Rookie, Welcome to the NBA

At the start of the second quarter, James' shooting touch remained ice-cold, so cold that James was somewhat apprehensive.

Even after each shot, he would silently look at his own large hands, sometimes wondering, "Are these really my hands? Are you some kind of Clippers mole?"

Little Emperor James started racking his brains for ways to score.

In the tenth minute of the second quarter, a sudden inspiration struck him: since his shooting touch was terrible, surely he could dunk? He didn't believe it, but he still missed the dunk.

James kept making runs to try and shake off Li Chen's entanglement, but Li Chen was too difficult to deal with.

Now he finally understands why the media said Li Chen is good at both offense and defense.

Finally, James found an opportunity to receive the ball. He waved to Ricky Davis, signaling him to pass the ball to him.

Ricky Davis wouldn't dare disobey James. Don't underestimate James just because he's a rookie. Cavaliers owner Gilbert Arenas really likes James, and he's seen it all. In his eyes, James is destined to be the Cavaliers' number two, even more so than the head coach.

After receiving the ball, James charged towards the basket like a tiger descending a mountain.

Meanwhile, Li Chen remained close by his side, like a venomous snake waiting for its chance to strike at the most crucial moment.

Karl Malone saw that Li Chen was not out of position, so he did not provide any assistance.

Just then, Li Chen James locked eyes, and they both saw boundless fighting spirit in each other's eyes.

Four bolts of lightning shot from their eyes as they clashed and fought relentlessly—this was the beginning of a battle of kings.

At this moment, James jumped high and rushed towards Li Chen, who was waiting in ambush. He wanted to dunk on Li Chen and release the frustration accumulated over the two quarters.

He defended his authority with his signature one-handed slam dunk, charging towards Li Chen like a charging beast.

Li Chen was not afraid to confront James. He slammed his right leg into the floor and then leaped into the air.

Just as their bodies intersected in mid-air, the moment seemed to freeze, with Li Chen and James standing side by side.

He fearlessly slapped his arm toward the basketball in James's hands.

The moment Li Chen touched the basketball, he felt a tremendous force trying to break through his defenses.

But a resolute glint appeared in Li Chen's eyes; he would not allow such a thing to happen.

At the same time, James was shocked. He never expected that Li Chen's strength was no less than his own, or even stronger.

In the blink of an eye, James felt the basketball slip out of his control; he had been blocked.

He never expected that his first block in the NBA would be blocked by his biggest rival on his basketball journey.

Then, their figures landed simultaneously.

James looked serious, and felt a little uneasy.

"Welcome to the NBA, rookie."

Just then, Li Chen grinned.

That's right, Li Chen had wanted to say that to James for a long time.

But he hadn't found the right opportunity until James' dunk made him think it was a great chance, so...

James was a little annoyed. This is a line that veteran players who have been in the NBA for over a decade often use to lecture new players.

But you're only in second grade!

At the end of the second quarter, the Clippers led the Cavaliers 65-50 by 15 points.

When Cavaliers head coach Bistaf saw that James hadn't scored in two quarters, he decided not to put James back on the court in the second half. It would be embarrassing if James missed a single shot while being defended by Li Chen.

At the start of the third quarter, head coach Bistaf told James about his plans.

James didn't refuse; his performance in this game was truly awful.

Now he was starting to believe what Li Chen had told him in the first quarter; his luck really did seem to be running out today!

James is a rational person; he won't hold a grudge against Li Chen, as he believes that would be the most unwise choice.

Seeing that James wasn't going to play, Li Chen lost interest.

In the end, the Clippers won the game 105-95.

From then on, the Clippers achieved their seventh consecutive victory.

As the Clippers' neighbor, the Lakers also have an undefeated record, but due to the number of games played, the Lakers have a 10-game winning streak.

In the TNT broadcast room.

"Hahaha! No wonder he's my idol, Barkley! He actually beat LeBron!"

"No, no, no! Charles, you can't say that. You know, Chen barely guarded LeBron. It's just that he wasn't shooting well today, which is a common problem for rookie players. LeBron is no exception," Kenny Smith commented fairly.

"No, no, no! Kenny, I think it was Chen's witchcraft that ruined LeBron's luck," Barkley continued to praise Li Chen.

If Li Chen knew what Barkley would say, he would definitely say, "You're a real genius, you were absolutely right!"

Kenny Smith smiled wryly. He realized that Barkley was starting to resemble Li Chen fan, with this unreasonable attitude. He'd get angry at anyone who said they weren't Li Chen fan.

Kenny Smith regained his composure and said, "Let's look at the statistics for this game."

In this game, Korver continued his good performance, scoring 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line, thanks to Li Chen's constant feeding of the ball.

"It's incredible that a rookie with number 30 can get 12 shot attempts." Kenny Smith then changed the subject, "However, this also proves Li Chen's unique eye for talent; perhaps this is the mutual respect between shooters!"

Yes, so Korver is really grateful to Li Chen. You know, not every team leader will take care of a rookie like this, especially a rookie like him who doesn't have much of a reputation.

Alvin Gentry was also surprised; he hadn't expected Korver to be so outstanding.

However, he was more surprised by Li Chen's taste, and at the same time, he thought to himself that Li Chen was probably Donald Sterling's true love!

Li Chen played 35 minutes, shooting 10-for-20, scoring 28 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. He also made 2 of 3 three-pointers and 8 of 8 free throws.

"Kenny, tell me quickly, I'm really looking forward to LeBron's performance today."

Kenny Smith looked speechlessly at the gloating Barkley. "Charles, actually LeBron played really well today."

Barkley blinked. "Kenny, are you serious?"

"Uh..." Kenny Smith thought for a moment, then nodded seriously and said, "Yes, Charles, I'm serious."

Barkley "..."

LeBron played 24 minutes, recording 10 assists, 10 rebounds, and 1 block.

"A decent double-double." Smith then looked at Barkley and said, "With a double-double, would you say LeBron's performance was bad?"

Barkley "..."

The following day, the media launched a barrage of criticism against LeBron James.

After all, James didn't score a single point, and his performance was even worse than that of Korver, the 30th overall pick. How could this not raise questions?

Therefore, reporters kept going to the Cleveland Cavaliers' arena to interview James.

At first, James was able to avoid interviews, citing training as the reason.

But he knew that hiding like this wasn't a solution; he had to come up with a plan.

So, on his teammates' advice, James had no choice but to lie and say that he had caught a cold the day before and had a persistent high fever. He then used his connections to get a certificate from the hospital, and the matter was settled.

However, none of this had anything to do with Li Chen.

The first rays of dawn had just begun to fall upon the sky above the bustling city of Los Angeles.

Li Chen was still sweating profusely, his voice echoing in the quiet gym as he did his physical training.

Sweat drips onto the exercise equipment; the body grows as it pushes its limits.

As the sun rose higher, the field was filled with energy.

The teammates were diligently practicing their basketball skills.

They watched every move closely as they shot, dribbled, and passed, their every action fueled by a burning desire for victory.

At lunchtime, the players gathered together to share a delicious meal.

They shared their insights and experiences, forging an inseparable bond of comradeship.

Just after finishing lunch, Li Chen's phone rang. He was a little stunned when he saw the caller ID.

"Hey! Grandpa..."

"No, no, that would make me sound old. From now on, I'll call Jack."

Li Chen's lips twitched. He thought the old man was a bit eccentric, and it was a miracle that Avril hadn't been ruined by him.

"Um... Jack..." Li Chen hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.

"What... what's wrong? And aren't you in the hospital?"

"I've gone home to recuperate. The hospital was so boring! But going home is boring too; everyone else is busy while I'm all idle."

"By the way, kid, I didn't expect you to be so famous? Yesterday you managed to keep that black kid from scoring a single point."

Li Chen: "..."

After listening to the old man's rambling for a short while, Li Chen hung up the phone.

He never expected that the man who first pursued Avril would also try to win her heart.

Fortunately, after the old man's persuasion, Avril gave up any other ideas.

Li Chen touched his nose, thinking to himself, "I really don't know how to pursue girls!"

How about asking Kobe? Forget it, he probably just stumbled upon Vanessa by sheer luck, so asking him for advice would be a waste of time. Let's just let things take their course!

The Clippers then won three straight games, bringing their Clippers number of wins to ten.

During the period, Li Chen scored 29.5 points, 15 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks, surpassing Garnett's 27.3 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 3 blocks to win the Western Conference Player of the Week award.

Li Chen also successfully received Magic Johnson's classic no-look pass [unrestrained].

Li Chen then checked the unlocked skills, and the next skill turned out to be [Dream Footwork].

[Dream Footwork: Successfully using Dream Footwork to shake off your opponent gives you an 80% chance to make the shot. Also, your speed is increased by 10% for the next minute.]

This skill is excellent, but what frustrates Li Chen is that unlocking it requires 28 honor points, so it will take him quite some time to accumulate 28 personal honor points.

November 28th.

The Clippers will face the New Jersey Nets in a game that can be described as a revenge match.

It's worth remembering that the Nets stole the Clippers' victory last season.

Meanwhile, the New Jersey Nets also wanted to prove the value of their championship, showing that they could win even with Li Chen on the team.

This match can be described as a long-awaited championship showdown.

In a domestic live streaming room.

"Coach Zhang, today we can finally see the difference between the New Jersey Nets and the undefeated Clippers."

Zhang Weiping nodded and said, "It won't be easy for the New Jersey Nets to win this game, especially with the Clippers having Karl Malone as their Power Forward."

Sun Zhengping nodded, then smiled and said, "It's said that Karl Malone rejected the Lakers and joined the Clippers, which shows that this star player from the Jordan era highly regards the Clippers."

"No, no, no! He thinks highly of Li Chen," Zhang Weiping corrected seriously.

Sun Zhengping smiled wryly, then changed the subject, saying, "Let's take a look at the starting lineups for both teams in this match."

First, let's take a look at the starting lineup of the New Jersey Nets.

First, let's take a look at the New Jersey Kings' starting lineup:

Kidd (Point Guard)

Kidd (Shooting Guard)

Jefferson (Small Forward)

Kenyon Martin (Power Forward)

Jason Collins (Center)

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)

"Da Zhi, you've performed well in these last few games and have earned Alvin Gentry's trust," Sun Zhengping remarked.

"Alas! What a pity!" Zhang Weiping sighed softly.

At this point, the two of them tacitly stopped talking.

At this point, Sun Zhengping said, "Let's switch the camera to today's scene."

At this point, the players from both teams entered the court, starting with the visiting New Jersey Nets.

Next up was the Clippers, playing at home. Every time the DJ called out a Clippers player's name, the Staples Center erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

When the DJ called out Li Chen's name, the fans all stood up and burst into enthusiastic applause, thanking Li Chen for his performance last season.

Li Chen scooped up some magnesium powder and threw it forcefully into the air, causing the powder to scatter and fall, a scene that excited Clippers fans even more.

In their view, Li Chen was giving them another signal, telling them that the Clippers were destined to win this game.

How could Li Chen's statement not excite the fans?

Actually, Clippers fans were already quite unhappy last season when they saw the New Jersey Kings swaggering over them; they were very dissatisfied with their loss.

How could they not be excited now that they have a chance to avenge their defeat?

A group of radical fans even shouted, "Chen, take down these thieves!"

These words made the New Jersey Kings players' faces turn ugly. You see, last year's championship was met with a lot of criticism and media backlash, and then they seemed to have forgotten about their NBA championship.

Today, Clippers fans openly insulted others, which ignited their anger and uncontrollable surge, like a volcano about to erupt.

They were all burning with determination; they were determined to take down the Clippers today.

Soon, the players from both teams stood at the center line, Clippers chose Malone for the jump ball.

But Collins surprisingly tipped the ball out before Malone could.

It's hard to believe that Malone lost the jump ball to Collins.

The New Jersey Kings players were burning with anger; the Clippers wouldn't have an easy time winning this game.