Elton Brand pulled Li Chen to his feet. "Damn, Chen, what kind of crazy luck do you have? You can make anything go in!"
Li Chen smiled. "Just got lucky."
Elton Brand: "..."
Rubbing his reddened arm, Li Chen stepped up to the free-throw line.
Shaq sure had a strong grip! Li Chen grumbled inwardly.
Just then, the head referee tossed him the ball, signaling that he could shoot.
Li Chen caught it, let out a deep breath, then decisively sent the ball flying.
Swish! The ball dropped cleanly through the net.
The score became 28–25.
And only one minute had passed in the second quarter.
At that moment, the Lakers called a timeout.
Just one minute into the second quarter, the Lakers had already been forced to stop play.
In the livestream.
Kenny Smith said, "Phil Jackson called that timeout at exactly the right time. If Chen keeps playing like this, the Lakers will probably get blown out. That kind of inexplicable luck really hurts a team's morale."
Barkley nodded in agreement, then added, "Actually, Kobe's partly to blame. He shouldn't have tried to get into a fast-break shootout with the Clippers."
"And his luck has been absolutely terrible today," Barkley added with a teasing grin.
Kenny Smith burst out laughing, then said seriously, "As a legendary coach, Phil Jackson will surely get Kobe to calm down during the timeout. That's when the Clippers will really be put to the test."
Barkley nodded, then thought for a moment before saying, "I wonder if that Eastern Kid with the unbelievably good luck will keep his magic going after the timeout."
"Honestly, if he'd just taken a three, the Clippers would probably have tied the game by now, maybe even taken the lead," Barkley added.
Li Chen wanted to shoot threes too, but the skill description only mentioned a boost to drives. So he could only charge straight at Kobe, an All-NBA First Team player.
Clippers' bench.
Alvin Gentry was also stunned by Li Chen's luck.
He patted Li Chen on the shoulder and praised him. "Chen, you're playing well. Keep it up."
"Yeah! Chen, you made that shot too! My jaw hit the floor when I saw it! Hahaha!"
The other players laughed, and the Clippers' bench was filled with an easygoing, cheerful atmosphere.
Everyone except one person, of course.
Odom was extremely frustrated. He'd been thinking that if Li Chen kept playing recklessly like he had in the first quarter, he'd suggest Alvin Gentry take him out and put him in instead.
But only one minute had passed, and Li Chen had already scored seven straight points, forcing the Lakers to call a timeout.
Damn it, damn it! Why was that Yellow Monkey so lucky?
Soon, the timeout ended, and both teams returned to the court.
On the court.
Fisher dribbled into the frontcourt, repeatedly looking around at the Lakers players' positions near the top of the arc.
After the timeout, Kobe wasn't playing as aggressively as before, which left Li Chen a little disappointed.
The Lakers moved the ball around, searching for an opening, and eventually passed it to O'Neal.
O'Neal caught the ball with his back to the basket and bulldozed his way toward the rim.
Michael Olowokandi's small frame was shoved backward again and again. Then Shaq suddenly spun around and slammed the ball through the hoop.
The score became 30–25, and the Lakers' lead was back up to five.
Michael Olowokandi was sent flying and landed on his butt, looking as if he were questioning his entire existence.
Li Chen pulled him up and comforted him. "Don't take it to heart. You'll get used to it."
Michael Olowokandi: "..."
Damn it, is this how you Easterners comfort people?
The teams switched ends.
In the frontcourt, Andre Miller passed the ball to Li Chen.
Kobe immediately moved in to guard him.
Michael Olowokandi set a screen for Li Chen, then cut toward the basket.
Li Chen caught Michael Olowokandi's pass and charged toward the inside of the free-throw line like a horse that had broken loose.
Just as Li Chen leaped high, O'Neal's enormous, sky-blocking frame rose up too.
A smile played at the corner of Li Chen's mouth. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the ball flying toward Andre Miller, who was waiting beyond the three-point line at a 45-degree angle.
Andre Miller caught the ball, made a slight adjustment, then jumped high.
Swish! Nothing but net.
The score was 30–28, and the lead had been cut to two.
The teams switched ends again.
As he ran back on defense, Li Chen whispered something in Michael Olowokandi's ear.
Michael Olowokandi gave Li Chen a strange look, then nodded.
The score was close, so the Black Mamba reined in his resentment toward O'Neal a little. But if O'Neal failed to score, Kobe would take the ball back without hesitation and take over the game.
On offense, the Lakers once again had Fisher lob the ball to O'Neal in the paint.
O'Neal tried the same move again, using his massive backside to back Michael Olowokandi down.
Just as O'Neal was about to go for a little hook shot, Michael Olowokandi pounced on him like an eagle swooping on a rabbit—no, an eagle swooping on a bear was more like it.
Michael Olowokandi practically rode O'Neal.
O'Neal was completely dumbfounded. Damn it, what was this supposed to be?
Michael Olowokandi had clearly committed a foul.
The referee's whistle sounded right on cue. The foul put O'Neal in the bonus, giving him two free throws.
At the sight of this, Phil Jackson's usually calm face twitched slightly. Damn it, the Hack-a-Shaq again. He cursed Popovich inwardly. This was all your fault.
O'Neal came through in spectacular fashion, turning into a fat bricklayer and clanging both free throws off the rim.
Michael Olowokandi grabbed the rebound, thinking that Chen's trick really worked!
Kobe was furious. Damn Shaq, always refusing to improve.
There was no way to rely on him. It was up to the Flying Man, the Black Mamba, to save the Lakers.
At that moment, the Black Mamba was back—and he had already disabled the pass button without hesitation.
Li Chen gave Michael Olowokandi a thumbs-up.
Michael Olowokandi grinned, then passed the ball to Li Chen.
Li Chen brought the ball up the court, taking in the positions of all the Clippers players.
At that moment, he could tell for certain that his field of vision really was wide. It wasn't some effect granted by his skill.
Still, Li Chen had no intention of playing point guard.
Then he saw Kobe in front of him, his gaze focused, poised to strike like a venomous snake.
From that look, Li Chen knew the guy was going to take him on one-on-one.
In a flash, Li Chen drove past Kobe again.
Michael Olowokandi set another screen for Li Chen, then cut toward the basket.
But Kobe was dangerous when he got serious, and Michael Olowokandi failed to block him.
Just as Li Chen was about to jump for a shot, Kobe stepped in front of him again.
At that moment, Li Chen suddenly had a strange feeling, just like when he'd blocked Bibby's layup in the previous game against the Kings.
He was going to get his shot blocked by Kobe. The feeling grew stronger and stronger.
Even so, he leaped high.
Kobe leaped up too.
Li Chen pulled his arm back and made a behind-the-back pass.
Elton Brand caught the pass cleanly.
Without hesitation, he went up for a jump shot. Just then, O'Neal leaped high and swatted the ball away with a single slap.
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