Clippers vs. Cavaliers

Korver was stunned; he never expected Li Chen to support him so much.

You know, just days before the draft, his agent told him that his draft prospects weren't optimistic because pure offensive players like him, who could only shoot three-pointers, weren't highly regarded by teams and might go undrafted.

Korver was filled with despair upon hearing this.

However, on draft day, things took an unexpected turn. He never imagined that he would be selected 30th overall in the first round by the Clippers, who had been unstoppable last season.

Keep in mind, the Clippers are one of the favorites to win the championship this year!

He later learned from Elgin Baylor that Li Chen had specifically requested him, which made him very grateful to Li Chen. Now that Li Chen was securing playing time for him, he was even more grateful.

Now, all he can do is try his best to repay Li Chen's kindness in helping him.

Alvin Gentry thought for a moment, then said seriously, "Chen, you need to understand, not everyone is like you! Although Kyle had a high three-point shooting percentage in college, this is the NBA, not the childish intensity of college games."

Clearly, Alvin Gentry still doesn't trust Korver.

Seeing that Alvin Gentry still didn't trust Korver, Li Chen thought for a moment and said, "Coach Alvin, how about giving Kyle more playing time during garbage time?"

"That works." Alvin Gentry nodded without the slightest hesitation.

So, in order to help Korver score, Li Chen went all out in the third quarter, unleashing a full-on offensive mode.

At the start of the third quarter, the team exerted pressure on both offense and defense, launching a 12-2 run with four consecutive three-pointers, completely stunning the Supersonics.

At the same time, Malone also gained a deeper understanding of how terrifying Li Chen's offensive capabilities were without the defense of an All-Star First Team player.

Within three minutes, the Clippers had taken a 20-point lead over the Supersonics, 72-52.

At this point, the Supersonics were on the verge of being crushed by the Clippers.

It was so unexpected. They were initially very ambitious, hoping to tie the score in the third quarter and then take the lead in the fourth.

But reality slapped them hard in the face, telling them that they were still the same Clippers that almost became the champions.

Okay, in the hearts of fans last season, the Clippers were the champions. As for the New Jersey Nets? Haha!

Not only were the Supersonics players stunned, but SuperSonics fans were also caught off guard. In the blink of an eye, the gap widened to 20 points, leaving them with a sense of unreality, as if they were in a dream.

SuperSonics coach McMillan immediately called a timeout, inwardly cursing Li Chen as a monster.

After the timeout, although Li Chen's scoring ability wasn't as explosive as before due to being heavily guarded, the SuperSonics still lost by 25 points, 65-90, at the end of the third quarter.

It's worth mentioning that when the Clippers extended their lead to 30 points in the third quarter, Alvin Gentry substituted Korver into the game.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Supersonics head coach McMillan decisively substituted his starters, deciding to stop playing with the Clippers.

So Li Chen and his underling Korver happily began their score-farming spree.

Korver missed his first three shots, but Li Chen, with his "Rebounding Monster" skills, wasn't worried about Korver missing.

As a result, the Supersonics' substitutes were stunned. Li Chen was too good at rebounding; their physical talent was simply not on the same level as Li Chen's.

So, with Li Chen giving Korver all the support he could, Korver delivered an astonishing performance that even Li Chen doubted.

Lewis of the Supersonics played 30 minutes, shooting 5-for-20 for 25 points, including 3-for-7 from three-point range and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line.

Clippers' Karl Malone played 30 minutes, shooting 8-for-13, scoring 25 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, dishing out 6 assists, and shooting 9-for-10 from the free-throw line.

Korver played 17 minutes, shooting 8-for-20 from the field, scoring 26 points, including 8-for-18 from three-point range and 2-for-6 from the free-throw line.

Li Chen played 46 minutes, shooting 8-for-15, scoring 28 points, dishing out 20 assists, and grabbing 15 rebounds. He made 5 of 7 three-pointers and 5 of 5 free throws.

Sports Illustrated originally described James's career debut in the Sacramento Kings' home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 30th, where he scored 25 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals on 12-of- 2003 Draft, as a young tiger roaring and all beasts trembling in fear.

But when they watched the Clippers game on October 31st, they were numb, completely numb.

What the heck? Who is Korver? A relatively unknown rookie, how come he scored more points than my team? This doesn't make sense!

Although Korver's playing time was garbage time and his stats weren't as comprehensive as James's,

But you have to understand, he was just a 30th pick in the draft. If it weren't for the Clippers, a top Clippers for the championship, selecting Korver, they wouldn't even be familiar with the name Korver.

They were shocked to find that the Chosen One, James, had actually outmaneuvered him.

At this point, some basketball experts pointed out that this was Li Chen's counterattack, a rebuttal to the media's claim that James and he were two shining stars in NBA history.

Okay! That rebuttal is sharp as a knife. Just imagine, you, James, can't even compare to one of Li Chen's underlings, so how can you compare to him?

So when the young Little Emperor James saw an article titled "Will James be the next Kwame Brown?", James turned green with rage.

Thus, in the American sports world, a drama between the captain and the Chosen One quickly topped the trending searches thanks to media hype.

Saturday morning, November 1st.

The Clippers received bad news: Elton Brand suffered an injury during practice and will be out for more than a month to recover.

Li Chen looked at Elton Brand speechlessly and said, "Elton."

Feeling somewhat dejected, Elton Brand turned to Li Chen. "Chen, don't comfort me. It just makes me feel worse."

Li Chen nodded, then said sarcastically, "Elton, you're overthinking it. I'd say you should change your name."

Elton Brand was taken aback. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"You should be called Elton Glass Brand."

"Fuck you, you bastard, I think you should comfort me!"

"Haha! I was just kidding. Take good care of your injury. Okay, I'm going back now."

"Go away, go away! I'm afraid you'll drive me to suicide." Elton Brand said dismissively, urging Li Chen to leave.

After Li Chen left, Elton Brand sighed inwardly; he was very depressed.

Tonight, the Clippers will host the Supersonics again (the Clippers' matchup in the 2003-04 season was two consecutive games against the SuperSonics).

Although the SuperSonics were thrashed by the Clippers by 25 points in the last game, they did not give up and are determined to avenge their defeat in this game.

Meanwhile, Korver performed well yesterday, and with Li Chen's high praise, Alvin Gentry gave Korver a chance and put him in the rotation.

Li Chen's random S-rank Skill in this match is [Iron Wall and Bronze Barrier].

Li Chen chose to equip the following skills: [Assist Master], [Divine Shooter], [Layup Master], [Miracle Shot], and [Mid-range King].

From the start of the game, the Supersonics showed their scoring desire, especially Lewis, who frequently made shots.

At the end of the first quarter, the Supersonics led the Clippers by a remarkable five points, 35-30.

At the start of the second quarter, Li Chen launched a series of attacks and made pinpoint passes, quickly tying the score.

Then, he continued to let Korver score, but of course he knew that Korver was only good at Open Three-Pointer, so he wouldn't deliberately pass the ball or assist like he did in the previous game, since winning was the priority.

In the second quarter, Korver made 2 of 5 field goals for 8 points and 2 of 3 free throws.

At the end of the second quarter, the Clippers were still trailing the SuperSonics 63-66 by three points.

There was nothing they could do; the Supersonics' Lewis was just too dominant today, and Corey Maggette simply couldn't stop him.

In two quarters, he had already made 15 of 20 field goal attempts, scoring 32 points, and made both of his free throws.

At the start of the third quarter, Alvin Gentry decided to have Li Chen help defend Lewis.

Li Chen did not disappoint Alvin Gentry.

Starting in the third quarter, Lewis became known for his poor shooting, seemingly lost in a sea of missed shots. He was completely shut down by Li Chen's defense, failing to score a single point.

Seeing Lewis and Li Chen arguing, the Supersonics' head coach McMillan turned green.

Why are you always going against that monster? Isn't that just asking for trouble?

So McMillan had no choice but to substitute Lewis to give him some time to cool off.

Meanwhile, Malone continues to demonstrate his value and consistency.

The Clippers ultimately won 124-105.

The Clippers have won two straight games.

The SuperSonics' Lewis played 36 minutes, shooting 15-for-35, scoring 40 points and dishing out 4 assists, including 4-for-10 from three-point range and 6-for-10 from the free-throw line.

Karl Malone played 36 minutes, shooting 5-for-10, scoring 20 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, dishing out 2 assists, and shooting 10-for-12 from the free-throw line.

Malone's addition has greatly improved the Clippers' interior rebounding.

With Li Chen on the perimeter and Old Malone in the paint, the Clippers are stronger than last season.

Wang Zhizhi, 15 points

Korver scored 18 points.

Li Chen played 45 minutes, shooting 10-for-18, scoring 28 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block, shooting 3-for-3 from three-point range and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.

After that, the Clippers defeated the Nuggets, Hawks, Warriors, Orlando Magic, starting Clippers six-game winning streak.

It's worth mentioning that in the game against the Orlando Magic, Li Chen left peak-form Tracy McGrady open on defense, allowing him to shoot 7 of 26.

Li Chen once again demonstrated what it means to be a master of both offense and defense.

November 19th, Wednesday, morning.

Sports Illustrated pinned post.

The highly anticipated showdown will take place tonight.

The Clippers will face the Cavaliers on the road! This is a game not to be missed, as we will witness a fierce showdown between last year's Rookie of the Year Li Chen, and this year's number one draft pick, LeBron James!

The sparks are about to ignite on the basketball court! Don't miss this rare opportunity; let's witness history unfold together!

Join us and experience the endless excitement and surprises this game will bring! Tonight will surely be a classic moment in basketball history.

The report was passionate and inspiring, making fans eager to see the game right away.

During lunch, Li Chen received a call from Odom.

Li Chen was somewhat surprised to see Odom's call, so he answered the phone.

Before Li Chen could even speak after the call connected, Odom shouted, "Chen, tonight, take Chosen One, James!"

Li Chen was taken aback and asked in surprise, "You have a grudge against him?"

"No! Why do you ask that?" Odom asked in surprise.

Li Chen was speechless. "We have no grudges against each other, why are you getting so worked up?" Li Chen said irritably.

"What? I can't stand seeing others do better than me? Is that a problem?"

Li Chen: "..."

"Okay! You win." Li Chen said speechlessly, "By the way, how are things going with the Miami Heat?"

"Fuck, don't even mention it. Riley took me out of the starting lineup after a few bad games, Chen. Now I'm starting to regret it."

Li Chen thought to himself, "It's not that you didn't perform well; this is your true strength. Of course you'll behave this way with a 10% lower accuracy rate."

"Having to earn 12 million without doing any work has always been your dream, hasn't it?"

Odom said dejectedly, "That's true, but I'm feeling stifled and uncomfortable!"

"Don't worry, with your performance, Riley will trade you next year."

Odom "..."

"Chen!"

"Speak your mind."

"I realized I shouldn't have called you. Your mouth is still so annoying, humph!" With that, Odom hung up the phone decisively without giving Li Chen a chance to speak.

Li Chen stared speechlessly at the disconnected phone, thinking, "I was telling the truth! No matter how you perform, you'll still be traded."

He remembered that this guy would be sent to the Lakers next year. Hmm! He wondered how he would feel about returning to Los Angeles after all this time. Li Chen thought to himself.

That evening, the highly anticipated Clippers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers showdown began.

In the TNT broadcast room.

"Haha! I'm sure everyone's been waiting for this day for a long time!" Barkley laughed knowingly.

"Of course, the matchup between number 16 and number 23 is a hot topic in the league, and I believe this game will not disappoint us."

Let's take a look at the starting lineups for both sides.

The Cleveland Cavaliers' starting lineup is as follows:

Ricky Davis (Point Guard)

Miles (Shooting Guard)

James (Small Forward)

Power Forward Power Forward

Ilgauskas (center forward)

Next, let's take a look at the Clippers' starting lineup.

Li Chen (Point Guard)

Korver (Shooting Guard)

Corey Maggette (Small Forward)

Karl Malone (Power Forward)

Wang Zhizhi (Center)

"Haha! I, Sir Barkley, am certain that Korver's starting position is at Chen's request. That kid is really wicked; he did it on purpose. But I like it."

"Charles, don't say that," Kenny Smith said with a smile.

He then changed the subject, saying, "However, the current Cavaliers are no match for the Clippers. Their chances of winning are almost nonexistent. The only interesting thing about this game is the performance of Li Chen and James."

"Both are all-around players; this is truly a clash of titans."

The game then begins with a jump ball between the two teams.

Ilgauskas won the jump ball, but Li Chen won possession.

Seeing this, Barkley laughed loudly in the TNT broadcast room, "Chen's desire to win is very strong!"

"Yes!" Kenny Smith replied with a smile.

Meanwhile, Li Chen dribbled the ball forward while checking the random S-level skills available in the game.

Li Chen's random S-rank Skill in this game is [Iron Wall and Bronze Barrier]. Upon seeing this skill, Li Chen laughed. "Sorry, Emperor Zhan, you're in for a bad day."