At 7 p.m. on December 9, the Quick Loan Center Arena in Cleveland was packed to the rafters.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were about to host the Indiana Pacers, a powerhouse from the Eastern Conference.
When the fans saw Su Yi wearing the team warm-up jacket, the whole arena erupted.
Su Yi's fans were especially excited. They didn't care whether he started or came off the bench—as long as he got to play, that was all that mattered.
After warm-ups, the starters from both teams took off their jackets, and the Quick Loan Center Arena erupted once more.
The fans shouted wildly, "Su!" "Su!" "Su!" Their voices rang through the arena, as if they were about to bring the whole place down.
The commentators seized the moment to introduce the starting lineups to the fans in the arena and watching on television.
The Cleveland Cavaliers' starting lineup: Eric Snow, Su Yi, Larry Hughes, LeBron James, and Big Z.
The Indiana Pacers' starting lineup: Jamaal Tinsley, Jasikevicius, Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, and Jeff Foster.
"Beep! Beep!"
As the whistle blew, the game officially began.
Smack!
Big Z got to the ball first, tipping it back to his own half. The Cleveland Cavaliers won the first possession of the game.
Eric Snow quickly scooped up the ball and dribbled across half court.
As soon as Eric Snow crossed half court, Jamaal Tinsley rushed over, trying to put pressure on him.
Eric Snow used his body to shield the ball as he slowly advanced toward the top of the arc.
Just then, Su Yi set off from the corner.
He cut along the baseline and into the paint.
Jasikevicius immediately followed, sticking close to Su Yi.
Before the game, the head coach had repeatedly warned him to limit Su Yi's off-ball movement and not let him get an open shot.
But the next second, there was a thud!
Jasikevicius ran straight into a human wall—LeBron James.
LeBron James felt a little helpless. He was the Chosen One, the team's undisputed star, and now he had to set a screen for a teammate. It was humiliating!
But could he refuse?
No!
He knew they had to win this game. If they lost, the media would never let him hear the end of it.
For all his size and strength, LeBron James was actually rather sensitive.
Maybe it had something to do with the family he'd grown up in.
LeBron James planted himself firmly and screened Jasikevicius, giving Su Yi room.
"Switch!"
Jasikevicius immediately called out.
Al Harrington reacted at once and took off after Su Yi.
The pass arrived as the player did.
The moment Su Yi reached the corner, Eric Snow sent him the ball.
Su Yi caught it cleanly and immediately raised it as if to shoot.
"Don't even think about shooting!"
Al Harrington leaped high, trying to block Su Yi's shot.
The next second, Su Yi dribbled once to his left, slipping past Harrington's contest. Then he planted both feet, jumped, hung in the air, kicked out his legs, and released a three-pointer.
The ball traced a beautiful arc through the air, like a shooting star, and flew straight toward the basket.
Swish!
Su Yi hit the three.
"Arrrrgh!"
The entire Quick Loan Center Arena erupted.
The fans shouted wildly, "Su!" "Su!" "Su!"
"Su, beautiful shot!"
Eric Snow called out to Su Yi as he ran back on defense.
That assist had been so easy. He'd been ridiculously jealous of Damon Jones before.
Now the tables had turned.
It was finally his turn.
Eric Snow could already imagine his assist numbers skyrocketing.
Eric Snow: Hahahaha!
Damon Jones, sitting on the bench, was already crying his eyes out in the bathroom.
My assists!
But someone was even worse off than Damon Jones: LeBron James.
LeBron James had been great on offense just now, but unfortunately, he hadn't gotten any stats.
For a stat fanatic like him, it was pure torture.
So LeBron James turned his attention to defense. He wanted to steal the ball. He wanted to score!
Smack!
LeBron James read the play and intercepted Jamaal Tinsley's pass.
After the steal, LeBron James charged toward the Indiana Pacers' half like a horse that had broken free of its reins.
He was moving so fast that Jamaal Tinsley couldn't catch him, so he simply stopped chasing.
LeBron James charged through the open court, crossed the free-throw line, gathered the ball, and took long strides toward the basket.
One step, two steps, three steps. He planted his right foot and soared high, then slammed the ball toward the rim with all his might.
Boom!
The arena shook with a thunderous crash.
LeBron James scored with a one-handed slam dunk.
The score was now 5–0!
A perfect start!
"Arrrrgh!"
The Quick Loan Center crowd roared for LeBron James.
After all, he was their "kid." No matter how bad he got, he was still their "kid."
As long as he got back on the right track, the fans would cheer him on.
It was like a certain national soccer team: the worse they played, the harder the fans cursed them, yet the fans still showed up to support them every game, hoping they'd improve.
Unfortunately, the fans' hopes were bound to be dashed.
The worse they played and the more they were cursed, the less they tried to improve. Instead, they sneered that amateur fans like them didn't know a damn thing.
They even complained that a five-million-a-year salary was too little.
For crying out loud!
Even after taxes, that was still at least two to three million a year.
Most people would never earn that much in their entire lives.
They lived in mansions and drove luxury cars, yet played like this—and somehow they weren't supposed to get criticized? Where was the justice in that?
Honestly, the fans were the ones who put food on their tables. Without fans, they were nothing.
Luckily, the 1.0 version of LeBron James could still be "saved." After Su Yi had laid into him with a combination of tactics, he'd started behaving himself and listening.
A promising student, indeed!
Clang!
The Indiana Pacers missed their shot.
Big Z grabbed the rebound securely and, as soon as he landed, passed the ball to Eric Snow.
Eric Snow caught the ball and quickly pushed up the court.
Su Yi and LeBron James ran up on either side, forming a three-pronged fast break.
After crossing half court, Eric Snow flicked his wrist and decisively passed the ball to Su Yi.
Compared with LeBron James, Eric Snow preferred passing to Su Yi.
Thanks to Su Yi, he'd gone from an off-ball point guard to a ball-handling point guard.
Seeing that, LeBron James immediately cut into the paint, reaching out for the ball as he went.
But Su Yi paid him no attention. He pulled up and jumped, launching a three-pointer.
LeBron James spread his hands and stared at Su Yi in confusion, unable to understand why Su Yi hadn't passed him the ball.
The ball traced a beautiful arc through the air.
Swish! It dropped neatly into the basket.
Su Yi hit his second three-pointer.
The score was now 8–0!
LeBron James's confusion vanished in an instant. What could he say?
In sports, winning was everything.
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