Chapter 54: A Challenge from the Knight (Monthly Votes Requested)

Seeing a reward like this, Li Rui accepted it immediately without a second thought.

Li Rui had consulted the system before; if he refused the mission, the next main quest would not refresh for about another month.

Completing missions was the fastest way to improve, and Li Rui had no intention of wasting time.

System fusions always adopted the higher attribute values for integration.

If some of 22-year-old Klay's attributes were lower than his current ones, his present attributes would be retained.

However, 22-year-old Klay was superior to 35-year-old Klay in many aspects.

Born in 1990, a 22-year-old Klay Thompson would correspond to the version from either the 2011-12 or 2012-13 season.

At that time, Klay had just shed the naivety of his rookie season and was gradually growing into a top-tier shooter in the league.

Although not yet at his peak, compared to the 35-year-old Klay, the 22-year-old Klay had suffered no major injuries; while slightly lacking in experience, his physical gifts were much better.

The integration and enhancement of these physical traits would inevitably lead to an overall improvement in his defensive capabilities.

Li Rui remembered that Klay had made the All-Defensive Second Team around those very two or three seasons.

A fusion once again would definitely elevate him to a whole new dimension!

However, the difficulty of this mission was somewhat high.

"Buffed with the 'Linsanity'-style 'Lirui-Insanity' special state?"

"This should be pretty much the same as 'Linsanity'."

Li Rui muttered to himself.

He had been sensing his recent condition, which wasn't exactly magical; it slightly improved his shooting touch, but its primary function was preventing him from having those games where Klay played terribly.

The 35-year-old Klay was averaging around 18 to 20 points per game for the Mavericks, often fluctuating wildly between brilliant and disastrous performances.

In these past few games, opponents clearly lacked sufficient understanding of him, giving him plenty of open-shot opportunities. Coupled with various state buffs, this helped him achieve a high level of nearly 27 points per game.

As upcoming opponents grew more familiar with him, scoring would become harder, and securing high point totals would grow more difficult.

Thinking of the urgent desire to win, Li Rui quickly resumed studying the Cavaliers' scouting report.

The Lakers had already secured a 5-game winning streak, which lifted their record from the eighth seed in the Western Conference to the sixth seed.

Just as the Zen Master had said, the fatigue of consecutive games had made the team somewhat mentally lax—a long winning streak like this was something they hadn't experienced before.

The head coach of the Cavaliers was Mike Brown, whose coaching style centered around defense and emphasized team discipline. This allowed the Cavaliers to limit opponents to an average of just 92 points per game this season. They were extremely adept at shutting down opposing star players; in the Eastern Conference, Dwyane Wade and Paul Pierce often struggled against the Cavaliers.

The leader of the Cavaliers was LeBron James. So far this season, LeBron was averaging 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1.6 steals, with a field goal percentage of 47.6%.

Next was Zydrunas Ilgauskas (averaging 11.9 points and 7.7 rebounds, serving as the interior pillar) and Larry Hughes (averaging 14.9 points and 3.7 assists, a two-way guard). LeBron formed a formidable trident with these two players.

However, the Cavaliers' offensive tactics still relied mostly on LeBron playing isolation, using his own dominance to draw defenses and create space, which meant their total assist numbers were actually quite low.

The Cavaliers were a classic "home dragon, away worm" team; so far this season, they had only lost one game at home.

In Li Rui's memory, the Cavaliers would advance to the Finals this season, only for LeBron to joyfully suffer a sweep by the Admiral...

Tim Duncan: "I heard you're a dog?"

LeBron: "Who said that? I never said it anyway."

At any rate, facing the Admiral, LeBron would probably be too embarrassed to say such a thing about himself.

The player Li Rui would be matching up against this time was Daniel Gibson.

Gibson stood at 1.88 meters tall and was drafted in the same year as Li Rui as the 12th pick in the second round, making him slightly taller than Li Rui. His playing style was somewhat similar to Li Rui's—fast, but lacking in ball-dominant tactics. He functioned as a shooter for the Cavaliers, possessing a very accurate mid-to-long-range shot. He was averaging 5 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist per game this season, with a three-point shooting percentage as high as 42%. With starting point guard Eric Snow injured, Gibson had been promoted to the starting point guard position.

...

Lakers beat writer: "Kobe is playing with a wrist injury and has been added to the injury report; Li Rui missed uncontested layups in practice, and the team's overall condition is questionable, raising fears of a strong resistance in the next game."

ESPN game preview: "December 28, 7:30 PM, the Cavaliers will host the Lakers!"

Below the game preview was the NBA team standings.

1. Dallas Mavericks
2. Phoenix Suns
3. San Antonio Spurs
4. Utah Jazz
5. Houston Rockets
6. Los Angeles Lakers
7. ......

Over in the Eastern Conference:
1. Detroit Pistons
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Toronto Raptors
4. Miami Heat
5. Chicago Bulls
6. New Jersey Nets
7. .....

Seeing the Lakers' steadily rising ranking, the Zen Master was somewhat surprised.

He remembered that just a few days ago, the Lakers were ranked eighth; now they were nearly catching up to the Rockets.

However, looking at the match history, the Lakers were on a five-game winning streak.

The teams above them had winning streaks of no more than three games, having dropped matches here and there.

That made it acceptable.

Yet, looking at the schedule and seeing the opponents for the next two games, the Zen Master shook his head helplessly.

After playing the Cavaliers on the road, they would have to play the Pistons on the road. This schedule clearly didn't want the Lakers to continue their winning streak; the physical toll of a five-game road trip was comparable to playing a Game 7 in the playoffs, leaving the Zen Master with little confidence.

Of course, this negative energy could not be passed on to the players.

...

On the day of the game.
Quicken Loans Arena.

The gimmick of this matchup was 23 vs. 24, with the promotional poster featuring Kobe and LeBron locked in a head-to-head duel.

However, many Cavaliers fans focused their attention squarely on Li Rui.

Li Rui was the hottest viral star in the world lately; there were numerous topics and stories surrounding him, and "Lirui-Insanity" had become a global phenomenon.

Fans and the media alike wanted to know whether he would explode with another big performance tonight.

Media reporters had packed out the pre-match press conference hall well in advance.

"Click, click, click!"

The Zen Master walked in with a calm expression, adjusted his glasses in front of the gathered reporters, and then stopped as they surrounded him.

"Phil, you've won five games in a row over the past five games. Are you worried that tonight's winning streak will be snapped?"

"We will focus on tonight's game and won't dwell on past victories or worry about failures that haven't happened yet."

The reason the Zen Master was called the Zen Master was because he truly loved the Zen philosophy of focusing on the present rather than reminiscing about the past or worrying about the future—a mindset he loved to instill in his players.

"The Cleveland Cavaliers have the best home record in the league, and their goal is a championship. Before the game, some fans and media considered this to be a heavily lopsided matchup..."

Interrupting the reporter, the Zen Master said, "The best home record in the league? We happen to have the best record in the league over the last five games. I know they're a very strong opponent."

"However, don't underestimate our strength. This is a matchup between playoff teams from the East and the West. Put that way, do you still think victory is guaranteed for them?"

The Zen Master said confidently, "I know how fragile the East is right now... So, don't tell me in front of me that any team in the East can easily beat us!"

The disparity between the strong West and the weak East was a universally acknowledged pattern, with the gap reaching an exaggerated degree.

An Eastern Conference team might make the playoffs with 38 wins, whereas a Western Conference team would still be sweating with 50 wins, and most Eastern Conference teams got crushed when facing Western Conference opponents.