Chapter 33: An Away Game Cheering Madly for Li!
Madison Square Garden, Li Rui basked in the overwhelming cheers.
Yes, cheers—not boos.
This atmosphere was quite different from the polarized reactions often seen on American social media.
New York fans had come to recognize this nationally renowned second-round pick.
Accustomed to witnessing superstar outbursts, many Knicks fans enjoyed the underdog story of a second-rounder rising up.
Of course, it was also because these Knicks fans felt little connection to their team—a collection of mediocre players under poor management, paying exorbitant luxury taxes for such dismal results.
Whoever supported them was deemed foolish; better to root for players they truly liked.
“Crazy Li” now embodied the many overlooked, invisible youths in society who one day explode with immense power, shaking the world.
They found a sense of identification in Li Rui.
Li Rui never imagined he would be so well-loved in New York. The fans’ passion was fiery; many wore his jersey, especially female fans whose striking figures nearly burst the chest of their shirts, which stirred a bit of excitement within him.
“Hey, Li, if you feel nervous out there, just pass to the little shark inside. That little shark will slaughter them,” An Zhu said casually beside him.
Li Rui rolled his eyes and replied, “Nervous my ass. I’m just excited.”
...
Less than five minutes remained before the game officially began.
The production team and staff of CCTV-5 were fully prepared.
The commentators were still Zhang Weiping and Su Qun. CCTV was very pleased with Zhang Weiping’s passionate style but had asked him to be mindful of sensitive words; otherwise, he was free to say whatever he liked.
“Crazy Li” had a certain inspirational effect on young people across society.
“CCTV!”
“CCTV!”
“This is a live broadcast of the NBA regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers visiting the New York Knicks.”
“Our young player Li Rui from China has performed outstandingly in the first three games, averaging 24 points per game and helping the Lakers achieve a smooth three-game winning streak...”
“The players from both teams have completed the entrance ceremony. Let’s take a look at today’s starting lineups.”
“Oh wow, is the sun rising from the west today? Phil Jackson has finally put Li Rui in the starting lineup.”
“In my opinion, this should have happened long ago. Li Rui’s ability is evident; Smush Parker should have been benched ages ago.”
“The Lakers desperately need Li Rui.”
If it weren’t a live broadcast, Zhang would have shouted, “The Lakers fucking need Li Rui.”
As a seasoned commentator, Zhang Weiping had watched Li Rui’s three games and fully understood his capabilities. He was very confident in Li Rui’s starting position.
“All right, with the referee’s whistle, the game begins. Let’s see what kind of performance Li Rui will put on tonight.”
---
On the court, the Knicks fielded a starting lineup of Marbury, Crawford, Frye, David Lee, and Eddie Curry—a lineup notable for its height.
David Lee stood 2.06 meters tall, Frye 2.11 meters, and Eddie Curry 2.13 meters. The Knicks had amassed a strong frontcourt presence.
Eddie Curry passed the ball to Marbury.
Li Rui glanced at An Zhu’s jumping ability and suspected that he must have been goofing off these past two days again; otherwise, he wouldn’t have restrained himself from handling it personally. Something seemed a bit off.
Marbury exuded confidence, bordering on arrogance.
As a representative of the ‘96 Golden Generation, Marbury displayed strong individual skills as soon as he entered the league.
His nickname, “Lone Wolf,” came from his distinct personality—sharp playing style but a bit self-centered, habitually controlling the ball on the court. He was even voted by NBA players as the “teammate nobody wanted to play with.” No one enjoyed playing alongside him.
This trait had peaked during his time with the Knicks. He openly clashed with management, was suspended for leaving the team without permission, and was labeled by the media as a “toxic presence in the locker room.”
“Rookie, tonight I’m going to destroy you. You’ll regret what you said before the game,” Marbury sneered as he crossed half court, targeting Li Rui.
His displeasure toward Li Rui was written all over his face; sending him to the CBA was a huge insult in his eyes.
Hearing Marbury’s trash talk, Li Rui retorted, “Screw you, just hurry up and attack. So much nonsense. If you’re not playing, pass the damn ball.”
What’s wrong with going to the CBA? That’s where I reached my peak.
Fuck!
Marbury’s anger flared instantly upon hearing Li Rui’s words, and he immediately reached out, wanting to initiate a one-on-one showdown.
Crawford, Eddie Curry, and others were speechless. They knew Marbury was a lone wolf, but they didn’t expect him to abandon all pride and go solo in the very first play.
Marbury faced Li Rui, faked to the right, and drove.
It had to be said that Marbury’s lone wolf style was backed by his ability.
His drive was razor-sharp, and Li Rui couldn’t keep up with his first step, getting beaten.
But Li Rui quickly turned and chased after Marbury. With Bynum providing help defense under the basket, they formed a pincer. Marbury powered through the defense attempting a layup.
He faced intense interference; the ball rattled the rim but bounced out. On the other side, David Lee grabbed the offensive rebound.
David Lee, the 30th pick in last year’s first round, was already part of the Knicks’ future building plan. His awareness for rebounds was excellent.
David Lee scored against Odom’s defense.
0-2.
“Your offense isn’t all that,” Li Rui taunted.
“Then you come and score,” Marbury quickly fired back.
The two exchanged trash talk.
The Lakers’ offense resumed.
Bynum passed the ball to Li Rui, though he still looked somewhat concerned while doing so.
---
Marbury immediately came up to apply pressure.
He had studied game footage and believed Li Rui’s ball-handling was poor; a full-court press could easily force turnovers.
“Marbury has excellent lateral quickness and explosiveness, allowing him to close in rapidly and disrupt dribbling. He’s adept at using his hands to steal the ball, averaging 1.2 steals per game. He has a keen sense for opponents’ dribbling mistakes and passing lanes, frequently producing critical steals for fast breaks. Li Rui must protect the ball carefully,” Zhang Weiping worried.
Facing Marbury’s defense was a challenge for Li Rui; Marbury excelled at pressuring point guards and was feared by Chinese point guards alike.
However, neither Marbury nor Coach Zhang knew that Li Rui’s ball-handling had improved drastically.
A ball-handling rating of 72 limited complex dribble moves, but with so much space, advancing the ball was no problem.
As Marbury closed in on the right side, Li Rui executed a behind-the-back dribble, flicking the ball to the left before accelerating past half court.
“Whoosh!”
Marbury was completely caught off guard by Li Rui’s crisp and decisive crossover.
The Zen Master and Lakers players were equally surprised by Li Rui’s silky smooth ball control.
Li Rui decisively passed to Kobe upon reaching the frontcourt, then moved to set up a play. Marbury hustled back to defend.
The Lakers’ half-court offense was relatively straightforward, often relying on Kobe’s isolation bursts. The Zen Master was eager to revive the famed triangle offense but lacked a flexible inside pivot.
Kobe initiated a pick-and-roll with Bynum. After the screen, Kobe drove right, then stopped abruptly for a jump shot against Eddie Curry’s defense.
The contest was intense.
“Rim!”
The shot missed, but Odom secured the rebound.
Odom passed out to Li Rui on the perimeter.
Li Rui received the ball beyond the right three-point arc. Marbury still tried to cut off his shot.
Impatient to steal the ball, Marbury ended up giving Li Rui space to control the rhythm. Marbury lost some ground.
Without hesitation, Li Rui pulled up for a catch-and-shoot three-pointer.
Marbury turned to contest.
Too late.
“Rim!”
“Swish.”
The basketball hit the inner rim and dropped through.
3-2.