stonecrandall Chapter 46 First Battle with LeBron
Chapter 46 First Battle with LeBron
2009年1月17日，晚8:00。
Madison Square Garden, New York.
Knicks vs. Cavaliers.
Tonight at MSG, the air is thick with tension.
Because of the pre-game provocation involving a "mask," LeBron James didn't smile once he stepped onto the court.
He stood in the center circle wearing those special Nike gold basketball shoes, like a lion gathering its strength.
The game begins. The Cavaliers win the jump ball.
James received the ball at the top of the key. Without any unnecessary probing, he immediately lowered his center of gravity and accelerated.
This is LeBron James in 2009, a heavy tank sprinting at full speed in fifth gear.
In his dictionary, breaking through doesn't require changing direction, it only requires crushing the opponent.
Li Xiangbei did not retreat.
He knew that facing this level of impact, retreating would be a dead end, and he would be directly dunked on under the basket.
He chose the most masculine approach—to confront it head-on.
Li Xiangbei planted his feet firmly on the floor, lowering his center of gravity to its lowest point, a stance typical of sumo wrestlers.
"Come on!" Li Xiangbei roared.
"Bang!"
It was a collision of two bodies without reservation.
Although Li Xiangbei had the support of the system's core strength, the laws of physics still applied when faced with absolute tonnage and momentum.
The immense impact caused Li Xiangbei to grunt, and he was thrown back two steps! Finally, losing his balance, he fell heavily backward onto the floor.
"Thump!"
Scarlett Janssen, sitting in the first row on the sidelines, covered her mouth. It looked painful. An ordinary player would definitely clutch their chest and gasp for breath after being hit like that, and might even need to lie on the ground for a few minutes to recover.
The referee blows the whistle. Blocking foul!
James landed, not even glancing at Li Xiangbei lying on the ground, and prepared to inbound the ball.
however.
The very second the whistle blew.
The figure that should have been lying on the ground suddenly sprang up without any hesitation, bracing himself against the floor with both hands as if nothing had happened!
Li Xiangbei patted his chest where he had been hit, acting as if nothing had happened.
He walked up to James and even picked up the ball that James had dropped on the ground for him.
"LeBron."
Li Xiangbei handed the ball to James, his tone as calm as if he were asking for directions.
"Didn't you eat dinner? You feel so limp."
James froze. He instinctively pressed his shoulder—the impact had been mutual; he felt like he'd hit a metal plate, and it still ached slightly.
But this guy... got hit and he's actually okay?
James's expression changed slightly.
……
Middle of the first section.
Although a strong drive can draw a foul, the feeling of hitting a wall makes James very unhappy.
He began to try using technical face-up attacks.
James has the ball at a 45-degree angle on the right side.
Facing Li Xiangbei's defense, he made a signature hesitant step, trying to shift his weight.
This was his signature move in 2009, but the details of that footwork... have always been controversial.
As Li Xiangbei quickly moved laterally to block the route, he suddenly stretched out his fingers and began to count aloud:
"step!"
James paused for a moment, then continued dribbling.
"Two steps!"
James is preparing to drive to the basket.
"Three steps! Hey, referee! This isn't a waltz!"
Li Xiangbei's voice was so loud that it could be heard across half the stadium.
That shout ignited the entire arena. Spike Lee, standing on the sidelines, led the chant, and the 20,000 spectators began to shout in unison:
"One! Two! Three! Travel!"
Although the referee didn't call a foul (that's the kind of whistle that's common in this era), the pressure of counting throughout the game was immense.
James's rhythm was clearly disrupted. He began to subconsciously focus on his footwork, and his movements became somewhat hesitant.
In that brief moment of hesitation, the ball was exposed in front of his body.
Li Xiangbei reacted swiftly, like a cheetah on the hunt, suddenly reaching out his hand!
"Snapped!"
An incredibly precise slice!
James's hand went empty, and the ball was gone!
After stealing the ball, Li Xiangbei accelerated and charged forward in a straight line, slamming a two-handed dunk!
"boom!"
After landing, Li Xiangbei spread his hands at James, whose face was ashen, looking completely innocent:
"Don't look at me, LeBron. My math teacher taught me that counting is a good habit."
In the commentary booth, Charles Barkley laughed so hard he almost fell over: "Li Xiangbei is a genius! He's using math to defend LeBron! Even if the referee doesn't call it, LeBron himself will start questioning his existence! Was he contemplating life just now?"
……
Before halftime.
Although Li Xiangbei used every trick in the book on the defensive end, the Cavaliers were still the top team in the East.
James still managed to score 18 points thanks to his strong individual ability, and the Cavaliers led 53-49 by 4 points.
But the Cavaliers discovered a terrifying truth.
After fighting for so long, battling with James for so long, Li Xiangbei barely broke a sweat or even started to pant.
He was like a tireless shadow, clinging tightly to James.
Distracting the view when serving, engaging in physical contact when not in possession of the ball, and pressing against the lower back when receiving the ball...
Wherever James goes, Li Xiangbei is there.
The last attack of the first half.
James had the ball, wanting to take the final shot to end the first half.
Li Xiangbei led the defense throughout the game, applying high-intensity physical contact from the baseline.
"Don't think you can get past the halfway mark easily!" Li Xiangbei said.
James was frustrated by the persistent defense, and his exhaustion made it impossible for him to shake off the sticky, tenacious defense.
Time passed second by second.
The last 3 seconds.
James was forced to take a hasty shot before he even crossed the three-point line.
"when!"
A long-range three-pointer missed.
The halftime whistle blows.
James walked to the bench, plopped down in a chair, grabbed a Gatorade and gulped it down, his chest heaving violently, sweat streaming down his face.
He is tired.
The camera pans to the other side.
Li Xiangbei was standing on the sidelines, chatting and laughing with Scarlett Janssen, and even flirting with her in public, which made Scarlett laugh out loud.
In the commentary booth, Jeff Van Gundy, watching this scene, couldn't help but exclaim:
"Look at this contrast. LeBron is playing basketball, he's fighting. Li Xiangbei... he seems to be enjoying the hunt."
"Is this guy's stamina bar bottomless? How did he manage to collide with LeBron for the entire game and still act like nothing happened?"
In the locker room.
Li Xiangbei sat in the chair, but he wasn't as relaxed as he appeared.
Although he wasn't injured, the shockwaves from each impact still made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
D'Antoni walked in.
"Li, the stats are in. LeBron used 60% of his shot attempts in the first half, but his shooting percentage was only 40%. He's getting anxious."
Li Xiangbei nodded and took a sip of water.
"The more anxious he is, the more flaws he reveals."
"In the second half, it's my turn to attack."
Li Xiangbei stood up and stretched his ankles.