The Final 48 Seconds (Two-in-One)

The fourth quarter began with the Spurs launching the first attack.

Ginobili's serpentine layup attempt missed, Duncan secured the offensive rebound, then faked out Wang Zhizhi and easily banked the ball in at a 45-degree angle.

91 to 78.

Duncan exemplified the word "steady" to the fullest.

The Clippers are on offense.

Li Chen dribbled past Bowen and Parker with a Euro step layup. David Robinson helped defend, and Li Chen drew multiple Spurs defenders before passing the ball to Odom.

Odom, unfazed by Ginobili's hasty defense, calmly sank another three-pointer.

91 to 81.

Odom's performance today was nothing short of perfect as the second option.

The Clippers employed a tight, full-court press to limit the Spurs' offensive time.

When the Spurs crossed the frontcourt, they had already wasted seven or eight seconds.

Parker drove to the basket for a layup, but was blocked by Li Chen.

David Robinson then grabbed the rebound, and Li Chen and Wang Zhizhi double- David Robinson, causing him to make a passing error.

The Clippers' Eli initiated a fast break, and Corey Maggette received the pass and slammed it home with a dunk.

91 to 83.

The Spurs slowed down the pace of the game, and Parker drove to the basket and scored.

93 to 83.

Li Chen dribbles the ball forward.

At this moment, Bowen closed in again. Bowen truly lived up to his reputation as a future defensive stalwart for the Spurs. He made Li Chen's life very difficult.

Now that Bowen committed four fouls, we must find a way to get him off the court.

In a flash, Li Chen regained his composure, turned his back to the ball, and leaned against it. Just as he was about to turn around...

At this moment, Bowen subtly pinched Li Chen's waist hard.

Li Chen frowned, the sharp pain causing him to stop his next dribbling move. At that moment, Bowen seized the opportunity to successfully steal the ball.

As the second dirtiest man in NBA history, Bowen knew very well that referees couldn't see such small tricks as pinching someone's waist.

That's how it is in the NBA; if the referee can't see it, it's a good play.

Just as Bowen was triumphantly stealing the ball from Li Chen, the referee's whistle blew.

He also signaled that Bowen had committed a foul.

Bowen was dumbfounded. He knew this trick had always worked for him and he had never been caught before.

Meanwhile, Barkley in the TNT broadcast room was slightly taken aback. He subconsciously looked at Kenny Smith and asked blankly, "Although Bowen doesn't play cleanly, was this really a foul?"

Kenny Smith shook his head, indicating he didn't know either, then said, "Let's take a look at the slow motion."

After a short while, the two examined the area from multiple angles and vaguely noticed a move that appeared to be a foul by Bowen.

Upon seeing this, Barkley couldn't help but exclaim, "Kenny, I have to admit, Mr. Joey Crawford, are those eyes of a cyborg?" He could even see such subtle movements.

At the same time, Bowen certainly didn't believe the referee could see that he had committed a foul.

Other Spurs players also came to put pressure on the referees.

Bowen walked up to the bald Joey Crawford and innocently said, "Mr. Crawford, I didn't commit a foul!"

Joey Crawford raised an eyebrow, thinking, "Oh ho! How dare they question my integrity Crawford?"

Joey Crawford immediately pressed his right fingertips against his left palm, making a T gesture, a technical foul. Joey Crawford wasn't going to tolerate Bowen at all.

Seeing that referee Joey Crawford, the bald man, gave Bowen a technical foul without hesitation, Duncan and the others wisely kept quiet.

At the same time, Popovich thought Bowen's shot was a good shot, so he went over to argue with him.

Upon witnessing this, the assistant coach grabbed Popovich.

"Mr. Popovich, you already have one technical foul."

An assistant coach's reminder calmed Popovich down. He thought for a while with a sullen face, but finally sat down again indignantly.

On the other side, Li Chen looked at the dejected Bowen and sneered, "What goes around comes around. Don't think you can get away with it just because you're discreet."

Although Li Chen said this to Bowen, Li Chen Joey Crawford also heard it. The phrase "What people do, heaven is watching" can be translated into English as "What people do, the gods know."

This led Joey Crawford to misunderstand; he thought Li Chen was praising him, which made him very happy.

So he happily walked towards the free-throw line.

Meanwhile, Bowen's face darkened even more.

Before he could say anything, Li Chen added, "By the way, you've already committed five fouls! Don't resort to those underhanded tactics anymore, or the sharp-eyed referee Crawford might eject you from the game."

After saying that, Li Chen also walked towards the free throw line.

Li Chen's psychological warfare was successful. At this moment, Bowen hesitated, wondering whether he should continue to defend as before.

But if we really have to continue... that Joey Crawford is very strange. He really doesn't understand how this bald guy could so decisively call a foul on himself when it was such a subtle foul.

It's important to understand that even during a replay, it's impossible to confirm whether you committed a foul; only a vague definition can be given.

A moment later, Li Chen began to enforce the one-free-throw-and-throw technical foul rule.

Whoosh! 93 to 84.

Li Chen's free throws are incredibly consistent.

Li Chen then stood on the sideline to take the throw-in.

Li Chen passed the ball to Corey Maggette.

Corey Maggette drove toward the basket, but instead of making the run, he passed the ball to Eli.

Eli passes the ball to Odom.

Odom drove to the basket for a layup, but his shot was blocked by Duncan, and the ball went out of bounds.

The Clippers continue to throw the ball inbounds.

Corey Maggette passed the ball to Li Chen, who had made a successful run.

Li Chen made a breakthrough, but was forced to the baseline by Parker and Bowen. He managed to pass the ball to Corey Maggette with difficulty.

Corey Maggette's attempt to fake out Ginobili failed, and he passed the ball to Odom.

Odom attempted a Euro-step layup, but it was blocked by David Robinson.

Wang Zhizhi grabbed the rebound under the basket, but his hook shot was blocked by Duncan.

The basketball didn't go out of bounds and was caught by Bowen.

At this moment Li Chen, Odom, and Corey Maggette triple-teamed Bowen.

The incident happened suddenly. After struggling for a moment, Bowen was outnumbered and lost possession of the ball.

Corey Maggette passed the ball to Li Chen.

Bowen tried to steal the ball, but Li Chen didn't give him the chance, immediately faking a shot and passing to Odom was crouching near the baseline.

Nobili reacted extremely quickly; he anticipated Li Chen's plan and closed in on him the moment Odom received the ball.

Knowing he had no chance to shoot a three-pointer, Odom opted to drive to the basket.

Li Chen shouted, "Throw it! There's no time left!"

Upon hearing this, Odom suddenly realized what was happening. He attempted a Euro-step layup, but Duncan had already emerged, standing like a towering mountain in Odom's path, and then...

Li Chen cursed inwardly; this guy was actually shifting the blame.

Odom used a Euro step to pass the ball back to Li Chen.

Li Chen had just received the ball when the shot clock was about to expire, but he wasn't one to give up easily, and he was determined to shoot the ball even at the very end.

Just as Li Chen leaped high to catch the basketball, he pulled it back to his chest, bent his legs, and slowed his descent.

Then, using his powerful core strength, he pushed the basketball from his chest toward the basket.

Thump! The basketball hit the backboard, then bounced around inside the rim before finally falling in.

The "Miracle Shot" skill has been triggered again.

The Clippers narrowed the gap to 7 points, 93-86.

This goal greatly displeased the Spurs fans, who were immediately met with a deafening roar of boos.

In the TNT broadcast room.

"That was fantastic! The Spurs truly deserve their reputation as one of the league's top defensive teams; they held the Clippers to 24 seconds straight," Kenny Smith exclaimed.

"Heh! Is it useful? In the end, he still fell victim to the luck of that Eastern Kid?" Barkley retorted seriously.

Kenny Smith was taken aback, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he said calmly, "Charles, you need to understand that luck can never replace ability."

"Oh! Kenny, how about we make a bet?"

Kenny Smith laughed, feigning ignorance, and asked, "How do we bet?"

"Simple, the Spurs won, you kiss a donkey's ass. How about that?" Barkley grinned wickedly.

Kenny Smith "..."

On the other side, seeing Li Chen's goal, Popovich felt an urge to curse. Everyone said this Eastern Kid was incredibly lucky, and seeing him today, it was indeed extraordinary. Fuck, this kind of guy with such incredible luck is really annoying.

At this moment, in addition to hating three-pointers, Popovich has found another thing he hates.

All the Spurs players looked a bit lost. Their defense was near perfect, even forcing them to the 24-second shot clock, but in the end they still couldn't stop the Clippers' offense.

Just then, a calm voice rang out.

"It's our turn to attack."

This seemingly ordinary remark made all the Spurs players look towards the reliable man holding the basketball at the baseline.

David Robinson nodded with satisfaction, looking at Duncan.

"Guys, there's no need to be discouraged. Our defense is impeccable. It's just that that Eastern Kid's dribbling is too good. Luck may have been on his side multiple times," Ginobili shouted.

"Manu is right."

On the other side.

In the Clippers' bench, Alvin Gentry showed no sign of joy. He realized the Clippers were significantly behind the Spurs, especially in the paint. No one could contend with Duncan; with him on the court, the Clippers' drives to the Clippers were essentially nullified.

No, we absolutely must convince Mr. Baylor to strengthen our frontcourt next season.

At the same time, Li Chen let out a deep breath. This attack was too difficult. No wonder they were the Spurs who eliminated the Lakers this season.

"Fuck, you scored that? Chen, you're amazing!" Odom exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah! We were all desperate." The Clippers players were very excited.

However, Li Chen wasn't as optimistic as they were, so he calmly said, "Next, we must defend against this shot."

Seeing Li Chen's serious expression, the players nodded solemnly in response.

The Spurs on offense.

After Parker dribbled the ball up the court, knowing that Li Chen was a tough opponent, he decisively passed the ball to Ginobili.

After receiving the ball, Ginobili displayed his amazing ability to break through defenses.

Eli couldn't defend against Ginobili's serpentine breakthrough at all; he could only offer slight resistance before being overtaken.

Li Chen had no choice but to switch defenses with Eli. Ginobili, skilled and daring, once again used his serpentine breakthrough.

However, Li Chen is not Eli; his physical attributes and reaction speed are far superior to those of Eli, a bench player.

Li Chen closely followed Ginobili, and whenever Ginobili dared to shoot, Li Chen would deliver a powerful block.

Ginobili clearly wouldn't force a shot at Li Chen; he faked a shot and then passed to Duncan.

After receiving the ball, Duncan leaned against Wang Zhizhi, used his agile footwork to shake off Wang Zhizhi, and then made a simple yet accurate 45-degree bank shot.

But just then, a figure blocked Duncan's view.

Thud! The basketball was slapped away by Li Chen.

The referee's whistle blew, and the ball went to the baseline.

At the same time, Duncan was startled. Seeing Li Chen's explosive power, he couldn't help but recall the past. He too had been so full of vigor back then!

So he thought that as a senior, he should say something to this newcomer, and after thinking about it, Duncan made a decision.

Bowen of the Spurs throws the ball inbounds.

At the same time, Li Chen looked intently at Bowen was looking around for a passing target.

Just then, Bowen's eyes lit up as he saw Parker suddenly make a successful run and raise his hand for the ball.

Bowen decisively passed the ball to Parker, but at that moment, Li Chen's right hand, as accurate as radar, intercepted the pass.

Then he sprinted towards the frontcourt, leaving everyone else in the dust, and then hit a three-pointer in pursuit.

93 to 89.

Meanwhile, Bowen and Parker stared blankly at the back of the man wearing the number 16 Clippers jersey.

They don't understand, they really don't understand. It was clearly a beautiful counter-run, so how did it get stolen from them so inexplicably? Now they're like, "Where am I? Who am I?" They're caught in a deep self-doubt.

"Fuck, you cunning brat," Popovich cursed.

He really didn't expect that this Eastern Kid would be so cunning, deliberately letting someone slip by and then tricking Bowen into passing the ball.

What surprised him most was this Eastern Kid's calculation ability; he was able to predict when Bowen would pass the ball.

At that moment, he felt a sense of relief, thankful that the kid wasn't the coach, otherwise he would have had a real headache.

In the TNT broadcast room.

"Oh my God, oh my God, it's happening again, the game against the Jazz is happening again!" Barkley shouted.

Kenny Smith smiled slightly and said, "Charles, if you knew this kid's resume, you wouldn't be surprised."

"Oh? Kenny, do you know anything?" Barkley was genuinely curious this time.

"Heh! Last time I saw Li Chen's amazing judgment, I was curious and checked his resume. I was shocked to find that this kid is actually a genius, a student at MIT. But after he got to the US, he didn't even bother to apply."

Barkley was dumbfounded. This kid is really something else, he thought to himself.

On the field.

After a series of losses, Popovich couldn't sit still any longer. If the Clippers Spurs their momentum, they might be caught up or even overtaken by the Clippers Spurs. So he finally called a timeout.

On the other side, the Clippers players were dumbfounded. They hadn't even reacted when they suddenly went from being on the defensive to being on the offensive, and then the offense was won.

This time, Corey Maggette, who rarely jokes, actually cracked a joke.

He clenched his fist, using it as a microphone, and asked with a smile, "Mr. Li Chen, how did you manage to do that?"

"This is God's guidance," Li Chen said solemnly, pointing to the Heavenly Dao.

Li Chen's words drew boos from his teammates.

After the timeout, both head coaches simultaneously devised a defensive fast break strategy.

The score remained close throughout the fourth quarter.

With 48 seconds remaining in the game, the Spurs still led the Clippers 103-101 by two points.