This is only the beginning

"Su!" "Su!" "Su!"...

On November 9th at 7 PM, inside the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, the Cleveland Cavaliers hosted the Chicago Bulls at home.

During the player introductions, Su Yi thought he might get booed, given the less-than-friendly media coverage over the past couple of days.

But to his utter surprise, there were no boos at all.

Su Yi was a bit taken aback, and the next second, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but lift. It seemed the Cleveland Cavaliers fans were true fans.

Not like LeBron Stans, who neither buy tickets to watch games in person nor actually watch the games.

Instead, they clutch stat sheets and shout: My LeBron is awesome!

Su Yi walked from the player tunnel onto the court amid the cheers.

After the grand introduction ceremony ended, both teams immediately began warming up.

Once warm-ups were done, the starting players from both sides shed their jackets and stepped onto the court.

Su Yi was still coming off the bench for this game. He sat steadily on the bench, silently watching the game about to begin on the court.

Beep beep.

With the sound of the whistle, the game officially tipped off.

Right from the start, both teams were slow to heat up, clanking shot after shot in the first two minutes until Drew Gooden scored on a putback, finally breaking the scoring drought.

After Drew Gooden's putback, both teams' scoring accounts began to open.

Back and forth, neither giving an inch!

"Su, Damon, get ready to go in."

Half a quarter in, the score was 10 to 9, with the Cleveland Cavaliers leading by one point.

Mike Brown was the first to seek a change.

Su Yi and Damon Jones immediately shed their jackets and walked to the scorer's table to prepare.

Su Yi was a bit nervous about this. After all, in the last game, the Atlanta Hawks had found the answer to limiting him: find a player like Josh Smith to contain him!

But after stepping onto the court and hitting two consecutive three-pointers, Su Yi was completely at ease.

How many players like Josh Smith are there in the league anyway?

Besides, his physical specs at the shooting guard position were top-notch—198 cm height, 221 cm wingspan, and 101 kg weight.

To fully contain him, you'd need a player taller than him, with a similar wingspan, a higher level of athleticism, and a knack for defense.

In the final moments of the first quarter, the Chicago Bulls tried to have Luol Deng guard Su Yi, but the 206 cm Deng, with his slender 100 kg frame, got knocked flying by Su Yi!

He couldn't limit Su Yi's off-ball movement at all.

Watching this, Mike Brown nodded repeatedly. He had thought Su Yi might be affected by the previous game.

But from the looks of it now, he wasn't.

So Mike Brown gave Su Yi more opportunities. Of course, when Su Yi went in, Damon Jones was always on the floor with him.

In team practices, Mike Brown had discovered that Damon Jones was the best fit for Su Yi.

Whenever Su Yi ran into an open spot, no matter where Damon Jones was with the ball, he passed it over without hesitation.

In contrast, if it wasn't Damon Jones but Eric Snow or LeBron James, the situation was completely different.

During overtime in the last game, Mike Brown and the assistant coaches had specifically watched the replays. After watching, they didn't know what to say anymore!

The loss was entirely on LeBron James' shoulders.

And what happened?

Neither the media nor LeBron himself seemed to think he should take any blame.

Some fans even pointed fingers at Su Yi, who had only played four games, making Mike Brown so angry he wanted to have a serious talk with LeBron James.

But in the end, he held back for the sake of his seven-figure annual salary.

After all, this was Mike Brown's first head coaching job in the NBA.

Beep beep.

With the sound of the whistle, the first quarter ended.

With Su Yi and Damon Jones on the floor, Damon Jones handling the ball, Su Yi as the primary scoring option, and the other three starters supporting, they executed a fluid, seamless offense.

In the latter half of the quarter, they scored a whopping 22 points.

They put up 32 points in the single quarter.

Su Yi went 4-for-5 from the field, 3-for-4 from three, scoring 11 points and grabbing 1 rebound; Damon Jones went 2-for-2, scoring 4 points, dishing 5 assists, and recording 1 steal. The two of them accounted for most of the points in the latter half.

And under their leadership, the Cleveland Cavaliers ended the first quarter at 32 to 18, leading by a full 14 points, laying a solid foundation for victory.

In the rest of the game, Su Yi, without disrupting the team's flow, couldn't help but increase his shot attempts. He needed the stats to elevate his standing on the team.

In the end, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Chicago Bulls 115 to 94, a 21-point blowout, securing their fourth win of the season and bringing their overall record to 4 wins and 1 loss.

For this game, Su Yi went 9-for-15 from the field, 5-for-10 from three, scoring a career-high 23 points, plus 4 rebounds and 1 steal.

After the game, he received high praise from media reporters and fans alike.

Mike Brown couldn't help but break into a bright smile.

Over the next three games, Mike Brown gave Su Yi more playing time while appropriately reducing LeBron James's ball-handling minutes.

As a result, Mike Brown noticed the team's offensive efficiency skyrocketing, and the other players seemed to come alive all at once.

On November 11th, the Cleveland Cavaliers hosted the Boston Celtics at home.

They ultimately defeated the Boston Celtics 104–93, winning by 11 points.

Su Yi went 7-for-14 from the field and 4-for-7 from three, putting up 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 block.

On the 13th, the Cleveland Cavaliers traveled to New York to face the New York Knicks on the road.

They beat the New York Knicks 102–94, winning by 8 points on the road.

Su Yi went 8-for-13 from the field and 3-for-8 from three, recording 19 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block.

On the 15th, the Cleveland Cavaliers arrived in Portland to challenge the Portland Trail Blazers on the road.

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 100–87, winning by 13 points on the road.

Su Yi went 8-for-17 from the field and 3-for-7 from three, posting 19 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.

With four straight wins, their overall record stood at 7–1, firmly holding the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

This left Cleveland Cavaliers fans ecstatic—they never imagined they'd see the day their team became the dominant force in the East.

With the team's strong record, and Mike Brown along with his teammates constantly praising Su Yi in every post-game interview, Su Yi delivered impressive stats in every game.

Over the four-game winning streak, he averaged 19.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1 block.

The public opinion completely flipped, with nothing but praise for Su Yi.

"Su is our super sixth man! He comes off the bench and changes the game instantly!"

"The efficiency king! He goes all out the moment he steps on the court, never giving the opponent a breather!"

"Who says rookies need time to adjust? Su just carries the whole game!"

"The secret weapon behind the team's winning streak? His name is Su!"

"A bench scorer fiercer than the starters—we struck gold with the Cavs!"

"The number one contributor to the team's four-game streak, a nuclear weapon hiding on the bench."

"..."

Xu Rui personally picked up the future superstar from the airport and showered Su Yi with praise the entire ride home, until Su Yi's ears were practically numb.

But Su Yi remained calm about it all—this was only the beginning.