Chen Xi had no time to keep jawing with Booker. He shoved Booker aside and sprinted toward the baseline.
The game began.
But Booker obviously wasn't willing to let him off that easily. He chased after him, sticking close and running his mouth the whole time.
Chen Xi used Roberson's screen to receive the ball, but the screen wasn't solid enough. Booker easily slipped around it and caught up to Chen Xi again.
"Yellow-skinned kid, you're not scoring on me. You can't even dribble. I put a little pressure on you, and you've got no idea what to do, huh, rookie?"
Chen Xi ignored Booker's trash talk. He held the ball in a Triple Threat stance, his thoughts on the badge he'd just unlocked.
"My Breakthrough Attribute is still too low. I'll have to rely on the badge."
Seeing that Booker wasn't backing off—in fact, he was pressing even closer—Chen Xi didn't hesitate. He pounded the ball and exploded into his first step. A bronze badge lit up in the upper-right corner of his vision, and in an instant, Chen Xi's speed jumped to another level.
[First Step Master]
Chen Xi blew past Booker in one step and opened up a gap. Then he pulled up without hesitation and took a jump shot.
The ball bounced around the rim a few times before dropping through the net.
"Getting past you is as easy as my grandma crossing the street early in the morning."
The classic trash talk drifted lightly into Booker's ears, making his eyes turn red.
"Fuck you! You just got lucky once. How dare you—"
Booker lost his temper and shoved Chen Xi.
Old fox Chen wasn't about to let an opportunity like that go to waste. He went down without hesitation, even secretly putting a little extra force into it with his foot. The shove sent him flying two meters away.
Falling Goose Landing on Butt Style!
Tweet!!
The referee blew the whistle, and players from both teams immediately crowded around.
"Damn it! He's faking! How can you not see that? It's so obvious!" Booker charged forward with red eyes, trying to argue with the referee, but Bledsoe quickly pulled him back.
The referee was already warning him with a look. If he stepped forward again, he'd get a technical.
Meanwhile, Chen Xi grabbed Westbrook by the pant leg.
"Pull me up first."
Good grief, Turtle Turtle. If I don't hold him back, he's definitely going to go after Booker.
"Don't worry, I can handle myself."
Chen Xi calmed Westbrook, who seemed a little worked up, then headed toward the sideline.
Booker was called for a pushing foul. Thunder ball.
"Wow, Booker and Chen got into a war of words. I don't know what they said, but Booker looks furious."
Kenny Smith watched the chaotic scene on the court.
"Chris Chen got past Booker and sank a pull-up mid-range jumper. Booker clearly wasn't happy about it, but Chen did beat him cleanly."
Mike Fratello commented on the play.
"Looks like Chen can do more than just shoot, huh? Ha-ha."
"But he still finished with a shot, my friend. The speed and stride on that drive were certainly surprising, though. I'm even more excited for the rest of the game now."
If you're enjoying this book and don't want to lose track of it, remember to add it to your bookshelf.
But the one who answered those expectations wasn't Chen Xi. It was Russell Westbrook.
Maybe seeing his little brother get shoved had made him angry. When play resumed, Westbrook put the pedal to the floor, charged into the Suns' paint like a man carrying a bomb, planted a heavy step, then unleashed his signature C-style Tomahawk Slam Dunk, viciously tearing up the rim.
After landing, he roared at the fans along the baseline, declaring who the real owner of this arena was.
The rim: "So? I'm not the home team's rim anymore?"
There was no time to mourn the rim. Next up was the future Triple-double King of History, MVP, two-time Scoring Champion, three-time assist leader, Russell Westbrook, going full throttle!!
In an instant, the feud between Chen Xi and Booker became insignificant. The Suns gave it everything they had, and Head Coach Dave Joerger racked his brains, but still couldn't stop the tiger that had broken free from its cage.
For the rest of the game, Westbrook mixed drives with jumpers. He went 16-for-39 from the field, 2-for-7 from three, and 16-for-20 at the line, exploding for 50 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists as he led his team in demolishing the Suns.
"Unbelievable! Russell Westbrook!! A fifty-point triple-double! He's the God of Basketball tonight!" Kenny Smith exclaimed, his voice sharp with excitement and admiration.
"The Thunder's new king has officially taken the throne! Let's hear it for him! What an incredible performance!"
"The most versatile player on the planet! Who can stop him?"
"Amazing! Is he really human? A fifty-point triple-double!"
For a time, news of Westbrook's spectacular performance spread throughout the League. The media was filled with praise, and no one had a bad word to say about him.
"What an ugly bunch of hypocrites. The more they praise him now, the harder they'll tear into him later. That's the media for you."
After the game, Chen Xi finished his extra training and sat in the locker room, looking at the widespread praise online. Thinking of the way the media would talk about Westbrook in the future, he couldn't help sighing. Poor Turtle Turtle. When that time comes, I'll be the one to save you!!!
"Chris, you heading home?"
Oladipo walked in just then.
"Yeah. I have to get back early today. I've got plans tomorrow."
Chen Xi smiled at the Black man standing before him.
The future Kobe Mamba lived up to his name. Oladipo's extra training was even more intense than Chen Xi's. Among everyone Chen Xi knew, his work ethic was the GOAT!
After a quick shower, Chen Xi went home and pulled out his phone to check his stats.
5-for-8 from the field, 2-for-4 from three, 12 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals.
Westbrook's sudden outburst had cost him quite a few shots, but his efficiency was still decent. And thanks to Death Coil and the Lockdown Master badge, he'd made Booker's night miserable.
Thinking of Booker's darkened face, Chen Xi grinned.
Booker had gone 6-for-25 from the field, 1-for-9 from three, and 5-for-7 from the line, finishing with 18 points. But his terrible efficiency badly hurt the team and was one of the main reasons the Suns lost. Chen Xi, Westbrook, and Oladipo had taken turns putting pressure on Booker, making him miserable all game.
TJ Warren, on the other hand, went 13-for-18 from the field, 1-for-2 from three, and 3-for-4 from the line, efficiently racking up 30 points. Roberson and Ilyasova struggled to contain him.
On top of that, Bledsoe's 0-for-7 from three had been a big help.
"Little punk, trying to act tough with me. I'll make your life miserable!"
Chen Xi looked at Booker's profile picture on his phone and his awful stats, laughing out loud.
"Just wait until I master my skills. I'll leave you so far behind you won't even catch my exhaust!"
Without waiting to confirm his choice of agent, Chen Xi found a real estate agent online himself. He'd just received this week's paycheck and was ready to rent a different place. (NBA players are generally paid weekly, with the money deposited straight into their accounts. Of course, that's after taxes—after all, in America, you can get things for free, but you can't skip paying taxes.)
After all, no one wanted to get up early every day and waste a ton of time commuting to work.
Before you continue