The Powerful Spurs (Two-in-One)

At the AT&T Center, the game officially began amidst cheers from the fans.

At the same time, Li Chen also learned what the S-rank Skill he had randomly obtained today was.

[Mid-range King: When making a mid-range shot, there is a 50% chance of ignoring defense.]

This skill gave Li Chen a huge boost of confidence when he beat the Spurs tonight.

Duncan of the Spurs won the jump ball, giving the Spurs the first possession.

Parker's layup attempt missed, but David Robinson grabbed the rebound and scored.

The Spurs took an early lead, 2-0.

The shift from offense to defense.

Andre Miller dribbled up the court, but his pass was intercepted by the Spurs' Stephen Jackson.

Li Chen was uneasy about Andre Miller's early mistakes.

Li Chen quickly cleared his mind of these chaotic thoughts, because now was not the time to think about such things.

He reacted quickly; with just a furrow of his brow, he charged into his own backcourt like a leopard to stop the Spurs' fast break.

Meanwhile, Parker, also known as the French sports car, received the ball and sprinted towards the basket like a whirlwind.

When he saw that Li Chen was already close behind him, Parker was somewhat surprised, as he was surprised that Li Chen's speed was almost the same as his own.

In the Spurs' rest area, Popovich was somewhat surprised by Li Chen's quick reaction and couldn't help but look at Alvin Gentry.

He knew, of course, that Alvin Gentry had always been defiant towards him. A slight smirk played on his lips. "Alvin, today I'll make you submit, "Popovich thought to himself.

But just as Popovich was brimming with confidence, Li Chen slapped Parker's seemingly certain basket out of bounds.

This filled Popovich with astonishment and disbelief.

But his surprise was fleeting, quickly replaced by confidence.

Alvin, I have to admit you're lucky. This Eastern Kid is pretty good, but basketball is a five-player sport, and the Spurs' pedigree is incomparable to the Clippers '.

Today I'll show you what real team basketball is all about.

Meanwhile, Alvin Gentry was very dissatisfied with Andre Miller's performance today. He can tolerate mistakes, but a mistake right at the start of the game is unacceptable to him.

I even had the urge to substitute Andre Miller right then and there, but I managed to suppress that urge in the end.

On the court, Andre Miller approached Li Chen and whispered, "Chen, thank you for just now."

"Andrei, what are you saying? We're teammates!"

Andre Miller nodded.

At this moment, Li Chen noticed that Andre Miller's expression was off and couldn't help but ask, "Andre, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"I caught a cold. I thought it was nothing serious, but alas!" Andre Miller sighed slightly as he said this. He hadn't expected it to have such a big impact on him when it came time to play.

Li Chen patted the other man's shoulder and said, "If it doesn't work, talk to Coach Alvin. He seems to be taking this game very seriously..."

Andre Miller nodded, understanding Li Chen's underlying message. He thought that if his performance was really too poor, he would ask the coach to substitute him out of the game.

Bowen of the Spurs was standing on the sideline throwing the ball inbounds.

He passed the ball to Duncan, who had successfully positioned himself.

After receiving the ball, Duncan leaned against Odom, then turned and made a 45-degree bank shot.

Thump! Swish! The basketball went in cleanly.

4 to 0.

Odom looked at Duncan, who was grinning at him, with a sense of helplessness, realizing that he couldn't defend against him at all!

Li Chen shook his head helplessly; Duncan was just too steady.

The Clippers are on offense.

Li Chen received a pass from Andre Miller and then dribbled it up the court.

At this moment, Bowen approached, and upon seeing Bowen Li Chen's brows furrowed slightly.

This bastard is a notorious piece of trash on the field, making Li Chen wary; he's somewhat afraid of being fouled by him.

Bowen clung to Li Chen like an octopus.

This kind of defense made Li Chen very uncomfortable, but it was more about Bowen's dark history.

Li Chen forced down his discomfort, and in return, he received a screen from Wang Zhizhi.

Meanwhile, Odom was poised to make his move from the outside.

Spurs' Parker double-teamed Li Chen.

Li Chen used a crossover step to get past Parker.

Stephen Jackson attempted a suicidal steal, but Li Chen dribbled past him.

At this moment, Duncan and the Admiral David Robinson double-teamed Li Chen.

Seeing this, Li Chen's lips twitched; he felt like he was surrounded by the Spurs.

In a flash, Li Chen didn't force a shot; that would be too risky. Instead, he passed the ball to Odom in the corner.

After receiving the ball, Odom raised his hand and immediately launched a three-pointer.

Swish!

The basketball was tossed high into the air and, as if equipped with radar, plummeted straight into the hoop.

This scene surprised Li Chen; this kid is really something today!

The Spurs still lead 4-3.

A moment later, Li Chen joked, "Odom, you're doing great today!"

Odom was very proud of himself, patting his chest and saying, "Chen, I'm on fire today. Just pass the ball to me, and I'll score every single one you pass, making your assist numbers skyrocket."

Li Chen smiled and looked at the confident Odom, saying, "Alright then, our team will be relying on you today, Grandpa Odom."

Odom gave an OK sign, as if to say no problem, and that he had everything under control.

The Spurs on offense.

Parker dribbled the ball up the court and continued to break through, but Li Chen was like an unbreakable iron gate, firmly blocking the German sports car Parker outside.

Parker couldn't penetrate, so he had to pass to Duncan.

At this moment, Wang Zhizhi abandoned David Robinson and quickly joined Odom to double-team Duncan.

Duncan is not a competitive person. Seeing that he was double-teamed, he quickly passed the ball to David Robinson.

David Robinson headed the ball into the net, overcoming the covering Corey Maggette.

With a score of 6-3, the Spurs perfectly executed their twin-tower strategy.

The Spurs' fluid offense left Alvin Gentry, sitting on the Clippers' bench, somewhat helpless; the twin-tower lineup is just too effective right now.

What reassured him was that David Robinson couldn't stay on the field for long; he would soon have to leave due to fatigue. So, as long as they could get through this period, they still had a chance.

The Clippers are on offense.

Li Chen continued with the strategy from the previous round, continuing to drive to the basket. However, the Spurs' strategy this time was decisive: double-team Li Chen to prevent him from attacking.

Popovich is betting that the other role players won't score.

Li Chen tried the same trick again, attempting to pass the ball to Odom, but Odom was entangled by Bowen.

Odom remained adamant today, stating that his shooting touch was excellent.

However, Bowen is an All-Star second-team defensive player, and Li Chen thinks it's unlikely that Odom can score easily against him.

In a flash, Li Chen decisively passed the ball to Corey Maggette.

Corey Maggette received the ball and immediately took a jump shot.

However, the ball didn't go in cleanly; instead, it bounced around the rim repeatedly but just wouldn't go in.

At the same time, Li Chen's heart sank; Corey Maggette had left his shooting bag at home.

He lowered his center of gravity, preparing to grab the rebound.

Just then, he felt himself surrounded again, with David Robinson and Duncan sandwiching him like ham in a hamburger.

Li Chen cursed Popovich inwardly, thinking how wicked he was for not even letting him grab a rebound.

Corey Maggette's shot ultimately missed, as if the basketball had been vomited up by a nauseating beast.

At this moment Li Chen, David Robinson, and Duncan all jumped up, but Li Chen was sandwiched in the middle, which limited his jumping explosiveness, and he failed to win the rebound.

However, their fingertips raised the basketball five centimeters higher, preventing any of the three players from getting it.

Just then, Wang Zhizhi had just arrived, seized the rebound.

Li Chen reacted quickly; he made a run in the opposite direction and then raised his hand to call for the ball.

Wang Zhizhi quickly passed the ball.

As soon as Li Chen received the ball, he was headed on by Stephen Jackson.

The Spurs really went all out to take care of Li Chen!

Li Chen ignored Stephen Jackson's defense and took a fadeaway jump shot.

Swish! The basketball swished smoothly into the Nets.

The Clippers and Spurs are evenly matched at 6-5.

Stephen Jackson looked utterly exasperated. How could that have gone in? He had done his best; he was just short of committing a foul.

Meanwhile, the Spurs raised an eyebrow at Popovich in the bench. Stephen Jackson defended the ball very well, but the ball still went in.

Is this the kid's true strength, or just a coincidence?

After that, the two teams went back and forth on the field, and the score fluctuated, making it a surprisingly evenly matched game.

This scene made Popovich frown. He couldn't help but look at Li Chen. This Eastern Kid had already scored 10 points in a row. His offensive ability was no less than Kobe's, which gave him a bad feeling.

Popovich then began to focus on Li Chen, believing that if he could find a way to neutralize him, the Clippers would be no threat.

After observing for five or six minutes, he found an effective way to suppress Li Chen.

He discovered that Bowen was often very effective at defending Li Chen!

Popovich's eyes were deep, and a faint smile played on his lips.

A moment later, as the basketball went out of bounds, Popovich called Bowen over and whispered a few words to him.

On the court, after being taught by Popovich, Bowen became like an accessory to him, never leaving his side, and his defense was extremely fierce, even committing some fouls.

This made Li Chen very uncomfortable, causing his finishing ability to drop significantly.

At the end of the first quarter, the Spurs led the Clippers 32-25 by 7 points.

At the end of the first quarter, Li Chen had 12 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds.

Li Chen listened absentmindedly to Alvin Gentry's tactical instructions, but his mind was elsewhere.

Popovich must have noticed his fear of Bowen, which is why Bowen suddenly increased the intensity of his defense and started using dirty tricks on him from time to time.

He let out a long breath. This couldn't go on; he had to find a way to solve the problem.

At this point, he realized that foresight wasn't all that wonderful. Just like now, if he hadn't known Bowen's later glorious achievements, he wouldn't have been so concerned about Bowen's sabotage against him.

His mind raced, and in a flash of inspiration, he came up with a ruthless plan.

That was Dirk Nowitzki's later signature move Golden Rooster Independence.

The Golden Rooster Independence is essentially a fadeaway jump shot, but its angle of attack is greater than that of a typical fadeaway jump shot. If the leg lift isn't properly controlled, it's easy to be called for a foul by the referee, and there's also a high chance of being called for a flagrant foul.

Li Chen suddenly grinned menacingly. If Bowen dared to step on him, he would take this opportunity to make him lose everything.

He was confident he could react the instant he was tripped and deliver a fatal kick. Even if he crippled the opponent, he wouldn't be called for a foul. As long as he insisted it was an unintentional act, no one could say anything else. After all, he had already lost his balance at that point.

As for the injury, given my constitution of drinking Functional Drink every day, even if my ankle is injured by a foot injury, it can recover in a month or even less.

However, this "Melancholy Soul Kick" move still needs more practice.

At this point, Alvin Gentry reprimanded, "Andre, in the second quarter, I don't want to see the team lose points because of your mistakes."

Andre Miller opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything, and then nodded helplessly.

"Coach Alvin, I'm sorry, it's my fault. Andre wanted to take the day off today because of a cold, but I persuaded him not to tell you." Li Chen took full responsibility.

Hearing Li Chen's words, he glanced at Andre Miller with surprise, then nodded, "I understand."

Andre Miller nodded to Li Chen.

Although it wasn't a big deal, he was still very grateful that Li Chen said that.

After a moment's thought, Alvin Gentry looked at Michael Olowokandi and said, "Michael, you're in the second quarter. Your job is to grab rebounds."

Michael Olowokandi nodded.

After some thought, Alvin Corey Maggette was substituted out, and Cherokee Parks was brought on.

Cherokee Parks is a center, and Alvin Gentry is clearly there to strengthen control of the boards.

Meanwhile, the Spurs substituted Stephen Jackson and David Robinson for Malik Rose and Ginobili.

At that moment, the referee blew his whistle, and the second quarter officially began.

With Andre Miller off the court, Li Chen was the only option at point guard.

As soon as Li Chen crossed the center line, Bowen swarmed him like a cat smelling fish.

Upon seeing this, Li Chen's lips curled into a smile.

Bowen seemed a little confused by the stares, but he remained steadfast in following his coach's instructions.

Meanwhile, Li Chen dribbled the ball forward while engaging Bowen in close combat.

Just then, Li Chen suddenly activated his power.

Bowen followed closely behind him.

Li Chen had just broken through to the vicinity of the free throw line when he decisively took a fadeaway jump shot.

Swish! The basketball goes through the net cleanly.

This jump shot sent shivers down Bowen's spine, because he was lucky to have avoided being hit in the groin.

Upon seeing this, Popovich was stunned for a moment, and then went to argue with today's referee, bald Joey Crawford.

Joey Crawford glared at Popovich, gave Popovich a warning, and then blew the whistle for Li Chen's offensive foul.

Joey Crawford jogged up to Li Chen and warned, "Kid, watch your moves."

"Mr. Crawford, this movement is for balance, a natural extension, and there is no malicious foul involved," Li Chen explained earnestly.

Joey Crawford met with the two assistant referees, and after reviewing the slow-motion replay, confirmed that Li Chen had indeed started naturally, he signaled for the match to continue.

Of course, the previous ruling will not be changed.

Meanwhile, Alvin Gentry was also dumbfounded. What was going on? What was this kid up to? Why did he suddenly change his shooting motion?