What, That Works Too?

At that moment, Li Chen saw the look in Kobe's eyes. It seemed to say, "Kid, you're not getting past me."

Li Chen had understood what Kobe meant, but he didn't care. He refused to believe he'd keep triggering that damn 30 percent chance forever.

Li Chen didn't slow down. He chose to drive hard. The scenery beside him rushed backward, while one man stayed glued to his side.

Kobe never lost his defensive position. He was like a viper patiently waiting for its prey.

The moment Li Chen dared to shoot, Kobe would teach him a harsh lesson.

Just as Li Chen drove near the free-throw line, he abruptly stopped, his sneakers letting out a piercing squeal.

At the same time, Li Chen straightened his back and made a motion as if he were about to shoot.

Seeing this, Kobe's whole body tensed. But the next moment, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. He knew the Eastern Kid in front of him was trying to trick him into jumping.

Li Chen saw that Kobe hadn't taken the bait and thought, What a shame. Still, he forced up a shot.

Kobe gaped at Li Chen's strange move and thought, Is this guy crazy? If he just tosses it up like that and it goes in...

But what left Kobe even more dumbfounded was that the ball went in.

The score changed to 28–20.

Seeing Kobe's stunned expression, Li Chen grinned, as if to say, "So what if I can't get past your defense? I can still put the ball in the basket. How mad does that make you?"

Kobe got angry just looking at Li Chen's face. Trying to show off in front of me, the Black Mamba? Not happening. I'll get you back for that.

You're just some trash rookie, chucking the ball any old way, and it goes in. How could my smooth, handsome fadeaway jumper possibly miss?

So Kobe stepped forward and called for the ball.

Fisher felt a pang in his gut when he saw this. Come on, man. You've been ice-cold today. Do you have no idea how bad you've been?

He complained to himself, but didn't dare offend the touchy Kobe.

So he could only pass him the ball.

After dribbling across half court, Kobe didn't rush to attack. He just waited for Li Chen to come guard him.

Li Chen wasn't much of a defender, but at least he was trying. Besides, he was just a rookie. If Kobe got past him, it was only to be expected. If he stopped Kobe, his reputation would soar. Either way, Kobe had nothing to lose.

When Li Chen came over, Kobe rose into a gorgeous fadeaway jumper right in front of him.

Li Chen leaped high, but he was still just a little short.

Li Chen felt a pang of regret, but the next moment, his mood improved.

With a sharp thunk, the crisp, sweet sound of a missed shot rang out.

The Clippers and Lakers players all leaped up at once. The paint was a jumble as the ball bounced around in the air.

At last, Michael Olowokandi grabbed the rebound amid the scramble.

By then, Li Chen was already sprinting downcourt.

O'Neal had only just crossed half court.

Li Chen glanced at him, as if to say, "Well, look at that! Big Shaq finally made it over here?"

Of course, O'Neal was on the left side of the court, while Li Chen and Kobe were on the right. They never crossed paths, and O'Neal didn't see Li Chen's strange look.

Meanwhile, seeing O'Neal lumber along so slowly made Kobe even more annoyed.

Michael Olowokandi whipped the ball downcourt. Li Chen caught it and drove toward the basket.

Kobe sped up, and in the blink of an eye, he was nearly two steps ahead of Li Chen.

Li Chen tried the same trick again and stopped abruptly.

But Kobe still didn't bite, so Li Chen forced up another shot.

Seeing this, Kobe gritted his teeth. I, the Black Mamba, refuse to believe you can luck your way into another one. He turned to look.

What the hell? It went in again? Kobe nearly lost it.

Was this guy's luck ever going to run out? Was he God's own son?

The score narrowed again, to 28–22.

O'Neal was starting to lose it. Damn it, I just got down here, and the play's already over? You bunch of bastards are making me run around like an idiot!

O'Neal was fed up with Kobe. He could understand the Clippers speeding up, but what the hell was Kobe doing speeding up too? So Big Shaq decided to stop running.

Meanwhile, seeing Li Chen make two ridiculous shots in a row, Lakers fans clutched their heads, mouths wide open in disbelief.

In the broadcast booth, Barkley and Kenny Smith were equally stunned.

"Kenny, I'm starting to think this Eastern Kid really does know witchcraft," Barkley said, dazed.

Kenny Smith nodded in agreement.

He, too, was stunned by Li Chen's unbelievable luck.

The Mamba had an incredibly strong mentality. Li Chen's two astonishing shots hadn't affected Kobe's competitive spirit at all.

He called for the ball again, then rose into another turnaround fadeaway right in front of Li Chen. But once again, it clanged off the rim.

This time, Kobe's brows knitted slightly. He was getting annoyed—no, he was seriously annoyed.

Damn it, my shot is so smooth, my form is so perfect, and it still won't go in?

And that Eastern Kid's form is completely off. Hell, he barely has any form at all.

Yet somehow he still makes them. Isn't that infuriating?

Meanwhile, the other Clippers players really were giving it their all. Even without Big O, they could almost always grab the rebounds.

After Li Chen got the ball, he continued dribbling forward.

Li Chen tried the same trick again, but this time Kobe didn't dare give him space.

He leaped high, but Li Chen bounced the ball off the floor between Kobe's legs, then slipped around him. He went right through, leaving Kobe behind.

Kobe could only sigh inwardly. He'd known this would happen.

It was an impossible problem to solve. If you didn't jump, Li Chen would shoot—and the maddening part was, he might actually make it.

If you did jump, Li Chen would use the opening to drive past you.

But this time, the main reason Kobe jumped was that O'Neal hadn't made it back downcourt. With the Big Diesel under the basket, Kobe felt safe.

Li Chen leaped high after getting past Kobe.

But just then, a massive figure soared into the air, a hand as large as a fan swiping fiercely toward him.

Li Chen kept O'Neal from blocking the ball in midair, but he offered up his arm instead.

With a sharp smack, Li Chen was swatted out of the air like a fly.

As his body fell, Li Chen arched his waist and, with all his strength, hurled the ball toward the basket.

Just then, the referee's whistle blew.

The referee called O'Neal for a shooting foul. Big Shaq didn't care about the foul. What mattered to him was that anyone who dared act up in front of him ended up on the floor.

What left everyone gaping in disbelief was that the ball Li Chen had just thrown was now spinning around the rim.

A moment later, the ball dropped reluctantly through the hoop.

The referee signaled one free throw.

The score changed again, to 28–24.

If Li Chen made the free throw, the score would be 28–25.

Seeing Li Chen make all those unreasonable shots and score seven points in just two minutes, Phil Jackson—"the Zen Master"—could no longer sit still.

The Eastern Kid was on fire. If things kept going this way, they really might lose.

Thinking this, Phil Jackson wanted to call a timeout and cool Li Chen off while his hot hand lasted.