Chapter 620: The Hard-nosed Knicks

Reggie Miller was undoubtedly arrogant; that was his signature trait.

But for the viewers watching on TV, it was nothing new.

And no one felt that because he was so cocky, some hero should show up and utterly crush him.

Even the Lakers fans were numb inside, their hearts like a pool of stagnant water.

They all knew very well that there was no suspense left.

The gap between the Knicks and the Lakers was already clear.

The only reason the game had been a back-and-forth affair at their home court was because Little Sheep Su Xi was too sentimental. His bond with Kobe Bryant meant he was unwilling to be ruthless.

Now that he had unleashed his true scoring ability, what could the Lakers possibly do?

The Lakers’ star duo was indeed strong. Many fans even believed they had better chemistry than the OK Combination.

But this year’s Lakers role players were a world apart from those during the OK three-peat era. Or rather, they simply weren’t on the same level.

The second half of the game soon began.

BEEP!

The whistle blew, and the game started.

Kobe was still fighting valiantly, and Yao Ming stood by his side, as steadfast as a mountain.

The two of them were putting up a powerful offense.

For a moment, they managed to close the gap slightly.

But soon, the frenzied Knicks erased their gains and pulled even further ahead.

Under Su Xi’s lead, the point differential grew wider and wider.

Su Xi’s dominant performance made the Knicks’ offense flow like quicksilver, unstoppable.

After entering the fourth quarter, the moment Yao Ming went to the bench to rest due to fatigue, the Lakers immediately collapsed.

There wasn’t the slightest chance of an upset.

The Knicks’ championship was a lock.

Madison Square Garden Arena was filled with screams and cheers.

The fourth quarter had completely turned into an early championship celebration.

With six minutes left in the fourth quarter, Phil Jackson substituted Kobe out of the game.

Down by 29 points and with morale completely shattered, he knew very well that there was no point in fighting any longer.

Kobe Bryant’s expression as he left the court was cold, one might even describe it as frosty.

After all, losing is never a good look.

Besides, in his own words, second place is just the first loser.

And being the runner-up who got swept was the most humiliating of all.

How could he possibly be happy?

When he returned to the bench, Lamar Odom was actually still smiling. Kobe immediately shot Odom a glare, and Odom instantly lowered his head and fell silent.

Kobe still had that much of an intimidating presence, at least.

Meanwhile, Su Xi stood at the edge of the court. He bowed to the fans, preparing to be subbed out.

A tsunami of cheers erupted in Madison Square Garden Arena, an overwhelming roar of “MVP! MVP! MVP!”

The sound was deafening!

Su Xi was already the undisputed greatest player in New York basketball history. Tonight, he brought the Knicks their second consecutive championship trophy, sending the entire arena into a state of ultimate excitement.

It wasn’t just the fans; Knicks legends like Ewing were emotional too. They had once fought desperately for this goal but had never managed to grasp it.

Now, watching Su Xi sweep the Lakers aside like autumn leaves to win the championship trophy, how could they not be thrilled?

Because in the past, during their own primes, they were the fallen leaves swept away by the autumn wind.

Now, they finally had this sense of pride.

And their sense of belonging was incredibly strong. ‘This is the Knicks! Goat Su Xi has accomplished what we never could!’

So, Ewing even abandoned the reserve of a former superstar, joining the fans in shouting at the top of his lungs: “MVP! MVP! MVP!”

No one could stop Su Xi from lifting his fourth consecutive Finals MVP trophy tonight.

The ESPN camera cut to David Stern, who was all smiles.

He looked very satisfied with this result.

Although the Lakers were swept, Su Xi’s legend was being forged. After tonight, no one would question that this was Goat Su Xi’s era of basketball. Perhaps the only one left for Su Xi to surpass was Jordan.

Many even believed that Jordan would be surpassed sooner or later.

Because this was only Su Xi’s fourth season.

He had already won his fourth championship and fourth Finals MVP. At the same time, he had three consecutive regular season MVPs, a scoring title, a triple-double title, a massive quadruple-double… and a series of other historical records.

Jordan’s first four years in the league couldn’t compare to Su Xi’s.

Except for the die-hard Jordan fans, everyone else’s faith began to waver. The worship of the God of Basketball started to shift towards Su Xi.

In fact, this trend could be clearly seen by comparing the sales of the Jordan Brand and Su Xi’s brand.

Money doesn’t talk, but it votes with its wallet!

Jordan, watching TV, was thoroughly annoyed, especially when he heard Reggie Miller declare with utter conviction on the broadcast: “Tony Su is the greatest player of all time!”

He turned off the television.

But that action only stopped his own ears from hearing it.

Everyone else could still hear it loud and clear, and it was changing their perceptions.

This was Jordan’s version of burying his head in the sand.

The game ended quickly.

There was no suspense.

The Knicks were victorious.

The instant the final buzzer sounded, with a loud BANG, confetti rained down in Madison Square Garden Arena, creating a magnificent and beautiful scene.

On top of that, giant balloons began to be passed around the stands. Each balloon featured Su Xi’s face, and as they bounced through the crowd, the atmosphere in the arena went absolutely wild.

James Dolan was all smiles, grinning like a child.

He stood there with his hands on his hips, his sense of accomplishment reaching an unprecedented level.

He had never been this proud in his entire life.

‘This is my team.’

‘My old man poured his heart and soul into this, and his accomplishments don’t even compare to mine. What does that prove? I’m the real chosen one! I’m the god of team ownership!’