Game Begins

At eight that evening, the Triad Center in Salt Lake City was packed to the rafters, the crowd roaring.

"Fuck you. I hate this place."

In the players' tunnel, Elton Brand muttered his complaint into Li Chen's ear.

Li Chen ignored him.

Back in the domestic broadcast room,

"Good morning to all our viewers! Today, we'll bring you live coverage of an NBA game between the visiting Los Angeles Clippers and the Utah Jazz. I'm Sun Zhengping."

Smiling, Sun Zhengping continued, "Coach Zhang, what do you think of this game?"

Zhang Weiping thought for a moment. "This game will be a test for Chen. The Utah Jazz's home court is known as a hostile arena. For one thing, the fans there are fierce. For another, it's Chen's first time playing at an altitude of 1,300 meters, so it's bound to affect him."

"But..." Zhang Weiping abruptly changed his tune. "Chen is a kid who can work miracles. I believe he'll turn things around again in this game."

Sun Zhengping nodded in agreement, then continued, "Let's take a look at today's starting lineups."

The Clippers' starting lineup:

Andre Miller (Point Guard)

Li Chen (Shooting Guard)

Corey Maggetti (Small Forward)

Elton Brand (Power Forward)

Michael Olowokandi (Center)

The Utah Jazz's starting lineup:

Karl Malone (Power Forward)

Matt Harpring (Small Forward)

Stockton (Point Guard)

Greg (Center)

Kirilenko (Forward)

"Today, the Jazz are fielding a three-forward lineup."

"Coach Zhang, the game has started. Let's see if Li Chen can turn things around and extend the Clippers' unbeaten streak."

Just as Zhang Weiping had said, Li Chen was badly affected today, and he didn't play well in the first quarter.

He wasn't the only one; the other players were affected to some extent, too.

The S-rank Skill Li Chen received at random for this game was called "Flop." When an opposing offensive player attacked, there was a 50% chance the host would draw a foul if he was fouled. When the host attacked with the ball, there was also a 50% chance he would draw a foul if his body was fouled.

At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers were trailing by seven, 25–18.

Alvin Gentry asked, "Chen, do you need to adjust?"

Hearing Alvin Gentry, Odom's heart nearly shattered. Alvin Gentry, you old fool! Why are you treating him differently? Damn it. No, I absolutely can't stay with the Clippers next season. I have to request a trade.

Meanwhile,

Li Chen understood what Coach Alvin Gentry meant. After thinking it over, he said, "Coach, I'm fine now."

Hmph! Yellow Monkey, keep putting on a brave face. Just wait and see how I mock you.

At the same time, Coach Alvin Gentry said, "When you go out in the second quarter, take it steady. Don't rush to attack. First, get your bodies feeling right."

The players all nodded.

In the second quarter, Alvin Gentry kept the starting lineup on the floor so the starters could get into their rhythm.

The whistle blew to start the second quarter.

Andre Miller calmly dribbled across midcourt, then passed the ball to Elton Brand.

Elton Brand took the ball and drove toward the paint.

A chorus of boos rang out across the arena.

Damn it, Elton Brand cursed inwardly. Just then, the Jazz's Kirilenko stepped in front of him.

Brand powered past Kirilenko and forced up a three-step layup.

Kirilenko was a strong defender, and he swatted Elton Brand's shot away.

Quick as a flash, Li Chen grabbed the ball just before it went out of bounds. After a brief adjustment, he launched a three-pointer.

The ball arced high.

Swish! It went straight through the net.

"Chen made a very smart play there," Zhang Weiping praised.

Sun Zhengping nodded repeatedly. Though his old partner was often criticized for his commentary, this time he agreed with him.

Li Chen had a deadly three-point shot. An open look like that was practically free points.

The score became 25–21, with the Clippers trailing by four.

As soon as Li Chen scored, the crowd's deafening boos rang out, but they had no effect on him.

The Jazz quickly got the ball moving, racing it up the court.

Clearly, they wanted to speed up the game and make the most of their advantage.

Stockton dribbled across midcourt.

Andre Miller didn't guard him too closely, leaving him a step of space.

Stockton's eyes were sharp as he watched his teammates move in formation.

Meanwhile, Li Chen guarded Kirilenko, his eyes narrowing slightly as he wondered how he could disrupt the Jazz's play.

Just then, the Kirilenko he was guarding suddenly cut back the other way.

Caught off guard, Li Chen was left behind.

In the broadcast room,

Seeing this, Zhang Weiping hurriedly blurted out, "Oh no, Chen lost his man! But that's understandable. Chen isn't good at defense; offense is his strength."

Sun Zhengping said nothing.

"Beautiful, Chen! What a steal!"

"Good heavens! I can't believe it—Chen's basketball IQ is incredible! He deliberately pretended to lose his man, then took the chance to steal the ball. Good heavens, how did that kid do it?"

"He's a genius! He's actually using the Thirty-Six Stratagems on the basketball court!"

Zhang Weiping was so excited that he could barely get his words out. He rattled on like a machine gun.

Sun Zhengping tried several times to speak, but couldn't get a word in.

Meanwhile, Chinese fans watching at home were initially confused.

But when they heard Coach Zhang's breathless, nonstop analysis, they began to understand. Then they gaped in disbelief.

Holy crap, Li Chen is amazing! He's using one of our Thirty-Six Stratagems to play basketball! Incredible! I'm freaking sold. I used to be a casual fan, but now I'm a die-hard fan!

Countless Chinese fans echoed the sentiment.

Meanwhile, in the TNT broadcast room, Barkley watched the replay on the screen. After Li Chen left his man, he hadn't gone after Kirilenko right away. Instead, he'd made a strange reaching gesture.

Then Stockton's ball flew straight toward the hand Li Chen had reached out. And just like that, the ball was stolen.

Barkley clutched his bald head with both hands, his face full of disbelief.

"Good heavens! You can play basketball like that? That Eastern Kid is way too crafty."

Smith was equally stunned. He hadn't expected Li Chen's defensive lapse to be a decoy, baiting Stockton into passing the ball.

But that wasn't the main point. What mattered was Li Chen's court vision.

He'd accurately predicted Stockton's passing lane, then intercepted the ball in the blink of an eye.

Not just any player could do that. Smith knew Stockton was in trouble now.

"Good heavens! Chen, if you can read passing lanes, how are other teams supposed to play?" Barkley asked, sounding as if his worldview had been shattered.

Kenny Smith shook his head. "No, you've got it wrong. People think in all sorts of different ways. He can't read everyone. Maybe he just understood the way an excellent point guard like Stockton thinks, or maybe it was just a coincidence."

Though Barkley wasn't a point guard, as one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, he naturally understood Kenny Smith's point.

"But you're right about one thing: the Jazz are going to have a hard time now. Stockton is the bridge connecting the Jazz to the rest of the players. If something happens to that bridge, the Jazz are already half-finished."

"So Stockton's luck is just plain rotten, huh?" Barkley said gleefully.

Then Barkley and Kenny Smith burst out laughing.