Vampire

The next day, as soon as Su Yi arrived at the team's practice facility, Mike Brown called him into his office.

Su Yi walked into the office, greeted Mike Brown, then casually picked up one of the drinks scattered across the desk. "Coach, can I have one?"

"Of course!"

As soon as Mike Brown answered, Su Yi picked out a drink, dropped onto the couch, and started sipping it, completely at ease.

Mike Brown didn't mind at all.

In Mike Brown's coaching philosophy, his relationship with the players was simple: off the court, they were friends who could talk about anything; on the court, they were teammates who supported each other.

He liked how relaxed Su Yi was around him.

"Su, you've played really well in the last few games. I'm thinking of putting you in the starting lineup for our next game. What do you think?"

Mike Brown got straight to the point.

Huh?

Su Yi hadn't expected to start so soon, but for some reason, he wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea.

For one thing, if he started right now, he'd be matched up against the other team's starters.

For another, he didn't have much chemistry with the starters, especially LeBron James, who was always a beat late with his passes.

He'd much rather get the ball from his good friend on the team, Damon Jones.

Finally, he didn't like LeBron James's ball-dominant style or the way he acted like he deserved credit after coming out ahead.

A ball-dominant style meant his stats were bound to look great.

But whenever the team lost, he never thought it was his fault. It was always his teammates' fault.

Wasn't that just having his cake and eating it too?

What a jerk!

"Do you not want to start?"

Mike Brown noticed Su Yi's expression.

Su Yi waved a hand. "Coach, I appreciate that you trust me. I just don't think the time is right yet.

"First, if I move into the starting lineup, there'll be a huge gap between the starters and the bench.

"Second, I'm not used to guarding the other team's starters yet.

"Finally, I have much better chemistry with the bench players than with the starters."

After hearing Su Yi out, Mike Brown fell into thought.

He realized he really hadn't considered things carefully. The situation was pretty much as Su Yi had described.

Mike Brown was also an open-minded coach. Otherwise, he wouldn't have talked things over with Su Yi in advance.

Mike Brown looked at Su Yi. "All right, Su. We'll do it your way. But I'll keep a starting spot open for you. When you feel ready, just let me know."

"Thanks so much, Coach."

After saying that, Su Yi said goodbye to Mike Brown and casually grabbed another drink on his way out.

Mike Brown couldn't help laughing when he saw it.

As soon as Su Yi returned to the practice facility, Damon Jones walked over, curious. "Su, what did Coach want?"

"Want one? I grabbed it for you."

Instead of answering, Su Yi handed Damon Jones the drink he'd picked up on his way out.

"Thanks!"

Damon Jones thanked him, then immediately twisted off the cap and took a drink.

He took a sip, then was about to ask his question again.

But Su Yi had already disappeared.

Where'd Su go?

Damon Jones looked around and spotted Su Yi heading toward the empty court to practice.

He hurried after him and tried asking again.

But Su Yi wouldn't say a word.

Time flew by. On November 18, the Cleveland Cavaliers returned home to face the Western Conference's lowly Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Minnesota Timberwolves had once been a powerhouse in the Western Conference. But Kevin Garnett was getting older, the team atmosphere was poor, and the front office kept making disastrous moves. As a result, the Timberwolves had missed the playoffs for two straight seasons.

Back in the 2003–04 season, the Minnesota Timberwolves had finished first in the Western Conference with a 58–24 record.

But just one season later, in 2004–05, they managed only 44 wins and 38 losses, finishing ninth in the West and missing the playoffs.

The 2005–06 season was even worse for the Timberwolves. They won just 33 games, finishing second from the bottom in the Western Conference.

So far this season, they had managed only three wins and five losses. It didn't look like they'd have much of a chance this year, either.

Even so, before the game, Coach Mike Brown reminded his players not to let their guard down.

"Whistle!"

The game officially began with the sound of the referee's whistle.

"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!" ...

Kevin Garnett started the game missing shot after shot.

Even so, the Cleveland Cavaliers failed to take advantage and build a lead.

Halfway through the quarter, the score was 14–12.

The Cavaliers led by just two points.

Mike Brown had seen enough. He waved Su Yi and Damon Jones onto the court and told Damon Jones to run the offense.

But LeBron James wasn't happy about that.

Once on the court, LeBron James refused to give the ball to Damon Jones. Instead, he kept possession and directed the offense from the top of the key.

Damon Jones, who had just checked in, was reduced to an off-ball point guard.

Damon Jones: ┭┮﹏┭┮

That completely defeated the purpose of bringing Su Yi and Damon Jones into the game.

Neither of them could even touch the ball.

The game remained just as close as before.

One side scored, then the other. The lead kept changing hands.

"Whistle!"

The first quarter ended with the score tied at 22.

Damon Jones returned to the bench looking dejected. He couldn't believe it.

How was a point guard supposed to play without the ball?

Eric Snow: We're in the same boat!

As the Cavaliers' starting point guard, Eric Snow knew exactly how Damon Jones felt.

If they hadn't been in public, the two ball-less point guards might have hugged and cried together.

Damon Jones turned to his good friend Su Yi. "Su, are you okay?"

Damon Jones had noticed that Su Yi had gotten open for a shot several times.

But the ball had never come his way.

If it had been passed to him, he would've sent it straight to Su Yi.

That was also why Damon Jones had averaged as many as 8.5 assists during their four-game winning streak.

"I'm fine. What about you, Damon the ball-less point guard?"

Su Yi teased him.

Damon Jones: ￣□￣｜｜

Su Yi laughed when he saw Damon Jones's expression.

Then he glanced at LeBron James.

LeBron James was looking over the stat sheet.

Su Yi was curious to see what kind of stats he'd put up.

He asked an analyst for the first-quarter stat sheet and took a look:

LeBron James had gone 4-for-7 from the field, 0-for-1 from three, and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line, putting up 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, and 3 turnovers.

Then he checked Kevin Garnett's line: 1-for-8 from the field, 1-for-1 from the free-throw line, with 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.

Kevin Garnett's shot wasn't falling tonight, but he'd been excellent on defense.

By contrast, LeBron James's stats were outstanding, but his style of play was hurting the team. He was sucking his teammates dry.

Just look at what happened when Su Yi and Damon Jones came onto the court. Between the two of them, Damon Jones had taken just one shot in the half quarter.

And Su Yi, despite being a deadly shooter from the perimeter, hadn't gotten a single chance to shoot.

Was it because he wasn't moving without the ball?

No. He'd been running around constantly and had gotten open for several three-point attempts.

But what good was that if the ball never came?

Meanwhile, LeBron James was using the space created by Su Yi's off-ball movement to drive into the paint again and again for layups.

That would've been bad enough, but at least you'd expect him to lead the team to a win. So what was the score?

Tied at 22!

He'd filled up his own stat sheet and didn't care whether the team won or lost.

A vampire!

Su Yi: 凸(艹皿艹