The Same Predicament
In April, the Clippers had nine games remaining, but Clippers performance was poor, managing only a 3-6 record.
However, under Li Chen's leadership, they still managed to enter the Playoffs with a record of 47 wins and 35 losses, ranking 7th in the Western Conference during the regular season.
Meanwhile, Li Chen once again dominated my Rookie of the Year with 28.27 points, 8 rebounds, 11.09 assists, 1.45 steals, and 1.5 blocks.
The Western Conference rankings are as follows:
1: Spurs 59 wins, 23 losses
2: Kings 58 wins, 24 losses
3: Mavericks Mavericks (59 wins, 23 losses)
4: Timberwolves, 50 wins, 32 losses
5: Lakers, 49 wins and 33 losses
6: Trail Blazers 49 wins, 33 losses
7: Clippers, 47 wins and 35 losses
8: Utah Jazz, 46 wins, 36 losses
Due to the Clippers' unexpected rise, the Western Conference standings have collectively dropped by one game compared to the original timeline.
The Eastern Conference rankings are as follows:
1: Pistons, 50 wins, 32 losses
2: New Jersey Nets, 49 wins and 33 losses
3: Pacers, 48 wins, 34 losses
4: Philadelphia 76ers, 48 wins, 34 losses
5: Pelicans, 47 wins, 35 losses
6: Celtics, 43 wins, 39 losses
7: Bucks, 42 wins and 40 losses
8: Orlando Magic, 42 wins, 40 losses
The first-round matchups for the Western Conference in the Playoffs are as follows:
Western Conference: Spurs vs. Jazz, Timberwolves vs. Lakers, Mavericks vs. Mavericks Trail Blazers, Kings vs. Clippers.
Eastern Conference: Pistons vs. Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Pelicans, New Jersey Warriors vs. Bucks, Pacers vs. Celtics.
On April 20th, the Clippers made it to the Playoffs for the first time in many years.
The Playoffs will be a huge challenge for this young Clippers.
The Clippers were clearly unaccustomed to the intensity of the Playoffs at the start of the game.
The Clippers only scored 8 points in the first quarter.
At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers trailed by 17 points, 25-8.
At the start of the second quarter, the Clippers gradually adapted to the intensity of the Playoffs. At the end of the second quarter, they trailed by 2 points, 21-19.
It's clear that the Clippers are performing better and better.
In the third quarter, they trailed the Kings by 4 points, 23-19.
In the fourth quarter, Li Chen exploded, scoring 20 points on his own. Although the Clippers won the fourth quarter 36-35, Li Chen still managed to secure the victory.
But it was all in vain; the Kings ultimately defeated the Clippers 104-82, a 22-point margin.
The rest of the Clippers players performed poorly, with only Li Chen showing any real form.
The S-skill that Li Chen obtained in this match is called [Desperate Struggle].
[A Glimmer of Hope: After the host's team falls behind for three quarters, the host will receive a buff that increases their layup success rate by 60%.]
Li Chen thought he could use this skill to turn the tide, but the Kings were equally strong in the fourth quarter.
In this game, Li Chen played 46 minutes, shooting 13-for-30, scoring 35 points, 5 assists, 10 rebounds, and 2 steals, including 2-for-3 from three-point range and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line.
Kings' Chris Webber played 44 minutes, scoring 27 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and dishing out 2 assists.
The other players performed consistently, with almost all scoring in double digits.
The second match will be held on April 22 at 8 p. m. at Stadium 1 in Sacramento.
Meanwhile, the results of the other four teams' matches are as follows.
Eastern Conference:
The Celtics defeated the Pacers 103-100.
The Bucks lost to the New Jersey Kings 96-109.
The Jazz defeated the Spurs 96-95.
The Trail Blazers lost to the Dallas Mavericks 86-96.
The next day, Kobe called, ostensibly to comfort Li Chen, but Li Chen could tell he was just showing off. Kobe even offered to pay for Li Chen's plane ticket and tickets to the game.
Li Chen certainly wouldn't give the Little Blacksmith a chance to show off in front of him, so he decisively refused.
This was a great disappointment for Kobe.
Kobe called immediately after the game ended that evening.
Li Chen answered the phone in a daze, only to hear Kobe say calmly, "We won, 117 to 98."
Li Chen rubbed his eyes, then retorted sarcastically, "Don't be so smug. I've already calculated it; your Lakers will lose by a large margin in the second game."
Upon hearing this, Kobe was taken aback at first, then curled his lip and said arrogantly, "You're talking about your Clippers, aren't you!"
At this moment, Li Chen sat up in bed. "Our Clippers will definitely win the next game."
Both of them had an inexplicable sense of self-confidence.
On April 22, the Clippers lost to the Kings again, 95-108.
Then, less than 10 minutes after the game ended, Kobe called.
This guy clearly timed his arrival perfectly.
Li Chen had planned to turn off his phone when he went back to sleep, but he never expected Kobe to...
Kobe's tone remained aloof as he asked calmly, "Chen, is there anything you want to say?"
Li Chen, of course, wouldn't back down, so he stubbornly retorted, "Kobe, even though our Clippers lost, your Lakers can't win either."
"Impossible," Kobe said firmly.
"Tch, how about we make a bet?"
"What are we betting on?"
Li Chen thought for a moment and said, "Let's bet, you'll run to the Staples Center for training on training days."
Hearing this, Kobe's lips twitched slightly. It took him about 40 minutes to drive to the arena; if he were to run...
Thinking of this, Kobe decisively said, "Change to another one. I can't do this one, so let's change to another one."
Li Chen teased, "What? Weren't you very confident?"
Li Chen knew Kobe too well; with just a little provocation, the Little Blacksmith would obediently comply.
As expected, Kobe raised an eyebrow at Li Chen and said, "It's settled then. Oh, and if you lose, you have to run too."
"No problem," Li Chen readily agreed, since his home was close to the Training Gym anyway.
However, he wouldn't lose; he seemed to remember the Lakers losing two games in a row in his previous life.
On the evening of April 23rd.
The Lakers started losing the game in the first quarter.
They lost the first quarter to the Timberwolves by five points, 23-28.
In the second quarter, they lost to the Timberwolves by nine points, 20-29.
The Timberwolves lost the third quarter by seven points, 24-31.
Looking at the score of 67-88, Kobe a bit of a pain in his chest; he had really had a terrible shooting night.
No, how could he possibly lose to that annoying guy Li Chen? No, absolutely not.
Thinking of this, Kobe drove hard to attack Garnett, but missed again.
However, O'Neal found himself on the rebound and successfully dunked.
Li Chen sat in his rented room watching Kobe Bryant miss his shots, feeling incredibly smug.
Hehe! Little Blacksmith, I'll personally start the show and supervise you the day after tomorrow.
Five minutes into the fourth quarter, the Lakers were already down by five points.
At that moment, Kobe realized that his shooting touch was too bad and he couldn't keep shooting like that. He really didn't want to lose to Li Chen.
So Kobe reluctantly gave most of the ball possession to O'Neal.
This surprised O'Neal, who wondered what was wrong with Kobe? Was he delirious from a fever?
Although Kobe relinquished possession of the ball in time, the Timberwolves 101-119.
However, this is much better than the historical record of 91 versus 119.
In the Lakers' temporary locker room, Kobe sharply surveyed the Lakers players.
Watching the Lakers' key role players made them feel extremely uncomfortable, like they were sitting on pins and needles.
Suddenly, he slammed his phone on the ground and stormed out.
This scene sent shivers down the spines of Fisher and the others.
Shaquille O'Neal scratched his head, wondering why Kobe was in such a bad mood today.