looked out for Su Xi in the past. It was like a dream; Arenas himself couldn't believe Su Xi's growth was so astonishing that he had become the league's top dog in the blink of an eye.

What he found even more unbelievable was that even though he was known as "the General" to the outside world, he really couldn't beat Su Xi when they faced off.

He was about the same height as Su Xi, but Su Xi was stronger, quicker, and more explosive... His own strengths were completely nullified. How could he possibly draw his gun?

In fact, even the Wizards fans themselves didn't expect to beat the Knicks.

They had long since figured out what to do when they lost.

After all, there was no shame in losing to the Knicks.

The Knicks were the defending champions, the team led by Goat Su Xi.

It had to be said, Su Xi was a pretty decent guy.

After winning their two home games and then beating the Wizards once in Washington, he specifically took a leave of absence to return to New York early and meet with Huang Xiaoman, who had traveled a long way to see him.

Su Xi didn't play in the next game, and the other players played in a more experimental fashion.

Arenas dropped 49 points in that game, helping the Wizards secure a victory.

This victory sent the Washington fans into a frenzy, proclaiming that Arenas had ascended to godhood.

Then, back at their home court, the Knicks—who now got to sell tickets for one more game—easily eliminated the Wizards.

The biggest focus of this game wasn't the Knicks eliminating the Wizards, however.

It was Huang Xiaoman appearing courtside, and Su Xi blowing her a kiss after the game.

This gesture made the entire arena scream and broke the hearts of many gossip fans.

'So, Goat Su Xi's girlfriend was never Scarlett, or Fox, or Jessica?'

'It was her?'

'Then what have we all been fighting about all these years?'

'Couldn't three of Hollywood's sexiest starlets keep Goat Su Xi?'

'This is discrimination!'

'Goat Su Xi, this is blatant discrimination!'

'He must apologize! He must announce that he will marry one of the three Hollywood starlets!'

For a time, public opinion online exploded.

After the game, reporters also snapped photos of Su Xi taking Huang Xiaoman home.

This caused many American entertainment media outlets to have a meltdown. They refused to believe it was true.

They quickly dug up some "proof" that Huang Xiaoman was just Su Xi's agent, and that they were probably just going home to talk about work, maybe to look over commercial sponsorship contracts.

They refused to accept Hollywood's defeat.

They also refused to accept that Hollywood's three great sex goddesses had actually lost to a yellow-skinned beauty.

Even many of the male fans of the three starlets were crying foul, strongly demanding that Su Xi apologize to the actresses and marry them.

Because of this, the three fanbases that had previously been at each other's throats began to form a united front, turning their attention outward to a common enemy.

They banded together on the internet, declaring that Su Xi had to take responsibility for Hollywood—for Scarlett, Jessica, and Fox.

Watching the public outcry on TV and online, Su Xi was speechless.

He didn't know what to say in response.

He hadn't even thought about responding.

'This wave will probably die down over time,' he thought. 'After all, public opinion is just a fleeting gust of wind.'

The three Hollywood starlets thought so too.

They all refused to comment on the matter.

At the same time, they all kept in touch with Su Xi. They had known about Huang Xiaoman's existence for a long time, so for them, this was by no means a surprise attack.

They just hadn't expected public opinion to become so frenzied.

The second round of the playoffs arrived quickly.

What Su Xi didn't expect was that before the start of the game, there were many fans with banners outside Madison Square Garden Arena, demanding that Su Xi must marry Scarlett, Jessica, or Fox.

It was ridiculous.

It was practically the top Onion headline of the year.

What surprised Su Xi was that these kinds of signs were even brought into Madison Square Garden Arena.

Before the game started, Little O'Neal made a point of saying to Su Xi, "Jack, I've told you before, a man should be more magnanimous with his love. You could totally marry all of them. You're capable enough, and you're already a three-time MVP."

Su Xi shot him an irritated look. "Jermaine, you never used to talk this much. You've changed!"

"No, Jack, you're the one who's changed. You should at least marry an American girl. After all, all of your accomplishments were achieved in the United States."