Westbrook played 36 minutes, shooting 10-for-19 from the field, 1-for-2 from three, and 8-for-10 from the line. He finished just shy of a triple-double with 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 15 assists, leading the team to an opening win.
Chen Xi played 23 minutes, shooting 7-for-11 from the field, 6-for-9 from three, and 2-for-2 from the line for 22 points. His 5-for-6 three-point shooting in a single quarter also broke the NBA rookie record for threes in a quarter (I made that up. I couldn't find who held the record or how many they made, so let's just pretend there wasn't one). He had left a bold mark on his career milestones.
After the game, to his surprise, Chen Xi found himself being interviewed on the court.
"Hello, Chen Xi. I'm Zhou Ling'an, a reporter for Tencent Sports." A female reporter with delicate features and a graceful figure approached Chen Xi, speaking fluent English.
"Hello, I'm Chen Xi."
"Wow, your Chinese is really good."
"Yes. Although I'm an American citizen, the elders in my family spoke Chinese with me growing up, so Chinese is actually my native language."
"That's wonderful. I'll interview you in Chinese, then." Zhou Ling'an smiled.
"How do you feel about scoring 22 points off the bench in your rookie debut? Was there anything that helped you?"
"I'm thrilled, of course. I never expected to score that many points. I just followed the coach's instructions, ran the plays, and did my best to make every shot opportunity count. That's all."
Busy with the interview, Chen Xi had no idea danger was approaching.
Westbrook hurriedly wrapped up his own interview and got a cup of ice water from a staff member courtside. Then he sneaked up behind Chen Xi like a furtive little turtle and dumped the whole thing over his head.
"Holy shit!!" Chen Xi jolted from head to toe.
"Shit! Russell, you're dead!!!"
Chen Xi shouted after the fleeing Westbrook, but he obviously couldn't chase him down and kick his ass right now. All he could do was toss out a threat before helplessly turning back to continue the interview.
"I can tell you two get along really well."
"Of course. He's a very kind guy. He's helped me a lot since I joined the Thunder Team."
Back in the locker room, Donovan briefly shared his thoughts on the game while everyone changed.
"Great work, guys. We opened the season with a win. I want to give special credit to Russell's effort. Every second he was on the court, he was helping the team. He's unquestionably an outstanding leader. I hope you'll keep that passion, stay active, stay focused, and keep giving the team your energy!"
Smiling, Donovan pointed at the Thunder Team's current leader.
"We also need to praise Chris for his outstanding performance. He made the most of every opportunity and helped the team through its toughest stretch. He scored 22 points, too—a contribution we absolutely can't overlook in today's win. Of course, Victor, Steven, and Andre were all excellent as well. Let's give ourselves a hand for a great performance."
The players clapped enthusiastically. Nobody disliked winning.
The atmosphere on the Thunder Team was reassuring. There were no melodramatic feuds or conflicts, just a group of dedicated professional basketball players. With the season only just beginning, victory was the only thing on everyone's mind, and the pursuit of it drove them to battle on the court.
The plane flew back to Oklahoma the next day. They would host the Phoenix Suns a day later.
After landing, Chen Xi headed home early as well.
[Multiple achievements completed by the host detected. Rewards have now been issued.] [Congratulations on completing the mission: score 5 points in an NBA regular season game for the first time. Reward: 3 free attribute points.] [Congratulations on completing the mission: reach double digits in one NBA statistical category for the first time. Reward: 1 random silver badge.] [Congratulations on completing the mission: play more than 20 minutes in an NBA game and win for the first time. Rewards: 2 random bronze badges, 3 free attribute points.] [Host has successfully cleared the first series of milestones. Achievement unlocked: beginner on the road. Rewards: 5 free attribute points, 1 random silver badge.] [The second series of milestone targets will now be issued.] [Record a double-double in a regular season game for the first time. Reward: 10 free attribute points.] [Score 30 points in a regular season game for the first time. Rewards: 3 random bronze badges, Badge Upgrader (bronze) ×1.] [Win Player of the Week for the first time. Rewards: 10 free attribute points, 1 random silver badge.] [Win Player of the Month for the first time. Rewards: 15 free attribute points, 1 random gold badge.] [Win Rookie of the Month for the first time. Rewards: 10 free attribute points, 1 random bronze badge.] [Win Rookie of the Year. Rewards: 15 free attribute points, 1 random silver badge.] [Career total points surpass 500. Rewards: 5 free attribute points, 1 specific bronze badge.] [Career total points surpass 1,000. Rewards: 5 free attribute points, 1 specific silver badge.] [Career total points surpass 5,000. Rewards: 10 free attribute points, 1 specific silver badge.] [Career total points surpass 10,000. Rewards: 15 free attribute points, 1 specific silver badge.] [Be selected for the All-Star Rookie Challenge. Rewards: 10 free attribute points, Badge Upgrader (bronze) ×1.] [Win the All-Star Three-Point Contest for the first time. Rewards: 1 random shooting badge (silver), Badge Upgrader (silver) ×1.] [Win the All-Star Slam Dunk Contest for the first time. Rewards: 1 random finishing badge (silver), Badge Upgrader (silver) ×1.] [Win the All-Star Skills Challenge for the first time. Rewards: 1 random dribbling badge (silver), Badge Upgrader (silver) ×1.] [Be selected for the All-Star Game for the first time. Reward: 20 free attribute points.]
"Giao, giao! Woohoo!!!!!"
That Badge Upgrader probably does exactly what its name says, right?
Once his CPU finished processing all that information, Chen Xi practically launched himself into the air, bouncing around his room in excitement.
"System, put all 6 attribute points into one-on-one defense."
[Points allocated. Host's one-on-one defense attribute has increased to 77.]
"Draw the badges."
[Drawing random badges.] [Congratulations to the host on obtaining the badge: Spot Shooter (silver).] [Congratulations to the host on obtaining the badge: Lockdown Defender (bronze).] [Congratulations to the host on obtaining the badge: First Step Master (bronze).] [Point allocation and badge equipping completed. Please practice diligently to adapt to your abilities quickly. The system wishes you a bright future.]
"Yoshi! You, very, very good system!"
Chen Xi was so excited that the spot above his upper lip started itching.
"Fuck, I can't take it anymore. I'm going to play some pickup!"
An excited Chen quickly got ready, grabbed the basketball from the corner of his room, and headed out the door.
He had asked around. There was a pickup court just two kilometers away.
Tonight, he was going to show Oklahoma City's basketball enthusiasts what "fuck your basketball dreams" really meant!
Before you continue