"Damn it! This sucks!!!!" Chen Xi took Lovington's inbound pass in frustration and slowly walked upcourt. When he saw James step in front of him after calling for the switch, his vision went dark.
"Fuck, you really think I'm afraid of you?!"
Chen Xi started his attack. Facing James, he worked through a series of between-the-legs dribbles, searching for a rhythm. When he saw the slightest shift in James's left foot, he burst down the right side. Before James could close in, Chen Xi made a huge pullback, then drove left again.
He had to avoid physical contact. That was Chen Xi's strategy. If they got into a physical battle, his moves would likely fall apart—and then it was over.
Chen Xi had only taken two steps to the left when he made a quick Sam Good, pulling the ball back again. Then, without pause, he stepped back and rose to shoot.
Swish!!!
"Answer Ball!!! Amazing!!!! The Thunder's incredible number three has turned around and hit LeBron right back!!"
"Thank God, my shot feels good today." As Chen Xi retreated, he pressed his palms together and gave a light bow toward the heavens, indulging in a little harmless superstition.
The Cleveland fans thought Chen was celebrating in some kind of Eastern style, bragging that he'd answered James head-on. They immediately showered him with boos.
Old Zhan didn't care about losing a single basket. He calmly made his way upcourt, knowing that the yellow-skinned kid couldn't pull off a shot like that many times. It was too difficult and took too much energy. If the kid really tried to do it every possession, James would be more than happy to let him.
After calling for Chen Xi again, James drove into the paint with ease. He spun into a layup, effortlessly evading the help-side center, and scored.
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse erupted in deafening cheers once more.
Chen Xi's face darkened. It wasn't that he was upset about getting scored on twice in a row. James had just shoved him in the chest, and he was having trouble catching his breath. Those guys who relied on their bodies were damn annoying!!!!!
As soon as he got back to the Cavaliers' half, he held out his hand for the ball.
"Damn it, I'm scoring right back!"
He started dribbling, stringing together several front crossovers. But this time, James didn't bite at all. He even took a taunting step forward, clearly daring Chen Xi to drive and refusing to give him a shot.
Chen Xi launched into a crossover step and charged hard to the left. After two steps, his left shoulder made light contact with James's chest. Ready for it this time, he used the contact to push himself another big step to the left. He faked a shot, getting James to lunge after him, then spun into an up-and-under layup and scored two.
As he went up for the layup, Channing Frye crashed into him, sending him to the floor. Chen Xi got back up and slapped the base of the basket in frustration, then roared at the fans along the baseline.
The referee's whistle blew at the same time.
"And one!!!!"
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Roberson pulled him to his feet. Chen Xi looked toward the fans, raised his right hand, and flexed his biceps, drawing another round of boos from all sides.
Donovan didn't hesitate. Taking advantage of the free throw, he sent Westbrook back in. Chen Xi had played well on those possessions, but they'd taken too much out of him. They needed someone else to share the burden.
After taking a deep breath, Chen Xi calmly sank the free throw. He and Westbrook exchanged a light high five, then headed back on defense together.
The back-and-forth between Chen Xi and James was over. Up next was the well-rested, fully energized peak Brodie—Russell Westbrook!!
Westbrook scored on Feld one-on-one three times in a row, then set up the offense and got Chen Xi and McDermott a three-pointer apiece. Tyronn Lue hurriedly put Irving and Love back in, continuing to ride his starters hard.
James alone was on the verge of no longer being able to maintain the lead. Lue had to adjust the lineup.
Donovan also took the opportunity to put Butler and Little Sabonis back in, taking out Lovington and Roberson while leaving Grant on the floor. The lineup now was Westbrook, Chen Xi, Butler, Grant, and Sabonis, maximizing the team's spacing.
For the rest of the second quarter, the teams traded attacks. Neither side could stop the other team's main scorers, so they had to rely on offense to keep the score close.
By the end of the second quarter, the score stood at 66–59.
"Cleveland has allowed 66 points in the first half! They're in serious trouble. If things continue like this after halftime, they could find themselves drifting further and further from victory!!"
At the same time, on the far side of the ocean, the two commentators in Penguin Sports' livestream had just finished reading an ad for a certain company and began discussing the game.
"That's right, everyone. After watching the first half, it's easy to draw one conclusion: both teams are relentlessly attacking their opponents' weaknesses." A well-known commentator weighed in.
"The Thunder are attacking from the perimeter—uh, Westbrook's drives are going after Irving's defense, forcing you to collapse into the paint. That gives Chen Xi, Grant, and Butler room to shoot from outside. The Cavaliers are doing the same thing with James. He's simply overpowering your wings. Whoever you put on him, he eats them alive. Butler, Roberson, Grant—it doesn't matter who you send out. You can't stop him~~~"
"That's right. But what's the reason the Thunder are ahead right now? Coach Donovan has timed his substitutions really well. Look at when Westbrook came in—Irving and Love were both off the floor, and the lead immediately grew. When you add it all up, that's a full ten points. That's a big deal." The other commentator sounded calm and even, clearly identifying the game's key turning point.
"Of course, we also have to give credit to our fellow countryman overseas. Chen Xi's performance at the start of the second quarter was crucial. Without him, James would've already pulled away."
"Absolutely. It was a fantastic shootout. Chen Xi's play was unquestionably at an All-Star level, and he showed real guts. James calls him out, and he immediately scores right back. He had so much confidence. As the saying goes, a young calf isn't afraid of a tiger."
"But a seven-point lead is nowhere near safe. If things continue like this in the second half, the score could stay close all the way to crunch time. That's when the stars' abilities will be put to the test. And the Cavaliers have two superstars with ice in their veins—that could well decide the game."
"That's true, but the Thunder aren't lacking in that department either. Just look at Westbrook's history of game-winners. And Chen Xi, just a few days ago at Oracle Arena, hit a game-winning three right over Klay Thompson to beat the Golden State Warriors. You can't rule out another clutch performance from him that decides the game."
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