Chapter 43: Christmas Day Showdown, Starting Lineup!

"Mr. Phil, I am a reporter from the Chinese magazine *Slam Dunk*. Will Li, who had an outstanding performance in the last game, continue to start tonight?" a female reporter with long black hair stood up and asked.

"You'll find out soon enough." Seeing that it was a Chinese reporter, the Zen Master's attitude softened slightly.

Realizing they couldn't squeeze any more material out of the Zen Master, the reporters decisively turned their attention to Li Rui.

"Li, Wade gave your recent performances a 9 out of 10, but claimed your ball-handling skills are lacking and rated Chris Quinn's performance a perfect 10. How do you respond?"

Li Rui finally understood the origin of this bond quest and why there had been a prompt on the car ride over.

Damn it.

This guy Wade really was asking for a beating.

He was a superstar, after all; couldn't he speak and act with a bit of fairness? He should stop lowering his own stature.

Li Rui sneered, "He should become a judge for the Slam Dunk Contest. His 'double standard' rating system would probably be unprecedented in history, and maybe Chris Quinn could even score a perfect ten."

"Click, click, click!"

The reporters were thrilled by these remarks. A rookie standing up to a superstar was prime material for a brand-new storyline.

Li Rui wouldn't go out of his way to bully anyone, but if someone pushed it to his face, he certainly wouldn't sit back and wait to be trampled.

As for Wade, well, he would just have to find out firsthand.

After asking a few more questions, the reporters shifted their interviews to Kobe, focusing primarily on his past feud with Shaquille O'Neal.

Annoyed, Kobe answered a few questions curtly and retreated.

...

"CCTV."

"CCTV."

"This is the NBA regular season live broadcast brought to you, with the Los Angeles Lakers playing away against the Miami Heat."

"We are very glad to have you join us on this weekend morning for this Christmas Day showdown."

"As everyone knows, the feud between the Heat and the Lakers primarily stems from Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant."

"However, today we don't need to dwell endlessly on that tired, old topic. What we really need to focus on is the young talent on the Lakers roster."

"Li Rui!"

"Li Rui scored 37 points in the last game, shattering the NBA's single-game scoring record for rookies this season. Over his last four games, he has averaged 27 points, becoming the Lakers' second-leading scorer right behind Kobe."

"His performance tonight is well worth our close attention."

...

Zhang Weiping was currently the undisputed top NBA commentator in China. Although his broadcasting style leaned toward the humorous, his professional acumen was second to none.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

In the Lakers locker room.

The Zen Master was patiently explaining the tactical arrangements for the night.

"Remember, you must double-team Shaq when he gets the ball. Do not give him easy opportunities to establish position in the restricted area."

"We also have to limit Dwyane's penetration and not let him build up a head of steam."

"Bynum, when playing defense, don't just watch the ball; you must stay aware of your own man."

...

After going through the meticulous tactical rundown, the Zen Master finally fell silent.

Urged on by the staff, the Lakers players filed out of the locker room.

...

The Heat locker room experienced almost the exact same scene, with their defensive scheme centering primarily around double-teaming Kobe.

However, Pat Riley had made specific, targeted adjustments tailored to Li Rui starting. He viewed this as a glaring weak point to exploit: "Today we are playing a Christmas Day game on our home court, and the opponent has sent out a rookie to start at point guard. Men, I must emphasize, this is our opportunity, and we need to make them pay for it."

As a championship-level head coach, Pat Riley studied details with meticulous precision.

He believed that Li Rui playing the point guard position came with a host of vulnerabilities.

Tap, tap.

Pat Riley tapped the tactical board with his marker: "Li is a very extreme player. His cuts are razor-sharp, and his shooting is exceptionally accurate—these are things we must guard against with special care. However, he possesses virtually zero ability to create off the dribble or orchestrate the offense."

"So how should we defend him?"

"Tight, ball-pressure defense. Switch on every screen. Give him zero breathing room, force him to put the ball on the floor, and make him miserable."

"Our guards need to step right up and apply maximum pressure."

"Make him pass the ball."

Playing on their home floor, Pat Riley was filled with confidence.

Phil Jackson had actually chosen to start a rookie with rudimentary ball-handling fundamentals at the primary playmaker position. As long as the Heat demonstrated their championship-level defensive intensity, the Lakers would pay a steep price.

...

"Let's take a look at the starting lineups for both teams."

"Starting with the Heat."

"Point Guard: Jason Williams."

"Shooting Guard: Dwyane Wade!"

"Small Forward: Dorell Wright!"

"Power Forward: Udonis Haslem."

"Center: Shaquille O'Neal!"

"The Heat boast incredible depth on their bench, with proven veterans like Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, and James Posey waiting in reserve."

"Now let's look at the Lakers. Well, look at that, Li Rui is getting the start once again."

"Point Guard: Li Rui."

"Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant."

"Small Forward: Luke Walton."

"Power Forward: Lamar Odom."

"Center: Andrew Bynum."

"Compared to the Heat, the Lakers' bench is relatively thin, with players like Smush Park and Kwame Brown offering very limited production."

"Now for the opening tip."

As the referee tossed the ball high into the air, Bynum and O'Neal sprang upward simultaneously.

O'Neal tipped the ball cleanly to Jason Williams.

The moment Jason Williams gathered the ball, the Heat initiated their smoothly coordinated offensive system.

Jason Williams crossed halfcourt and delivered the ball to Wade.

Wade caught the ball on the right wing, faced up against Kobe, and immediately flashed a pick-and-roll signal toward the interior.

Wade was a superstar exceptionally skilled at utilizing screens to slash through defenses; the moment a teammate carved out even a sliver of space, he could explode out of his first step.

O'Neal and Haslem stepped up simultaneously, catching Kobe in a trap.

Wade drifted to the right, executed a sharp, low-to-high crossover, snapping the ball from his right hand to his left.

He sliced right through the double-team of the rotating Odom and Bynum, gathered the ball, and converted a smooth flying layup at the rim.

0 to 2.

"Wade's pick-and-roll penetration is just a thing of beauty to watch."

"His ball-handling fundamentals are exceptional, allowing him to slice into the paint with ease."

"The Lakers' defense leaves a lot to be desired here," Zhang Weiping said with a hint of concern.

On the court.

Bynum inbounded the ball to Li Rui.

After the previous game, Bynum had realized that Li Rui was entirely capable of handling playmaking duties, so he proactively increased his passes to the rookie—which made things easier for him since he no longer had to hunt desperately for an open teammate on every inbound.

Receiving the ball, Li Rui advanced it toward the frontcourt on the right side as Jason Williams stepped up to apply ball pressure.

However, Jason Williams's pressure lacked real bite. Li Rui leaned his body back against him, backed him down a step, and then executed a quick spin move to cross halfcourt.

Li Rui swiftly fed the ball to Kobe in the middle of the floor.

Kobe didn't rush. He secured the ball in his right hand while signaling his teammates with his left to clear out the left side of the floor. Meanwhile, Li Rui jogged leisurely along the right side to occupy the defense's attention.

Odom sprinted toward Kobe to set a screen, cutting off Wade's pursuit. Kobe dribbled toward the left, took one aggressive step inward, and pulled up abruptly for a mid-range jumper.

The shot didn't completely shake Haslem's contest, but Haslem was simply too short, prompting Kobe to rise directly over him.

Swish!

The ball hit the inner rim and fell right through.

2 to 2.

Absolute greatness!

Li Rui couldn't help but marvel at the sheer beauty of Kobe's offensive repertoire. Only by sharing the court with him could one truly understand why so many NBA players held Kobe's skill level in such profound awe.

The opportunity hadn't been particularly good; the Heat's defense had been suffocating, rotations timely, and the physical contact fierce. Yet Kobe had simply utilized a subtle change of pace to elevate right over the defense and bury the mid-range jumper.

Li Rui admitted to himself that he wasn't yet capable of executing such a high-difficulty pull-up jumper off the dribble.

During the next practice session, he would definitely need to ask Kobe for pointers. Mastering this style of ball-dominant scoring was another vital avenue for his own growth.

He wondered if the treasure-trove boy could trigger another attribute upgrade soon.