pertwk Chapter 85 The 191cm Bully
Chapter 85 The 191cm Bully
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2009年3月9日，晚8:00。
Madison Square Garden, New York.
Knicks vs. Bulls.
When the DJ announced the Knicks' starting lineup, a restless commotion broke out at Madison Square Garden.
Center: David Lee.
Power Forward: Wilson Chandler.
There is no Randolph.
The Knicks' interior defense instantly transformed from a "heavy fortress" into a "paper fence."
Joakim Noah, the center for the Chicago Bulls, the long-haired, stubble-faced Frenchman, appeared unusually excited during warm-up.
He pointed to the Knicks' empty paint and yelled at Brad Miller beside him:
"Hey! Looks like this is a buffet tonight! Without that fat guy, I'm going to eat all the rebounds here! I'm going to grab 10! No, 20!"
Reporters in the media section had already begun brainstorming headlines for tomorrow in their notebooks: "Bulls' Twin Towers Crush New York" and "Without Randolph, Li Xiangbei is just a toothless tiger."
Li Xiangbei stood in the center circle, listening to Noah's taunts, his face expressionless.
He merely glanced at Noah indifferently.
"A buffet?" Li Xiangbei sneered inwardly.
"I hope you have a good appetite. Don't forget, you're human too. And humans get tired."
……
Game start.
The Bulls' tactics were simple and brutal: get the ball inside and drive the Knicks through.
Noah, positioned in the low post, was full of confidence against the slender David Lee.
But just as the ball was passed out, a dark figure suddenly darted out!
Li Xiangbei!
He didn't foolishly stand behind Noah to defend—that would be using his weakness against Noah's strength. Instead, he used his explosive power and anticipation to instantly get in front of Noah!
Fronting up to defend!
Meanwhile, Chandler was ready to help defend against high lobs at any time.
Noah stretched out his long arms to catch the ball, but Li Xiangbei was like a flea, blocking his way and constantly interfering with him with his body.
The ball can't be passed!
Ross had no choice but to reorganize.
If it were just this one round, that would be fine.
But what's terrifying is that for the next 12 minutes, whenever the Bulls tried to lob the ball to the inside, Li Xiangbei would appear like a ghost on the passing lane.
Noah had to expend enormous physical strength to block, push, and fight hand-to-hand with this tireless little guy.
Ordinary players get exhausted after three rounds of fronting defense because it requires extremely high concentration and explosiveness.
But Li Xiangbei has the support of a system.
Noah expended three times more energy to receive the ball than he did to attack it.
He finally managed to get the ball, but before he could even turn around, Li Xiangbei's hand sliced it away.
End of first quarter.
Noah only scored 2 points, and he was already panting heavily due to excessive positioning.
In the commentary booth, Mike Brin exclaimed:
"Li is everywhere! He's defending with his life on the line! He even stole the ball from Noah's hands! Does this guy have no limit to his stamina?"
……
On the offensive end, Li Xiangbei also did not choose to act recklessly.
The Bulls took advantage of the Knicks' lack of interior presence and their extremely compact defense, like a turtle shell, betting that Li Xiangbei wouldn't be able to score.
Li Xiangbei did not blindly rush in to deliver the hat.
He used a screen on the outside and suddenly pulled up for a jump shot!
[Guaranteed winning amount: 2/8]
"brush!"
Three point hit!
Next round, continue
[Guaranteed winning amount: 3/8]
"brush!"
A long-range three-pointer hits!
Round three.
[Guaranteed winning amount: 4/8]
Another three-pointer!
After three consecutive three-pointers, the Bulls had to rush out to defend, and Noah was also moved out to defend.
The instant Noah shifted his weight forward, Li Xiangbei moved.
He used his speed advantage to get past Noah in one step and drove straight to the basket.
The player coming to help defend was another Bulls center, Tyrus Thomas.
Facing Thomas leaping high, Li Xiangbei neither dodged nor passed the ball.
He actively sought out physical confrontation!
The two collided violently in mid-air.
Li Xiangbei was hit and fell to the ground.
But he also drew a foul from Thomas.
The audience gasped in surprise.
Li Xiangbei got up from the ground, rubbed his arm, and wore a cold smile on his face.
He went to the free-throw line and made both shots.
This is the exchange tactic.
Use your own "physical body" to replace the opponent's "defense".
By the end of the third quarter, the Bulls' two key big men, Noah and Thomas, both had accumulated four fouls and dared not make any more big moves.
Li Xiangbei used the most primitive and brutal methods to gradually wear down the Bulls' advantage in the paint.
……
The last 3 minutes of the fourth quarter.
The game entered a tense, decisive moment.
Both sides pushed themselves to their limits.
The Bulls players' stamina bars are already flashing red.
During the breaks, Noah supported himself on his knees with both hands, each step heavy.
Rose also began to pant heavily, the backlash from the rapid change of direction causing a slight discomfort in his knees.
The camera then focused on Li Xiangbei.
He remained upright and his breathing was steady.
What others see as astonishing "willpower" is actually supported by the system's external cheat codes.
The Bulls missed their shot.
Li Xiangbei leaped high and grabbed the rebound in the backcourt.
The moment he landed, he started again!
Quick attack!
Noah wanted to chase after it, but his legs wouldn't obey him, and he could only watch helplessly as the red figure disappeared into the distance.
There is no one in the attacking third.
Li Xiangbei took to the air.
"boom!!!"
A powerful, fast-paced dunk!
Knicks 109 : 106 Bulls
The last 10 seconds.
The Bulls have a chance to tie the game by 3 points.
Rose has the ball.
He wanted to use speed to devour Li Xiangbei.
However, due to physical limitations, his first step was 0.5 seconds slower than usual.
That 0.5 seconds is the distance between life and death.
Li Xiangbei returned to defend from the weak side.
After a full-blown physical battle and tumbles, he still jumped as high as he did in the first quarter!
"Smack!!!"
Li Xiangbei slammed his large hand onto the basketball!
Seal it!
It wasn't because of luck, nor because of talent.
It's because at this moment, he's the only one in the entire arena who can still output full power.
In a moment of desperation, the Bulls committed a foul.
Li Xiangbei made both free throws.
competition is over.
The Knicks narrowly defeated the Bulls 111-106.
……
After the game.
Rose looked at Li Xiangbei, who was still full of energy and even high-fiving fans, with disbelief in his eyes.
"Li...aren't you tired?" Ross couldn't help but ask.
"tired?"
Li Xiangbei said calmly.
"That's an excuse for the weak."
……
Post-match press conference.
Li Xiangbei was shirtless, with faint marks on his shoulders and arms—evidence of the hand-to-hand combat.
Faced with reporters' questions about "going it alone" and "bullying the ball".
Li Xiangbei pointed to the "Playing time: 48 minutes" on the data sheet.
"Some people say I deprived my teammates of their chance? No, I only deprived the opponents of their chance to breathe. 48 minutes, every second is war."
In 48 minutes, he scored 48 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, made 5 steals, and blocked 2 shots.
Furthermore, it drew a total of 10 fouls from the opposing team's inside players.
He stood up, faced the camera, and made a declaration to the entire league:
"Tell the Miamiers, tell the Celtics, tell the Clevelanders."
"If you want to beat me, you'd better have a spare lung."