Accident

Although the process was beautiful, the journey was not always smooth sailing.

Time came to February 5th, and the Thunder were hosting the Trail Blazers.

What should have been an easy win turned into a major incident. Westbrook, during a layup in the second quarter, jumped too high. His waist was hit by a defender's shoulder, causing him to lose balance in mid-air. He landed and couldn't get up for a long time, eventually being helped up by Chen Xi.

After a brief examination by the team doctor, Westbrook was helped back to the locker room and would be unable to play for a while.

Fortunately, Chen remained relatively calm, "didn't cause further trouble," and merely hurled threats at the Trail Blazers.

"You resort to such dirty tactics when you can't win? You lose the game and your dignity!"

Amusingly, before he could finish speaking, he was being pushed back by the referee.

Ever since the brawl with Redick last time, Chen had become a focal point for the referees during such moments. Just the act of helping Westbrook up had put the referee on high alert, ready to intervene and break up a fight at any moment. Now that trash talk had started, he immediately pushed Chen Xi away to prevent further conflict.

How could the proud Lillard tolerate such words? Even while being held back by McCollum, he tried to chase after Chen Xi to retort.

"You, a rookie? You think you can win? Go home to your mom!"

Chen Xi didn't say another word. He just gave Lillard a cold look and turned back to his own half of the court.

With Westbrook off the court, Donovan didn't choose to substitute Payne. Instead, he experimented by putting Roberson on the court, forming a three-forward lineup with Butler and Grant.

After executing the technical free throws, it was the Trail Blazers' offense.

Facing Lillard dribbling the ball towards him, Chen Xi was fully focused, staring at the shorter player in front of him.

The three-forward lineup made Lillard lose the desire to run pick-and-rolls. Having Chen Xi, who was 196 cm tall, block him and then switch to Butler at 203 cm or Roberson at 201 cm was clearly not a good idea.

So, Lillard faced Chen Xi, lowered his center of gravity, and began dribbling to find his rhythm.

"Rookie, you think playing a few good games makes you a big star? You really think you're someone important? You're just a clown!"

He spewed some trash talk while dribbling, but Chen Xi didn't respond. He just watched him.

This made Lillard feel incredibly agitated, and a surge of anger rose within him.

He pushed the ball forward, changed direction, and drove to the left. Seeing Chen Xi chasing him, he pulled the ball between his legs, crossed over to the right, then back to the left, followed by a step-back jumper.

But before he could even complete his shooting motion, a shadow appeared in front of his face.

Having learned about Lillard beforehand, Chen Xi guessed he would likely take a jump shot. Although he almost didn't keep up with the step-back, he had jumped early and managed to touch the ball.

If you can't find the book title, you can try searching for the author. Maybe the name has just been changed!

Although there was an element of gambling, it didn't matter if he misjudged. With Butler and Roberson behind him, Chen Xi wasn't afraid of being out of position.

"Chris! Blocked Damian!!!!" A roar of cheers erupted from the home crowd.

After landing, Chen Xi took the ball from Roberson and walked towards the frontcourt.

"Is that all? Your skills aren't as good as your mouth?" he said nonchalantly as he passed Lillard, the words drifting into Lillard's ears, immediately inflaming his emotions again.

Back in the frontcourt, he specifically sought out Roberson's pick-and-roll, drawing Lillard to him.

He faked a crossover multiple times, searching for rhythm, then suddenly accelerated, driving into the paint against Lillard. The moment his left foot landed on the corner of the free-throw line, he did a half-turn, then brought the ball back in front of him with his right hand, re-accelerated, and directly shook off Lillard, who had misjudged his movement, stopping for a mid-range jump shot that he made.

"An Kyrie Irving-esque half-turn crossover!!! Chris is like an elegant dancer!! He toyed with Damian!!!!! "

After the ball went in, Chen Xi quickly retreated to defense.

Basketball games are not about momentary gains or losses, nor are they one-on-one duels. Excellent defensive discipline is a standard for strong defensive teams.

As expected, when they got the ball back, Lillard, who was trying to control his emotions, calmed down a bit and passed the ball to C.J. McCollum, initiating quick movement.

Then, using Noah's solid frame, he slipped out from the baseline for an open spot, caught the ball, and hit a three-pointer.

After Westbrook left the court, Chen, who took over the point guard duties, had no sense of being a point guard. He dribbled the ball to the frontcourt alone, facing C.J. He used an in-and-out dribble and a crossover to the left, leaving C.J. half a step behind in two steps. He casually turned again, completely shaking off C.J., and drove to the basket on the right. Facing Noah, he gathered the ball and used a Euro step to successfully create space, scoring a layup.

The biggest difference between the Trail Blazers' backcourt duo and the Thunder was that the Thunder's two players had size and defense, while the Trail Blazers' duo were both weak links on defense. Although they had an advantage in shooting, or rather, Westbrook's shooting slightly lowered the average score, the Thunder's backcourt was undoubtedly a tier or two stronger than the Trail Blazers'.

The game continued, but to Lillard's despair, even without Westbrook, they still couldn't seem to beat the Thunder.

The team's offensive development was placed on Lillard and C.J.'s shoulders, but they also had to be targeted by Chen Xi and Butler on defense. The huge expenditure of energy led to a chain reaction of decreased shooting touch.

This created a vicious cycle.

The more they missed shots, the harder offense became. The harder offense became, the more energy was consumed.

The Thunder, relying on their excellent defensive resources and the offensive development of Chen Xi and Butler, were still able to finish plays steadily, even though it was a bit chaotic without Westbrook's organizing.

Chen Xi and Butler were not great passers; they could only drive and kick. But the Trail Blazers had too many defensive leaks on the perimeter, and even Allen Crabbe off the bench had little defensive ability. They also lacked forward depth, which destined the Trail Blazers to a losing end.

In the end, the Trail Blazers lost by a large margin of 120 to 101. Cousin had to swallow the bitter fruit in regret, with no chance for a game-winner this time.

Chen Xi, who had taken over Westbrook's ball-handling duties, shot 16 of 27 from the field, 6 of 12 from three-point range, and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line, scoring a career-high 41 points. He led his team to victory, fulfilling the harsh words he had spoken.

However, unfortunately, the team doctor's diagnosis was a left wrist sprain for Westbrook, meaning he would miss at least two to three weeks of games. This was undoubtedly a huge blow to the Thunder.