Down by 20 (Two-in-One)

In a domestic live streaming room.

"Chen performed exceptionally well in this match," Sun Zhengping remarked.

Zhang Weiping nodded in agreement, "Chen's performance today was comparable to that of superstar Kobe Bryant."

Sun Zhengping "..."

In this game, Sacramento Kings' Chris Webber played 40 minutes, shooting 10-for-22, scoring 25 points, 3 assists, 6 rebounds, and 5-for-8 from the free-throw line.

Stojakovic played 41 minutes, shooting 7-for-18, scoring 28 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds, including 6-for-8 from three-point range and 8-for-10 from the free-throw line.

Bibby played 30 minutes, shooting 4-for-10 for 13 points and 6 assists, including 1-for-3 from three-point range and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line.

Clippers.

Odom played 39 minutes, shooting 8-for-20, scoring 20 points and dishing out 2 assists, including 3-for-10 from three-point range and 1-for-3 from the free-throw line.

Corey Maggette played 36 minutes, shooting 7-for-17, scoring 19 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds, including 1-for-4 from three-point range and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.

Wang Zhizhi played for 30 minutes, shooting 5-for-11, scoring 15 points and dishing out 4 assists, including 2-for-4 from three-point range and 3-for-5 from the free-throw line.

Li Chen played 45 minutes, shooting 16-for-35, scoring 49 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks, including 4-for-6 from three-point range and 13-for-14 from the free-throw line.

In this game, Li Chen's field goal percentage was 45.71%, his three-point field goal percentage was 66.67%, and his free throw percentage was 92.86%.

But just as the Clippers returned to their temporary locker room, two NBA staff members, led by a grim-faced Alvin Gentry, entered the Clippers' temporary locker room.

Two NBA staff members politely said, "Mr. Li Chen, we need your cooperation."

Li Chen looked at Alvin Gentry, who was standing silently to the side, with surprise, and then at the two NBA staff members.

Then, with a hint of surprise, he asked, "Sir, may I ask you something?"

The two men thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Li Chen, please cooperate with us in conducting drug testing."

Li Chen frowned and remained silent.

On the other side, upon hearing this, Odom abruptly stood up, angrily demanding, "What do you mean?"

Immediately afterwards, the other Clippers players also stood up, glaring at the two NBA staff members with displeasure.

"Mr. Li Chen, you should know that we have the right to conduct drug tests at any time during each season."

Li Chen thought to himself, "Everyone else got 71 points and was called in for a drug test, but I only got 49!"

At this moment, Alvin Gentry said coldly, "Stop making a fuss."

After his angry rebuke, he looked at Li Chen and said, "Chen, it's just a routine check, don't be nervous."

Li Chen nodded, and half an hour later, the drug test results came back, and Li had no problems.

Li Chen had anticipated this outcome.

The next day.

Inside the Clippers General Manager Office.

Elgin Baylor is considering signing players.

Lost in thought, he picked up the phone. A moment later, the call was answered. "Hello, Carl, this is Elgin Baylor."

Karl Malone was somewhat surprised, and he quickly said, "Hello, Mr. Baylor, may I ask...?"

"I heard your contract with the Jazz expires this year. Are you interested in joining the Los Angeles Clippers?"

Malone thought for a moment, then said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Mr. Baylor, next season might be my last, so I want to contend for the championship." The implication was that the Clippers were preparing to compete for the title.

Hearing this, Elgin Baylor sighed inwardly, feeling a pang of regret. "Good luck, Carl."

"Thanks."

Elgin Baylor didn't try to persuade him, because he had once been one of them and knew the obsession Karl Malone had for the championship.

Elgin Baylor believes the Clippers can win the championship trophy, but not next year, because he doesn't think the Clippers have the strength to win it.

At that moment, he cursed Donald Sterling inwardly as a miser.

Meanwhile, the media began to extensively publicize Li Chen's 49 points.

Although Iverson's 55-point performance came first, Li Chen, as a rookie, certainly deserves to have his story told. Therefore, the calls for Li Chen to be Jordan's successor are growing louder.

Actually, some of Li Chen's other high scores are inflated, since his shooting percentage is less than 50%. Obviously, these are data obtained by taking more shots.

But Li Chen had no choice. If he didn't shoot, the Clippers would be out of the Playoffs this season, and Li Chen didn't want that to end, so he had to shoot.

It's worth mentioning that Sweetie publicly stated in the media that she was a fan of Li Chen, which further boosted Li Chen's popularity.

This also angered Avril.

So, without Li Chen's knowledge, Avril called.

As soon as Li Chen answered the phone, he heard Avril say in a sarcastic tone:

"Chen, congratulations! Looks like you're about to find love, and my fake girlfriend is going to be out of a job."

Li Chen was somewhat confused and asked, "What are you talking about? I don't understand?"

"Tch, you hypocrite, you must be ecstatic right now, aren't you?"

Li Chen raised an eyebrow. He found Avril's naiveté somewhat inexplicable, so he said, "Do you have anything else? If not, I'm hanging up. I still have training to do!"

Li Chen's impatience was actually a pleasant surprise that no one was making Avril angry.

So he told her about Britney Spears.

At this moment, Li Chen suddenly realized why Avril was acting so strangely.

So he teased, "Hey, hey, hey! You wouldn't happen to have a crush on me, would you?"

"Tch, stop being so conceited. My other half needs to share common interests with me. I don't have much in common with a basketball player like you."

Li Chen touched his nose. Was he being disliked?

Then Avril said again, "Chen."

"What?" Li Chen asked, his thoughts returning to normal.

"Can you let me know before you find your true love?"

Li Chen was slightly taken aback, then said, "I'm not thinking about this until I surpass Jordan."

A moment later, Li Chen hung up the phone.

The G6 tournament kicked off again a day later at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The Clippers defeated the Kings 104-97 in this game.

As always, the Clippers didn't play well in the first quarter.

However, the S-rank skill that Li Chen randomly received in this match was [Divine Shooter].

With the help of their skills and under the leadership of their new captain, Li Chen, they kept the score close.

At the start of the first quarter, the Clippers were slightly on the back foot, trailing 20-23.

Li Chen displayed extraordinary resilience on the court, and his outstanding performance instilled confidence in the whole team whenever they were trailing by a large margin.

The second quarter continued, and the Clippers remained in trouble, trailing 21-26.

However, Li Chen continued to give his teammates hope with powerful dunks, making them believe that the Clippers could turn the tide.

In the third quarter, the Clippers showed great fighting spirit and tied the game at 28-28.

In this quarter, Li Chen demonstrated his all-around abilities, excelling in scoring, assists, and defense, showcasing his responsibility as the core of the team.

In the final quarter, the Clippers finally broke through, taking the lead with a 35-20 run.

Li Chen's decisiveness and execution in crucial moments brought valuable scoring opportunities to the team, and his leadership was also fully demonstrated on the court.

Ultimately, thanks to Li Chen's outstanding performance, the Clippers won the game and Clippers to Game 7.

Li Chen's significant contribution was not only reflected in his scoring and assists, but more importantly in his leadership and decision-making abilities in crucial moments. At this point, Li Chen had become the soul of the Clippers.

As long as he perseveres and doesn't give up, the Clippers will continue to sail against the wind, no matter how fierce the storms ahead. They firmly believe that no matter how severe the challenges, they will be able to forge ahead.

It's worth mentioning that the Kings continued to employ a double-team strategy to wear down Li Chen's stamina.

But they still failed because Li Chen possessed offensive skills today.

The Kings have been trailing the Clippers for three consecutive games, causing varying degrees of emotional fluctuation among the players. This emotional rollercoaster might make Game 7 even more intriguing.

In this game, Stojakovic, a supporting player for the Kings, played 39 minutes, shooting 11-for-18, scoring 26 points, 4 assists, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block, including 2-for-7 from three-point range and 2-for-3 from the free-throw line.

Webber played 35 minutes, scoring 24 points, grabbing six rebounds, dishing out nine assists, shooting 9-for-15 from the field and 6-for-9 from the free-throw line.

Clippers Odom played 37 minutes for the Clippers, shooting 8-for-17 for 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, including 3-for-6 from three-point range.

Corey Maggette played 32 minutes, shooting 8-for-15, scoring 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, including 3-for-7 from three-point range and 1-for-1 from the free-throw line.

Wang Zhizhi played 25 minutes, shooting 3-for-7, scoring 12 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, dishing out 1 assist, and making all 5 of 5 free throws.

Li Chen played 46 minutes, shooting 14-for-28, scoring 39 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, including 5-for-8 from three-point range and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.

Meanwhile, the Clippers' dominance has tempted some to gamble on a miracle, given the 1 to 30 odds. As a result, a large number of people are willing to take the plunge.

With a large number of such people appearing, betting companies had no choice but to lower the odds to 1 to 5, a reduction of six times.

However, the actions of the betting companies gave some self-proclaimed clever people a sense of opportunity. Little did they know that this was just a trick by the betting companies.

However, when some sports programs invited NBA legends to discuss the difficulty of a comeback from 3-0 down to 4-3,

Only those gamblers realized how difficult it is to get 4 out of 3.

Even Michael Jordan, the God of Basketball who has always been a big fan of Li Chen, surprisingly doesn't believe the Clippers can win this time.

Yes, miracles are not so easily broken.

And so, Game 7 of the first Playoffs between the Clippers and the Kings began.

The lineups of both teams remained almost unchanged.

In this game, Li Chen's random S-rank Skill is [Mid-range King]. Seeing this skill, Li Chen's confidence increased a bit.

But once the competition started, Li Chen realized what it meant to be outmatched.

At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers trailed the Sacramento Kings 20-40 by 20 points.

Chris Webber was on fire in the first quarter, scoring 20 points. He was truly like a god descending to earth today.

His outstanding performance left the Clippers helpless, and at that moment, despair was felt by every Clippers player.

In the TNT broadcast room.

Kenny Smith said with some regret, "The Clippers played fine in the first quarter, just as expected, but the Sacramento Kings' performance was nothing short of perfect."

"Sigh! To be honest, it's a real shame about the Clippers."

Kenny Smith nodded, a hint of regret on his face, thinking to himself that miracles are indeed not so easy to create.

But then he added, "It's alright, it's only the first quarter, the Clippers still have a chance."

However, given the Kings' current form, even if their offense slows down in the second quarter, they are unlikely to score below 30 points.

Therefore, even if the Clippers score 40 points in the next quarter, they will not be able to tie the score.

Moreover, given the Clippers' momentum, is it possible for them to score 40 points? The Answer is no.

Clippers' rest area.

At this moment, the Clippers' rest area was completely silent; they were all enveloped in despair.

At this moment, Alvin Gentry was in despair; he truly didn't know what to do next.

At this point, the offensive tactics assistant coach suggested, "Coach Alvin, now we can only compete with the Kings on offense. The 20-point gap is just too big. If we don't step up our offense, we have absolutely no chance of winning."

Upon hearing what the assistant coach said, Alvin Gentry suddenly realized what was going on, and then he couldn't help but look at Li Chen.

He knew that if Li Chen also gave up, then the match would be over; if he didn't give up, there was at least a glimmer of hope.

At the same time, Li Chen was also asking himself, could they really continue on this path?

No, we can't give up. We promised to wait for Elton Brand to play in the Playoffs together. We promised we wouldn't let the fans down.

Thinking of this, Li Chen looked at the silent Elton Brand, and at this moment his expression gradually became firm. He was going to fight, to fight to the last second.

This time, he didn't resort to motivational platitudes; those things lose their effectiveness over time. What he needs to do now is demonstrate his attitude to his teammates through his actions when he takes the court in the second quarter.

Therefore, the start of the second quarter is crucial. At this point, he slowly closed his eyes, repeatedly recalling the rhythm of each goal in his mind.

At the same time, seeing Li Chen's resolute expression without a trace of dejection, Alvin Gentry felt a glimmer of hope rise in his heart; perhaps a miracle could really happen.

In a villa somewhere in Salt Lake City.

When Karl Malone saw the Clippers trailing by 20, he knew Clippers had lost.

Karl Malone was actually very impressed with Li Chen; he played very unselfishly.

Sometimes he even felt that this Eastern Kid shouldn't play shooting guard; he should be an open shot like Stockton.

What impressed me most about him was his strong physique; he didn't fall to the ground even after being hit by his iron elbow.

The reason I thought of watching the Clippers game was because of a phone call from Elgin Baylor. That's why this happened, but he still won't join the Clippers.

Los Angeles.

After seeing that the Clippers were down by 20 points, Kobe turned off the TV and went back to his room to rest.

He felt that if he were to place himself below Li Chen, he might still have a chance, but he thought Li Chen had no chance.

He didn't want to see things with a predetermined outcome.

Okay! He has to admit that he was very unhappy watching his younger brother lose. In his mind, only he, Kobe Bryant, could beat Li Chen.

Meanwhile, a group of fans were cursing the Clippers as useless and Li Chen as useless. This group was the same group that tried to outsmart the Clippers by betting on their comeback victory.

At the start of the second quarter, the Kings players were full of confidence, while the Clippers kept their heads down and remained silent.

The difference between the two is like night and day, and this is a common problem for teams making their first Playoffs run.