Unlucky Joe Johnson

Seeing Donald Sterling, that miserly cheapskate, put it that way, Elgin Baylor knew there was no point.

He regretted it a little now. If he'd known Li Chen would be this good, he would definitely have switched teams with him back then, joining a team whose owner was chasing a championship instead of that damn cheapskate, Donald Sterling.

China's National Sports Television.

"Good morning, viewers! I'm Sun Zhengping, and beside me is my longtime partner, Coach Zhang Weiping."

Zhang Weiping nodded.

Sun Zhengping continued, "Today, we're bringing you a regular-season game in the American men's professional basketball league: the Phoenix Suns visiting the Los Angeles Clippers."

"Li Chen's meteoric rise this year has given us hope here at home. It proves that our country isn't lacking in basketball talent—it's just that our players are buried in a vast sea of people."

"I believe that if basketball became widespread in our country, we might not be able to claim a place on the world stage, but we could still dominate Asia."

Zhang Weiping nodded in agreement, then chimed in, "Sun, actually, our basketball team already dominates Asia. As long as Chen and Da Yao team up, no one will be able to shake our position as Asia's top team for the next ten or so years."

Sun Zhengping's smile stiffened a little. He hurriedly changed the subject. "Coach Zhang, the game is about to start. Let's take a look at the starting lineups.

The Clippers' starting lineup for this game is:

Andre Miller (Point Guard)

Li Chen (Shooting Guard)

Corey Maggette (Small Forward)

Elton Brand (Power Forward)

Wang Zhizhi (Center)

Wang Zhizhi has played well over the past few games. And since he's a fellow countryman of Li Chen's, they've promoted him to the starting lineup to see how he does.

The Phoenix Suns' starting lineup:

Marbury (Point Guard)

Joe Johnson (Shooting Guard)

Shawn Marion (Small Forward)

Stoudemire (Center)

Outlaw (Power Forward)

As they took the court, Li Chen said to Wang Zhizhi in Chinese, "Brother Zhizhi, do your best. Try to keep that starting spot."

Wang Zhizhi nodded, though he didn't seem too confident.

Li Chen felt sorry for Michael Olowokandi, but this sort of thing came down to individual effort and performance. If Olowokandi wanted to reclaim his starting spot, he'd have to do it himself.

At the same time, Li Chen checked the S-rank skill he had today. He felt a little helpless. This skill was kind of humiliating. He felt like using it would be way too showy and out of character.

The two teams jumped for the ball, and Stoudemire tipped it to Marbury.

Marbury was a talented player and a star. He had a precise shot, excellent ball-handling skills, and a strong ability to drive to the basket. But he was criticized for being too selfish with the ball, earning him the nickname "The Lone Wolf" from fans.

It was worth noting that after Marbury couldn't make it in the NBA, he made a name for himself back home in China. He even became a citizen, and after retiring, he coached a CBA team. He would become a fairly well-known figure in China.

He dribbled smoothly, faking Andre Miller out of position with a few quick moves. Then Marbury drove straight in, evaded Wang Zhizhi's block, and scored.

0–2. The Suns drew first blood.

Andre Miller stood with his hands on his hips, shaking his head helplessly.

"Andre, don't sweat it. We'll just get those points back," Li Chen said with a smile, patting him on the shoulder.

Andre Miller nodded, his expression complicated.

A moment later, Andre Miller passed the ball to Li Chen.

Joe Johnson, Li Chen's matchup in this game, stood in front of him.

Li Chen dribbled with a steady rhythm. Suddenly, he exploded from a standstill, like a cheetah springing into action.

Joe Johnson had watched footage of Li Chen's last few games and was already wary of him. But it was only when he faced Li Chen in person that he realized how explosive his first step was.

When Li Chen forced his way past Joe Johnson's defense, Marbury immediately came over to help. Just then, Li Chen stopped abruptly and passed the ball to the unguarded Andre Miller.

Andre Miller caught the ball, looking a little surprised, but immediately rose for a jump shot.

Swish! The ball went straight through the net. The score was tied, 2–2.

Li Chen gave Andre Miller a thumbs-up.

Andre Miller gave Li Chen a long look. You damn Eastern Kid. You're so annoying—you've actually made me feel touched. He grumbled to himself.

Marbury was very active in the first quarter. His approach was simple: if he could drive, he'd drive himself. Whether the shot went in was up to fate. If he couldn't get through, he'd pass.

That was exactly why people criticized him.

At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers led by five, 25–20, with help from their "foreign player," Marbury.

The second quarter began, and the Clippers attacked first.

Li Chen brought the ball up the court, and he and Wang Zhizhi ran a pick-and-roll.

After getting past Joe Johnson, Li Chen drove into the paint.

Stoudemire stepped in front of him.

Li Chen knew the guy wasn't much of a defender, so he went straight for a floater. The ball banked off the glass and dropped through the hoop.

27–20. The Clippers extended their lead to seven.

The Suns went on offense.

Marbury seemed to have been chewed out by his coach. He reined in his Lone Wolf tendencies a little and started passing the ball.

Joe Johnson held the ball with his back to Li Chen, trying to push through his defense.

But Li Chen drank Functional Drink every day and stuck to intense lower-body training. His base was incredibly solid.

Joe Johnson found that he couldn't budge Li Chen and was dumbfounded. What's going on? How can't I move this kid?

Fuck, I don't believe this. He put all his strength into it and shoved forward hard.

This time, he succeeded. Li Chen stumbled back a step.

Seeing that, Joe Johnson sneered. That's more like it. You think I can't handle you?

Just then, the referee blew his whistle.

The referee signaled that Joe Johnson had committed an offensive foul.

Man, Li Chen almost felt sorry for the guy.

The C-rank "Flop" skill only had a 20 percent chance of triggering, yet it had triggered against this poor guy. No one could be more unlucky.

Joe Johnson argued with the referee over the call, but the referee didn't reverse it. Instead, he gave Joe Johnson a technical foul.

This got Li Chen thinking. He realized that once Flop was triggered, if anyone dared to question the call, the referee would hand out a technical foul without hesitation.

The same thing had happened with Karl Malone back then. Li Chen blinked, wondering if he could use this to his advantage.

But he soon shook his head. He wasn't James and didn't want to rely on the referees all the time. Only earning respect by making his mark through skill would convince people. Otherwise, he'd end up like LeBron James: even outstanding performances wouldn't stop people from criticizing him.

With that in mind, he made up his mind not to upgrade the Flop skill.

In the domestic livestream studio:

"Chen's physical strength is incredible! I really wonder how he built it up," Sun Zhengping remarked sincerely.

Zhang Weiping nodded in agreement. "With Chen's physical strength, he's already surpassed most Black NBA players."

Sun Zhengping's mouth twitched. Come on, man. We're sports commentators. We're supposed to judge every player fairly. Isn't it a bit much to praise Li Chen like that?