The Final 90 Seconds

So, under the envious and jealous gazes of his teammates, Li Chen went to answer the phone.

Andre Miller, who made the call, was simply trying to congratulate Li Chen.

Next up was Bill Duffy, who also congratulated Li Chen on his performance. He then brought Li Chen some good news: his share of the sneaker revenue for the year had been settled.

He received 50 million after taxes.

This time he can upgrade his skills.

After hanging up with Bill Duffy, he received a call from Odom.

This guy is still the same as always. First, he complained about why it was so hard to get through to Li Chen on the phone, and then he started venting his frustrations.

Li Chen was completely numb. He had the feeling that he was a confidante on a late-night radio station in China, listening to hotline calls.

Just as I hung up, the phone rang again. This time it was Yao Ming calling to congratulate me.

The two talked for about 20 minutes before hanging up. During those 20 minutes, Yao Ming mostly talked about how he would dominate the Olympics.

After hanging up with Yao Ming, Li Chen was about to turn around and go back to training when the phone rang again.

But the call surprised him, because it was Britney calling.

After answering the phone, Li Chen laughed and said, "What brings a big star like you to call me?"

"Chen, congratulations! You did a fantastic job yesterday."

"Thanks."

The two then idled away their time for a while.

After hanging up the phone, Li Chen stared blankly at the screen, wondering why Kobe hadn't called.

However, Kobe, who is known for his narrow-mindedness, must have felt terrible seeing himself dominate in the NBA Finals. Thinking about this, he inexplicably felt much happier.

Just then, the phone rang again. Li Chen looked down at his phone and a handsome smile appeared on his lips.

The caller was the Little Blacksmith. Li Chen the phone, but before he could speak, the Little Blacksmith said, "Come to my house this afternoon."

Li Chen immediately understood the meaning behind those five words: "I'm not convinced, I want to fight you one-on-one."

Li Chen thought to himself that it had been a long time since he had visited his godson. Avril had mentioned him a couple of days ago, so he decided to take her there this afternoon.

After the afternoon tactical training session, Li Chen drove home and invited Avril to go to Kobe's house to see Little Kobe.

During this time, Li Chen took the opportunity to improve his skills. First, Li Chen upgraded [Glamour], [Ankle Killer], [Divine Shooter], [Iron Wall and Bronze Barrier], and [Co-defense Master] to A-rank. Finally, he used the remaining resources to upgrade [Fake Injury] to A-rank.

He didn't originally want to improve his "flopping" skill, but the Pistons really put a lot of pressure on him.

Afternoon.

Before he even saw Kobe's precious son, Li Chen was challenged to five one-on-one matches by Kobe.

A moment later, Kobe retorted, "With your skill level, I simply don't believe you could score 66 points."

Li Chen curled his lip and said, "There are plenty of things you don't believe. You still don't believe that lady would cheat you? And what happened in the end?"

Kobe's face immediately darkened. Li Chen was practically insulting the cripple!

"Damn it, why do I always get so angry whenever I see you? I've already decided on my wish for the year after next."

Li Chen: "..."

He then shrugged innocently and said, "I guess there's something wrong with how you talk."

Kobe "..."

Fuck, shouldn't that be said about you?

After playing with Little Kobe for a while, he said goodbye to Kobe and Vanessa.

During this time, Kobe saw his unfilial son laughing happily, and he was hit with another devastating blow. Although he had narrowly defeated Li Chen in a one-on-one fight, he was not happy at all. He was exhausted!

The Clippers and Pistons played their second game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on June 9.

The Pistons once again demonstrated their strong Defensive Ability in this game, but in the end, the Clippers narrowly defeated the Pistons 88-86.

On June 11, the Clippers erupted in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, defeating the Pistons 101-100.

The Clippers have won three straight games against the Pistons.

June 14, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit.

The Pistons were now in dire straits; another loss would send them swept out of the playoffs.

In the first quarter, the Clippers once again experienced the Pistons' Iron Wall and Bronze Barrier defense.

However, as a disciple of Larry Brown, Alvin Gentry has Defensive Ability, and the Clippers also have Li Chen and Karl Malone.

Especially Li Chen, whose random S-rank Skill in this match is [Iron Wall and Bronze Barrier].

Therefore, the Clippers' defense was good, and they led the Pistons 18-16 in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, at Alvin Gentry's request, the Clippers' offense picked up, allowing them to maintain their lead and extend their advantage to 25-20.

However, in the third quarter, the Clippers' shooting percentage began to drop, and the Pistons seized the opportunity to take a 30-25 lead.

The Clippers committed numerous turnovers in this quarter and also exhibited serious defensive issues.

At one point, the Clippers trailed by 15 points, 58-70.

Fortunately, Li Chen scored 15 consecutive points in the final quarter of the third quarter, narrowing the score to two points at 73-75.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Clippers tried hard to catch up, at one point tying the score at 86-86.

However, at the crucial moment, the Pistons once again demonstrated their team strengths and stabilized the situation, making it seem impossible for the Clippers to break through the Pistons' defense.

However, in the final moments of the game, Li Chen's three crucial defensive plays prevented the Pistons from scoring a single point.

At the same time, Karl Malone triggered a doping buff, and Malone sudden outburst overwhelmed the Pistons' defense.

With two minutes remaining in the game, the Clippers led the Pistons 93-90 by three points.

The Pistons are on offense.

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

The Pistons quickly retreated on defense.

Malone passed the ball to Li Chen.

Li Chen, while being double-teamed, passed the ball to Elton Brand.

Elton Brand made a Euro-step pass to Wang Zhizhi, who was wide open.

Ben Wallace provides help defense, Wang Zhizhi fakes a shot and passes to Li Chen, who has shaken off the double team.

After receiving the ball, Li Chen Pull-up Jumper shot and hit Billups over him.

Swish! The basketball goes through the net cleanly.

The Clippers extended their lead to 95-90.

The Pistons were on offense, constantly passing the ball around looking for the best shooting opportunity.

Hamilton missed his shot under Li Chen's help defense, and the Clippers successfully defended.

A physical battle erupted under the basket, with both Wallace jumping up to contest the rebound with Karl Malone.

Ultimately, Ben Wallace grabbed the rebound and quickly passed it to Rupert Puss.

Billups a three-point jump shot.

Swish! The basketball goes through the net cleanly.

95 to 93.

Just then, the referee blew his whistle, and Karl Malone collapsed to the ground in pain, clutching his ankle.

Seeing this, Li Chen's heart sank. It was not a good thing for Malone to get injured at such a crucial moment.

It turns out that Malone twisted his ankle while fighting for a rebound.

Shortly after, the team doctor examined Malone and determined that he was unable to play.

Karl Malone's dominance in the paint is undeniable; his 10 rebounds per game this season have given the Clippers a significant advantage in the paint.

If we lose this game, the following games will be much tougher, and it's not impossible for the Pistons to come back and win.

Therefore, Li Chen thought to himself, "I must win this match."

At the same time, Alvin Gentry called a timeout and began to plan the next tactics.

A moment later, Malone said firmly, "Coach, I can keep going."

Alvin Gentry frowned, hesitant, because the Clippers' situation was really difficult without Malone.

Li Chen frowned in thought. After a moment, he said, "Carl, I understand how you feel right now. Even if you can actually play and finish the game, you'll definitely be targeted. In that case, your persistence might be wasted on the Clippers..."

Li Chen didn't continue, but he knew Malone was capable and understood the meaning behind his words.

Upon hearing Li Chen's words, Alvin Gentry decisively replied, "Carl, don't worry, trust your teammates."

Hearing Alvin Gentry say that, he had nothing to say.

In the TNT broadcast room.

The two legends were also discussing the Clippers' situation.

"If the Pistons Clippers n't beat the Pistons in this game, they'll be in trouble," Kenny Smith sighed slightly.

"That's right. Apart from Li Chen's explosive performance in the first game, which led to a big win against the Pistons, the Clippers struggled in the other games. Therefore, without Karl Malone as a strong inside player, the Clippers will lose at least half their offensive and defensive rebounds."

Kenny Smith nodded. "So, the Clippers have to win this game."

These two veteran commentators reached the same conclusion as Li Chen.

The game resumed.

Alvin Gentry put Korver on the court, Wang Zhizhi switched to center.

With 90 seconds remaining in the game, Alvin Gentry has decided to go all out on offense.

Elton Brand inbounds the ball.

Seeing that Li Chen was double-teamed by Prince and Hamilton, he left Korver open.

Elton Brand thought for a moment and then passed the ball to Korver.

With his arm open, Korver decisively shot the basketball.

Korver stared intently at the basketball spinning through the air, silently screaming, "Go in! Please, you have to go in!"

But...

Thud! The basketball bounced off the rim and went out of bounds.

Yes, the Pistons made the right bet, no, no, no! This was Larry Brown's big gamble; he bet that Korver wouldn't be able to be relied upon in crucial moments.

Larry Brown has a flaw: he has a great distrust of rookie players. This is the main reason that drove him to make this decision.

However, Li Chen is an exception; he is the only one who broke his prejudice against rookies.

Yes, he is truly outstanding. The Pistons' struggles are entirely due to this second-year rookie.

Even Larry Brown has to admire this.

Just as the basketball bounced away, the two Wallace leaped high into the air, their four large hands reaching out to grab the ball.

At this critical moment, a fifth hand suddenly appeared in the sky.

He caught the basketball, and then, using the force of his impact, he shoved the two Wallace apart. Li Chen was like a tank, smashing through the Wallace and finally slamming the basketball into the basket.

The Clippers extended their lead to four points again, 97-93.

Li Chen showed the Pistons through his actions that this game would let them go home in peace, as the Clippers were the Clippers.

The Pistons fans were stunned, followed by a unified chorus of boos. Damn Clippers number 16, why is it always him in crucial moments?

Meanwhile, in the Clippers' bench, Alvin Gentry, seeing his protégé make the Clutch Shot, didn't seem particularly happy; instead, he appeared somewhat melancholy.

Because the day before the match, Donald Sterling had ordered him that the game must go to a tiebreaker, and he didn't care about winning the championship.

Karl Malone's unexpected injury made Alvin Gentry realize how difficult it was to defeat the Pistons led by his mentor, Larry Brown, without an advantage in the paint.

Furthermore, he knew that Li Chen wouldn't throw a match, so...

This season could be his last.

Because his contract expired, and Donald Sterling would not rehire this unruly coach.

On the court, the Pistons are on offense.

Hamilton darted quickly across the pitch.

His movements were light and agile, like a cheetah running across the grassland.

Although Korver was full of energy, he still felt like he couldn't keep up with the pace.

Li Chen knew that defending Hamilton was pointless now because he could pass the ball to Billups.

It's worth noting that his shooting percentage was also quite good in this game.

At that moment, Hamilton received a pass from Prince.

Without any hesitation, he threw the basketball.

Swish! The basketball swished through the net; Hamilton's three-pointer was crucial.

The Pistons narrowed the gap to just one point, 97-96.

Meanwhile, there were only 30 seconds left in the game.

The game has entered a crucial moment, and the tension between the players on both sides has reached its peak. Every defensive play and every offensive play could now affect the outcome of the championship.

Both teams felt the pressure on them increase dramatically.

The Clippers are on offense.

Li Chen dribbled the ball up the court.

He had just passed the top of the arc when he immediately started his run, breaking through to the basket at an extremely fast speed.

Prince's heart tightened when he saw Li Chen about to drive to the basket; he silently warned himself that he had to guard this man.

But at that moment, Li Chen suddenly stopped and then took a step back to the three-point line.

Prince never expected Li Chen to pull this trick on him.

He was in a great hurry and was about to rush to catch up, but at that moment, something astonishing happened.

Prince landed on the floor with a powerful split.

Seeing this, Li Chen was also stunned; he never expected such a thing to happen.

But the next moment, he threw the basketball out of his hand.

Swish! The basketball goes through the net cleanly.

With a score of 100 to 96, the Clippers are one step closer to the championship.

The referee's whistle blew.

Meanwhile, Pistons fans gasped in shock; they all felt sorry for Prince!

After throwing the ball, Li Chen looked at Prince with wide eyes and his mouth agape, occasionally letting out gasps of breath.

Seeing this, Li Chen's lips twitched violently. He thought to himself, "This is the legendary bullshit? It truly lives up to its name! What a sad story!"

The Pistons doctor then helped Prince onto a stretcher and carried him off the court.

A moment later, the referee blew the whistle to resume the game.

The Pistons are on offense.

With 10 seconds left and the score at 100-96, theoretically, if the Pistons score in five seconds, commit a tactical foul, and then make a three-pointer, they can force the Clippers into overtime.

Therefore, those last 10 seconds were crucial, and the Pistons launched one last offensive attack.

Billups received the ball and was about to shoot.

However, Li Chen's defense was like a wall, impenetrable, giving Billups no chance whatsoever.

For example, Puss could only fake a shot and then pass to Hamilton.

As soon as Hamilton received the ball, Corey Maggette decisively double-teamed Hamilton with Korver.

But Hamilton still threw the ball.

There are 5 seconds left.

Thump! The basketball bounced high into the air, bouncing continuously on the rim.

This shot will be a turning point in the Pistons' fate.