bookbashuk Chapter 42 The Villain's Fangs
Chapter 42 The Villain's Fangs
2009年1月12日，晚8:30。
Madison Square Garden, New York.
Knicks vs. Boston Celtics.
The whistle blew for the second half, but the atmosphere in the stadium was even more somber than in the first half.
Li Xiangbei walked onto the stage, the bloodstains at the corner of his mouth already wiped dry, leaving only a dark red mark that looked like a hideous scar.
He stood in front of Garnett.
"Hey Kevin. Ready to put your knees on?"
Garnett sneered, about to retaliate, when Li Xiangbei had already made his move.
Knicks on offense.
Li Xiangbei no longer recklessly drove to the basket like he did in the first half. He used David Lee's screen to quickly circle out to the three-point line and found his favorite mismatch opportunity.
The player guarding him was Garnett, who had switched out to defend him.
"Come on! You coward!" Garnett spread his arms wide, spewing trash talk, "Let me see if you bought your ticket!"
Li Xiangbei made no unnecessary movements.
[Guaranteed credit limit: 1/6 (activated)]
He took a straight jump, facing Garnett's long arms.
Force it!
The basketball traced a very high arc in the air, passing over Garnett's fingertips.
"brush!"
Hollow into the network!
Li Xiangbei landed but didn't retreat to defend. He stood in front of Garnett.
"Kevin."
Li Xiangbei suddenly laughed.
"Do you enjoy doing push-ups so much because you got used to kneeling before the Minnesota Timberwolves? Or did you spend ten years there as a husky and learn how to please your owner?"
That statement was like a nuclear bomb.
Garnett's face instantly turned red. He took a step forward, as if to rush forward and attack.
"What the hell did you say?!"
Fortunately, Pierce reacted quickly and grabbed the enraged Garnett.
[System notification: Opponent's rage level is at its maximum (90%).]
[Trash Talk King: Max Level Activated.]
[Current Buff: Defensive reaction speed +16%, Interference resistance +20%.]
Li Xiangbei shrugged as he looked at Garnett, who was being held back by his teammates.
"Looks like I was right? Don't worry, Mr. Husky, this is just the beginning."
Next round.
Anger caused Garnett to lose his temper. He wanted to get revenge by posting up in the low post.
He turned his back to the ball, and after receiving it, without any observation, he immediately executed a fierce spin move.
But what he didn't expect was that Li Xiangbei had already anticipated his actions.
With the buff, Li Xiangbei's reaction speed was astonishing. The instant Garnett turned around, his hand shot out like lightning.
"Snapped!"
An incredibly precise slice!
Garnett's hand went empty, the ball was gone!
After intercepting the ball, Li Xiangbei launched a solo counter-attack. Facing an empty attacking third, he leaped into the air.
"boom!!!"
A tomahawk dunk!
This dunk not only scored two points, but also dealt a blow to the Celtics' morale.
……
The last 3 minutes of the fourth quarter.
Knicks 85: 87 Celtics.
The gap was narrowed to just 2 points. The game entered a heated and decisive moment.
The Celtics are, after all, the defending champions. Although Garnett's mentality was somewhat unbalanced, they still have another key player – Paul Pierce.
This small forward, known as "The Truth," began to take over the game.
He used his strong physique to attack Li Xiangbei from behind.
"Bang! Bang!"
The raw, visceral sound of muscles colliding is enough to get your blood pumping.
Pierce created space and turned to shoot.
"brush!"
hit.
Turning back, Li Xiangbei immediately responded.
He used the system-enhanced stamina to relentlessly harass Pierce throughout the game, constantly wearing down the veteran's energy. On the offensive end, he faced Pierce's close-quarters defense.
[Guaranteed credit limit: 5/6 (activated)]
Li Xiangbei took a large step back, creating space, and then launched a three-pointer.
"brush!"
Answer Ball!
The two sides kept going back and forth like that, one scoring and the other responding.
……
The last 20 seconds.
90:90 tie.
The Celtics have possession of the ball.
This was the decisive attack.
Coach Rivers devised a complex play designed to create open three-point opportunities for Ray Allen.
Cover, run back, cover again.
Ray Allen weaved through the crowd like a fish.
The ball was passed out.
Ray Allen receives the ball in the corner, jumps, and shoots. This is a textbook example of a devastating shot.
But just the instant the ball left his hand.
A dark shadow pounced!
Li Xiangbei!
He bypassed three covers like a mad dog and desperately lunged towards the bottom corner.
Although he couldn't completely block the shot, with the added reaction boost from his "Trash Talk King" buff, his fingertips barely grazed the surface of the basketball at the last moment.
"when!"
The basketball bounced off the front edge of the rim!
The game-winning shot missed!
"Rebound!!"
Randolph desperately grabbed the rebound that saved him from the crowd.
At this point, only 4 seconds remained.
The Knicks have run out of timeouts!
Randolph didn't have time to think; he simply flung the ball to Li Xiangbei with both hands.
Li Xiangbei received the ball and sprinted across the halfway line.
In front of him were Garnett and Pierce, who had already retreated to their defensive positions. The two of them blocked all his paths of attack.
Time: 2 seconds.
Li Xiangbei dribbled the ball just two steps past the center circle logo.
"squeak--!"
Emergency stop!
Garnett thought Garnett was going to force a drive and draw a foul, so he instinctively took a half step back to defend against the drive.
Li Xiangbei did not hesitate at all.
[Guaranteed credit limit: 6/6 (activated)]
He leaped and shot from an extremely long distance, facing Garnett who had reacted and rushed at him!
Garnett's long arm almost covered Li Xiangbei's face.
But in the air.
Li Xiangbei's lips curled up slightly.
"This ball."
"It was the vote-getter who rewarded you, Kevin."
Shot.
The basketball traced a very high arc in the air, passing over Garnett's fingertips and over Pierce's head.
Time resets to zero.
"beep--!"
The red light is on.
"Whoosh!!!"
That was the decisive sound of the ball hitting the net!
93:90.
Lore!
A last-second victory against the defending champions!
Li Xiangbei landed and raised his arms high.
Garnett stood there, watching the replay on the big screen, watching that incredible long-range three-pointer.
He violently ripped off the green headband and slammed it to the ground.
This time, he didn't call Li Xiangbei a child again. He didn't even utter another single trashy word.
He gave Li Xiangbei a deep look, then turned and walked toward the players' tunnel.
……
Post-match interview.
Li Xiangbei had a white bandage on his face, a mark left from a fall he sustained in the first half.
The reporter excitedly asked, "Li! You hit the game-winning shot against the defending champions! What's your response to Garnett's pre-game provocation?"
Li Xiangbei took the towel and wiped the sweat from his face.
He looked at the camera.
"Boston has a tough bone."
Li Xiangbei pointed to the floor.
"But I want to ask Kevin."
"Since he likes the floor so much... is the floor cool now?"