The Emperor's Dismal Stats

On the field.

James missed his shot, and Karl Malone grabbed the rebound.

On the other side, although the attack didn't go in, James was more concerned about Li Chen's actions.

So he asked, "Why not defend?"

Li Chen shrugged, thinking to himself, "What's the point of defending a shot I know I can't make?"

Although he thought this to himself, he said it like a fortune teller, "Because I already did a divination before the competition, my luck will be very good today, while your luck will be very bad. Oh! Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Actually, I am a fortune teller from the East."

James "..."

Karl Malone "..."

Wang Zhizhi: "..."

Wang Zhizhi muttered to himself, he knew all about the I Ching Bagua, and he had even had his fortune told when he was a child, but it was never accurate!

If Kobe knew what Wang Zhizhi was thinking, he would definitely vehemently refute his point of view.

The Clippers continued their offensive onslaught after the change of possession.

Little Emperor James's expression grew even more focused as he stared intently at Li Chen, who held the ball at the top of the key. He secretly vowed to succeed this time and successfully defend against this attack.

Just then, Li Chen started moving without warning, like a speeding train, breaking through James' defense without any skill.

Yes, there are no fancy feints, only speed.

James gritted his teeth. It was fast, really fast. Even though he was mentally prepared, he still felt uneasy being caught off guard.

However, Little Emperor James was not completely left behind. He gritted his teeth and followed closely behind, ready to seize any opportunity.

At this moment, Cavaliers Power Forward Boozer and center Ilgauskas were already double-teaming Li Chen.

Facing the three Cavaliers, who were flanking him from both the front and back, Li Chen remained calm.

He leaped high as he drove toward the basket.

At the same time, Ilgauskas, Boozer, and James jumped up almost simultaneously, trying to stop Li Chen's attack.

Li Chen executed a series of mid-air layups, dodging the defense of three opponents.

However, James, who has a hang time of 0.91 seconds, still tried to block Li Chen.

However, just as the basket was within reach, Li Chen made a crucial move that caught James off guard: he passed the ball instead of attempting a layup, passing it to rookie Korver who was open.

This caused James's large hand to slam hard onto the backboard.

Korver was puzzled; why did Li Chen pass the ball to him?

However, now was not the time to think about such things. He leaped high and pushed the basketball out of his hand.

Korver took the shot comfortably; he was certain he'd made it.

Swish! The basketball traced a beautiful arc as it fell into the Nets.

The Clippers scored 5 straight points to take a 5-0 lead.

In the TNT broadcast room.

Barkley was somewhat surprised by Li Chen's actions. "Kenny, I really don't understand why Chen passed the ball? He could have dodged LeBron's block and made the shot."

Kenny Smith thought for a moment and explained, "Perhaps, Chen doesn't think LeBron is a match for him right now, so he chose to pass the ball."

Barkley seemed lost in thought.

"However, this pass demonstrated Li Chen's teamwork spirit and his keen insight into the overall game situation. He not only excelled in individual skills but also saw and utilized his teammates' strengths to create better scoring opportunities for the team."

Kenny Smith took a breath and continued, "We could see how terrifying Li Chen's explosiveness was in that last attack; even LeBron couldn't compare."

"Kenny, do you think my idol is afraid of getting blocked by LeBron?" Barkley chuckled.

Kenny Smith thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No! Charles, you're wrong. Since Li Chen reacted quickly and changed his offensive approach, he can naturally use a layup to avoid LeBron's block again. You and I both know he has that ability."

"So instead of stubbornly opting for a layup, he chose to pass to Korver, giving the latter a scoring opportunity. This move demonstrated Li Chen's composure and wisdom; he didn't want to risk personal glory, but instead prioritized the interests of the entire team. By passing the ball, he created a better scoring opportunity for the Clippers, while also showcasing his charisma and vision as a leader."

"No, no, no! Kenny, you're wrong this time," Barkley asserted.

"What do you mean, Charles?"

"Hmph! I've got Li Chen all wrong. This kid isn't as great as you make him out to be. He's probably just trying to use Korver to provoke LeBron. If Korver, the 30th pick, beats LeBron, the number one pick, in this game, how do you think the media will view LeBron?"

After hearing Barkley's long-winded explanation, fans watching on TV were stunned, but damn it, what he said actually made some sense. We had to believe it.

Kenny Smith was also dumbfounded. "Charles, didn't you say you were a fan of Li Chen? How could you describe your idol as so sinister?"

"Hmph! Because they're all petty bastards. Jordan is just like that. He was praised so highly by that old bastard Michael, so they must all be cut from the same cloth."

Kenny Smith "..."

The fans were speechless.

On the field.

Little Emperor James was somewhat surprised by Li Chen's pass.

"Are you afraid? That's why you don't dare to fight me," James calmly questioned.

Li Chen shrugged, didn't reply, and ran towards his own backcourt.

At that moment, Korver ran over and asked, "Boss, why did you pass the ball to me? Wouldn't it have been better to just beat LeBron James?"

Li Chen rolled his eyes at Korver and said irritably, "Kyle, can't you even do the simplest addition and subtraction? Don't you know a three-pointer is worth more than a two-pointer?" He paused slightly, then added, "I believe in my teammates, I believe you can make those shots."

Although the first half of the sentence left him somewhat bewildered, the second half deeply moved him.

But Li Chen secretly wondered if it would be interesting if Korver scored more points than their Little Emperor.

If Kenny Smith heard Li Chen's true feelings, he would definitely say, "Okay! Charles, you're right."

As the first quarter was about to end, Little Emperor James seemed to be blankly recalling his score in the quarter. It seemed, perhaps, maybe, possibly, he hadn't scored a single point.

Could it be that Li Chen was telling the truth, and his luck was really that bad today? But that doesn't make sense; his shooting was actually pretty good during warm-ups! How did he become so terrible on the court?

Just then, the whistle blew for the first quarter.

After one quarter, the Clippers led the Cavaliers 25-20 by 5 points.

In the first quarter, Li Chen scored 6 points, 5 assists, and 2 rebounds.

Korver scored 9 points.

Our Emperor Zhan has good stats: 4 assists and 3 rebounds.

That's right, Little Emperor James didn't score a single point in the first quarter. It's undeniable, it was a truly disastrous performance.

However, judging from James' stats, he'll probably get a double-double by the end of the fourth quarter, considering he already had 4 assists and 3 rebounds in the first quarter.