The Fifth Championship
In this game, Kobe of the Lakers scored 45 points, had 8 assists, and 8 rebounds.
Kobe scored 45 points in a losing effort. To be honest, Kobe was not happy about this game. If Li Chen hadn't made that three-pointer from the backcourt, the Lakers would definitely have won.
However, there are often no "what ifs".
Yao Ming 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
For the Knicks, Wang Zhizhi had 15 points and 6 rebounds.
Li Chen scored 45 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds; however, Li Chen attempted a lot of free throws.
On the court, Kobe stared at the score for a long time without saying a word. After a long while, he finally said with difficulty, "Congratulations."
Li Chen grinned, "Go on, I love listening to you Kobe, talk."
Kobe's face darkened. That bastard, he's really disgusting! Seeing his gloating look made him feel sick, so he turned around and left. He didn't want to see Li Chen's smug face for even a second longer.
"Junior, you're not a kid anymore!"
Upon hearing Li Chen's words, Kobe suddenly turned around, his eyes blazing with fury, and squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth.
"Li Chen, you bastard, one day, one day..."
Kobe was so angry he didn't know how to threaten Li Chen.
Li Chen waved his hand, "Stop talking nonsense, stop and praise me."
Kobe "..."
After the Knicks won the championship again, Li Chen poured cold water on their joyous occasion.
When Li Chen accepted his Finals MVP award again, Li Chen announced, "Dear New York Knicks fans..."
Upon hearing Li Chen's words, the fans fell silent.
Then, with a hint of reluctance, he continued, "I will be leaving the Knicks next season."
Upon hearing Li Chen's words, the fans all stood up, followed by anger and even insults.
Despite the insults, Li Chen remained calm and showed no anger.
As the fans watched Li Chen, they gradually calmed down.
At this point, Li Chen continued, "First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Dolan for bringing me to New York City, which allowed me to meet every passionate fan here today."
The fans remained silent and continued listening.
"Without your cheers and encouragement in every game, the Knicks and I wouldn't have achieved what we have today..."
After Li Chen unleashed a Dolan, who had initially hoped to see Li Chen make a fool of himself, was dumbfounded.
He never expected that the most difficult New York fans would be persuaded by Li Chen, and in the end, they even gave Li Chen a warm round of applause.
They even roared in unison, "You will always be our King of New York!"
"Finally, I would like to say thank you to each and every one of you fans."
Thank you for your support and love for the Knicks, thank you for your continued companionship.
I hope that each of us can continue to maintain this passion and continue to cheer, shout, and fight for the Knicks.
Ladies and gentlemen, although my departure may weaken the Knicks, they will not let you down.
As he spoke, Li Chen bowed deeply to show his respect for the fans.
A sound like a tsunami echoed throughout Madison Square Garden.
In subsequent games, whenever Li Chen came to Madison Square Garden to play, the Knicks fans would give him a warm round of applause.
Every time Li Chen dunked, they would cheer and shout encouragement. That's the personality of New York fans; once they've chosen someone, they'll cheer for him wholeheartedly.
On the other side, David Stern was also surprised, thinking to himself that Li Chen's words were too persuasive. If Li Chen weren't an Asian, he probably could have become the mayor of New York City if he had been fooled like this.
After the championship parade, the Knicks players naturally went to a nightclub to party.
During this time Odom pulled up to Li Chen, put his arm around his neck, and said, "Chen, what you said in Madison Square Garden really moved me. How did you do that? Are you a born actor or something?"
Li Chen rolled his eyes at Odom and said irritably, "Act? You try acting for me."
Odom was taken aback. Slightly drunk, he didn't quite grasp the meaning behind Li Chen's words. "No way, I don't have your acting skills."
Jason Kidd's lips twitched; Odom's business acumen was truly something else entirely!
Li Chen was too lazy to explain to Odom, that idiot. He looked at Kidd and said, "Jason, I'm counting on you for the Knicks from now on."
Upon hearing this, Kidd was taken aback at first, then shook his head repeatedly, saying, "I can't do that."
He realized that apart from Li Chen, none of the other players on the Knicks were of All-Star caliber, and with Li Chen gone, the team would have a tough time even making the Playoffs.
Li Chen, with his keen insight, immediately guessed Kidd's thoughts. "Jason, don't underestimate your teammates. I personally handpicked all those players."
They all have great potential and work very hard.
At first, Kidd was dismissive, after all, their draft position was too low, but when he saw Li Chen's confident expression, he began to take it seriously.
Since Li Chen is the NBA's second-best player after Jordan, and is certain to surpass Jordan in the future, how could he possibly ignore such a confident assessment?
Thinking of this, Kidd nodded and said, "I will do my best."
On June 27, 2008, the NBA draft kicked off at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York.
1: Derrick Rose.
2: Michael Beasley.
3: Mayo.
4: Russell Westbrook.
5: Kevin Love.
6: Gallinari.
7: Eric Gordon.
8: Joe Alexander.
9: Augustine.
10: Brook Lopez.
Li Chen didn't make a fortune in this draft because he'll be leaving the Knicks next season. Well, actually, the real reason is that the good players in this draft were drafted earlier, and he didn't have a chance to pick up a bargain.
Subsequently, Li Chen returned to China to participate in the next National Team training camp.
Li Chen had just gotten off the plane and turned on his phone when he received a call from Kobe.
To be honest, Li Chen was somewhat surprised.
"I'm looking forward to your performance at the Olympics," Kobe said confidently.
Li Chen's lips curled into a slight smile as he said without backing down, "Remember, don't let Junior watch the game. If he sees you lose, he'll become my fan."
Kobe felt a pang of anxiety; this was the thing he cared about most. However, the thought of the powerful USA Team put him at ease.
He then snorted coldly and said, "We'll see."
Li Chen was somewhat surprised to see the National Team's head coach, Jonas, just as he arrived at the entrance of the training camp.
"Chen, you have to help me this time!" Jonas said immediately.
A short while later, Li Chen learned why Jonas had picked him up. It turned out that the National Chinese Basketball Association had given Jonas a task: to defend his title at the 2008 Olympics.
Of course, the rewards were plentiful, but he knew that if he wanted to defend his championship title, he would have to rely on Li Chen. That's why I just witnessed that scene.
Li Chen was speechless. He realized that China was truly a corrupting influence, and even Jonas had learned to bribe people.
Li Chen smiled and said, "Coach, your explanation is unnecessary. For the honor of the country, I will do my best."
Jonas was taken aback, then gave Li Chen a thumbs up and said, "Chen, you are an athlete with sportsmanship."
Li Chen didn't say anything else, he just smiled.
On August 12, the Chinese men's basketball USA Team at Wukesong Arena.
With the growth of the 2003 Platinum Generation, plus the addition of Kobe, who is second only to Li Chen in the NBA today, this Dream Team VIII was virtually invincible.
The National Team's starting lineup is: Li Chen, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Zhu Fangyu, and Wang Zhizhi.
The starting lineup for Team USA is: Kidd, Kobe, James, Anthony, and Howard.
Their head coach is Coach K.
Li Chen's random S-rank Skill in this match is [Co-defense Master].
At the same time, the skill he's equipped with is [Assist Master], which is a must-have.
[Pull-up Jumper], [Iron Wall and Bronze Barrier], [Miracle Shot] – in the end, Li Chen chose [Glamour], a skill he had just upgraded to S-rank.
At the start of the first quarter, Li Chen and Yao Ming executed a pick-and-roll at the top of the key, with Li Chen driving to the basket and pulling away from Howard's block to score.
The National Team leads 2-0.
Immediately afterwards, Kobe made a bounce pass to Howard under the basket, who then slammed home a powerful dunk over Yao Ming to tie the game.
The National Team then launched a counterattack, with Li Chen pulling up for a three-pointer over Howard's defense, and the ball swished through the net.
5 to 2.
Howard was very unhappy after being outplayed by Li Chen twice in a row.
James of the USA Team tricked Yao Ming out of the game, then passed the ball to Howard.
At this moment, Li Chen came to the rescue to defend Howard. Howard's eyes lit up when he saw Li Chen. He had just been used as a backdrop by Li Chen, and he was determined to get his revenge.
So, he held the ball with his back to the basket and then made a small hook shot.
But the basketball bounced off the rim and Yao Ming grabbed the rebound.
Howard "￥&@#@#&"
Li Chen broke through and passed the ball to Zhu Fangyu, who, facing James, took a step-back three-pointer.
Swish! The basketball goes in again.
8 to 2.
The National Team scored three goals in quick succession at the start of the game, which thrilled the domestic fans in the stadium, and their cheers rose in waves, like a tsunami.
Next, the USA Team made a mistake, and the National Team quickly launched a fast counterattack. In a two-on-two situation in the frontcourt, Yi Jianlian's breakthrough was disrupted by Kidd and failed to go in.
Li Chen's powerful two-handed dunk ignited the passion of the fans in the stands.
Seeing his former underlings acting so cool, Kobe felt quite resentful.
So he drove to the basket alone, but what awaited him was a volleyball-style block from his teammate Yao Ming, which immediately brought the atmosphere of the entire arena to a climax.
The National Team then displayed fluid teamwork, but even the star-studded Dream Team VIII frequently hit three-pointers.
It is worth mentioning that during the rotation period in the final quarter of the first quarter, Chen Jianghua had a highlight moment in his life under Kobe's tight defense. After a series of skillful dribbling, he broke through and accelerated past Kobe to score a layup. This scene has become a classic moment that fans have watched repeatedly since then.
Seeing this, Li Chen even lifted Chen Jianghua above his head to celebrate.
Seeing this, domestic fans were in an uproar. Li Chen's strength shocked them. How much strength does it take to lift a person over one's head!
Kobe got angry when he saw Li Chen's smug and arrogant look. He was sure that the bastard was mocking him. Although he didn't even look at him, Kobe knew Li Chen's character very well after knowing him for so many years.
With James's missed shot from mid-court, the first quarter ended, with the National Team leading the USA Team 22-20.
After a short break, the two sides began the second quarter.
At the start of the game, Li Chen stole the ball from Chris Paul and immediately passed it to Zhu Fangyu in the corner, who then drained a three-pointer.
25 to 20.
But in the next possession, the USA Team quickly responded, with Wade driving to the basket and dunking.
25 to 22.
During National Team offensive play, Sun Yue's shot was blocked by James, who then immediately made a long pass to Wade.
Wade slammed home another dunk.
25 to 24.
Li Chen was a man who never gave up, and he charged forward like a dragon.
He first broke through James' defense with a flashy spin move, then drew a foul from Wade with a series of layups under the basket, completing a beautiful 2+1 play. Li Chen's waist is truly iron-like!
Swish, the free throw goes in.
28 to 24.
The next time the USA Team had a chance to outmaneuver the US team, James passed the ball to Howard under the basket, who followed up with a powerful dunk to give the USA Team two more points.
28 to 26.
Turning around, Li Chen unleashed his power once again, executing a drifting, unreasonable three-pointer that swished through the net.
Team USA trails National Team by five points, 31 to 26.
However, Chris Paul then made two consecutive steals, squandering the National Team's lead.
James and Wade lived up to their good friend Chris Paul's expectations, each hitting a three-pointer to take the lead.
31 to 32.
Seeing this, Jonas immediately substituted Yao Ming in.
Yao Ming immediately took to the court, battling off the defense, and scored with a hook shot under the basket, helping the National Team take the lead.
Immediately afterwards, Li Chen stole the ball from the smaller Chris Paul, displaying his petty nature to the fullest extent.
He dribbled the ball across the frontcourt, suddenly accelerated, broke past Chris Paul, and made a Euro-step layup. At that moment, Bosh, James, Wade all surrounded Li Chen.
Li Chen didn't force a shot, and passed the ball to Sun Yue outside the three-point line.
With a 20% shooting percentage, Sun Yue hit another three-pointer.
36 to 32.
The National Team has further extended its lead.
Coach K was somewhat helpless as he saw that the substitute players couldn't hold their own against Li Chen's reserve team.
He already thought highly of Li Chen, but as he continued to fight him, he discovered that this man was as unfathomable as a bottomless pit.
Coach K put aside his complicated emotions and brought Kobe and other key players back onto the court.
In the following games, the USA Team more and more smoothly, relying on their superior individual abilities.
In the latter part of the second quarter, the point difference gradually widened. First, Bosh grabbed a rebound and dunked, and then Kobe dunked over Sun Yue on a fast break.
Immediately afterwards, James passed the ball back to Kobe, Kobe dunked it again, tying the National Team's score.
National Team head coach Jonas immediately called a timeout.
After the timeout, Li Chen Pull-up Jumper a three-pointer from the corner, hitting it despite Kobe's defense, helping the National Team stop the bleeding in time.
But their good fortune didn't last long. The USA Team, with their superior individual skills and fluid teamwork, went on an 8-0 run against the National Team, instantly widening the gap to 12 points.
This point difference remained until ten seconds left in the first half, with the National Team making their final attack.
Li Chen knew this final attack had to succeed; only if the score was in single digits would his teammates have hope and the determination to defeat the powerful Dream Team 8.
Thinking of this, Jonas, as if telepathically connected with Li Chen, immediately called for a pause.
As a renowned head coach, he naturally understood the crucial nature of this goal.