198. The Unreliable J.R. Smith

Bowen was in an open position, picked up the rebound and immediately took a jump shot.

But with Crawford pressing him closely, Bowen missed the shot.

The basketball hit the rim perfectly and bounced high into the air.

Meanwhile, Li Chen, Wang Zhizhi, Allan Houston, and Duncan were constantly pushing and shoving each other under the basket, vying for a favorable position.

Just as the basketball reached its highest point and began to fall, all four players leaped into the air. Although it was a three-on-one situation for the Knicks, Duncan's height and wingspan gave him a significant advantage in rebounding, and he was the first to break through and grab the ball.

But just then, Li Chen suddenly appeared. Although Li Chen was not superior in height and wingspan, as a combo guard, his jumping ability and explosiveness were unmatched by Duncan.

So the instant Duncan grabbed the basketball, he used his fingertips to push the ball out of Duncan's control.

After the four players landed, they jumped again. This time, Duncan was smarter and demonstrated his understanding of basketball to the fullest.

Instead of trying to grab the rebound, he used his height advantage to pass the ball to Parker in the distance.

Just as Parker received Duncan's pass, a figure suddenly appeared – it was JR Smith, the unpredictable player who had just successfully completed an alley-oop.

J.R. Smith was very excited during the game. In Li Chen's opinion, he must have been blessed with the "Headpat" buff and the "Prohibit Flight" aura. Therefore, J.R. Smith's performance was not surprising.

JR Smith successfully intercepted Duncan's pass, but then made a dribbling error, which was stolen by Ginobili.

After successfully stealing the ball from Ginobili, he didn't hesitate to take a three-point jump shot.

But just then, another figure appeared; it was none other than Li Chen.

Just as Ginobili let the basketball slip from his hands, Li Chen slapped it away as if he were swatting a fly.

Ginobili was speechless, feeling incredibly upset. Both of his shots were blocked, and what hurt him the most was that both blocks were delivered by the same person.

Meanwhile, Spurs head coach Popovich felt an urge to curse; he really had nowhere to turn for justice.

Li Chen is an absolute beast! He gets so excited every time they play the Spurs, it's like he's a completely different person compared to when they play the Miami Heat. He's a real piece of work!

Only this vulgar curse can truly express Popovich's current state of rage.

On the court, the Spurs weren't as lucky as they were last time. Although the ball didn't go out of bounds, it was caught by Crawford.

Upon gaining possession, Crawford immediately launched a fast break, sprinting towards the Knicks' frontcourt like an arrow.

But Parker, known as the French Pocket Rocket, caught up like lightning, constantly interfering with Crawford as he ran.

At the same time, Li Chen followed closely behind the two, creating a two-on-one situation with Crawford.

Just then, Crawford suddenly threw the ball onto the backboard.

This was clearly a set-up play from Crawford for Li Chen.

The basketball collided with the backboard and bounced back forcefully. At the same time, Li Chen understood perfectly.

He leaped high into the air, followed by a powerful tomahawk dunk.

The Knicks' repeated dunks greatly displeased the Spurs fans, who inevitably booed them loudly.

Most of the boos were directed at the Knicks, but some were also directed at the Spurs.

In particular, Ginobili was blocked repeatedly.

"Oh my God! What's wrong with Li Chen today? He's so dominant on defense, he blocked Ginobili twice in a row!" Kenny Smith exclaimed in surprise.

"Hahaha! Kenny, I bet Li Chen's fighting power is now at 120%! That's the power of hatred!"

Kenny Smith was speechless. Other players had also suffered from Bowen's dirty tackles, but none of them had been as aggressive as him.

And strictly speaking, he didn't lose out at all! After all, Bowen paid the price with an O. At this moment Kenny Smith felt a little sorry for the Spurs.

Popovich probably never expected Li Chen to hold a grudge like that; he'd been targeted by Li Chen for two seasons after just one incident. Kenny Smith thought gleefully.

As his thoughts wandered, Kenny Smith continued, "Li Chen's block not only dealt a blow to Ginobili's individual offense, but also changed the entire Craig Sager."

"Yes, Kenny, because Li Chen at full power on both offense and defense is truly terrifying."

"Yes! His outstanding performance not only inspired his teammates and the entire team's morale, but also sent a signal to the Spurs..."

At that moment, Barkley suddenly interrupted Kenny Smith, raising his arm and declaring arrogantly, "Popovich, this game is our Knicks' victory. The Spurs can just give up! That's what I, Li Chen, said."

The fans watching on TV were absolutely in stitches.

"Hahaha! Charles, are you really a fan of Li Chen?"

Kenny Smith was also amused by Barkley's antics.

At this point, he would definitely say in a serious tone, "Please don't doubt my faith. There's still a poster of Li Chen hanging in my living room."

Kenny Smith thought to himself, "..." "You're really something else, spouting nonsense with such a straight face."

In the following games, the Knicks, led by Li Chen, played well and maintained a lead over the home Spurs.

At the end of the first quarter, the Knicks led the Spurs 25-20 by five points.

In the second quarter, Robert Horry, a substitute player for the Spurs, performed exceptionally well, showcasing his amazing individual abilities.

He quickly broke through the Knicks' defense, then leaped high and slammed the ball into the basket.

The Knicks' defense seemed unable to stop his offense, Spurs fans cheered and waved their flags incessantly.

Alvin Gentry felt like he'd just killed a dog; today, on a whim, he substituted his beloved player for a rest at this time of day for the first time ever.

But to his utter surprise, this is what happened. He paced anxiously on the sidelines, worried that the team's situation would worsen, and wondering if he should substitute Li Chen on now.

At this moment, Li Chen took off the coat he had just put on and walked to Alvin Gentry's side, saying, "Coach Alvin, let me go on!"

When Alvin Gentry heard Li Chen volunteer to go on stage, he nodded.

After Li Chen entered the game, Popovich immediately substituted Bowen into the game as well.

After thinking for a moment, he substituted Ginobili back into the game. Now, apart from Duncan, all the other key players have been brought back onto the court.

Popovich knew that Duncan was the Spurs' guarantee of victory, so he had to ensure he got enough rest.

Meanwhile, after Li Chen entered the game, Robert Horry's offensive momentum was immediately suppressed, making him a completely different player from the Horry who had just been dominating the court.

Now, he misses every shot on offense, and the constant failures are making him question his existence.

But Li Chen did not become complacent because he knew that basketball is a team sport, he understood the importance of teamwork, and he knew that only through the efforts of the whole team could they win the game.

So he began to guide his teammates to strengthen their defense, while constantly passing the ball to them, encouraging them to shoot, and improving their efficiency on the offensive end.

Although the Knicks are currently trailing, their Knicks players, led by Li Chen, are gradually regaining their confidence and rhythm.

In the latter part of the second quarter, Li Chen scored consecutive baskets and provided assists to turn the score around and take the lead.

When the halftime whistle blew, the Knicks led the Spurs 50-49 by one point.

In the Knicks' locker room, although they were only leading the Spurs by one point, the players were relaxed because they were confident of beating the Spurs tonight.

However, Li Chen was worried because his shooting percentage was not high tonight, and he hadn't equipped the [Pull-up Jumper] skill.

Just then, he saw JR Smith intently watching Allan Houston tie his shoelaces, which surprised him.

Then he thought of JR Smith's unreliable past.

So, "JR, what are you doing?" Li Chen asked somewhat gravely.

At this moment, Jr. Smith came to his senses and said solemnly, "My defense is terrible. I'm thinking about how to improve my Defensive Ability."

Hearing this, Li Chen's lips twitched violently. He thought to himself, "Why the hell are you watching Allan Houston tying his shoelaces? Why the hell are you doing this?"

Li Chen knew JR Smith's personality well; often, the more you forbade him to do something, the more he would do it. So, Li Chen didn't point out what he shouldn't do, but instead said tactfully:

"JR, remember this: think things through carefully before you do anything. Do you understand?"

JR Smith paused for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.

Seeing this, Li Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

The other teammates looked at Li Chen strangely, wondering why he was giving JR Smith such instructions.

Shortly after, at the start of the third quarter, the Knicks found themselves in trouble.

Li Chen missed several shots under Bowen's defense, making things even worse for the Knicks.

This gave Bowen increasing confidence, and he thought to himself, "So, it turns out I can also play defense properly!"

This made him feel a little regretful. If only he hadn't used those dirty tricks to defend himself in the first place. Thinking of this, he felt a faint sadness.

Meanwhile, the Spurs' defense became increasingly tight, while the Knicks' other players' offenses were repeatedly thwarted.

Despite Li Chen's best efforts, the Knicks just couldn't make their shots, leaving him somewhat frustrated.

Popovich was overjoyed to see this and shouted from the sidelines to increase the pace of the attack.

He clearly wanted to establish a lead in one fell swoop.

With half of the third quarter remaining, the Knicks trailed the Spurs 60-64 by 4 points.

But misfortune never comes singly; JR Smith's consecutive turnovers only compounded the Knicks' woes.

The Knicks' situation became precarious, while the Spurs seized the opportunity to extend their lead to 8 points.

Sure enough, JR Smith made another mistake, and the ball was inexplicably stolen by Ginobili once again.

Li Chen wanted to curse. What was that bastard JR Smith doing? He truly understood what it meant to be a god or a ghost.

JR Smith realized he had made a mistake and immediately tried to steal the ball back, but Ginobili used several feints to knock JR Smith to the ground.

But just as JR Smith fell to the ground, a sudden idea struck him. And so...

Ginobili was somewhat taken aback when he saw that JR Smith had actually been faked out by him.

But the next moment, Ginobili reacted and accelerated his breakthrough in one smooth motion.

But the next moment he felt dizzy, and then with a thud, he felt a piercing pain in his ankle, which made him scream.

Li Chen, who was trying to cover Ginobili, was stunned. He was confused and quickly raised his hand to signal to the referee that Ginobili had fallen on his own.

Then, to his astonishment, he discovered that Ginobili's shoelaces were undone. Seeing this, his eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and a bad feeling crept into his heart. Could it be...?

Thinking of this, he immediately looked up at the big screen, and saw that the scene on it was exactly the moment JR Smith fell to the ground, during which he displayed speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness to the fullest.

He untied Ginobili's shoelaces with perfect accuracy, then the unsuspecting Ginobili broke through, and then... and then nothing more.

Spurs fans were stunned by what they saw. What kind of freak could do something so absurd?

But then they realized what was happening and yelled in unison, telling JR Smith to get off the court.

Meanwhile, Popovich was also furious. Ginobili was just too important to the Spurs, so Popovich started putting pressure on the referees.

Li Chen had an urge to beat Jr. Smith to a pulp; all his words during halftime were wasted.

The referee was also stunned by Jr. Smith's outrageous move.

At the same time, Li Chen ran up to JR Smith and questioned him, "JR, didn't I tell you during halftime to think carefully before you do anything?"

JR Smith paused for a moment, then nodded seriously and said proudly, "Chen, I've thought this through carefully."

I'm speechless. Li Chen is really driven crazy by this idiot.

At that moment, the referee blew his whistle and gave JR Smith a technical foul.

This guy argued with the referee, who was overjoyed. This oddball was so considerate! He was just thinking about how to send him off the field to appease the angry fans, so he didn't hesitate to give him another technical foul.

On the other side, Ginobili was also carried off the court. Although it wasn't a serious injury, it would take him about a week to recover.

In other words, he will have at least two games in the upcoming NBA Finals.

After the dramatic scene ended, the competition continued.

Although the Spurs were missing Ginobili, the Knicks failed to capitalize on this opportunity.

The Spurs' defense was too strong, but they gradually managed to close the gap.

At the end of the third quarter, the Knicks trailed the Spurs by only one point, 83-84.

When the fourth quarter began, the Knicks went into a scoring drought, and just two minutes later the Spurs on a 6-0 run.

The Knicks are in trouble again, and the hearts of New York Knicks fans watching on TV are in their throats, hoping someone will step up.

At this crucial moment, Li Chen stepped forward.

With his outstanding individual skills and calm mind, he made two consecutive steals and then hit two three-pointers, almost tying the score in an instant.

His performance ignited the Knicks' shooting touch, and the Knicks found their rhythm both inside and outside, extending their lead to 9 points in just five minutes.

At this point, the outcome of the game became clearer, but the Spurs were not without a chance.