VS Garnett

The fans at the Target Center were stunned when Li Chen drove past Garnett.

Then, as they snapped out of their daze, a wave of boos erupted.

In the domestic broadcast booth, Zhang Weiping shouted, "Little Chen drove beautifully!"

The fans back home had sparkling eyes, filled with anticipation, hoping Li Chen would dismantle NBA star Garnett.

Li Chen drove hard towards the basket, but then he saw Nester and Joe Smith closing in to double-team him.

And behind him, Garnett was still lurking.

Li Chen knew that getting past Garnett was already a good achievement.

Scoring under the defense of all three would be too difficult for him right now.

With that in mind, he decided to pass. After all, he had drawn the attention of three Timberwolves players, giving his teammates an over 50% chance of making an open shot. It was the best option.

Besides, even if the shot missed, it wouldn't be a big deal. He had the S-rank Rebound Monster buff anyway.

Thinking this, Li Chen paused for a moment. As his thoughts raced, he made a decision: he would temporarily abandon the pass.

Li Chen suddenly took three steps towards Nester and Joe Smith for a layup, then tossed the ball towards the backboard.

In the broadcast booth.

Sun Zhengping sighed slightly, "Li Chen is a bit overconfident here. He should have passed. Andre Miller and Brand were open."

As Sun Zhengping predicted, the ball didn't get blocked by Nester and Joe Smith, but it also missed the rim, hitting the backboard directly.

Immediately after, Li Chen leaped high and, to the dumbfounded Nester, Joe Smith, and Garnett, slammed the ball ferociously into the hoop.

Li Chen scored with his own self-alley-oop.

The score became 6-7, with the Clippers regaining the lead.

After landing, Li Chen held up two fingers towards Garnett.

Garnett, snapping back to reality, was furious. He was about to unleash some harsh words, like "Next time, I'll make you doubt your life."

But surprisingly, he felt a pang of guilt and swallowed the words that were about to escape his lips.

The Timberwolves' possession.

Garnett dribbled the ball up the court. This time, he didn't rush his offense. Instead, he looked at Li Chen, who was defending him seriously.

It was as if he was saying, "Eastern Kid, come out, let's go one-on-one."

Garnett wanted to regain his lost pride this way.

But Li Chen didn't respond. He wasn't confident in his ability to defend an All-Star MVP-level player like Garnett.

Li Chen knew his own limits and wouldn't force it, but he would remember this moment, remember Garnett's provocation today. When his skills were fully honed, that would be the day for revenge.

However, things often don't go as planned.

Li Chen wanted to play it safe, but Garnett wouldn't allow it. He charged directly at Li Chen.

Li Chen's face immediately soured. Damn it, you're about to become an All-Star MVP, why are you picking on me?

Although Li Chen knew he was outmatched, his personality wouldn't let him back down. He had to engage.

The sound of the basketball hitting the floor grew more rapid.

Then, Garnett used the same move Li Chen had used on him to regain his lost face.

But Li Chen wouldn't let Garnett succeed. He decided to take the initiative and steal the ball.

If he failed, it wouldn't matter. He was just a rookie, he had nothing to lose, so why should he be afraid?

If the steal failed, Garnett wouldn't gain any fame, and he wouldn't lose anything. After all, failing to steal from the Wolf King Garnett was a perfectly normal occurrence, wasn't it?

On the contrary, if he succeeded in stealing, Garnett would be humiliated.

His thoughts racing, Li Chen suddenly thrust his right hand out, reaching for the ball.

Garnett smirked, Naive rookie.

Garnett pulled the ball close to his chest and was about to make a spin move.

At the same time, Li Chen knew his steal attempt had failed. However, his reflexes were still active, and his left arm instinctively reached towards the ball in Garnett's chest.

This unexpected move completely caught Garnett off guard. Before he could react, the ball was poked away.

When Garnett tried to regain control of the ball, he failed.

Seeing the ball heading out of bounds, he didn't try to fight for it again, as it would still be a Timberwolves ball if it went out.

Meanwhile, this scene also surprised Li Chen, but he reacted quickly, lunging towards the bouncing ball that was about to go out of bounds.

Just as the ball was about to go out, Li Chen leaped and grabbed it. However, he didn't have time to look for a teammate, so he directly threw the ball towards the frontcourt.

Then, he crashed heavily onto the floor.

Li Chen's desperate play surprised Garnett a little, as such moves could easily lead to injury.

At the same time, Elton Brand reacted quickly. He bolted like a wild horse after the ball, caught it, and executed a powerful dunk.

The score became 6-9, with the Clippers extending their lead to 3 points.

In the TNT broadcast booth.

"Oh my God! Chen's reaction speed is too fast. I've only ever felt this kind of reaction speed from Michael."

"Hey! Right, Kenny, who was this kid's draft template?"

Kenny Smith thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Didn't you just say it?"

"Huh?" Barkley was slightly stunned, then suddenly realized, "No, no, no! Kenny, you can't say that. If you say that, that old rogue Michael will definitely push this kid hard."

"Hahaha!" The two burst into laughter.

On the court.

Garnett felt a mix of emotions. Being proven wrong again and again left him confused. Could he not even defend an Eastern rookie? Was he really that bad?

Distracted, Garnett missed two consecutive possessions.

Li Chen grabbed all the rebounds, and as a result, the Timberwolves lost 8 points.

At this point, the home team Timberwolves were trailing the Clippers by a significant 11 points, 6 to 17.

Coach Flip Saunders sensed that Garnett's mindset was off and quickly called a timeout.

In the TNT broadcast booth.

"This game is quite a blow to Garnett!" Kenny Smith said with emotion.

Barkley nodded, "This Eastern kid is truly a peculiar one. I feel like he's unfathomable."

"Yeah! Just like today, the Clippers' shooting touch is really cold. So far, Li Chen of the Clippers has already grabbed 9 rebounds. If this continues, and he plays all four quarters, he'll easily get 30+ rebounds."

Kenny Smith nodded and added, "Yeah! And Garnett, who is also a rebounding master, has been completely outplayed on the boards."

Let's take a look at their stats.

Timberwolves Garnett: 6 points, 0 assists, 1 rebound.

Clippers Li Chen: 4 points, 6 assists, 9 rebounds, 1 steal.

"Chen has a good chance for a triple-double today."

"Comparing the two, it gives me a feeling," Barkley said.

"What?" Kenny Smith asked cooperatively.

"This Garnett is fake."

Kenny Smith: "..."

"Kenny, do you think there's a possibility?"

"Huh! What possibility?" Kenny Smith asked cooperatively again.

"Did we mix up their stats?"

Kenny Smith was clearly taken aback, and then both of them burst into laughter simultaneously.

After laughing, Barkley added, "Kenny, do you think this kid can break Chamberlain's rebounding record again?"

"That..." Smith thought for a moment, then shook his head, "It's difficult!"

"Hey! That's not necessarily true! Kenny, you have to know, it's only been five minutes into the first quarter, and the Clippers' shooting percentage today is truly abysmal!"

Kenny Smith thought for a while longer, but still shook his head, "Even so, breaking Wilt Chamberlain's 56 rebounds is too difficult."

Kenny Smith's repeated rejections gave Barkley an opportunity to regain his footing.