Garbage Talk-Who Can't Do That? (6000)

In the TNT broadcast room.

"This year's Christmas Day games are going to be amazing! Haha!" Barkley laughed heartily.

"Yes, the two teams most likely to win the league title this season will meet in the Christmas Day game, but..."

Just then, Kenny Smith drew out his words and added, "Karl Malone was injured in the game against the Spurs, which affected the Clippers' strength. However, the core of this Clippers is Li Chen. As long as he's on the Clippers are still the same Clippers that swept all the strong teams in the Western Conference last season."

Karl Malone said, "Oops, that hurts! How did I become someone who's practically irrelevant? Remember, I'm the guy who snatched the MVP from Jordan! Can't you guys show me some respect?"

"Haha! Kenny, you know Kobe's son is about to be born. As the saying goes, good news makes people feel great. Kobe will definitely be even stronger as a father again."

"Hey, hey, hey! Charles, you're a fan of Chen's. If you keep siding with outsiders like this, Chen will be sad," Kenny Smith teased.

"Kenny, you wouldn't understand, this is called 'poisonous milk'," Barkley said smugly.

Kenny Smith "..."

Ignoring Barkley, Kenny Smith said, "Let's take a look at the Lakers' starting lineup today."

Payton (Point Guard)

Kobe (Shooting Guard)

Rick Fox (Small Forward)

Devean George (Power Forward)

O'Neal (center)

"Looking at this lineup gives me a chill," Kenny Smith joked.

"Haha! I don't think so. On the contrary, I'm looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to seeing how Li Chen of the Clippers can take on three All-Stars by himself."

"Charles, you really are a fake football fan. I'm ashamed to have a fan like you."

Kenny Smith's joke didn't affect Barkley's mood; instead, he muttered to himself, "There's an old saying in the East... 'His body is in Cao's camp, but his heart is in Han'."

"Oh? You've studied Eastern culture? And what do you mean by that?" Kenny Smith asked in surprise.

"Of course, as a die-hard fan of Chen, I naturally want to know more about him. I read that book called Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which I found very interesting." Then he said, "This sentence is a famous quote from that book, meaning that although I'm on the Lakers' side, my heart is always on Chen's side."

Upon hearing Barkley's explanation, Kenny Smith couldn't help but give a thumbs up, saying, "Charles, your shamelessness has deeply shocked me. You can make betrayal sound so elegant and refined."

"Hey, hey, hey! Kenny, you really need to learn from me. Read that Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Now I know why Chen was so wicked; he probably learned it all from that book."

Kenny Smith ignored Barkley's complaints and continued, "Now let's take a look at the Clippers' roster for today."

Li Chen (Point Guard)

Korver (Shooting Guard)

Corey Maggette (Small Forward)

Elton Brand (Power Forward)

Wang Zhizhi (Center)

"I have to admit Coach Alvin Gentry's boldness."

I don't think he should have started Korver, a rookie.

"Can he really create opportunities when he's being guarded by an All-Star caliber player?" Kenny Smith shook his head.

"Yes! If it goes wrong, it can damage your confidence." Barkley shared the same view as Kenny Smith.

The players from both sides then entered the field and began warming up.

At this moment, the camera lens pans and focuses on a figure.

He is a legend in the music industry, Michael Jackson.

"Oh! God Michael is watching this Christmas Day game. Kenny, guess if he's watching the Lakers or the Clippers?" Barkley asked with a chuckle.

Kenny Smith thought for a moment and said, "It should be Kobe, after all, he knows Kobe well."

"That's not necessarily true! Look, they're all walking towards Michael Jackson."

On the court, Kobe asked in surprise, "How come I didn't know you knew Mr. Michael?"

Li Chen blinked, thinking to himself, "It's like you know me very well."

Li Chen rolled his eyes at Kobe and said, "Because he's my benefactor, my savior."

Li Chen's words left Kobe even more bewildered.

Ignoring the bewildered Kobe, Li Chen politely said, "We were truly honored that Mr. Michael would actually come to watch us play."

Michael Jackson laughed and said, "Actually, I'm a basketball fan too, and I hope you can give us a great basketball game."

Li Chen and Kobe nodded.

Thirty minutes later, cheers erupted in the Staples Center, signaling the official start of the Christmas Day game.

Li Chen's random S-rank Skill in this match is [Duel Master].

[Duel Master: Increases shooting percentage by 10% for each defender present.]

This skill has appeared once before; it's a good skill.

Li Chen then selected five skills and placed them into the skill slots: [Unrestrained], [Miracle Shot], [Assist Master], [Pull-up Jumper], and [Divine Shooter].

In the jump ball, Wang Zhizhi unsurprisingly lost to O'Neal.

Kobe got the ball, and Li Chen was the only Clippers player who could barely defend Kobe, so the responsibility of guarding Kobe fell to him.

Kobe looked at Li Chen's focused expression and a smile played on his lips, as if to say, "You can't stop me, kid."

Li Chen didn't bother with the provocative look in Kobe's eyes, because he had seen that look countless times during their one-on-one fights and was immune to it.

Just then, Kobe made a move, suddenly accelerating and breaking through to Li Chen's right flank.

Li Chen certainly wouldn't let him pass. He shifted his weight to the right, blocking Kobe's path to the basket.

But at that moment, Kobe suddenly stopped and jumped to shoot.

Li Chen's lips curled up. He knew Kobe too well; he knew this guy would use this trick.

Li Chen leaped high, his large hand landing before Kobe could release the basketball.

Just then, Kobe straightened up with his core strength, and then his body leaned backward.

Kobe's sudden, forceful fadeaway shot caught Li Chen off guard.

Even if Li Chen was prepared, he wouldn't have been able to block such a difficult shot.

Swish! Kobe managed to swish the ball through the net with such a difficult shot, which shows that he was in pretty good form today.

The Lakers lead 2-0.

The Clippers are on offense.

Li Chen dribbled the ball forward into the attacking third.

Kobe would certainly not entrust the task of defending Li Chen to anyone else, because he was the person who knew Li Chen best.

Li Chen imitated Kobe's offensive move, breaking through on the right wing.

Kobe's lips twitched when he saw this.

Does he know how difficult it is to defend against this move—a sudden stop and fadeaway jumper?

Unless you have the terrifying jumping ability to block a fadeaway jump shot, there's simply no way to defend against it. However, the success rate of such a difficult shot is extremely low. So all he could do was pray that Li Chen missed the shot.

However, Li Chen is cheating. With the combined skills of [Duel Master] and [Divine Shooter], he has a guaranteed hit rate of over 30%. As long as his luck isn't too bad, he has at least a 50% chance of hitting the target.

Swish! Li Chen retaliated against Kobe in the same way.

2 to 2 draw.

Next, Li Chen and Kobe began their one-on-one match.

When you both throw one, I make one; when you miss one, I make another.

Gradually, Phil Jackson noticed that Kobe's shooting percentage began to decline as his physical strength waned.

But Li Chen remained as steady as ever, his shooting accuracy was impeccable.

Bell Jack muttered under his breath that Li Chen was a physical monster.

Kobe was also frustrated, thinking to himself, "Is this the advantage of being single?"

Li Chen indicated that he has a girlfriend.

When the first quarter ended, Kobe was dismayed to find that the Clippers were leading the Lakers 24-20 by 4 points.

Phil Jackson knew he couldn't let Kobe continue guarding Li Chen, so he handed over the task of guarding Li Chen to Payton in the second quarter.

Although Kobe was somewhat reluctant, he knew that if they continued to drag things out with Li Chen, their Lakers might really suffer an unexpected defeat.

Between defending against Li Chen and winning the game, he would choose the latter without hesitation.

In the TNT broadcast room.

Barkley laughed heartily, "No wonder he's Barkley's idol; Kobe is no match for him."

"Charles, basketball is a five-player sport. Although Li Chen of the Clippers performed well, the other players' stats were dismal. Li Chen scored 10 of the Clippers ' 24 points. If the other Clippers players cannot relieve the pressure on Li Chen in the second quarter Clippers will have a tough time in this game."

Barkley nodded. "Yes, if Li Chen goes cold, the Clippers truly paralyzed."

Let's take a look at how Coach Alvin Gentry sets up the tactics for the second quarter.

At the start of the second quarter, Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, and Wang Zhizhi rested.

The Clippers' current roster players are Li Chen, Korver, Richardson, Jaric, and Bobby Simmons.

At the start of the second quarter, Li Chen was closely guarded by Payton.

Gary Payton is one of the greatest point guards in NBA history. His nickname is "The Glove" because his Defensive Ability is like the Glove that tightly wraps around his opponents.

Payton's defense is extremely aggressive and alert, and he is impeccable in both individual defense and team defense.

Although Payton is no longer at his peak, he's still a formidable force, and Li Chen won't let his guard down.

Payton immediately unleashed a suffocating grip, a type of close defense that Li Chen dreaded most.

Seeing Li Chen frown, Payton unleashed his trash-talking skills.

"Eastern Kid, today I'm going to make sure you want to go home and find your mother."

Li Chen grinned, "Gary, there's actually something I really want to say to you."

"What?" Gary Payton asked in surprise.

"Passing you is like crossing a road in the early morning."

Gary Payton was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. Those were such familiar words... weren't these the very words he had spoken to Granhill years ago?

Just then, Li Chen suddenly started moving, passing by Payton like a gust of wind, and then dashing towards the basket at lightning speed.

At this moment, O'Neal quickly stepped forward to help defend, but Li Chen completely ignored O'Neal's defense.

He leaped up in front of O'Neal, as if he was about to dunk over O'Neal.

Upon seeing this, O'Neal raised an eyebrow, a nameless rage rising within him. He secretly vowed to film Li Chen, along with the rest of him.

But just as the two were battling in the air, Li Chen spun around O'Neal's block like a top and slammed the basketball into the hoop.

Li Chen performs a 180-degree mid-air dunk.

Although it's the Lakers' home game today, there are also quite a few Clippers fans.

Cheers erupted at the Staples Center.

26 to 20.

Li Chen turned to look at Gary Payton, raised his hand, and made a blowing motion as if he were blowing on a gun barrel. The provocation was obvious.

Gary Payton's face was ashen. "That arrogant brat!" he muttered, his fists clenched. "I'll get that ball back," Li Chen said silently.

Li Chen grinned, understanding what Payton meant.

Lakers on offense.

Payton took the ball and drove straight past three players, showcasing his unparalleled basketball skills.

But just as he was about to end the attack, Li Chen countered with a chase-down block on Gary Payton.

The basketball was picked up by Kobe, who was closely following him. He ignored Korver's defense and shot over Korver.

26 to 22.

After they landed, their eyes met for a fleeting moment, as if sparks flew.

A moment later, Li Chen's lips curled into a smile. "Uncle, you're not young anymore, so stop bragging like a young person. Be careful not to hurt your tongue in the wind."

Gary Payton's lips twitched; his face was being slapped repeatedly. However, he had never lost a trash talk contest, so of course he wouldn't swallow his pride.

He then said, "I was careless just now. I'll show you what the strongest defense is."

Li Chen pursed his lips, "Okay! I'm looking forward to it. I hope you won't disappoint me."

In the TNT broadcast room.

Barkley laughed heartily, "Gary, that chatterbox must have angered that petty Chen. We're in for a good show."

Barkley's eagerness left Kenny Smith speechless.

The Clippers are on offense.

Li Chen broke through and passed the ball to Korver, who was open.

Korver raised his hand and sank a three-pointer.

But at that moment, Kobe quickly helped defend and blocked rookie Korver's shot, sending the ball flying out of bounds.

A cheer erupted from the Staples Center.

The Clippers inbound the ball.

Korver hesitated, seeing Li Chen being closely guarded, wondering whether he should pass the ball to Li Chen.

Just then, Li Chen roared, "Kyle, what are you thinking? Are your eyes hollow? Can't you see I'm undefended?"

Korver "...

Gary Payton felt like he'd been hit with a thousand points of damage.

Gary Payton was finding it hard to keep up with Li Chen's trash talk.

Korver passed the ball to Li Chen.

After receiving the ball, Li Chen immediately launched a three-point Pull-up Jumper.

Payton tried his best to disrupt Li Chen's shot.

However, the Pull-up Jumper has an 80% chance of ignoring defense, making his defense virtually nonexistent.

Swish! The basketball traced a beautiful arc and swished through the net.

Just as Li Chen just said, he really treated Gary Payton's defense as nothing.

Phil Jackson's eyelids twitched wildly. He had a deep impression of Li Chen's jump shot; he had studied Li Chen's Pull-up Jumper last season.

He had carefully calculated that Li Chen's Pull-up Jumper accuracy was nearly 90% when he was at his best, and even in the third quarter, it was still above 50%. This accuracy was simply terrifying.

Li Chen's Pull-up Jumper is simply not as threatening as Tracy McGrady's.

Payton was dumbfounded. He had defended well enough; it was obvious that Li Chen was forcing a shot, but he still made it, which frustrated Payton greatly.

In the following minutes, Li Chen repeatedly scored on Payton, leaving the NBA All-Star Player questioning his existence.

Phil Jackson was somewhat helpless when he saw that Gary Payton couldn't do anything about Li Chen.

The idea of having Kobe and Payton double-team Li Chen was ruthlessly rejected as soon as it came to mind.

The main focus of today's game is Li Chen and Kobe. If Kobe and Payton double-team Li Chen, even if Li Chen is completely neutralized, they will still win the game.

However, it also gives people the impression that Kobe is not as good as Li Chen.

Phil Jackson knew that the Christmas Day game was an exhibition match, so this was something he absolutely couldn't do. So he called a timeout and had Fisher and Payton team up against Li Chen.

Payton is an All-Star defensive specialist, and Fisher's defense is also strong. With the two of them working together, Li Chen's shooting percentage dropped significantly as he no longer needed to Pull-up Jumper. Helpless, Li Chen started passing the ball.

At the end of the third half, the Clippers and Lakers were tied 55-55.

In the third quarter, the Clippers into a passive position and got stuck in a vicious cycle of missing shots.

Even his Pull-up Jumper only makes one out of three attempts.

If Li Chen is in this state, then the other Clippers players are in even worse shape.

With 90 seconds left in the third quarter, the Clippers trailed the Lakers by 17 points, 88-71.

The Lakers' momentum grew stronger as the game progressed, while the Clippers shifted in the opposite direction.

Seeing this, Alvin Gentry was at a loss for words. His trump card, Li Chen, was no longer working. What could he do? Never mind, he decided to call a timeout first.

In the TNT broadcast room.

"The Clippers' weakness of having only one star player was magnified in this game. After Li Chen was contained, no one could score," Kenny Smith sighed.

"No, Kenny, you can't say that."

"Oh? What do you think, Charles?" Kenny Smith asked, feigning ignorance.

"Kenny, it's not that the other Clippers players played badly, it's that Kobe played exceptionally well today. Look at his help defense; every time the Clippers were about to score, he was the one who disrupted it. His performance today was truly impeccable."

Kenny Smith nodded and said, "Now it's up to you, Alvin Gentry, to come up with a clever solution to this crisis."

In the Clippers' rest area, Alvin Gentry calmly stated, "Relax, play steadily, and victory belongs to the Clippers."

Then Alvin Gentry closed his eyes, looking as if he had the situation completely under control.

Upon hearing this, the Clippers players were all stunned. That's it? That's it? Shouldn't you have said something more?

Li Chen was also quite helpless, but then again, the Clippers players were having a bad shooting night, so it would be pointless for anyone to be in their shoes.

Meanwhile, in the Lakers' rest area, Gary Payton was also exhausted. Back in the day, when he was guarding Jordan, he wasn't this tired!

That kid was incredibly strong, but so what? He still strangled himself to death, didn't he?

Okay! Payton took all the credit for himself, completely ignoring Fisher.

A short while later, the timeout ended, and the Clippers inbounded the ball.

Corey Maggette passed the ball to Li Chen.

Payton and Fisher immediately attacked Li Chen from both sides.

Li Chen forced his way through, drawing the Lakers' attention, and then passed the ball to Korver.

Kobe immediately positioned himself diagonally to defend Korver.

However, Korver's shot this time was twice as fast as before, catching Kobe off guard.

Swish! The basketball goes through the net cleanly.

88 to 74.

Seeing this, Li Chen's lips curled up slightly. Very good, the [Unrestrained] stimulant buff has been triggered.

At the same time, Kobe frowned. He sensed a change in the rookie Korver's demeanor; he had become more confident.

Was this just his imagination? He thought to himself, "It must be."

Lakers on offense.

Payton dribbled the ball forward, his eyes constantly scanning the positions of his teammates.

At the same time, Li Chen's eyes sharpened. He spread his arms and stared intently at Payton, realizing that this was an excellent opportunity to steal the ball.

Suddenly, Li Chen took a step forward and unexpectedly reached out to grab the basketball from Payton's hands.

Payton sneered inwardly, "Do you really think I'm a newbie? I've been waiting for this move."

Payton keenly noticed Li Chen's movements and immediately reacted.

He quickly transferred the ball to his other hand, attempting to protect it while also looking for an opportunity to pass.

At the same time, after failing to steal the ball, Li Chen, like a gambler who had lost and was furious, launched a suicidal steal attempt without any regard for the consequences.

However, if Li Chen's suicidal steal succeeds, the Clippers can launch a fast break, but if it fails, the Clippers will be easily breached, which is almost equivalent to giving away points.

Li Chen clearly failed; his suicidal steal was evaded by the experienced Payton.

Payton's lips curled into a sneer, full of disdain. "I, Gary Payton, if you could steal the ball from me so easily, I'd have wasted all these years playing basketball. This time, watch how I get past you."

Payton had already made up his mind; this time, he was determined to get back at Li Chen for what he had just said.

In a flash, Payton decided to break through Li Chen's other side.

But the next moment, Li Chen miraculously adjusted his shifted center of gravity and seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to extend his large hand.

What happened next happened so fast that Payton, caught completely off guard, had no idea what was going on before Li Chen ruthlessly stole the basketball from his hands.

The cheers of Clippers fans echoed through the Staples Center.

After successfully intercepting the ball, Li Chen sprinted towards his team's attacking third.

But Payton was quick; he reacted fast and chased after Li Chen.

Meanwhile, Kobe, who had been following Li Chen closely, also started paying attention.

At that moment, three figures sprinted towards the basket at an extremely fast speed.

Payton and Kobe positioned themselves on either side of Li Chen, both experienced players, and they stuck close to Li Chen, preventing him from jumping with full force.

A moment later, Li Chen leaped up amidst the combined attack of the two men.

Kobe and Payton jumped at the same time, completely blocking Li Chen's shooting space.

Just then, Li Chen flipped his wrist, changing from shooting to passing.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, the basketball landed precisely in Korver's hands.

Korver received the ball and decisively launched a three-pointer.

Swish! The basketball swished perfectly into the Nets.

The Clippers narrowed the gap to 11 points, 77-88.

There are 70 seconds left.

Kobe, hands on his hips, said, "Why don't you shoot yourself?"

Li Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a faint smile, "Because three points is more than two points!"

Kobe "..."

Then Li Chen winked at Payton, as if to say, "Uncle, you've been tricked."

Payton's old face turned bright red, and he couldn't utter the harsh words he was about to say.