Taking the Lead

After a brief timeout, both teams returned to the court.

The camera operator was thoughtful enough to give Chen, who had already calmed down, a close-up.

Yellow skin, black eyes, and a sharply defined face radiated an overflowing fighting spirit. His tousled hair was damp with sweat, but that only made it look more stylish, the strands woven together and adorned at the tips with a few newly formed fruits of hard work.

Though only a little over a minute had passed since tip-off, the enormous exertion of pushing the Fast Break had already left Chen Xi sweating profusely.

And that was after he'd wiped himself down with a towel on the bench.

But as long as his body hadn't cooled down, he'd keep sweating.

At the level of competition in the NBA, players sweated an absolutely ridiculous amount.

That was why the courtside staff had to rush out with mops to wipe the floor after nearly every possession.

After giving fans around the world a close-up look at Chen's "stunning good looks," the camera quickly switched back to the overhead view.

For the Lakers, Schroder once again brought the ball up the court.

They went back to a high Pick-and-Roll.

This time, after using Griffin's screen to drive past his defender, Schroder went straight into the paint and attacked the rim. He used his speed to finish a bank shot, scoring two points and cutting into the Lakers' deficit.

When Griffin posed a big enough threat rolling to the basket, Little Black could reap some benefits too.

After the failed defensive possession, the Thunder inbounded the ball again.

Chen Xi received it in the backcourt once more, turned, and pushed forward.

He'd barely started to accelerate when he saw Schroder and Caruso both step up to slow him down.