Chapter 36: Eighteen Points by Halftime, Consistently Achieving Goals.

Vujacic had the ball, and there was absolutely no need to double-team him. In that moment, Vujacic passed the ball to Li Rui without hesitation. Li Rui caught the ball, took a dribble to his right, and adjusted his rhythm. He pushed off the floor and rose up once more from beyond the three-point line. Standing at 6'7", Li Rui didn't have to worry about the smaller guard's contest. The fans at Madison Square Garden erupted in cheers. Eddy Curry tried his best to lunge forward, but his heart was willing while his body was too slow; he was too far away, and could only watch with wide eyes as Li Rui flicked the ball toward the rim.

The basketball flew toward the basket like a streak of white light.

"Swish!"

It tore through the net.

When Kobe Bryant successfully defended Jamal Crawford one-on-one, Knicks head coach Isiah Thomas began to feel uneasy. And when Marbury chose to double-team the ball-handler, that anxiety grew even stronger. Finally, when that Chinese rookie got his hands on the ball, Isiah Thomas felt despair.

Aren't Chinese players supposed to be physically weak, useless liabilities? Why could this guy keep up with the rhythm under such high-intensity defense? What baffled him even more was that this combination of height and elite shooting touch made him impossible to stop.

The well-traveled Isiah Thomas knew exactly what the Lakers were missing: a top-tier shooter who could play off the ball to support Kobe. Kobe was the league's deadliest weapon; defending him usually required two or three defenders. If someone could help Kobe space the floor, then his offense would be unstoppable.

And right in front of him, this 19-year-old rookie possessed elite shooting skills. With the smallest sliver of space and the slightest opportunity, he could sink a shot. His chemistry with Kobe was impossible to disrupt. Isiah Thomas watched as Li Rui effortlessly sent the ball into the hoop. The shot hit his heart like a precise arrow.

On the next Knicks possession, Eddy Curry caught the ball in the low post, backed down Bynum, and finished with a turnaround hook shot. Kobe brought the ball up and surveyed the floor from the top of the key. On the right side, Li Rui was tangling with Marbury.

"Screen, Bynum!" Li Rui called out.

Bynum heard him and quickly moved up to screen Marbury. Eddy Curry’s defense was unable to recover in time, which was devastating for the Knicks. Li Rui accelerated to the right, shook off Marbury, and found himself wide open. Kobe threw another laser pass.

Li Rui moved with the precision of a machine: catch, step, jump, release. The ball traced a beautiful arc.

"Swish!"

This three-pointer felt like a spear driven straight into Isiah Thomas's face.

"F***! What kind of defense is this?"

"Timeout!!!"

"Li... Li... Li... Li..." the DJ at Madison Square Garden shouted excitedly. The DJ was a Black man from the slums; he had worked incredibly hard to overcome his background and land a stable job at the Garden, and he felt that Li Rui’s story mirrored his own. His passionate roar ignited the crowd's fervor.

"Linsanity!"
"Linsanity!"
"Linsanity!"

"Click, click, click!" A reporter from The Washington Post couldn't help but capture the moment the crowd at Madison Square Garden cheered for a visiting rookie. He could see that the frenzy Li Rui was creating was having a global impact. Li Rui’s current success was shattering the stereotypes surrounding Asians in American basketball. Such an explosive performance would inspire many young people to pursue their basketball dreams.

The second quarter ended quickly. Li Rui hit his target again, scoring 8 points in the quarter and bringing his total to 18 for the first half. This helped the Lakers take a 60-48 lead. Everything was going according to plan, and Li Rui felt today's game was easier than the previous few. This was largely due to the opponent's own issues; the Knicks' defensive execution was chaotic. They were often so preoccupied with guarding Kobe that they neglected Li Rui, giving him plenty of opportunities.

Seeing Li Rui drop 18 points in the half, Isiah Thomas was at his most furious. He finally lost his composure.

"Useless! Stephon, what are you doing? Why didn't you follow him?" Isiah Thomas shouted at Marbury.

"I tried to defend him, but that guy has all sorts of screens set for him! Someone needs to switch, it’s not my problem! Are you blind?" Marbury retorted without hesitation. He held no respect for Isiah Thomas.

"Your defensive ability isn't fit for the NBA."

"Your coaching ability is the problem."

On the Knicks' bench, Marbury and Isiah Thomas were trading insults. Eddy Curry, sitting nearby, wanted to say, "You're both right."

The crisis of the Knicks' internal strife had been completely detonated by Li Rui. The Knicks' players and assistant coaches rushed to separate the two before things escalated further, as it seemed they might actually come to blows on the sideline. This scene was projected onto the big screen, and the fans watched it as if it were a movie.

"This is truly a trash team, absolutely terrible," Barkley sighed.

"The post-game press conference will be fascinating. A crime scene caused by a rookie," Smith laughed.

On the Lakers' bench, the Zen Master summarized: "We played great in the first half and executed the tactics we wanted. Kobe, Li, you both did well. Keep it up in the second half..." The Zen Master was very satisfied with Li Rui's performance; since Li Rui started, the Lakers' starting lineup had clearly reached a new level.

The second half began quickly. Because of the drama between Marbury and Isiah Thomas, Marbury was benched to start the half, and Isiah Thomas sent in Nate Robinson as the starting point guard. Li Rui had a significant height advantage over Robinson, and when they matched up, he could effectively block much of Robinson's vision.

At the top of the key, Nate Robinson held the ball, contemplating his next move.

"Stay steady, get it inside!" Isiah Thomas shouted from the sidelines, seeing that Robinson was at a loss. He knew the Knicks couldn't score from the perimeter, and their only chance was to get the ball into the paint. Hearing his coach, Robinson quickly passed to Crawford, who lobbed it into Eddy Curry in the low post.

Curry began to back down Bynum without a second thought. But just as he put the ball on the floor, a black shadow suddenly appeared at his side. It was Li Rui.

Curry felt the pressure of the double-team and quickly gathered the ball, leaning on Bynum to turn toward the middle. The turn was agile enough to evade the two of them; indeed, Li Rui’s steal attempt failed. Curry was proud—he was the Knicks' top dog, how could he be stripped so easily by a rookie?

But just as Curry prepared to launch a hook shot, Li Rui lunged again and reached out with a long arm to swipe at the ball.

"Smack!"

He hit both hand and ball, but the referee didn't blow the whistle. Curry immediately reached out toward the referee; his temper was flaring. The ball was knocked loose and secured by Odom. Curry felt the tenacity of Li Rui's movement; he found it incredibly annoying. Li Rui's defense was only above average, but his activity level was high. Curry had the opportunity to pass to Robinson to break the pressure, but he didn't—his overconfidence got the better of him.