harleyscars Chapter 18 The Art of Turning Around Early
Chapter 18 The Art of Turning Around Early
2008年11月24日，晚7:30。
Madison Square Garden, New York.
Knicks vs. Washington Wizards.
Tonight, the air at Madison Square Garden seemed to be a mixture of gunpowder and the sweet and sour smell of ketchup. The 20,000-seat audience was packed, with more Hollywood stars in the front row than ever before. Scarlett Johansson was still in the front row, but this time she wore a black leather outfit, looking even more capable and sexy, with a huge bucket of popcorn on her lap, clearly ready for a big show.
At the other end of the court, the Wizards' star player, "Agent Zero" Gilbert Arenas, was warming up.
Li Xiangbei was practicing dribbling on the other side. But at his feet was a very conspicuous bottle of Heinz ketchup, bright red and eye-catching.
……
Game start.
In the first quarter, Arenas certainly demonstrated why he dared to be so arrogant.
This super scorer, averaging 29 points per game, is like an unreasonable shooting machine.
"brush!"
With a meter to go from the three-point line, without any warning, he pulled up for a shot. In!
"brush!"
Using Caron Butler's screen, he took a step to the side and made a strong shot. And it went in again!
15 points in a single quarter!
Arenas was ecstatic, as if he'd been injected with adrenaline. While retreating on defense, he deliberately bumped Li Xiangbei with his shoulder, chattering incessantly:
"See that? Rookie! That's talent! Your defense is like a deserted New York street at four in the morning! I can't wait to see you drink that bottle of ketchup!"
Li Xiangbei rubbed his shoulders but did not respond.
But he changed his strategy.
If Arenas was a fire, then Li Xiangbei was a firebrick.
On offense, Li Xiangbei no longer sought to finish the game immediately. He started to run with Arenas.
He sprinted around the baseline cones, rushed to the top arc to set up cover, and then cut in from the opposite direction...
Li Xiangbei, utilizing the system's unlimited stamina, sprinted across the court like a tireless perpetual motion machine. To avoid losing his position, Arenas had to follow him all over the court, expending enormous energy with each time he bypassed a screen.
"Damn, is this kid a long-distance runner?"
After several rounds, Arenas wiped the sweat from his brow, his breathing becoming somewhat rapid. Although he was shooting well on offense, the endless back-and-forth running was quickly draining his energy on defense.
……
Second period, rotation time.
Li Xiangbei was substituted off the court for a rest. The stage was temporarily handed over to the Knicks' bench player—Jamal Crawford.
This streetball king from Seattle was clearly caught up in the frenzied atmosphere tonight.
Faced with provocation from DeShawn Stevenson, the Wizards' player known for his aggressive defense, Crawford decided to teach him a lesson.
He held the ball at the top of the arc, dribbling between his legs repeatedly, his rhythm sometimes fast and sometimes slow, his body like a boneless snake.
suddenly!
A huge behind-the-back dribble, followed immediately by a pullback in the opposite direction!
Double crossover from behind!
Stevenson lost his balance completely, and his legs felt like they were tied in knots as he awkwardly sat down on the floor.
The entire audience erupted in uproar!
Instead of throwing it himself, Crawford imaginatively tossed it into the air.
David Lee, who had broken through from the baseline, understood immediately, took to the air, and relayed the ball!
"boom!"
"Oh my goodness!!"
In the commentary booth, Knicks legend Walter Frazier jumped up from his chair in excitement, his flashy suit shaking with his movements.
"Crawford is dancing! He's turning the NBA arena into Rucker Park! Is Stevenson still in the ankle? That shot should be a three, plus one point for artistry!"
The Knicks' bench erupted. Nate Robinson was waving a towel wildly, as if he wanted to lift the roof off.
Halftime is over.
Knicks 58:60 Wizards.
Although they are down by two points, the situation is quietly changing.
Arenas walked toward the locker room with his hands on his hips, his chest heaving. Although he scored 22 points in the first half, he felt more tired than when he scored 40. That guy named Li Xiangbei was like a tireless leech, impossible to shake off.
"In the second half... I'm going to end the game." Arenas gritted his teeth, his mouth still hard.
……
The last 1 minutes of the fourth quarter.
The score was tied at 108.
At this point, Arenas' total score was 36 points. Although that was a high number, his shooting percentage dropped sharply in the fourth quarter, making only 2 of 7 shots. Exhaustion was causing his shooting form to become distorted, and his hot shooting touch was cooling down.
In contrast, Li Xiangbei, who scored 28 points, remained energetic, as if the game had just begun.
Wizards have possession of the ball.
Arenas dribbled the ball forward. He looked at the scoreboard, knowing this was his moment to prove himself, and the moment to utterly shatter Li Xiangbei's defense.
He dribbled the ball to the frontcourt without calling a timeout or looking at his teammates.
Two meters from the three-point line, Arenas suddenly stopped and pulled up for a jump shot!
A super long-range three-pointer!
This was his most confident and lethal move, a classic replica of his game-winning shot against the Jazz. He turned and celebrated while the ball was still in the air, a moment that became a legend in NBA history.
Tonight, he wants to do it again.
The ball had just left my hand and was still flying in the air.
Arenas made the move that would make him famous—
He turned around, with his back to the basket, and raised his arms high, ready to receive the cheers of the crowd and the glory of the game-winning shot.
At that moment, he felt incredibly cool.
however.
"state!"
A crisp yet deep clang of metal striking metal.
The basketball slammed heavily against the front edge of the rim and bounced high into the air!
There were no cheers, only the deafening laughter of the 20,000 people in the stadium, enough to lift the roof off!
"Hahaha! What is he doing?!"
"This is Agent Zero? Is he a joke?"
Arenas turned around stiffly, staring at the missed goal, completely dumbfounded.
awkward.
It's so big you could dig out the awkwardness of a three-bedroom apartment with your toes on the floor.
In that split second he was stunned, Li Xiangbei had already rushed into the paint and grabbed the long rebound.
"Is this your way of showing off?" Li Xiangbei said coldly as he passed Arenas. "You're still not very good at it."
……
The last 15 seconds.
Knicks ball.
D'Antoni didn't call a timeout. He trusted Li Xiangbei's ball-handling skills and believed that in situations like this, no tactics were needed; all that was required was to give the ball to the most confident person.
The stadium opened.
Li Xiangbei had the ball at the top of the arc, facing Arenas.
This is a fateful showdown, and the end of all grudges tonight.
Li Xiangbei lowered his center of gravity, and the basketball bounced between his legs like a butterfly flitting among flowers.
Arenas was both ashamed and exhausted. His steps were heavy, but he still stared intently at Li Xiangbei, trying to salvage even the slightest bit of face.
10 seconds.
Just past the halfway point, Li Xiangbei suddenly started moving!
A feint to the right tricked Arenas into shifting his center of gravity.
Then come to a step away from the logo.
Li Xiangbei catches the ball, jumps, and raises his arms.
[Guaranteed Credit Limit: Activate]
Time: 3 seconds.
The basketball flew from Li Xiangbei's fingertips.
Just the instant the ball left my fingertips.
Under the watchful eyes of 20,000 people in the stadium and hundreds of millions of viewers in front of their televisions.
Li Xiangbei did something that sent chills down everyone's spine and left all the commentators speechless.
He didn't even look to see if the ball went in or not.
The instant he landed, he turned around!
With his back to the basket, facing a exhausted Arenas!
"brush!"
Behind me, I heard the crisp, melodious sound of the net being entered.
It was like a slap across Arenas' face.
111:108.
A game-winning three-pointer!
Only then did Li Xiangbei look at Arenas, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
He pointed to the bottle of red tomato sauce on the technical table on the sidelines.
"Now."
Li Xiangbei's voice pierced through the noisy cheers and clearly reached Arenas's ears.
"You can eat your jersey now, Gilbert."
"Buzz—!"
The final whistle blew.
The entire Madison Square Gardens area has gone completely mad!
Scarlett Janssen threw the bucket of popcorn into the air, screaming excitedly, and even tried to rush onto the field.
His teammates rushed over to hug Li Xiangbei, but he waved them away.
He did not give interviews to reporters on the sidelines, nor did he pay attention to the cheers of the crowd.
He walked straight to the technical table on the sidelines and picked up the bottle of Heinz ketchup that had been prepared beforehand.
Then he walked up to Arenas, whose face was ashen and who was still reeling from the humiliation he had just suffered.
"Take it."
Li Xiangbei stuffed the tomato sauce into Arenas's arms.
"Although you scored 36 points, which is not below 20, I think that missed, pretentious shot deserves this feast."
After speaking, Li Xiangbei turned around with a flourish, leaving the camera with an arrogant back view, and walked towards the players' tunnel.
Behind him, Arenas, holding the bottle of ketchup, stood amidst a shower of confetti, looking like a comical clown.
In the commentary booth, Mike Brin was screaming wildly, his voice hoarse:
"Bang! Bang!! Li Xiangbei taught Gilbert what real showing off is all about!!"
"This is a true transformation! This is true confidence! This is the King of New York!"
"After tonight, I think Gilbert might need to live on another planet! This is too cruel!"
In the locker room.
Li Xiangbei sat in the chair as a system notification sounded.
[Mission Complete: The Birth of a Cool King.]
[Reward: 1000 "coolness points". Unlock special action pack - "Confident Turnaround (Guaranteed Hit)".]
[Effect: When you are certain the ball will go in, turn around early to increase the morale of your entire team by 20% and decrease the morale of your opponent by 20%.]
Li Xiangbei smiled.
"This skill is good; it saves me from having to judge the timing myself in the future."
Just then, my phone rang.
It's Bill Duffy.
"Li! Do you know what just happened? Your sneaker pre-order link went live! Under Armour's servers crashed! Completely crashed! Just the instant you turned around!"
"Also..." Duffy's voice was a little excited.
Kobe just tweeted: "Interesting. I'd like to meet this kid."