The Best Point Guard-Chapter 55 - 53: [You Still Want to Win the MOP?]

"Jack, what did you think of the first half tonight? Do you think Dwyane Wade still has a chance in the second half?"

The CBS sideline reporter held the microphone out to Su Xi, his eyes filled with eager anticipation. As a reporter, it was rare to find an interviewee like Su Xi, who could generate explosive headlines every time he was interviewed.

"Kansas is playing very well. The gap between the two teams is wider than I expected. If Wade can’t drop 40 points in the second half, it’ll be tough for them to win," Su Xi replied.

"So, you think Kansas will be playing you in the championship game? Are you confident you can beat them?" the CBS reporter asked, following up.

"They’re the challengers. You should ask them that question after the game is over," Su Xi said, turning the tables.

The reporter was ecstatic. This gave him more to work with.

At that moment, the reporter asked another question: "So, do you think the Kansas Team has any phenoms? You love competing against phenoms."

Uh...

Su Xi hesitated. He wracked his brain.

’Does Kansas have any phenoms?’

At the NCAA level, they definitely did, and quite a few of them.

But at the NBA level, or more specifically, for the purpose of enhancing and fusing with Su Xi’s current talents, there were... very few.

Perhaps only their number 11, Aaron Miles, could offer any fusion-based enhancement to Su Xi’s speed.

"Every one of them is pretty good," Su Xi answered.

The answer, in fact, spoke for itself.

But the reporter kept pressing, "So, are you going to take on every single one of them?"

"It’s not out of the question," Su Xi said, raising an eyebrow.

That sentence left the reporter completely satisfied. He walked away excitedly and wished Jack a good time watching the rest of the game.

Then, the CBS commentator started stirring the pot: "...Little Sheep Su Xi has played a few great games, and it’s gone to his head. He’s starting to think he’s a real lottery pick who can just dominate opponents at will. Given the strength of Kansas at every position, if he can really take them all on at will... well, we might as well just hand him the MOP trophy now," said special guest analyst and active Point Guard, Mark Jackson, from the commentary booth.

Mark Jackson was a well-known Point Guard. He had an outstanding college career at St. John’s University, leading the team to two appearances in the national championship tournament alongside the "Golden Left Hand," Chris Mullin. In 1987, he was drafted by his hometown team, the Knicks, and helped Ewing turn them into an Eastern Conference powerhouse. However, a 1992 trade to the Clippers began a journeyman phase of his career.

Currently, he was playing for the Jazz. With his career winding down, he was starting to prepare for his post-retirement work.

Working as a special guest commentator for CBS during the national tournament was a bold new venture for him.

He was a humble person in private, but in the media, you had to say things that provoked the audience.

His words were quickly seized upon by headline writers and spun by the media into: Little Sheep Su Xi Wants to Win Final Four MOP!

The Final Four MOP is the Most Outstanding Player award, given based on performance across both games. In the last game, Su Xi played very well, getting a double-double and making outstanding contributions on defense. But in terms of raw stats, he was undoubtedly a step below Carmeron Anthony.

If he wanted to win MOP, he would have to, at the very least, outperform Carmeron Anthony statistically in the next game.

He also had to ensure his team beat Kansas by a large margin.

Neither of these would be an easy task.

Because Kansas was stronger overall, and every one of their players could hold their own. Moreover, their two core players, Syracuse and Collison, were both experienced seniors.

Syracuse University lacked depth. The only players they could really count on were Su Xi, Antonio, and Hakeem. Hakeem was a sophomore, Antonio was a freshman, and while Su Xi was also a sophomore, in terms of on-court experience, he was basically a freshman too. And he was very young.

The halftime interview on CBS, broadcast to viewers across the United States, turned the entire nation’s attention to the championship game.

Although the championship game was still two days away, fans were already wild with anticipation.

Without a doubt, Little Sheep Su Xi was this year’s biggest dark horse in the NCAA. Could he really go all the way, pluck the jewel from the crown, and win the Final Four MOP?

Could he really, as he himself claimed, shut down a player from any position on Kansas?

Right then, many Syracuse University fans were buying tickets and rushing to New Orleans.

The heavy hitters of the basketball world also began planning their trips. Many active NBA players, old-school superstars, NBA executives, owners, and sponsors were booking flights to New Orleans.

The hype for this year’s championship game surpassed that of any in the last four years.

Larry Bird would be there. His friendly rival, Magic Johnson, would also be there. Michael Jordan would attend as the founder of the Jordan Brand. Kobe Bryant would be there. Steve Nash would be there... and that was only a partial list.

As for sponsors, giants like Reebok, Adidas, and Nike wouldn’t miss it, and other second-tier brands would also be sending scouting teams.

The NCAA championship is the most hyped sporting event in the United States each year, and the entire country pays close attention to it.

Without even realizing it, Little Sheep Su Xi had become the most hyped player of the championship game. This was because he had burst onto the scene out of nowhere, was extremely good in ’interviews’, and the media loved to spread his story. On top of all that, he possessed a handsome face that seemed to be God’s gift to the basketball world.

In some ways, the hype surrounding him these past two days was approaching the level of LeBron James and Carmeron Anthony.

But at that moment, Su Xi, the man at the center of the storm, was completely unaware. He was chatting with Kevin Garnett.

Garnett asked Su Xi, "Are you still a virgin? I heard you Chinese guys don’t date before you get married. Is that true? And there’s a rumor going around the NBA player circle that you turned down Jessica Alba. Is that for real?"

It was hard to believe that a tough guy on the court like Kevin Garnett, the Wolf King of Minnesota, was such a gossip in private.

Su Xi didn’t like discussing his private life, so he gave a vague answer to brush it off. He said, "I’ve lived in the United States for many years. I have a lot of American habits, but I also have a lot of Chinese ones."

Then, giving Garnett no chance to press further, he casually fired back a question that silenced him: "Do you think... you’re more talented than Tim Duncan? If you never win a championship in your career, will your historical ranking be much lower than Duncan’s? And are your two hundred-million-dollar contracts the reason the Minnesota Timberwolves can’t take the next step?"

Su Xi’s questions were presumptuous.

But then again, Garnett had been the one to overstep first.

Su Xi wasn’t about to suck up to these superstars, much less answer embarrassing private questions just to satisfy their little ’obedience tests’.

Garnett, having brought the awkwardness on himself, grunted a few words—it was unclear what he said—and turned to chat with James instead.

James was a much better conversationalist; the two of them got along great.

Su Xi was happy to be left alone.

Just then, he got a call from Huang Xiaoman. She told him over the phone, "I’ll be arriving in New Orleans at 10 PM tonight. I’ve contacted the biggest media outlet in China for you. They’ve agreed to do an exclusive interview, and it will be broadcast in the country very soon."

"You’re very popular in the United States right now, but your real foundation is back home. We have to make sure the fans in China get to know you better."

"How’s your Chinese vocabulary?"

Huang Xiaoman asked.

"Duh, aren’t we talking in Mandarin right now?"

Su Xi muttered.

...