Meanwhile, the Clippers' last-minute change of positions left Kenny Smith and Barkley puzzled in the TNT broadcast room.
"Old buddy, what do you make of Coach Alvin Gentry's decision?"
Barkley thought for a moment. "Kenny, well, based on the last game, Chen is the perfect shooting guard to play off the ball. His performance against the Timberwolves showed exactly that. It's no exaggeration to say the Clippers beat the Timberwolves largely thanks to Chen's off-ball movement, which disrupted their formation."
Kenny Smith nodded in agreement. "That's right! Alvin Gentry's choice was a bit unwise."
A short while later, the game between the Clippers and the Kings officially began at Clippers Arena.
Today, Li Chen wore the Clippers' number 16 jersey. As for why, it was a kind of tribute!
Center Michael Olowokandi and the Kings' center, Divac, prepared to jump for the ball.
Michael Olowokandi was lucky enough to win the tip, and Li Chen snatched the ball in the blink of an eye.
The Kings set up a zone defense as Li Chen dribbled into the frontcourt.
But suddenly, he felt a little surprised. His view of the court seemed different from before.
He could see exactly where his teammates were.
Could this be the effect of the S-rank Skill? But that wasn't mentioned in the skill description!
Or did he have the potential to play point guard?
Just then, Elton Brand came out to set a screen for Li Chen.
Li Chen quickly gathered himself, though his thoughts were still in disarray. Using Brand's screen, he drove into the lane with the ball.
Bibby, who had been held up by Elton Brand's screen, had already caught up. He reached out, ready to strip the ball from Li Chen's hands.
Seeing this, Li Chen didn't hold on to the ball. He knew he wasn't much of a ball handler.
With a flick of his wrist, he lobbed the ball into the paint.
Just then, Michael Olowokandi leaped high, grabbed the ball, and slammed it into the basket.
After landing, he let out a long roar, releasing all his excitement.
That was right—he was excited because Li Chen's pass had been so perfect. It had made him feel absolutely exhilarated.
The fans in the stands began cheering, too.
An alley-oop right at the start of the game—how could that not get them excited?
Michael Olowokandi walked up to Li Chen, held out his hand for a high five, and said excitedly:
"Chen, give me a few more passes like that one just now. I really love that feeling."
Li Chen smiled, nodded, and made an OK sign.
Kings coach Adelman frowned slightly as he watched.
He had watched yesterday's footage of Li Chen. He'd seemed like nothing more than a scorer, but today he was playing like a completely different person. It left Adelman confused.
Adelman wasn't the only one puzzled. Alvin Gentry could hardly believe it either. Li Chen's performance just now was exactly what you'd expect from an elite point guard—with excellent court vision, too.
As they ran back on defense, Elton Brand came trotting over and asked in surprise, "Damn, Chen, when did you get so good at passing?"
In Brand's mind, Li Chen had been nothing more than a hardworking guy from the East. But today, that image had been shattered. This guy might actually be a bona fide genius.
Wait, was this guy really making four million a year? Brand's thoughts wandered back to what Li Chen had said the other day.
Li Chen ignored Elton Brand because Bibby was already dribbling toward him.
Li Chen knew his defense was awful, and he had no experience at all.
So all he could do was stay right on Bibby.
Seeing Li Chen try to guard him closely, Bibby leaned his body against Li Chen while holding the ball. Then he suddenly spun halfway around and accelerated past him.
Li Chen's mouth twitched. That move was way too smooth. You're making me look completely useless, he grumbled to himself.
In a panic, he reached out to grab Bibby's jersey, but stopped himself before he could.
Then he could only watch helplessly as Bibby pulled up and scored.
Li Chen felt like getting past him was as easy as boarding a bus. He was starting to think he was turning into a defensive liability.
Actually, he'd had a hunch when Bibby spun around, but his limited explosiveness meant he couldn't keep up with Bibby's speed.
At that moment, he silently resolved to practice his sprints after the game.
As the teams switched ends, Michael Olowokandi picked up the ball and said to Li Chen while preparing to inbound, "Chen, give me another one."
Li Chen was a little speechless. Alley-oops depended on getting the right opportunity. But when he saw the hopeful look in Michael Olowokandi's eyes, he could only force a smile and nod. "I'll do my best."
A short while later, Li Chen dribbled over half court. Bibby came up to guard him again.
"Eastern Kid, nice passing, but your defense really is no good," Bibby said as he guarded him.
As a foreigner with Eastern ancestry, Bibby was naturally a bit friendlier toward Easterners than most people.
"That's fine. If we score on every possession, do we even need defense?" Li Chen asked, forcing himself to show off.
Bibby was at a loss for words. Just then, Li Chen suddenly made a shooting motion.
Bibby knew all about Li Chen's three-point shot, so he jumped straight up.
A smile played at the corner of Li Chen's mouth. The ball bounced right between Bibby's legs and landed perfectly in the hands of Andre Miller, who was waiting in the corner.
When Andre Miller received Li Chen's pass, he was stunned. It felt absolutely perfect.
He had a feeling the shot would go in. As his thoughts came together, he leaped high. The old ball arced beautifully through the air and dropped toward the center of the hoop.
Swish! Nothing but net.
The shot went in, but Andre Miller didn't look excited. Instead, he seemed a little troubled.
When Li Chen had said he wanted to play point guard, Andre Miller hadn't said anything, but he'd secretly looked down on the idea.
Now he was convinced. Li Chen was more than twice as good a passer as he was.
With Li Chen excelling at point guard, where did that leave him, the player who'd originally been the best choice for the position?
And so, the two teams traded baskets and launched into an offensive shootout.
The first quarter ended with the Clippers leading the Kings 32–28, a four-point advantage. Kings coach Adelman found it hard to accept.
Alvin Gentry, meanwhile, was somewhat surprised.
The Kings had averaged more than 100 points per game over the past few seasons under Coach Adelman. They were a typical offensive-minded team.
How could a team like that lose the first-quarter shootout to the Clippers he coached? It was hard not to be surprised.
In the broadcast room.
"The stats are in. Oh my God, old friend, guess what unbelievable thing I just saw?"
Barkley pretended not to know. "What?"
"Eighty percent of the Clippers' baskets in the first quarter were connected to Li Chen from the East. And he had 10 assists in the first quarter. If the team's offense stays sharp over the next three quarters, Li Chen might break Skiles' record of 30 assists in a single game tonight."
"Oh! No, no, no! That's impossible, Kenny." Barkley shook his head, refusing to believe Li Chen could do it.
"Hahaha! Charles, how about we make a bet? Last time, I didn't get you to kiss a cow's butt, and I couldn't sleep for days."
Barkley was speechless.
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