Game 4 of the Playoffs

On the other side, Kobe, who had just slammed the door and left, had his cold expression vanish as if melting away, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Chen, I won't give you a chance," Kobe thought smugly.

Kobe was really going all out to avoid Li Chen mocking him for shutting down his phone.

On the other side, Li Chen's time was almost up, but he found that he couldn't get through to Kobe's phone, which left him completely bewildered.

On the morning of April 25th, Kobe went to the garage to drive his car as usual, but as soon as he stepped out of the house, he saw Li Chen waving at him.

At that moment, Kobe had an urge to step on the gas and run away.

Still feeling frustrated, he drove the sports car back to the garage, and then, under Li Chen's supervision, ran towards the Staples Center.

On the way, Li Chen leaned out of the car window and said to Kobe as they drove slowly, "Kobe, you look like you're not convinced!"

Kobe glared at Li Chen, then said in a deep voice, "Dare to gamble again?"

Kobe has already decided that he will win the game tonight, even if he teams up with O'Neal.

Li Chen was slightly stunned, and subconsciously touched his chin, thinking, "The Little Blacksmith is practically offering his face so I can work on him. Would it be too cruel of me to refuse?"

I'm not a cruel person, so I'll reluctantly grant the Little Blacksmith's wish.

So Li Chen nodded and asked, "What are we betting on this time?"

"Of course, we'll also bet on running," Kobe said through gritted teeth.

Li Chen shook his head and refused, saying, "That won't do. I've already seen you make a fool of yourself; it won't be interesting to watch anymore."

Kobe's brow twitched violently. He had an urge to drag Li Chen out of the car and beat him up. This kid was too arrogant.

Kobe, his face dark, asked, "So, what are you going to bet on?"

After thinking for a moment, Li Chen's eyes lit up. "How about we make a bet? If I win, I'll teach your son to play basketball. What do you say?"

Kobe was taken aback, his steps halting, before he shook his head repeatedly, saying, "No."

Are you kidding me? Kobe Bryant's son getting coached in basketball? That's impossible!

Besides, Li Chen is a defeated opponent. Wouldn't it ruin my son if I entrusted him with training? No way, absolutely not.

Li Chen chuckled mischievously and said, "Kobe, you're really that insecure? You know you're going to lose?"

Li Chen once again employed his masterful provocation tactic.

Kobe hesitated for a moment, but finally shook his head and said, "No, choose another one."

Seeing that Kobe, Li Chen felt a little disappointed.

Finally, the two agreed that if Kobe lost, he would be Kobe's practice partner during the offseason. And if Li Chen lost, he would go to the Training Gym.

Meanwhile, Kobe shamelessly broke off the bet that he had to go to the Training Gym, citing a game that night as the reason.

Li Chen didn't care. After all, it was more worthwhile to Kobe a sparring partner than to watch him make a fool of himself.

8 PM on April 25th.

Li Chen sat in the front row of the Staples Center.

The competition began shortly.

From the very first quarter, Kobe transformed into the rational Kobe.

However, Kobe's shooting touch was average today, and O'Neal was also double-teamed, so their offensive efficiency couldn't be maximized.

The Lakers lost to the Timberwolves 24-29 in the first quarter, a total of 5 points.

Kobe reassured himself that it was okay; it was only five points, and he would catch up in two more.

They lost to the Timberwolves by one point in the second quarter.

"It's nothing, it's only one point," Kobe thought nonchalantly.

However... they lost to the Timberwolves by three points in the third quarter.

They lost every quarter of the first three quarters, though by a small margin, but Kobe's face was grim. He realized that Li Chen, that bastard, had a sharp tongue!

Are we really going to lose? No, absolutely not.

In the fourth quarter, Kobe finally found his rhythm, combining outside shooting with inside drives, and the Timberwolves 30-21, forcing overtime.

But in the end, they were defeated by the Timberwolves 113-114.

Kobe didn't even dare to look at Li Chen after the game, and rushed to the temporary rest room.

In the end, Li Chen still couldn't catch Kobe.

On April 27, with Kobe watching, the Clippers suffered their third consecutive loss.

Li Chen played 46 minutes, shooting 8-for-25, scoring 20 points, dishing out 10 assists, and making 4 of 4 free throws.

At this moment, the entire Clippers team was shrouded in gloom.

They knew the Clippers had no chance; they were about to be swept.

On Mount Olives, Li Chen sat silently at the summit, lost in thought.

At that moment, Kobe walked over, sat down next to Li Chen, and comforted him, saying, "You've done enough."

Kobe meant it; he couldn't have achieved the same results as Li Chen during his rookie season.

Li Chen, still gazing at the lush greenery below, didn't reply and said, "What's the use? In the end, we still lost."

"Chen, but you're a rookie! This performance is good enough."

Li Chen chuckled self-deprecatingly and said nothing.

Li Chen was depressed all night and didn't get up until eight o'clock the next morning.

After getting up and washing up, he looked at himself in the mirror and said, "Never give up until the very end."

After that, he went to the team and began a day of training.

But he noticed that his teammates were all depressed and listless.

Elton Brand has been in recovery training for some time now, and he'll be back on the court soon.

But it seems he has no chance.

Seeing this, Li Chen's heart sank. He knew he had to get his teammates motivated; otherwise, what good would it do him to score 50 points?

In the afternoon, Harden and DeRozan curious to see Li Chen acting as if nothing had happened. They knew they would be devastated if they were swept 3-0 in the Playoffs.

But their leader acted as if nothing had happened, which made them very curious.

So Harden, who's always talking, asked, "Boss, aren't you sad?"

Li Chen glanced at him and retorted irritably, "We haven't completely lost, so why should I be sad?"

"But the Clippers are going to be swept!"

Although Harden's voice was very soft, Li Chen still heard it.

"Little fatty, I think you're being too stubborn. Run around the court until you can't get up anymore."

"No! No, boss! I'm still a child..."

Meanwhile, at 8 p. m., the Lakers defeated the Timberwolves 120-90.

However, Kobe, knowing Li Chen was in a bad mood, unusually refrained from showing off.

If he knew that Li Chen had already rallied and even wanted to turn the tables, he would probably regret it.

Thursday, May 1st

In the TNT broadcast room.

"The three-game losing streak has dealt a huge blow to this young Clippers. It remains to be seen whether they can bounce back in this game, or they might just get swept."

"The Clippers' biggest disadvantage is that they don't have a single player who makes the Playoffs, which leads to their inconsistent performance in the Playoffs."

Barkley nodded in agreement and said, "I believe that if the Clippers can add some experienced veterans or some All-Defensive First Team players next season, they will definitely make the Playoffs again and go even further."

Kenny Smith chuckled and teased, "That depends on Mr. Baylor's methods. If he can't persuade Donald Sterling..."

Although Kenny Smith didn't finish his sentence, people in the NBA know that Donald Sterling is notoriously stingy, on par with the Spurs' stingy guy.

The Spurs's situation is somewhat understandable, given the smaller market size.

But it's a bit unreasonable for Donald Sterling, who has access to such a large basketball market in Los Angeles, to be so stingy.

At this point, Kenny Smith changed the subject, saying, "Let's take a look at the two teams' replacement starting lineups today."