harleyscars Chapter 70 The Beasts Unleashed
Chapter 70 The Beasts Unleashed
2009年2月20日，晚8:00。
Madison Square Garden, New York.
Knicks vs. Raptors.
The first game after the trade deadline.
Before the game, Raptors head coach Jay Triano appeared very confident.
He highlighted the defensive strategy against Li Xiangbei on the tactics board: "That Chinese defender is their only threat."
Delay the pick-and-roll decisively to deny him any space to shoot.
"As for that fat guy in the paint?" Triano chuckled dismissively. "Chris will take care of him with his footwork."
As the Raptors' star player, "King" Bosh behaved very gentlemanly in the pre-game interview.
He straightened his jersey, smiled, and said, "The fans in New York are very enthusiastic, and I'll respond to them with speed and skill. As for physical contact? That's basketball from the last century."
……
Game start.
The Knicks won the jump ball.
Li Xiangbei advanced with the ball.
Facing Jose Calderon's defense, Li Xiangbei did not call for a pick-and-roll as usual, nor did he pass the ball to any of his teammates.
He dribbled the ball just two steps past the center circle logo when he suddenly stopped.
Calderon was still defending a step inside the three-point line and had no idea that Li Xiangbei would shoot from there.
[Guaranteed credit limit: 1/8 (activated)]
Li Xiangbei took a direct pull-up jump.
Super distant logo shot!
"brush!"
The basketball arced perfectly through the net.
3:0.
The Raptors hadn't even recovered yet; only twenty seconds had passed.
The Raptors missed their shot, and Li Xiangbei grabbed the long rebound and launched a fast break.
He pulled up suddenly beyond the three-point line in the frontcourt and hit a three-pointer!
[Guaranteed credit limit: 2/8 (activated)]
"brush!"
6:0.
Less than a minute into the game, Li Xiangbei scored 6 points in a row, all of them being unreasonable long-range three-pointers.
Raptors head coach Triano was stunned. He yelled from the sidelines, "Close him down!! Don't let him shoot!! Even if you have to foul him, stop him!"
The Raptors' defense had to make immediate adjustments, with all players spreading out, and Calderon and Parker began to double-team Li Xiangbei relentlessly.
Li Xiangbei looked at the Raptors' defensive line, which seemed to be facing a formidable enemy, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
The fish has taken the bait.
……
With the Raptors' defense spreading out to the extreme, the paint was wide open.
Only two people remained: Bosh and Randolph.
Li Xiangbei remained calm and composed even when facing a double team at the top of the arc.
He delivered a precise bounce pass just before the double team was about to close in.
The basketball weaved through the crowd and landed comfortably in Randolph's hands in the low post.
The beast's moment has arrived.
Randolph receives the ball.
Facing Bosh, who was tall and skilled with his face-up game and shooting, he didn't use any fancy probing steps or feints.
He turned around and lowered his center of gravity.
He used his iconic, enormous buttocks to thrust at Bosh.
"Bang!"
Bosh was forced to take a half step back to adjust his center of gravity.
Another back-to-back collision.
Bosh has completely lost his defensive position.
Randolph turned around and made a small hook with his left hand.
"brush!"
It went in easily.
On his way back on defense, Randolph passed by Bosh, grinned widely, and uttered an extremely hurtful piece of trash talk:
"You're too light, Chris! Like a toothpick! Eat more beef!"
The entire following quarter became Randolph's personal show, or rather, a public execution of Bosh.
As long as the Raptors dare to double-team Li Xiangbei, the ball will be passed to Randolph immediately.
Whenever Randolph gets the ball, he uses the simplest and most brutal methods—back-to-the-basket moves, hard drives, hook shots—to repeatedly destroy the Raptors' interior defense.
Bosh tried to respond with mid-range shots, but Randolph was like a mad dog today.
Even though he was slow, he desperately lunged out to interfere, and even when Bosh made a breakthrough, he didn't hesitate to use a vicious foul to pull Bosh down.
"Don't expect to score easily!" Randolph roared.
Bosh stood at the free-throw line, rubbing his sore shoulder, his eyes filled with helplessness and confusion.
……
In the second and third quarters, the Raptors found themselves in a dilemma.
They tried to adjust their defensive strategy, occasionally leaving Li Xiangbei to help defend the paint, in an attempt to limit Randolph's dominance.
But as long as there is even the slightest gap, even just half a body length of space.
Li Xiangbei would pull the trigger without hesitation.
Use the guaranteed winning quota and continue to generate revenue.
Pull-up threes after a screen, cold-blooded threes from the corner, and even chase-down threes in transition offense.
"brush!"
"brush!"
Li Xiangbei made all 8 of his three-point attempts! He completely shredded the Raptors' already crumbling defense.
These are practically two bottles of poison.
When defending against Li Xiangbei, Randolph penetrated the inside defense; when defending against Randolph, Li Xiangbei shot through the outside defense.
This is the terrifying power of dual-core resonance.
The game was in the final stages of the third quarter.
Li Xiangbei drove to the basket, drawing the attention of three Raptors players who collapsed their defense.
Bosh had to leave Randolph to come over and help defend.
Just as Bosh jumped to block the shot, Li Xiangbei tossed the ball in mid-air.
Randolph receives the ball.
Facing Calderon's comeback attempt, Randolph executed a convincing fake shot, sending Calderon flying.
Then, this 300-pound fat man completed a one-handed slam dunk!
"boom!!!"
After landing, Randolph looked up at the sky and roared, expressing the joy in his heart.
Li Xiangbei rushed over and jumped onto Randolph's broad back, waving his fist in celebration.
Not far away, Bosh stood with his hands on his hips, watching this crazy scene, his eyes completely dimmed.
He was so badly beaten that he lost all his temper and didn't even have the energy to complain about the referee.
……
The fourth quarter had become garbage time.
Li Xiangbei and Randolph were still "playing" on the court, while other teammates, like Nate and Wilson, could simply stand in the corner and watch them perform.
The final whistle blew.
The Knicks defeated the Raptors 118-95.
The data is frozen in time.
李向北：30分（三分球8中8，罚球7中6），16次助攻，0失误。
Zach Randolph: 32 points, 14 rebounds (8 of which were offensive rebounds).
Post-match interview.
The two, covered in sweat, were surrounded by reporters.
A reporter asked, "Li, during the game, Bosh repeatedly complained to the referees that Randolph's actions were too aggressive and violated basketball rules. What's your opinion on this?"
Before Li Xiangbei could speak, Randolph grabbed the microphone from the side.
The fat man, who was anxious and fearful until the deadline, now had confidence and arrogance written all over his face.
"Is the movement too big?"
Randolph snorted, revealing his big white teeth.
"This is a men's club, not kindergarten. If you're afraid of getting hurt, go play pool; no one will bump into you there."
Li Xiangbei added with a smile:
"Welcome to the New York Colosseum."
He pointed to the floor beneath his feet.
"We don't serve wimps here."