Stopping the Timberwolves

The Staples Center erupted in thunderous cheers.

They never imagined that this man from the East would score nine consecutive points, and the last shot in particular left them stunned.

At this moment, the score displayed on the screen changed to 62-68. The Timberwolves had been hit with a 9-0 run, and only two or three minutes had passed.

Li Chen's sudden emergence had forced the Timberwolves to call a timeout.

"Nice job, Chen." Elton Brand extended his hand for a fist bump with Li Chen.

After returning the fist bump, Li Chen asked, "Brand, want to train together?"

The other teammates who had wanted to fist bump Li Chen honestly retracted their hands. Forget it! I don't want him to latch onto me.

Elton Brand's face, which had been happy for Li Chen, suddenly froze. He then turned and walked away, all the earlier warmth gone.

Li Chen sighed inwardly. Is it really that hard to find someone to practice with?

Sigh! Should I find Black Mamba next door? Hmm, that could work, but not now. We're not familiar yet. I'll wait until we interact more! I'm sure he won't refuse.

Timberwolves' bench area.

Flip Saunders' face was grim, and he remained silent.

The other Timberwolves players were also quiet. They hadn't expected a role player to possess such masterful three-point shooting skills.

"Coach, how about I guard that kid from the East?" Wolf King Garnett volunteered.

He didn't want to lose, and he certainly didn't want to lose because of an Easterner he'd never even heard of.

Flip Saunders seemed to snap back to reality and shook his head. "Garnett, your job is offense. I have a plan for that kid."

Garnett didn't insist further.

"Smith, you go guard that kid from the East."

Coach Flip Saunders looked as if he had Li Chen figured out.

Joe Smith nodded.

Clippers' player bench area.

"Chen, you did great." Alvin Gentry patted his shoulder in praise.

"Yeah! Chen, I didn't expect you to have such masterful three-point shooting skills. If you had told us earlier, would we have had to struggle this much?"

Elton Brand paused slightly at this point, then added sarcastically, "Unlike some people, who scored less in three quarters than he did in three minutes."

Hearing this, Odom, who had been shocked by Li Chen's abilities, looked upset.

"Hmph! This is just a one-off for him. He'll be back to his old self next game," Odom retorted defiantly.

Hearing this, Li Chen couldn't help but look at Odom, thinking, You might actually be right, but I'm still determined to take your starting spot.

At the same time, seeing Li Chen look at him, Odom glared back, his eyes full of anger.

It was as if he was saying, What are you looking at, kid from the East? Are you looking for a fight?

Just then, Alvin Gentry spoke up, "From now on, try to pass the ball to Chen as much as possible, understand?"

The substitute players were a bit envious. This was the treatment of a superstar!

Alvin Gentry then looked at Li Chen and asked gently, "Chen, do you have any problems?"

Li Chen thought for a moment and replied honestly, "Coach, I have a decent chance of making open threes. As for anything else... I'm not very confident."

Hearing this, Alvin Gentry was slightly taken aback.

He knew Li Chen's tenacity.

Someone like him was typically a player with excellent resilience under pressure. How could he fear confrontation?

However, the timeout was limited, so he didn't dwell on it. He instructed, "You guys, set more screens for Chen, let him shoot comfortably."

Alvin Gentry now had high hopes for Li Chen's three-point ability. It would be difficult to come back in this game without utilizing the three-point shot.

At this moment, the referee's whistle blew again, signaling the end of the timeout.

Shortly after, as soon as they were back on the court, Wolf King Garnett showed his true colors, dunking over Kenyon Doolin. He then let out a primal roar.

On the ensuing possession, Andre Miller brought the ball upcourt.

At this moment, Joe Smith stuck to Li Chen like a piece of gum.

Li Chen let out a long breath, thinking, It won't be easy to score comfortably anymore.

However, Li Chen wouldn't give up. As long as he had the strength to throw the ball, he wouldn't give up.

So, Li Chen started moving around the court, darting through the half-court like a rabbit. Combined with the occasional screens from his teammates, Joe Smith was in agony.

Initially, Joe Smith could keep up, but later his face turned green.

After all, he had already been playing for nearly 30 minutes.

Moreover, Li Chen was running at full speed. Also, Li Chen wasn't exactly bulky, so Joe Smith quickly lost track of him.

Veteran Andre Miller saw this and couldn't help but nod secretly. This kid from the East was not only hardworking.

He also actively looked for opportunities on the court. If such a person didn't succeed, then God would truly be unfair.

Andre Miller saw Li Chen break free from Joe Smith's defense and decisively passed him the ball.

Li Chen received the ball, adjusted slightly, then flicked his wrist. The basketball drew a beautiful arc, flying towards the blue light.

Joe Smith watched the ball helplessly as it flew towards the blue light.

Swish! The basketball warrior found its mark.

65 to 70.

In the Timberwolves' resting area.

Flip Saunders' lips curled slightly. Just as he had imagined, this Oriental kid could only hit open threes.

Therefore, as long as Joe Smith stuck to him like glue, his scoring ability would be limited.

But just as he thought this, he saw Joe Smith actually lose track of the player.

Seeing this, Flip Saunders was stunned for a moment, even rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

"Damn it, you've been playing for years, and you can't even keep up with a rookie in the NBA?"

Joe Smith was speechless. This kid was like a rabbit, running too fast. This was more tiring than playing thirty minutes of basketball!

Flip Saunders gritted his teeth, cursing inwardly, "Joe Smith, you're truly useless."

Flip Saunders knew this wasn't the time to say these things. He had to contain the Oriental kid now, or victory would slip away.

With that thought, he stood up, walked to the sideline, and waved at Strickland, signaling him to guard Li Chen.

Li Chen didn't care who was guarding him. Right now, his mind was focused on one thing: shaking off the tail behind him.

And so, a bizarre scene unfolded on the court: four people playing basketball, two playing a hundred-meter sprint.

As the saying goes, although Strickland was known as the "Flying Car."

He had already expended a lot of energy. He couldn't keep up with the continuous running and his legs felt weak. By the time of the next offensive-defensive transition, his legs were already shaky. What offense could he even mount?

In the end, Strickland, the "Flying Car," was also flipped by Li Chen's running.

This drew boos from the fans in the Staples Center.

Strickland was a strange person; he didn't care at all about the boos from others.

After a few possessions, he continued to guard Li Chen, and while defending, he didn't forget to chat with Li Chen.

"Hey! Oriental kid, aren't you tired of running like this? And how did you train your stamina? Didn't they say people of your race have weaker physiques?"

Li Chen was a bit surprised by Strickland's actions, but he still replied, "I get up at three or four in the morning every day to train. You can do it too."

"Ah?" Strickland was dumbfounded.