Things Were Looking Up

The Knicks' starting lineup is:

Li Chen (Point Guard)

Ariza (Shooting Guard)

Kurt Thomas (Small Forward)

Michael Sweetney (Power Forward)

Van Baker (center forward)

The Suns' starting lineup is:

Nash (Point Guard)

Quentin Richardson (Shooting Guard)

Joe Johnson (Small Forward)

Shawn Marion (Power Forward)

Stoudemire (center)

When Knicks fans saw the Knicks' roster, they were stunned.

At this point, Kenny Smith explained, "Allan Houston, who has been performing well recently, reportedly suffered a recurrence of an old injury during training today."

Barkley was speechless.

"As for the newly transferred JR Smith, it's said that he was dropped from the starting lineup by Coach Alvin Gentry due to his poor training attitude," Kenny Smith added.

Barkley was speechless once again.

Meanwhile, Knicks fans felt a chill run down their spines upon hearing Kenny Smith's words.

"If things continue like this, my idol won't go far in the Playoffs this season," Barkley said with some regret.

Kenny Smith nodded, completely agreeing with Barkley's assessment. Indeed, the Knicks' players were simply too unreliable.

As for the possibility that Li Chen's team might not make the Playoffs, Kenny Smith and Barkley didn't even consider that.

After all, the Knicks already have 33 wins, and the Eastern Conference is generally weak. If they win another 20 or so games, they should be able to make the Playoffs.

At this point, Kenny Smith added, "If Li Chen can turn the tide under such unfavorable circumstances, he will become a hero of this city. I think the fans watching on TV feel the same way."

Inside a bar in Brooklyn, New York.

A burly man with a thick beard said, "If that Eastern Kid can beat the Suns in this game, I'll be his die-hard fan."

"Yes, Tony, you're right, that's what I thought too."

This scene is playing out repeatedly in various boroughs of New York.

If some neutral fans in New York do become Knicks fans, I wonder how many fans the Nets will still have when they move to New York in 2012?

On the court, while the Knicks players were warming up, Li Chen was shooting hoops while observing his teammates' shooting touch.

But what he saw made his scalp tingle, because Ariza hadn't made a single basket out of more than a dozen attempts.

Seeing this, Li Chen's lips twitched. Seriously?! Dude, the Knicks are already bad enough, do they have to be this cruel?

Furthermore, the shooting percentages of the other players were also questionable.

"Boss."

Just then, a Suns player ran to the Knicks' half of the court where they were warming up and shouted at Li Chen.

This person was none other than his Clippers teammate, Richardson.

"What are you doing with the Suns?" Li Chen punched Richard and said with a laugh.

Richardson chuckled and lowered his voice, "That bastard Donald Sterling is so stingy. I played pretty well last season, right? But he didn't want to give me a raise. Coincidentally, the Suns offered me a contract worth over $8 million, so I joined the Phoenix Suns."

Li Chen nodded. Richardson was really effective as a substitute last season, and he was very qualified to say that.

Li Chen was quite happy that Richardson got a big contract, so he said, "Work hard. By the way, after this season, I'll take you guys to some fun places."

Richardson's eyes lit up, and he asked curiously, "What are we playing?"

"It's a secret," Li Chen said mysteriously.

"Tch..." Li Chen's mysterious demeanor drew Richardson's disdain.

Meanwhile, the photographer captured this moment, giving Li Chen and Richardson a close-up.

In the TNT broadcast room.

"Charles, I've discovered something very interesting."

"What?" Barkley asked curiously.

"Charles, have you noticed that all the players who played with Li Chen have done quite well after leaving the Clippers and have all gotten big contracts?"

"For example?"

"For example, Andre Miller, who earns $10 million a year, averaged 18.5 points and 6.1 assists per game for the Nuggets. He was the Nuggets' second-leading scorer, and Andre Miller played a crucial role in their Playoffs run last season."

"And then there's Odom, with his $12 million annual salary. Last season with the Miami Heat, he averaged 17.8 points and 8 rebounds, and he played a crucial role in the Miami Heat's success. This season, he's also performing well with the Lakers. However, the Lakers' roster this season is too weak; whether they can even make the Playoffs is uncertain."

"Finally, there's Richardson, with an annual salary of $8.75 million. This Clippers backup player has averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists since joining the Suns."

"Li Chen is truly an amazing kid," Kenny Smith remarked.

"Hey! Kenny, you forgot someone."

"Who?"

"Michael Olowokandi," Barkley said.

Kenny Smith paused, then scoffed, "Him? Even God couldn't save him."

Kenny Smith clearly believes that Michael Olowokandi, the number one draft pick, is simply hopeless.

At that moment, the referee blew the whistle to start the match.

Li Chen's random S-rank Skill in this match is [Desperate Struggle], which has appeared several times before.

However, the mechanics of this skill are quite complicated.

[A Glimmer of Hope: After each quarter, the host's shooting percentage increases by 10% when the home team's score is below the baseline. If the home team is still trailing halfway through the fourth quarter, the host's accuracy increases by 50%.]

In other words, it can be stacked up to three times, which is a 30% hit rate. As for the final stability buff, it is very difficult to trigger.

Li Chen shook his head helplessly, then began to equip other skills.

He put on [Unrestrained], [Assist Master], [Pull-up Jumper], and [Miracle Shot] all at once.

After thinking about it, I finally decided to equip the [Gorgeous] skill, which increases coordination.

After the game started, the Knicks predictably failed to win the jump ball.

Phoenix Suns on offense.

Nash dribbled up the court, then broke through and stopped abruptly to pass to Richardson was cutting to the basket.

Richardson scored with a short floater.

The Suns take the lead 2-0.

The Knicks are on offense.

Li Chen broke through Nash's defensive black hole with a single step, truly proving the saying that getting past him was as easy as crossing a street in the early morning.

Stoudemire came to the rescue under the basket, leaping high in an attempt to block Li Chen's shot.

In mid-air, Li Chen used a reverse layup to evade the defense, and the basketball bounced off the backboard and went into the basket.

The score is tied at 2-2.

Li Chen's strong performance excited the Knicks fans, whose cheers echoed throughout Madison Square Garden. A glimmer of hope arose in their hearts; perhaps they still had a chance to break the record.

In the next possession, Nash passed the ball to Stoudemire.

Stoudemire attacked Van Baker under the basket, but he seemed unable to find his shooting touch, and the ball bounced off the rim.

Ariza grabbed the rebound, but Joe Smith relentlessly tried to steal it.

Ariza cleverly caught the ball and struggled to shake off Joe Smith's outstretched hand.

The Suns' attack failed, and the Knicks got off to a good start.