No matter how badly he was getting beaten on defense, life went on, and so did the game. There was no time for him to get sentimental on the court. Powell threw himself back into the offense, moving actively without the ball and using a screen from the team's backup small forward, Patterson, to get open at the wing.
Before he could shoot, Chen Xi was in front of him again. So Powell put the ball on the floor, drove, and changed direction...
A crisp sound rang out. The ball had vanished from Powell's hands.
Chen Xi turned and pushed the break, tossing up a little lob. Westbrook read his intent and took off at once, throwing down a two-handed tomahawk dunk. As soon as he landed, he let out a loud roar and triggered Flame Charge—scratch that.
After roaring and interacting with the fans, Westbrook slapped hands with Chen Xi again on the way back on defense.
"Great defense, Chris! That's it! Wipe the floor with them!"
"Easy for you to say. That actually hurt, Turtle Turtle."
Chen Xi gave Westbrook a dead-fish stare, then looked at his reddening palm.
If they did that a few more times in one game, his hand might end up ruined. This guy used the same force for high-fives as he did for dunks. Being Westbrook's teammate came with its own particular brand of suffering. Plus one...
Did nobody care how I felt???
Powell stood at midcourt, looking like he was about to fall apart.
Two possessions in, and the other team had already thrown down two monster dunks, both on fast breaks after steals. He hadn't been able to catch up either time...
Lowry noticed Powell's dejection. After dribbling over, he offered a quiet word of comfort.
"It's fine. It's only four points. We'll get them back."
The experienced bulldog knew exactly how Powell felt. He'd had the same experience guarding Rose and Paul in his early years—getting utterly wrecked by sheer talent. That was one of the hardest things for a young player to accept.
Because it meant having to admit that you were weaker than someone else—and by a lot. It was frustrating, but it was reality.
The best thing to do was try to shift Powell's focus, then use the team's plays to score a few baskets. Ideally, a win would wash away some of his frustration and ease the pain and resentment he was feeling.
Of course, it would only ease it. In the end, he had to work through it himself. As time passed and he matured, he'd naturally come to terms with it.
Life wouldn't stop for anyone's disappointment, and the game went on. Lowry continued to orchestrate the offense.
If they couldn't do much from the perimeter, they'd attack inside!
Lowry called for a screen from Patterson, then drove down from the center of the court. When Little Sabonis came over to help, Lowry fired a bounce pass at an angle to Nogueira, who finished with an easy dunk.
"The Raptors haven't lost their composure over a couple of baskets. Kyle Lowry is still calm. He spotted a hole in the Thunder's defense and took advantage right away—that's exactly what you want from a veteran with experience! He knows what to do to stop an opponent's momentum when they start heating up."
The Raptors had found a way to attack the weakness inside created by the Thunder's five-out offense, but Little Sabonis was still tall, and Nogueira couldn't create his own shot. Lowry had no choice but to keep using his threat as a driver to try to open up opportunities for Nogueira near the basket.
At the same time, though, the Raptors couldn't do much to contain the Thunder's threat from the perimeter.
Westbrook and Chen Xi were working beautifully together, and for a while they became a pair of poisons for the opposition. With Sabonis having inherited his father's excellent playmaking skills, the Thunder's offense was still thriving.
For a time, neither team could stop the other.
The stalemate lasted until DeRozan checked back in.
With Chen Xi tight on him, DeRozan took his time.
A jab step, a drive toward the low post, his back to the basket as he felt out the defender's position, a shoulder fake, then a turnaround jumper.
His technique looked like it had been honed through thousands of repetitions, and Chen Xi struggled to contain him. Even with the boost from his Defensive Badge, Chen Xi could only get his arms up and offer some resistance. The ball still slipped smoothly through the net.
The helpless look on Chen Xi's face had simply changed owners.
His vertical leap was still a little lacking. Even when he read the direction of the shot, he couldn't get up in time to block it. Against a player like DeRozan, his Fadeaway Jumper relied entirely on touch. Even a hand in his face might not matter; to stop it, Chen Xi would have to get a hand on the ball.
DeRozan, who had gone off in the second quarter, kept piling on the points. Meanwhile, the Thunder's offense sputtered with Westbrook on the bench.
Oladipo was good at creating his own shot, but he couldn't finish like Westbrook and Chen Xi did together. His passing was also a step below theirs, which hurt the Offensive Efficiency of Chen Xi and Grant as well.
Donovan watched from the sidelines, at a loss. The player the team had pinned so much hope on when they traded for him, Oladipo, was now the one who seemed out of sync with the system.
On defense, with Roberson off the floor, Chen Xi had to take on the opponent's top offensive threat. DeRozan's hot shooting made Chen Xi's repeated attempts to defend him in the low post unsuccessful.
The Thunder suddenly found themselves in a tough spot. The team was still too dependent on Westbrook.
Fortunately, it didn't last long. After getting through a difficult stretch, Westbrook checked back in and once again led the team's counterattack.
Chen Xi sat on the bench, gasping for breath.
The high intensity on both ends of the court was taking its toll.
"Damn system, you give me so few points, and I only get to add stats once every six months. How long will it take me to improve by training on my own? Shit!"
After taking a long swig of Gatorade, Chen Xi slumped back in his chair and asked about his stats.
"Four for six, efficient as ever. Chris, with the free throws, you've got fifteen points already," Davis, a member of the front office staff sitting beside him, said with a smile.
"Truly impressive. Your shooting percentage from the left wing is an incredible 73% so far! That's amazing!"
"Keep it low-key. It's just the basics. Don't make a big deal of it."
After showing off a little, Chen Xi glanced at the series of missions the system had provided.
It wasn't even the end of the second quarter yet. If the Raptors didn't change their Defensive strategy, would he have a chance to break the 30-point record?
At the thought of a chance to go even further, Chen Xi suddenly perked up. He sat up and gently massaged the muscles in his legs.
Moving without the ball was damn exhausting. The Masked Man was a straight-up Monster!
Early in the Third Quarter, Chen Xi checked back in. He started by using Grant's movement to slip behind the defense for a ghost cut and an easy layup.
The Raptors' defense edged outward, and a gap opened up inside. Their two rookies still lacked experience.
Then, when he saw Siakam miss a Mid-range shot, Chen Xi immediately put everything into sprinting up the court. Westbrook's pass came quickly, and without hesitation, Chen Xi pulled up for a chasedown three-pointer.
Swish~~~~
The sound of the ball brushing through the net was music to his ears.
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