Revisiting the Timberwolves

The Target Center arena was buzzing with noise, a testament to Garnett's status in this stadium.

Today's Clippers starting lineup was:

Andre Miller (Point Guard)

Li Chen (Shooting Guard)

Corey Maggette (Small Forward)

Elton Brand (Power Forward)

Michael Olowokandi (Center)

The Timberwolves starting lineup was:

Strickland (Point Guard)

Gill (Shooting Guard)

Joe Smith (Small Forward)

Garnett (Power Forward)

Nester (Center)

A moment later, the game officially began amidst the thunderous cheers of the Timberwolves fans.

Nester of the Timberwolves won the tip-off, and Wolf King Garnett grabbed the ball. He charged towards the basket like a true wolf king.

Elton Brand was completely unable to stop Wolf King Garnett.

The Timberwolves took the lead, 2-0.

The play switched to offense and defense.

Andre Miller brought the ball upcourt.

At the same time, Garnett blocked Li Chen, saying coldly, "Today, your points won't exceed 10."

Li Chen curled his lips and retorted, "You're not Larry Bird."

"Hmph! But you're not Michael Jordan either."

Garnett's implication was clear: he looked down on Li Chen.

Li Chen naturally understood the meaning behind Garnett's words.

"Then let's wait and see!" With that, Li Chen charged towards the paint.

Seeing Li Chen heading for the basket, Garnett was a bit confused. Wasn't this kid an outside player? What was he doing going to the basket?

Even though Garnett didn't know what Li Chen was up to, he had already confidently stated in front of the media that he would limit him to under 10 points, so he had to shut down this Eastern Kid.

Seeing no opportunity to pass to Li Chen, Andre Miller directly passed the ball to the cutting Elton Brand.

Brand received the ball and attempted a short floater, but Joe Smith interfered, and the ball bounced off the rim.

Just then, Li Chen leaped into the air, grabbed the ball with both hands, and then powerfully slammed it into the basket.

Li Chen completed the put-back dunk, tying the score at 2-2.

Li Chen then looked at a surprised Garnett, as if to say, "I've got 2 points, 8 more to go. Be careful, and don't let me score so easily next time."

Seeing Li Chen's expression, Garnett gritted his teeth.

He never expected Li Chen to have the ability to rebound. He felt that his own jumping speed was inferior to Li Chen's just now.

However, rebounding wasn't just about that.

"Eastern Kid, don't get cocky."

With that, Garnett called for the ball, drove to the basket again, and scored.

The Timberwolves took the lead again, 4-2.

Garnett looked at Li Chen once more.

Li Chen ignored him, bent down to pick up the ball, passed it to Andre Miller, and whispered, "Bring the ball upcourt, then you can shoot a three-pointer."

Saying that, Li Chen passed the ball to Andre Miller and ran towards the frontcourt himself.

As Andre Miller dribbled the ball upcourt, he thought in a daze, "Don't joke around. If I take a wild shot, the coach will bench me. I'm not like you, favored by the coach."

At this moment, Andre Miller saw that Strickland was standing deep, and for some reason, despite his internal complaints, he shot the ball directly.

Unknowingly, Li Chen had already instilled a sense of trust in the veteran Andre Miller.

Meanwhile, Strickland jumped to contest the shot. Although he didn't block the ball, he greatly affected Andre Miller's mindset.

With a bang, as Andre Miller had expected, watching the ball hit the rim and bounce out, he sighed inwardly with a bitter smile. It really wasn't working!

Just then, a figure leaped high under the basket, secured the rebound, and then tossed the ball back to Andre Miller.

Andre Miller was stunned when he received the ball, then immediately shot again without hesitation.

Bang! Another miss.

Swish! The ball flew back from under the basket again. Andre Miller was bewildered. What was going on with Li Chen today?

Lost in thought, he raised his hand and shot the basketball again.

Bang! The basketball bounced off the rim again, but this time, instead of bouncing out, it dropped straight into the hoop.

The score became 4-5, with the Clippers leading by one point.

At this moment, Andre Miller suddenly understood why Li Chen had told him to shoot a three-pointer!

Meanwhile, Garnett was questioning everything. He had positioned himself well for the rebound, yet this Eastern Kid still managed to grab the ball.

Suddenly, he thought of Rodman, the rebounding king from his Bulls days, and his uncanny knack for predicting where the ball would land.

His pupils constricted. No way? Is the league about to get another Rebounding Monster? Damn it, I don't believe it.

At the same time, Li Chen marveled at how effective his S-rank rebounding ability was today.

[Rebounding Monster: Greatly enhances the host's intuition for rebounds, with an 80% chance of securing the rebound.]

Garnett got the ball again and attacked. Elton Brand still couldn't stop him, and Garnett scored again.

The score was rewritten once more, 6-5, with the Timberwolves taking the lead again.

It had to be said, Garnett's offensive drive today was not only strong but also incredibly efficient; he was 3-for-3 at this point.

The Clippers' offense.

At this moment, Garnett, who was guarding Li Chen, suddenly started trash-talking him.

"Eastern Kid, what's wrong? Scared to attack? Weren't you active last game? Keep shooting threes! What, did sleeping with women yesterday make your legs weak?"

Li Chen smiled and didn't respond to Garnett, but he answered with action.

Li Chen raised his hand, signaling Andre Miller to pass him the ball.

Andre Miller flicked his wrist and passed the ball over.

Li Chen held the ball with both hands, his center of gravity low. His eyes were sharp, like a lone wolf staring at Garnett.

Garnett showed no fear and lowered his center of gravity as well. He spread his arms, staring at Li Chen, vowing silently that he would absolutely not let this Eastern Kid shit on him again.

At this moment, the basketball rhythmically hit the floor, "Bang, bang, bang," short, rhythmic thuds.

The frequency of the ball hitting the floor grew faster and faster until the sound reached its peak.

Li Chen's center of gravity and the basketball suddenly tilted to the extreme left.

Garnett's body moved with Li Chen, but he didn't shift his weight entirely to the left, as he needed to guard against Li Chen's sudden change of direction.

Just then, Li Chen suddenly used the momentum to spin, blowing past Garnett's defense and streaking towards the basket.

Garnett's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected Li Chen to be so swift. He knew he had been careless and underestimated the Easterner. At this moment, he began to take this Eastern Kid seriously.

If he continued to be arrogant, he might get slapped in the face today.

While his thoughts raced, Garnett quickly turned and chased after Li Chen, who was half a body length ahead of him.

At the same time, when Garnett saw Nester and Joe Smith under the basket, his tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

With Nester and Joe Smith in front of him and himself behind, Li Chen couldn't possibly choose to shoot.

This kid will definitely pass. This time, I'm definitely going to steal the ball.