Accident

Although things had gone beautifully, the journey had not been entirely smooth.

It was February 5, and the Thunder were hosting the Trail Blazers.

It should have been an easy win, but a major incident changed everything. In the second quarter, Westbrook flew too high on a layup and was knocked off balance in midair when a defender's shoulder slammed into his waist. After he landed, he couldn't get back up for quite a while. In the end, Chen Xi managed to help him to his feet.

After a brief examination, the team doctor helped Westbrook straight back to the players' tunnel. He wouldn't be able to return for a while.

Fortunately, Chen kept his cool and didn't make a bigger scene. He simply hurled a threat at the Trail Blazers.

"Can't beat us, so you resort to dirty tricks? You lose the game and your dignity!"

What was funny was that before he could even finish, the referee was urgently pushing him backward.

Ever since the brawl with Redick, Chen had been under close scrutiny from the referees whenever something like this happened. Even when he had just gone to help someone up, the refs had treated him like a major threat, ready to rush in and break up a fight at any moment. Now that he was talking trash, they immediately went over and pushed Chen Xi away to prevent things from escalating.

How could the proud Lillard possibly put up with that? Even as McCollum held him back, he kept trying to go after Chen Xi and shout at him.

"You think you can do that, rookie? You really think you'll win? Go home to your mom!"

Chen Xi said nothing more. He only gave Lillard a cold look, then turned and headed back to his half of the court.

With Westbrook out, Donovan didn't choose to sub in Payne. Instead, he experimented by putting Roberson in, forming a three-wing lineup with Butler and Grant.

After the technical free throws, the Trail Blazers went on offense.

As Lillard dribbled up in front of him, Chen Xi focused completely on the little guard.

With three wings on the floor, Lillard had no desire to run a pick-and-roll. Having Chen Xi, who stood 196 centimeters tall, switch onto him and then having Butler, at 203 centimeters, or Roberson, at 201 centimeters, guard him clearly wasn't a good idea.

So Lillard faced Chen Xi, lowered his center of gravity, and started dribbling as he searched for a rhythm.

"Rookie, you think a few good games make you a superstar? You really think you're somebody? You're just a clown!"

He tossed out a couple of lines of trash talk as he dribbled, but Chen Xi didn't respond. He just watched him.

That stare got under Lillard's skin, and a surge of anger welled up inside him.

He pushed the ball in front of his body and drove left. Seeing Chen Xi follow, he pulled the ball back between his legs and crossed over to the right, then went left again. Next, he took a lateral step back and rose to shoot.

But before he could finish his shooting motion, a dark figure was right in his face.

Chen Xi knew Lillard well and had guessed there was a good chance he would pull up. He had nearly failed to keep up with the step-back, but fortunately, he had jumped early. In the end, he still managed to get a hand on the ball.

There was some gambling involved, but even if his read had been wrong, it wouldn't have mattered much. With Butler and Roberson behind him, Chen Xi had no reason to worry about losing his defensive position.

"Chris! He blocks Damian!!!!" A roar of cheers rose from the home crowd.

After landing, Chen Xi took the ball from Roberson and headed upcourt.

"That's it? Your game doesn't seem nearly as good as your mouth." As he passed Lillard, he tossed out the remark casually. It drifted into Lillard's ear and sent the latter's temper flaring all over again.

Back on offense, Chen Xi specifically called for a pick-and-roll from Roberson, forcing Lillard onto him.

He dribbled between his legs repeatedly to find a rhythm, then suddenly took off, driving straight into Lillard. He drove straight into the paint, and the instant his left foot hit the elbow of the free-throw line, he made a half-turn. Then he brought the ball back in front of him with his right hand, dribbling it between his legs, and accelerated again. Lillard, caught out by a misread on defense, was left behind as Chen Xi pulled up for a mid-range jumper and sank it.

"Kyrie Irving's signature half-turn and between-the-legs move!!! Chris is like an elegant dancer!! He just toyed with Damian!!!!!"

As soon as the ball went in, Chen Xi hurried back on defense.

Basketball wasn't about a single moment's gain or loss, nor was it a one-on-one duel. Strong defensive transition discipline was a must for any elite defensive team.

Sure enough, when they came back down the floor, Lillard worked hard to control his emotions and had calmed down a little. He passed the ball to CJ McCollum and began moving quickly without the ball.

Then, using Ballista's sturdy frame, he slipped free along the baseline, caught the pass, and sank a three.

With Westbrook out, Chen had taken over at point guard, but he showed no point guard instincts at all. He dribbled the ball up himself, faced CJ, used an in-and-out move followed by a crossover step to drive left, and left CJ half a step behind after just two strides. Then he casually spun around and left CJ completely in the dust, driving right into the basket. Facing Ballista, he gathered the ball and used a Euro Step to get past him before laying it in.

The biggest difference between the Trail Blazers' Backcourt Duo and the Thunder's was that the Thunder's guards had size and could defend, while both of Portland's were defensive liabilities. Their shooting was better—though Westbrook's shooting probably dragged the average down by a tiny bit—but the Thunder's backcourt was undoubtedly a level or two above Portland's.

The game went on, but Lillard was starting to despair. Even without Westbrook, they still couldn't seem to beat the Thunder.

The burden of creating offense for the team fell entirely on Lillard and CJ. But on defense, they were repeatedly targeted by Chen Xi and Butler. The huge energy drain led to a chain reaction, and their shooting touch suffered.

And so they fell into a vicious cycle.

The more shots they missed, the harder it became to score; the harder it became to score, the more energy they burned.

Meanwhile, backed by their excellent defensive personnel and the offensive creation of Chen Xi and Butler, the Thunder could still finish plays consistently. Without Westbrook directing traffic, they looked a little disorganized, but they managed just fine.

Neither Chen Xi nor Butler was much of a passer. All they really knew how to do was drive and kick. But the Trail Blazers had too many defensive weak links on the perimeter. Even Allen Crabbe, coming off the bench, wasn't much of a defender, and they were short on wings. Their fate was sealed: a bad ending.

The Trail Blazers ultimately suffered a lopsided 120–101 defeat. Cousin had to swallow the bitter loss, and this time he had no chance to hit a game-winning shot.

Taking over Westbrook's ball-handling duties, Chen Xi shot 16-for-27 from the field, 6-for-12 from three, and 3-for-4 from the line, exploding for a career-high 41 points and leading the team to victory. He had followed through on the threat he made.

Unfortunately, the team doctor concluded that Westbrook had sprained his left wrist when he landed and would miss at least two to three weeks. It was undoubtedly a huge blow to the Thunder.