Crushing the Timberwolves

As thoughts swirled, Barkley suggested, "Kenny, let's make a bet!"

Kenny Smith glanced at Barkley beside him and asked, "Bet on what?"

Barkley's spirits lifted, and he said with a sense of urgency, "I'll bet I can kiss a donkey's butt, or even a cow's butt."

Kenny Smith raised an eyebrow and scoffed inwardly, You wish! If it were about treating someone to a meal or something, that would be fine. Losing wouldn't be a big deal.

But this Li Chen is too unpredictable. Things that seem impossible, he often makes happen in unexpected ways. I, Kenny Smith, won't put myself on display just for ratings.

Therefore, Kenny Smith decisively shook his head and said, "No bet."

Barkley was stunned and secretly cursed Kenny Smith, that old fox.

At this moment, the timeout ended, and the players walked onto the court.

Then, the game officially began.

The Timberwolves' main offensive focus was still Garnett, but Li Chen didn't blindly gain confidence from just having defended Garnett and try to defend him again to no avail.

Wolf King Garnett was indeed Wolf King Garnett. Right now, he was a reliable player.

After a brief adjustment during the timeout, his mentality had recovered, and he scored again.

The score became 8 to 17.

At the same time, the Timberwolves' defensive strategy had changed significantly. They adopted a "turtle shell" defense, completely abandoning the perimeter.

This was an attempt to suppress Li Chen's rebounding ability. Coach Flip Saunders' strategy was successful.

Although Li Chen had an 80% chance of grabbing a rebound, the Timberwolves had too many players crashing the boards. There were always three players focused on Li Chen during rebounds.

This drastically reduced Li Chen's rebounding efficiency. By the end of the first quarter, Li Chen only had 12 rebounds, a far cry from his efficiency in the first half.

But what made Li Chen most speechless was that his teammates today were possessed by the Blacksmith Kobe. They were truly terrible! The clanging of missed shots was absolutely rhythmic.

At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers were actually trailing by 3 points, 25 to 22. Can you believe it?

Clippers' bench.

Coach Alvin Gentry had a dark expression.

Alvin Gentry was furious. These scoundrels were too useless. Watching Li Chen fight for rebounds among several Timberwolves players made him feel pained.

But these scoundrels were just clanging away, playing "iron."

The other players were wiping their faces with towels, heads down, saying nothing. They were actually helpless. What could they do if they just couldn't make shots?

After thinking for a moment, Alvin Gentry said, "Second quarter..." He paused and looked at Li Chen, "Chen, you'll be the primary scorer."

Then he looked at the others, "You guys go to the basket and get me rebounds." Alvin Gentry said with a dark face.

Li Chen was a bit helpless. He originally wanted to break Chamberlain's record, but since Alvin Gentry had said this, he could only nod.

In fact, his teammates missing shots was the best scenario for him, as it meant he could grab more rebounds.

But at a crucial moment, his luck had been bad, which was a bit awkward.

At the start of the second quarter, Li Chen hit two consecutive open three-pointers from beyond the arc.

The score instantly became 25 to 28, with the Clippers directly overtaking the Timberwolves by 3 points.

Li Chen's sudden offensive surge from the perimeter caught the Timberwolves completely off guard.

Didn't you just turn into a rebounding maniac a moment ago? Why are you shooting threes from the perimeter in the second quarter?

At this moment, the Timberwolves players felt Li Chen was like a hexagonal warrior, capable of everything.

Li Chen's three-pointers from the perimeter made the Timberwolves hesitant to continue their tight defense. Garnett, of course, wouldn't let Li Chen get away with it.

So, Li Chen once again employed the same tactic he used against the Timberwolves in the previous game: endlessly kite Garnett.

Seeing Li Chen pull out this move again, Garnett gritted his teeth. He wondered where this Eastern Kid got so much energy. Running like this, wasn't he tired?

Garnett exerted himself on both offense and defense. In just half a quarter, his finishing ability on offense significantly declined.

Flip Saunders frowned and could only instruct Garnett to focus on offense, leaving the task of defending Li Chen to others.

But the others couldn't handle Li Chen at all, because Li Chen's timing was too precise. Every time there was a screen, he could cut into the paint. Then he would either pass or shoot.

If the Clippers hadn't been so terrible with their shooting today, the Timberwolves would have likely collapsed long ago.

Flip Saunders rubbed his temples. This Eastern Li Chen bounced around the court like a rabbit, tearing their defensive formation to shreds. He was truly annoying.

By the end of the second quarter, the score was 40 to 45, with the Clippers still leading the Timberwolves by 5 points.

At the end of the first half, Li Chen grabbed another 8 rebounds, bringing his total to 20.

Domestic fans watched with pursed lips. The Clippers' shooting percentage was truly abysmal.

At this point, they felt Li Chen had it tough, but the fact that they were still leading despite this earned a "respect" from them.

The third quarter began, and the Clippers' shooting touch suddenly returned. They went on a 5-to-16 run, forcing the Timberwolves to call a timeout.

45 to 61, the gap widened again to 11 points.

Initially, Garnett had been tightly defending Li Chen, especially after his harsh words at the press conference.

Although Li Chen had already scored ten points, if the game ended like this, it would still be somewhat acceptable, and he could maintain some dignity.

If Li Chen scored more points, it would be a huge embarrassment.

As the saying goes, Garnett's energy is limited; he can't balance both offense and defense. The consequence of doing so is failing at both.

Flip Saunders called a timeout and, after a barrage of curses at Garnett, he finally had to give up on tangling with Li Chen.

Without Garnett's interference, Li Chen was like a fish in water, using his incredible stamina to create three Open Three-Pointer opportunities.

He was very lucky, hitting all three.

With every basket Li Chen made, Garnett's heart twitched. He thought to himself, I can't show off like this anymore; it's too embarrassing.

At the end of the third quarter, 63-83, the Timberwolves were blown out.

Helpless, Flip Saunders had to give up on the game. He knew Garnett was too affected; he had scored 20 points in the first half but only 5 points from the start to the end of the third quarter. There was no point in continuing.

Garnett simply couldn't turn the tide.

From the start of the fourth quarter, Flip Saunders subbed out all his starters for the reserve lineup.

At the same time, Alvin Gentry also subbed out his starters.

However, Li Chen did not leave the court, as he still needed to rack up rebounds.

Although "racking up" is somewhat looked down upon, Li Chen was giving it his all for Iverson's "Unrivaled."

The Clippers' reserve players were great, truly bricking shots!

But there was one person Li Chen found very annoying: his countryman Wang Zhizhi. This guy was very accurate today. Li Chen was even considering suggesting to Coach Alvin Gentry that he be subbed out.

But then he thought this might be Wang Zhizhi's chance, a chance to get into the rotation, so he abandoned the idea.