Su Xi's taunt sent Garnett's anger level soaring past 90.
There's a saying in China: 'Laugh at the lies, not the truth.' It means that if you're joking about something false, no one will mind. But if your 'joke' hits on a truth, they'll fly into a rage.
Why did Garnett fly into a rage?
Su Xi had seen right through him.
He didn't actually dare to fight Su Xi; he was just putting on a show.
You couldn't say he wasn't tough. His defense was very physical, but... that's where it ended. He was a superstar with major commercial endorsements. He couldn't just throw punches like a true blue-collar player; it would be devastating to his on-court persona.
Garnett had been carefully cultivating an on-court tough-guy image.
That meant a lot of shouting and yelling to fire up the team. A bit of trash talk, some dirty plays, chest-pounding, foot-stomping, and roaring at the sky... it was all part of his standard playbook.
And he was very good at it.
