Foul Baiting Acquired

The referee then put on a grim face, looking like the very picture of impartiality.

He signaled for Li Chen to take his free throws.

Since the foul was a technical, the penalty was two free throws and possession.

Li Chen felt a little regretful. He put aside his unwarranted thoughts and calmly caught the ball the referee tossed to him.

Swish, swish! Both free throws went in, one after the other.

55–55. The Clippers had tied the score again.

The Clippers' bench.

Alvin Gentry nodded, sighing with relief. "Chen really is reliable!"

Odom: "..."

Aaaah! Damn Yellow Monkey! He was driving me crazy!

Andre Miller passed the ball to Li Chen, who had come over to receive it.

Knowing how accurate Li Chen's shot was, Kirilenko stuck close to him.

Just then, Michael Olowokandi came over to set a screen for Li Chen, then cut to the basket.

Li Chen drove into the paint again, still heading straight for Karl Malone.

Malone's face turned green at the sight. He really wanted to give this Eastern Kid a vicious elbow and knock him out cold.

Amid his swirling thoughts, Karl Malone reined in his anger. He knew Li Chen was trying to foul him out.

He absolutely couldn't let the kid's scheme succeed.

So he merely raised his hands in a token effort to defend. Seeing this, Li Chen felt disappointed.

His thoughts raced, and he tossed the ball toward a spot on the court. A figure leaped high and slammed it into the hoop.

"Chen, what a pass!" Michael Olowokandi shouted.

At the same time, the Jazz called for a substitution, and a composed Stockton returned to the game.

He dribbled quickly into the frontcourt, then flicked the ball into Karl Malone's hands.

Li Chen immediately blocked Karl Malone's path forward.

Malone was taken aback when he saw Li Chen, then the corner of his mouth curled upward.

Kid, now you're the one guarding me. Let's see what I do to you.

Karl Malone lowered his massive elbow and drove toward the basket, bulldozing Li Chen like a tank.

But just then, Li Chen was knocked flat onto his backside and landed on the floor.

The whistle blew again.

Hearing it, Karl Malone felt a little regretful. He hadn't expected the kid to commit a foul.

Li Chen rubbed his chest and got to his feet, then reached out with both hands for the ball Karl Malone was holding.

Malone froze for a moment, then protected the ball, preparing to refuse.

"Malone, you fouled him. Don't do anything rash," Stockton warned loudly.

I fouled him? When did that happen? How come I didn't know?

Karl Malone was genuinely baffled.

Inside the TNT broadcast room.

Barkley and Kenny Smith were wincing. If you looked closely, Karl Malone had indeed fouled Li Chen on that play, but it was the sort of call that could go either way.

For the sake of making the game entertaining, refs usually let plays like that go. Even when they called them, it was usually for Jordan.

But Li Chen... They couldn't make sense of it.

"Holy crap, it's confirmed! My boy Li really is the Chosen One. Even the damn refs are on our side!"

After that, whoever defended Li Chen got punished by the refs. Yet when they watched the replay, they couldn't find anything wrong with the calls.

With no other choice, Jazz head coach Sloan could only decide to trade baskets with the Clippers.

But the Jazz players' mental state had already been shattered, and their offensive efficiency was terrible.

Jazz head coach Sloan was driven nearly insane, yelling from the sidelines nonstop.

He even got into an argument with the referees. It took a technical foul for him to finally calm down.

Near the end of the third quarter, the refs finally fouled Karl Malone out.

The Jazz collapsed in the fourth quarter. Their head coach, Sloan, decisively pulled all his starters from the game.

The Clippers ultimately took the win, 101–90.

The Clippers had now reached a strong 24–19 record, temporarily placing seventh in the Western Conference.

Everyone on the Clippers was delighted, except Odom. He couldn't understand why the refs were helping Li Chen, that Yellow Monkey, so much. He really didn't get it.

Li Chen finished the game with 28 points, 8 assists, 2 blocks, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. Thirteen of those points came from free throws.

He was also named the game's best player.

And just like that, he acquired the godly skill of Foul Baiting.

At the same time, Li Chen got some bad news: this time, he couldn't get out of it. He'd have to go with Alvin Gentry to the postgame press conference.

Elsewhere.

At the Timberwolves' postgame press conference, Wolf King Garnett spoke at length, answering the reporters' questions.

Just then, a reporter received a message. His eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked:

"Mr. Garnett, we've just received the latest news. The Clippers won in Salt Lake City, a city with a notorious home-court advantage. Eastern Rookie Li Chen put up 28 points, 8 assists, 2 blocks, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. The Clippers' next opponent is the Timberwolves. Are you confident you can get revenge?"

Garnett was annoyed when the reporter brought it up, so he nodded firmly and declared:

"Next game, if he scores in double digits, I lose."

The reporter's eyes lit up with excitement. His fingers flew across his phone screen.

Meanwhile, the Clippers' postgame press conference was underway, and Li Chen patiently answered the reporters' questions.

Just then, a beautiful female reporter asked a particularly pointed question.

"Mr. Li Chen, the referees were clearly biased in your favor today. What do you think about that?"

Li Chen glanced at the blonde, blue-eyed beauty, then corrected her. "Beautiful lady, please allow me to correct you."

Li Chen continued, his expression serious. "Please don't question the referees. They're impartial. It's wrong to criticize them in that tone, and your claim that they favored me in today's game is utterly groundless."

The foreign reporters' mouths twitched. They thought, You can lie through your teeth without feeling guilty? Besides, we're not blind.

They never expected this man from the East to be so silver-tongued.

Li Chen continued, "They were only doing their jobs. They're great..."

Li Chen went on and on, showering the damn referees with praise until they were practically glowing green on top of their heads.

Now that Li Chen had acquired Foul Baiting, the referees were his teammates. There was nothing wrong with building a good relationship with them.

Another reporter asked, "Mr. Li Chen, Mr. Garnett of the Timberwolves just said he won't let you score more than 10 points next game. What do you think about that?"

Li Chen paused, then asked in surprise, "Wait, are you sure you heard him right? Was that all he said?"

Li Chen's question left the reporters, who had been hoping for a good show, completely dumbfounded. They had no idea why this Eastern Rookie had asked that.