Chapter 582 82: [Catching Up with the Once Highly-Anticipated Self]

Jordan had his obsessions, but he was powerless to act. He could only watch as Su Xi's influence grew day by day, completely unable to fight back. After all, he was retired, while Su Xi was still out there, making history.

It was just like his shoes, which could only sell on nostalgia and design.

Su Xi's independent brand was gaining more and more market appeal. In Asia, its sales had already completely surpassed Jordan Brand. It was also making significant inroads in North America. In New York, the largest single market, his products had become a must-have for any basketball enthusiast.

With Nike's knack for storytelling, it was enough to make basketball culture lovers flock to the brand.

BEEP!

The All-Star Game was officially underway.

The starters for both teams took the court.

The five starters for the Western Conference were: Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and Yao Ming.

The Western Conference's starting lineup hardly ever changed, as the hierarchy of top stars in the West had been set in stone for years.

Of course, Zach Randolph couldn't out-jump Yao Ming for the tip-off.

Tracy McGrady brought the ball past half-court and took a shot from beyond the arc. CLANK!

A miss.

Su Xi grabbed the rebound and charged downcourt. He drove to the basket for a spinning, thunderous dunk.

The Las Vegas crowd erupted in cheers.

Everyone was chanting, "SU! SU! SU!"

The roar was deafening.

Su Xi's popularity had clearly spread to Sin City.

Su Xi, however, had no real personal investment in the All-Star Game. He had already won everything there was to win. His mindset was much like the old-timers on the Western Conference team; he was just here to fulfill an annual obligation.

So, after Su Xi's dunk, Duncan answered with a simple layup.

Both teams were playing loosely.

On the next possession, Su Xi passed to David Lee, who drove into the paint for a powerful dunk.

It was a casual back-and-forth.

After playing for three or four minutes, Su Xi gestured to Isaiah Thomas, checking himself out of the game for a rest.

Then, Zach Randolph immediately followed suit and asked to be subbed out as well.

"This is pretty boring," Randolph said to Su Xi. "There's no way this game is going to top last year's."

Su Xi just smiled.

The two of them chatted on the sidelines.

James and the others, on the other hand, were playing with real fire. Their intensity grew, and they were eager to get the crowd roaring.

And in fact, they succeeded.

Su Xi didn't play for the rest of the first quarter, and sat out the entire second quarter as well. He played for another two or three minutes at the start of the third before heading back to the bench.

He told Isaiah Thomas he was feeling a bit tired.

The message was clear: he didn't want to be put back in.

By now, players on both sides were getting fired up. Arenas ignited a scoring run, and after hitting consecutive three-pointers, he made his signature "gunslinger" gesture.

That got the Western Conference team to start playing for real.

The game became a competitive back-and-forth, with players even starting to trade some trash talk.

Su Xi and Randolph sat on the bench, watching the drama unfold like a couple of spectators.

With two minutes left in the fourth quarter, Arenas drove to the basket and got a hard shove from Stadumier.

Arenas immediately got in his face, and for a moment, it looked like they were about to throw down. Players from both teams rushed to pull them apart. No one wanted to start a fight in an exhibition game.

Stadumier had finally managed to make the All-Star team this year. He'd been unofficially blacklisted by the league after a past incident with Su Xi during a Rookie Challenge, where he had said some extremely nasty things. It took several years of the Phoenix Suns' run-and-gun offense putting up big numbers before he was finally "unbanned" and selected as an All-Star.

And now, he was getting into it with Arenas.

This would only solidify his reputation as a troublemaker.

Isaiah Thomas didn't want the game to get too heated in the final moments, so he sent Su Xi in to calm things down.

After all, Su Xi was the best player in the league.

Before Su Xi entered the game, the Eastern Conference Team was down by one.

After Su Xi checked in, Arenas made one of two free throws. On the miss, Su Xi charged in from the three-point line, soared into the air, and viciously slammed the rebound into the hoop.

A decisive blow.

They took the lead.

Stadumier didn't even dare to look Su Xi in the eye.

On the next play, Su Xi locked down Tracy McGrady, forcing him to clank a jump shot.

O'Neal grabbed the rebound under the basket and, out of pure reflex, passed it to Su Xi instead of James, who was closer.

Su Xi charged into the frontcourt, pulled up from a few feet behind the three-point line, and let it fly... SWISH!

The three-pointer was good.

Five straight points.

Now *that* was an All-Star adjudicator.

BEEP!

Forcing the Western Conference to call a timeout.

The Las Vegas arena erupted in an earth-shattering chant of "SU! SU! SU!"

It sounded like the "Nevada Giant Cannon" was firing round after round.

But Su Xi, with the grand air of someone who had done his duty and could now depart, checked himself out of the game. Having stabilized the situation, he didn't return to the court.

In his absence, Arenas, Wade, and James joined forces to secure the Eastern Conference's lead, leading them to another victory over the West.

In the end, the MVP trophy was awarded to Dwyane Wade.

Wade had scored a game-high 39 points.

Su Xi offered his congratulations.

'Isn't winning this thing child's play?'

All Su Xi wanted now was to get back to New York. The season was more than halfway over, and with the playoffs drawing near, it was time to make a final push.

But before he could make his push, reporters blocked his path.

They were all very interested in Su Xi and the Knicks, especially regarding a recent trade.

They started by asking for his thoughts on this year's All-Star Weekend and why his playing time had been so limited.

"Without a doubt, this was a successful event, a triumphant event. I was pleasantly surprised by the exciting performances on the court, and I'm sincerely grateful for the selfless dedication of the organizers. At the same time, I'll never forget the passionate fans here in Las Vegas. This has been one of the most energetic All-Star Weekends I've ever been a part of."