Chapter 615: Larry Brown's Direction Adjustment

Chapter 615: Chapter 98: Larry Brown’s Direction Adjustment

If ESPN saw this, they would absolutely go wild.

However, things had changed a bit at ESPN.

The biggest change was Larry Brown.

More and more people were talking about him, complaining about him. They considered him a jinx, a regular Pele—every time he said something bad about Su Xi, Su Xi would deliver a perfect performance, and every time he criticized the Knicks, the Knicks would win in spectacular fashion.

So, many people believed Larry Brown was responsible for the Knicks and Su Xi’s meteoric rise.

“I think the Knicks will win. I think Su Xi is going to destroy Kobe.”

Larry Brown’s opening words stunned the audience watching at home. In fact, even Reggie Miller, sitting right next to him, found it unbelievable.

He asked Larry Brown, “Larry, are you on something? Why are you talking like that? Did you get the names mixed up?”

Larry Brown shook his head firmly. He said, “No, I now believe that Jack Su is all-powerful and the Knicks are invincible. I don’t know why they win, but I just believe they’re going to win. I just believe Little Sheep Su Xi can destroy Kobe, even though Kobe is so formidable—the best one-on-one player in the world.”

“Uh…”

Reggie Miller cut right to the heart of it. He said, “You’re not trying to use your reverse-jinxing ability to curse the Knicks and Little Sheep Su Xi with all this praise, are you?”

That single sentence from Reggie Miller made everything click.

The viewers at home finally understood.

So that was it.

That made perfect sense.

But for Larry Brown, the show had to go on.

He continued to lavish praise on Su Xi and the Knicks, using the most effusive language.

He praised Su Xi and the Knicks to high heaven.

But he just couldn’t offer any evidence to back it up.

TWEET!

The whistle blew, and the game began.

The Knicks’ starting five: Lowry, Su Xi, Stephen Jackson, Zach Randolph, and Milicic.

The Lakers’ starting five: Farmar, Kobe, Odom, Kwame Brown, and Yao Ming.

TAP!

At the tip-off, Yao Ming won the jump ball against Milicic.

Tonight, all the Lakers players had fire in their eyes. They were coming out strong.

They looked like they had the grim determination of a do-or-die battle.

However, as Jordan Farmar brought the ball past half-court… SWIPE!

Su Xi shot over and double-teamed him with Lowry. As Farmar attempted a pass, Su Xi leaped into the air and picked the ball right out of the sky.

The play perfectly showcased Su Xi’s explosiveness, leaping ability, and reflexes.

Su Xi came away with the steal.

Yao Ming’s effort on the tip-off was all for naught.

Su Xi brought the ball past half-court with Kobe in pursuit. He decided to take Kobe on one-on-one.

He backed him down into the post, using a brilliant post-up that flowed into a spin move. As Su Xi blew past him, Kobe was momentarily stunned. It takes an expert to know one—the skill was undeniable.

He could clearly sense that Su Xi’s offensive game had leveled up again.

You couldn’t fake those details.

Su Xi blew past Kobe, pulled up for a sudden stop, and then launched a fadeaway jumper.

Su Xi was like a kid with a brand-new toy, eager to show off what it could do to his friends.

Kobe was frustrated.

‘He couldn’t stop him!’

But Su Xi was showing off a little too much… CLANK!

The ball clanked off the iron.

Yao Ming and Milicic got tangled up fighting for the ball, but Zach Randolph snagged the rebound. He was fouled by Kwame Brown and went to the free-throw line.

SWISH!

SWISH!

He made both free throws.

The Knicks’ opening possession was a bit bumpy, but the result was perfect.

While Randolph was at the line, Su Xi deliberately provoked Kobe. “Kobe, you wanna go one-on-one tonight?”

Kobe just snorted, not bothering to waste his breath on Su Xi.

‘Right now, all I want is to let my anger burn,’ he thought. ‘I’m going to repay the humiliation from the New York Media tenfold!’

‘And how will I do that?’

‘With a victory, of course!’

The game continued.

Kobe isolated Su Xi for a one-on-one, but then passed the ball to Yao Ming.

Yao Ming spun away from Milicic in the post, and as Stephen Jackson came to double-team, he quickly released a hook shot… SWISH!

It went in.

Early in the game, when Yao Ming was still fresh, every aspect of his performance was at its peak. His touch, his speed, and his athletic ability were all maxed out.

The game continued.

On the Knicks’ end, Su Xi once again isolated his man for a one-on-one. He tried to show off with another turnaround jumper… CLANK!

Still no good.

This time, Yao Ming secured the rebound.

Next, Kobe pushed the tempo. He drove past Su Xi, drew the help defense, and dished the ball to Kwame Brown for an easy layup.

The Lakers took an early lead.

Their focus was razor-sharp.

As for the Knicks, Su Xi was forcing too many one-on-one plays.

Five minutes into the game, the Lakers were up 13-8, leading by 5 points.

Neither team was shooting very efficiently.

The Knicks called a timeout.

At this point, Larry Brown said on TV, “I’m not worried about Jack Su at all. Even though his shot is a little off right now and he’s obsessed with playing one-on-one, I believe this is just the beginning. There’s an old Chinese saying that goes, ‘Sharpening the axe doesn’t delay chopping the firewood.’ I think he’s just sharpening his axe right now. With his ability, once his axe is sharp, the Lakers will have no choice but to stick their necks out and take the punishment!”

Larry Brown’s effusive praise left Reggie Miller speechless.

He found it comical. It felt like watching a once-revered basketball legend who’d been driven mad, now reduced to spouting reverse psychology and utter nonsense.

He clearly didn’t mean a word of it, yet here he was, insisting on saying it in public, in front of the entire country.

‘What did that prove?’

‘It proved that Su Xi was genuinely driving Larry Brown insane.’

So, he couldn’t help but offer a reminder: “Larry, it’s okay, really. You don’t have to do this.”

“I’m not doing anything. I’m just sincerely praising Jack Su.”

“Uh…” Reggie Miller hesitated for a moment, then said, “If you actually turn out to be right, will you be happy? I mean, if Jack really goes on a scoring rampage after this, will you be happy?”

Larry Brown fell silent for a moment, then continued, “Goat Su Xi is invincible. He can defeat anyone!”

‘He’s lost it!’

Reggie Miller thought to himself.

He thought it was utterly absurd.

‘What could Brown possibly achieve by going to all this trouble?’ he wondered.

‘Does he really think he can jinx Su Xi just by praising him?’

‘Impossible. The world is governed by logic, not superstition.’

Larry Brown was just making himself a laughingstock.

TWEET!

The whistle blew, and the game resumed.

The Knicks subbed in Ariza, and David Lee replaced Zach Randolph.

This signaled that the Knicks were about to launch an all-out offensive.

But on the first play back, Su Xi was still going one-on-one against Kobe. He made a sharp drive to the basket, and Kobe pursued him relentlessly. But Su Xi came to a quick stop—no complex moves, just a direct shot… SWISH!

He drained it.

Clean and crisp.

Kobe felt a pang of frustration. He really was unstoppable.

On the other end of the court, Ariza was defending Kobe, with Su Xi lurking nearby, ready to pounce.

Kobe forced up a high-difficulty turnaround jumper and hit it.

Even Su Xi applauded the shot.

Back on offense, Su Xi held the ball at the three-point line, sizing up his opponent. A quick and convincing pump fake made Kobe take half a step back, and Su Xi immediately exploded upwards for a pull-up jumper!

Even though Su Xi wasn’t as tall as Kobe.

But his explosiveness and vertical leap were simply outstanding, not to mention his incredible wingspan.

Su Xi released the ball with a perfect flick of his wrist.

SWISH!

A perfect arc, a perfect shot.

Kobe looked at Su Xi, a sense of defeat washing over him.

He realized that Su Xi’s offensive threat had now surpassed his own.

The moment Su Xi made that jab step, a dozen different offensive moves flashed through Kobe’s mind. Su Xi’s offensive arsenal had become even larger than his own.

What’s more, his ability to break down a defense with pure skill seemed to be catching up to his own at a frightening pace.

Kobe felt a sense of resignation.

He was a proud man, but right now he wanted to beg God to slow down time for Su Xi. He didn’t want him to be improving this fast.

CLANK!

Kobe missed a jumper while being double-teamed by Su Xi and Ariza.

On the ensuing possession, Su Xi raced down the court with the ball. As he charged to the free-throw line, the Lakers panicked and sent a triple-team at him. Su Xi easily passed the ball back out beyond the three-point line.

SWISH!

Stephen Jackson drained the three.

The Staples Center erupted.

Su Xi’s back-to-back scores opened the floodgates for the Knicks’ offense.

Reggie Miller turned his head to look at Larry Brown.

Larry Brown’s mouth opened and closed, then opened and closed again.

In the end, he couldn’t get a single word out.