I made all five of my shots right from the start, and the whole league was stunned.

Chapter 12 When a Tank Crashes into an Anti-Tank Cone

November 11, 2008, Singles' Day (the US doesn't celebrate this holiday, but tonight someone is destined to be alone).

Madison Square Garden, New York.

Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers.

Madison Square Garden was noisier than ever tonight. Because that man had arrived.

LeBron James.

Number 23, the king of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the rising star of the league, a human bulldozer. At this moment, he is at the peak of his physical abilities. Although his shooting is still a weakness, once he gets going, he is an unstoppable force.

During the pre-game warm-up, James walked to the scorer's table, threw the magnesium powder in his hand into the air, spread his arms, and enjoyed the wave of cheers and boos from the 20,000 people in the arena.

"Hey, Lee," David Lee said, standing next to Li Xiangbei, "that guy looks like a Transformer. Are we really going to go head-to-head with him?"

Li Xiangbei was tightening his knee pads when he heard this. He looked up and glanced at the figure who was roaring domineeringly.

"Transformers?"

Li Xiangbei stood up, stretched his neck which had just been strengthened, and heard a cracking sound.

"Even Optimus Prime would get a scratch if he hit an anti-tank cone."

……

The first quarter of the game.

James' dominance is undeniable.

Within the first five minutes, he tore apart the Knicks' defense with his terrifying drives, scoring two dunks and one and-one. Knicks forward Wilson Chandler was completely overwhelmed by him, like a schoolchild.

The score is 12-18. The Knicks are trailing.

D'Antoni had to make an adjustment, waving his hand and saying, "Lee! You go guard LeBron!"

The entire arena erupted in uproar. Sending a 191cm tall guard to defend LeBron James, who's 203cm tall and weighs 113kg? Is that suicide?

But Li Xiangbei did not hesitate and immediately switched positions.

James looked at the yellow-skinned kid in front of him, who was half a head shorter than him, and a contemptuous smile appeared on his lips.

"Newbie, is your brow bone healed yet? Don't start crying again soon."

James dribbled the ball while trash-talking.

Li Xiangbei's eyes were calm, and he kept his center of gravity low.

James moved.

He didn't call a screen; he just took the ball on the perimeter and started driving. His explosiveness was terrifying, like a supercar accelerating instantly.

Just as he broke through to the vicinity of the free throw line, Li Xiangbei used a sliding step to firmly block his position.

James was forced to stop the ball.

According to basketball rules, after stopping the ball, you can only take two more steps before making a layup (although the NBA gives preferential treatment to stars).

But in order to get rid of the entanglement, James habitually took a small step with his left foot after stopping the ball, adjusted his center of gravity, and then took two steps to make a layup.

That's definitely traveling!

And it was clearly a four-step layup!

"brush!"

Goal!

"beep--"

The referee signaled that the goal was valid.

The Knicks' home fans immediately erupted in boos. D'Antoni was seen jumping up and down in protest on the sidelines.

But the referees remained unmoved. This was the "superstar whistle" of the 08-09 season, especially regarding the "crab walk" of these popular superstars, which the league almost tacitly condoned.

James smugly returned to defense, shrugging as he passed Li Xiangbei.

However, Li Xiangbei did not go to the referee to complain.

He suddenly turned around, faced James who was retreating on defense, pointed his finger, and shouted:

"One! Two! Three! Four!"

Li Xiangbei's voice was full of energy, and his exaggerated counting gestures made it clear to everyone in the room.

"LeBron! Your moves were beautiful!" Li Xiangbei taunted as he dribbled the ball forward. "Next time, remember to wear tap shoes! This is Broadway, not your dance studio!"

The entire audience burst into laughter instantly.

In the commentary booth, Jeff Van Gundy nearly threw his headphones off with laughter: "Hahaha! My God! Did you hear that? Li Xiangbei is counting LeBron's steps! One, two, three, four! This is the 'crab walk' that everyone in the league has been talking about lately! No one has ever dared to mock LeBron like this to his face!"

James's face instantly darkened. Being criticized for traveling in front of 20,000 people by a rookie was even more painful than getting his hand blocked.

"You'll regret this, kid," James growled through gritted teeth.

……

There are 4 minutes left in the third quarter.

James was really angry.

He grabbed the rebound in the backcourt and launched a fast break from there.

When James sprints at full speed, he's like a runaway heavy truck.

The Knicks' defensive formation was in disarray. David Lee stood in the paint, watching James rush towards him, instinctively wanting to draw an offensive foul, but at the last moment, his survival instinct made him dodge to the side.

Only one person didn't hide.

Li Xiangbei.

Using the system-enhanced physique, he sprinted back to defend, and just as David Lee dodged, he filled in half a step outside the fair zone.

Stand firmly with your feet on the ground, lower your center of gravity, protect your chest with your hands, and focus your energy in your lower abdomen.

[System assessment: An S-level impact is imminent.]

[Steel Body (Passive): Activated.]

[Core Strength A-: Hardening in progress.]

[Estimated damage reduction: 95%]

James had already charged forward; he hadn't expected this small guy to actually dare to block his way. But instead of slowing down, he accelerated, trying to directly knock Li Xiangbei aside for a dunk.

"Get out of my way!!" James roared, slamming his shoulder into the air with tremendous force.

At that moment, the entire audience covered their eyes, unable to bear watching the tragedy that was about to unfold.

however.

"boom--!!"

The microphones at the scene even picked up the dull thud of muscles colliding.

James felt as if he had hit a wall the moment he collided with Li Xiangbei.

The enormous reaction force caused him to lose his balance, his whole body tilted in the air, the ball slipped from his hand, and then he crashed heavily onto the floor!

"Bang!"

And Li Xiangbei?

He staggered back two steps, feeling a tightness in his chest (that 5% damage still hurt quite a bit)!

The entire room fell silent for a second.

Then, Spike Lee, the number one fan, jumped up from his seat, waving a towel wildly: "That's the New York tough guy!!!"

Commentator Mike Breen went wild: "Bang!! It wasn't a shot! It was a collision! Li Xiangbei is like a tough guy! He blocked LeBron at full speed! This is unbelievable! Newton must be turning in his grave!"

James, lying on the ground, looked completely bewildered. He stared at the still-steady number 8, and for the first time, doubted his own strength.

Did this kid grow up eating iron?

……

The final 20 seconds of the fourth quarter.

Knicks 99:98 Cavaliers.

The game entered a nail-biting phase. The Cavaliers had possession of the ball.

James stands at the top of the key with the ball. The court stretches out.

Everyone knew that James would take that shot himself.

Li Xiangbei stood opposite him, his chest still throbbing slightly, but he remained expressionless.

James is holding back the clock.

10 seconds... 8 seconds...

"Is it coming again?" Li Xiangbei wondered to himself.

5 seconds.

James has started!

But he hesitated. The shadow of that collision in the previous quarter was still lingering. He worried that if he drove in again and hit that "block" again, what if the referee didn't call a blocking call? Besides, there was that fat Randolph waiting in the paint.

In the instant James hesitated, Li Xiangbei made an extremely clever move.

Instead of sticking close to him to prevent a breakthrough as before, he suddenly took a half step back.

This half-step space is a trap.

Seeing the space, James instinctively chose the safer option – a pull-up jump shot.

But that was LeBron James in 08. His shooting was extremely inconsistent.

Just as James jumped to release the shot, Li Xiangbei, who had just retreated, suddenly sprang up.

Instead of blocking the ball (because he wasn't tall enough), he stretched out his palm and precisely covered James' eyes!

[Blindfold Defense (Psychological Interference): Detection successful.]

James' vision went black, and he could only throw the ball out by instinct.

"Clang!"

The sound of hammering is crisp and pleasant.

Randolph tightly marked Varejao, securing the rebound!

"beep--!"

The final whistle blows!

The Knicks narrowly defeated the Cavaliers 99-98!

Madison Square Gardens was once again transformed into a sea of ​​joy.

Li Xiangbei didn't celebrate. He just bent over, put his hands on his knees, and gasped for breath. The impact of the collision was only now subsiding.

James sat on the scorer's table, looking at the scoreboard, and with a grim expression, ripped off his headband.

He lost. He lost to a rookie who was physically weaker than him, but smarter and as hard as a rock.

Li Xiangbei straightened up and walked over.

He offered his hand.

James paused for a moment, looked at the hand, hesitated for a second, and then reached out and shook it.

"LeBron."

Li Xiangbei shook James's hand, his tone no longer sarcastic, but filled with professional respect.

"Your body is truly a gift from God. That collision almost broke my ribs."

James snorted, about to say something polite.

Li Xiangbei changed the subject, grinning:

"But before your next breakthrough, remember to count your steps. You know, math teachers in New York are strict, and they check homework."

James was so angry he laughed.

He slapped Li Xiangbei's hand hard, stood up, and looked down at the kid who had given him a hard time.

"Your mouth is tougher than your defense, New York kid."

James turned and walked toward the player tunnel, leaving Li Xiangbei with a broad back view.

"You'll pay for this. Next time we clash, I'll settle this score with interest. I hope you'll still be this tough then."

Li Xiangbei watched his retreating figure and rubbed his chest.

He glanced at the cheering crowd.

"See you then."