Chapter 15: Three-Strike Combo, Facing the Sea, Blossoms in Spring!

Li Rui's ambitions were lofty, yet reality proved somewhat harsh.

At first, Li Rui thought he would be matched up against Harris. He had already planned how to deal with Harris, but unexpectedly, the one who stepped up was the towering figure from Puerto Rico...

It was a bit like an emperor's grand enterprise collapsing halfway through.

Though Barría held a lesser position on the Mavericks compared to Harris and Terry, it was clear that his intensity posed a significant threat to Li Rui, who was tasked with the point guard role.

Li Rui had boosted his shooting stats, not his ball-handling skills. His ball control rating of 52 was still below par.

Barría was extremely active on defense, starting his pressure as soon as Li Rui received the ball.

Short and stocky, he was quite a nuisance.

Seeing Barría so fiercely pushing and shoving beside him,

Li Rui felt helpless and wanted to cry. Why defend with such desperation?

Barría kept a low center of gravity, moving his hands and feet rapidly. To avoid turnovers, Li Rui, upon realizing he couldn’t get past him, passed the ball to Kobe, who was preparing to launch from the other side.

"Damn, Li Rui looks like he can’t even control the ball," some fans commented online.

"Why does Li Rui seem scared of tight defense?"

"Just Barría managed to shut him down?"

"I get nervous every time Li Rui dribbles."

"Almost lost the ball, damn."

Fans rapidly refreshed their comments.

Kobe was in a foul mood today; the team was once again trailing, and Li Rui looked like he couldn’t even bring the ball past half-court.

His frustration was palpable.

Kobe dribbled the ball into the frontcourt.

Barría closed in for a double-team on Kobe, and Li Rui, finding space, stretched out his hand to request the ball.

Give it to me.

Give it!

I’m on fire today.

But Kobe didn’t glance at Li Rui; he decisively chose to dribble sideways and launch a step-back three-pointer.

He shot over House’s defense.

“Swish!”

The ball struck the rim hard and bounced off.

However, Quame Brown grabbed the offensive rebound, having correctly anticipated the trajectory, beating Dampier to the ball.

To be fair, Quame Brown was a number one draft pick with solid talent. Unfortunately, being chosen first by the legendary Joe brought immense pressure, which shattered his mindset and stalled his development.

If not for being the top pick, he might have grown into a decent role player.

Quame Brown lacked the courage to attack himself and passed the ball back to Li Rui. Barría’s defense closed in again.

But this time, Li Rui received the ball beyond the three-point arc at the top of the key.

Did he still need to dribble?

Why bother?

Standing just over two meters tall, while Barría was under 1.8 meters, Li Rui decisively planted his feet and exploded upward.

Jump shot.

His wrist flicked lightly, releasing the ball.

Li Rui’s release point was very high. Barría, lowering his center of gravity, leapt to block.

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Too short.

There was some interference, but not much.

The shooting form remained textbook perfect.

Like a lesson in basketball technique.

The ball traced a magnificent arc.

“Swish!”

The ball cleanly swished through the net.

22 to 13.

Smooth!

Graceful!

This was the first reaction among Lakers fans at the Staples Center as they saw Li Rui’s three-pointer go in.

The legendary shooter’s feel?

“Wow!!”

“Beautiful shot.”

“Well done.”

The Lakers crowd erupted in cheers.

After seeing Li Rui’s shot, Kobe’s expression lightened slightly.

As Li Rui passed Kobe, he said, “When double-teamed, remember to pass to me. I feel great today—trust me.”

Li Rui didn’t want to have a hot hand and not get any passes.

Kobe glanced at Li Rui but neither nodded nor shook his head, simply running off.

Kobe wore an inscrutable expression, leaving Li Rui unsure if he had been heard.

“Show-off, two-faced,” Li Rui muttered.

Their friendly banter at Li Rui’s home hadn’t seemed to affect Kobe’s attitude on the court.

In the domestic broadcast booth,

Coach Zhang excitedly said, “Hey, Barría’s too short, can’t guard him. Li Rui should shoot threes right over him, right in his face.”

Coach Xu beside him wiped his sweat nervously. “This is CCTV, Coach Zhang, maybe tone it down a bit?”

Barría took a deep breath, feeling the pressure. It was tough to limit such a tall point guard with shooting ability.

The Mavericks’ offense continued.

Barría dribbled to the frontcourt and passed to the low post, to Nowitzki.

Nowitzki kept attacking Odom.

Odom was a bit too slender for Nowitzki, who easily gained the upper hand in the physical contest.

Colliding at close range, Nowitzki spun and launched a fadeaway jumper with elegant balance.

“Swish!”

24 to 13.

The German Sniper remained precise.

Lakers’ offense.

Barría pressed Li Rui even before the inbound, denying him the ball with a half-circuit around.

Li Rui saw Odom at the baseline shaking his head and sighing, judging that he could receive a pass, so he dashed off.

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Whoever wants to handle the ball can.

Li Rui just wanted to catch and shoot, not dribble.

Quame Brown passed the ball to Odom nearby.

Nowitzki’s defense was less aggressive than Barría’s, retreating to half-court to guard Odom.

Though Odom often brought the ball across half-court himself, he felt uneasy.

He hadn’t planned to handle the ball this possession—how did it end up with him?

After crossing half-court, Odom passed to Kobe.

Kobe held the ball at the top of the key, scanning the court. Quame Brown wrestled with Dampier inside, barely securing a position, but Kobe wasn’t ready to pass him the ball.

Li Rui was stationed in the right corner, tightly guarded by Barría.

Li Rui signaled to Odom, indicating to set a screen away from the ball.

At the same moment, Kobe executed a crossover, blowing past House, and drove to the free-throw line, drawing defensive attention.

Barría’s focus shifted momentarily to Kobe.

Li Rui cut sharply toward the left diagonal.

Barría reacted too slowly and couldn’t keep up. On the chase, Odom slowed his pursuit further.

Soon, Li Rui found himself open near the left 30-degree three-point line, ready to receive a pass.

Kobe jumped and lobbed the ball to Li Rui.

The pass wasn’t perfect; Li Rui nearly missed it. He glanced at Barría, who was hustling but hadn’t closed the gap yet.

Catching the ball, Li Rui quickly adjusted, leapt, and reached his peak.

Palm supporting the ball, wrist channeling power, fingertips softly guiding release.

Facing the open court!

Spring blossoms!

“Swish!”

Li Rui sank his second three-pointer of the night.

24 to 16.

“Well done!”

“Nice shot.”

Coach Phil Jackson smiled on the sideline. Li Rui’s cut-and-shoot three-point play showed the Lakers were not without strategy.

In Phil’s eyes, Li Rui’s value was steadily rising. With consistent shooting, height, a high release point, and quickness, they could design plays around him.

What had happened?

Many fans were stunned, then erupted in cheers.

Before Li Rui’s appearance, the Lakers’ offense was stuck, relying solely on Kobe.

With Li Rui on the court, everything flowed smoothly.

Two threes right out of the gate!

Hearing the home crowd’s cheers, Li Rui was thrilled. That’s the advantage of playing at home—fans keep encouraging you after a good shot.

Kobe’s usually stern face broke into a smile, and he gave Li Rui a thumbs-up.

On the court, Li Rui pumped his fist in celebration. Though these threes might mean little to Klay Thompson, they were significant for him.

Just three days earlier, he was a marginal figure who might be cut from the Lakers at any time.

Now, he had become an indispensable three-point shooter for the team.

Given the chance, he could seize it.