All-Star Crawford Among the Referees

Li Chen then launched a counterattack with a seemingly convincing Golden Rooster Independence shooting style.

This tactic not only effectively suppressed Bowen's defense, but more importantly, it gave Li Chen a legitimate opportunity to make a tackle.

As for how Li Chen learned the Golden Rooster Independence, it's because he had practiced Golden Rooster Independence back in the day. Although it wasn't as unbeatable as Nowitzki's version, it was still quite similar, so he was very familiar with this move.

The Spurs gained possession of the ball after Li Chen committed a foul.

Parker tried to break through the Clippers' defense, but with Li Chen on the court, Parker was completely shut down, failing to score a single layup in the first quarter.

The Spurs are a disciplined team, so Parker's task is to contain Li Chen and create opportunities for his teammates.

Sure enough, Parker passed the ball to Ginobili.

Ginobili made a serpentine breakthrough, got past Odom, and scored.

The Spurs extended their lead to 34-25.

Li Chen let out a long breath. As expected, the Clippers simply couldn't stop the Spurs. It seemed they could only try to find a solution on the offensive end.

When Li Chen received a pass from Michael Olowokandi and scored again with Golden Rooster Independence jumper, and the referee didn't call a foul, Popovich exploded.

There's never been such a shooting motion in the NBA; it's clearly a foul, but the referee turned a blind eye. The most crucial point is that if Li Chen uses this move as a regular weapon, this Eastern Kid will be even more unstoppable.

So he stormed up to Joey Crawford and yelled, "Didn't you see that Eastern Kid's foul?"

Joey Crawford raised an eyebrow. You see, this guy was the kind of ruthless guy who would give Duncan a technical foul for just a smile. Who could tolerate Popovich bossing him around?

So without hesitation, a technical foul was issued.

After receiving a technical foul, Popovich calmed down, but still coldly said, "I will complain to the league about this."

Meanwhile, the assistant referee saw that the head referee Joey Crawford, was arguing with the Spurs' head coach. He immediately stopped the game and ran over with another assistant referee.

Upon hearing this, Joey Crawford was shocked that Popovich dared to openly threaten him. He was about to raise his hand again to issue another technical foul.

But at that moment, an assistant referee pulled Joey Crawford away, while another assistant referee explained to Popovich why Li Chen's shot was not called a foul.

Actually, Popovich regretted his words as soon as he finished speaking. The reason he made that harsh remark was because it's rare to get a second technical foul called after the first one.

But to his utter surprise, Joey Crawford acted unpredictably, nearly getting him ejected from the game.

Popovich did not argue with the referee again, but he has decided to appeal the matter to the league.

Li Chen felt a little disappointed looking at the 34-27 scoreline. Why hadn't Popovich been ejected?

Popovich's series of actions just now made Li Chen realize how formidable Popovich is. His own coach, haha! He's really no match for him!

The Spurs on offense.

The recent commotion didn't seem to have much of an impact on the Spurs; their offense remained as fluid as ever.

Parker continued to drive to the basket, and Li Chen remained close behind.

Parker smirked. "It's no use. Even if you lock me down, your Clippers still can't stop the Spurs' offense."

But at that moment, Parker was shocked to find that Li Chen had abandoned his defense and double-teamed Manu Ginobili.

This caught him off guard, but Parker quickly adjusted his mindset and drove to the basket for a layup.

However, his layup attempt was disrupted by Wang Zhizhi and failed to go in.

Then a battle for rebounds ensued in the paint.

Although Duncan is great, he still couldn't beat the Clippers' Michael Olowokandi and Cherokee Parks this time.

The Clippers' offense now relies entirely on Li Chen and Odom, a fact both are well aware of, which is why they move down the court with lightning speed.

Meanwhile, Ginobili caught up, but with two against one, the Clippers don't need to worry about this young weapon.

At that moment, Michael Olowokandi swung his arm, and the basketball soared high into the air.

Odom received the ball and immediately slammed it down.

Ginobili leaped into the air, but Ginobili was clearly no match for Odom.

However, Odom's opponent wasn't Manu Ginobili, but the basketball hoop. Can you believe it? He actually missed the dunk.

Fortunately, Li Chen was there afterward.

Li Chen leaped high and successfully dunked the ball on the rebound.

The Clippers narrowed the gap to 34-29 in a short period of time, reducing the score to 5 points.

After scoring, Li Chen taunted, "Hey! Is this what you call a hot hand? I've seen it for myself."

Odom was somewhat embarrassed by what he was being said, but he still retorted, "What do you know? I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself. Without me, how can your importance be demonstrated?"

"Stop making excuses, Odom. Do I need to put on a show now?"

Odom "..."

The Spurs on offense.

Parker drove to the basket, but his layup attempt, despite being double-teamed by Odom and Wang Zhizhi, failed to go in.

Duncan made a crucial play by grabbing the rebound.

He then demonstrated his superstar ability once again, banking in a basket despite being double-teamed by Michael Olowokandi and Cherokee Parks.

The score was widened again to 36-29.

Clippers on offense.

Li Chen's layup drew a foul from Bowen, and at the same time, his "Miracle Shot" skill was unexpectedly triggered, resulting in a 2+1 play.

Li Chen calmly converted the penalty.

36 to 32.

Although the Clippers gradually caught up in the score, the Spurs remained calm and composed, demonstrating remarkable composure under pressure.

Parker dribbled the ball up the court, glancing around to see that the Clippers were still double-teaming Duncan, leaving Bowen open.

He decisively passed the ball to Bowen.

Li Chen abandoned Ginobili and moved forward to press Bowen's defense.

At that moment, Bowen smirked and passed the ball to Ginobili.

Ginobili used a serpentine dribble to get past Wang Zhizhi, who was helping to defend, and then drove to the basket for a layup.

But just then, Li Chen rushed up from behind like lightning and delivered a resounding block to Ginobili.

However, the Spurs' offense did not stop there.

Stephen Jackson saved the ball, then adjusted his position and hit a three-pointer.

Stephen Jack's shot was too short; the basketball bounced high off the rim.

A chaotic scramble ensued under the basket, with Duncan securing the offensive rebound, but his situation was far from ideal as he faced pressure from three Clippers players, including Wang Zhizhi.

Facing Clippers triple-team from the Clippers, Duncan made a difficult pass to Bowen.

But Li Chen saw all of this, and he decisively intercepted the ball and passed it to Odom.

However, the Spurs' speedsters Parker and Ginobili quickly caught up with Odom on the fast break, sandwiching Odom between them.

To avoid being shut down, Odom used a Euro step to force a layup, drawing a foul from Parker.

Odom goes to the free-throw line.

Odom calmed himself down and calmly slotted in his first free throw.

36 to 33.