Chapter 8: The Master Grows Increasingly Satisfied!

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Is Clay’s scoring burst powerful?
Absolutely!
Dropping 37 points in a single quarter is clear proof.
And countless moments of knocking down three-pointers one after another.
When he’s in form, no one can stop him.
Li Rui had entered that state, breaking through the Rockets’ defense.
“Ah Rui, you’re running really well.” At this moment, even Yao Ming couldn’t help but give Li Rui a thumbs-up.
Yao Ming was genuinely pleased with Li Rui’s performance; he hoped Li Rui would stay in the NBA to keep improving, so he’d have an ally on the national team.
Li Rui was a rare type for the national team—one of the few NBA-level guards.
Li Rui smiled at Yao Ming’s words, “Thanks, bro, for going easy on me, didn’t cover me.”
“Hey, I couldn’t catch up to that play; your cut was too fast.”
...
...
The two ran, chatting and laughing.
As he gradually adapted to the rhythm of the game, Li Rui’s mindset became more relaxed.
He could feel his form tonight was excellent, and he hoped to seize the moment to score as much as possible.
“Li’s ability to cut inside has improved.”
“Yes, his scoring leans towards off-ball movement.”
The coach discussed this with Daniel.
In the CCTV broadcast studio, Coach Zhang was grinning from ear to ear, “Hey, the cut, Walton passes the ball, beautiful, easy layup, eleven points in a row now. Li Rui is getting more and more accustomed to the Lakers’ tactical system.”
In the following minutes, Li Rui didn’t score again as the Rockets intensified their defense on him. After attempting one three-pointer, he stopped shooting.
He became a point of contention on the court while Kobe continued his usual explosive performance.
The Rockets still relied on McGrady and Yao Ming as their tactical core.
Both teams ground it out possession by possession.
Li Rui was taken out with five minutes left in the third quarter and returned to the court with 8 minutes and 12 seconds remaining in the fourth.
At this point, Kobe was repeatedly double-teamed, and the Rockets’ outside shooting went cold again, prompting the coach to decisively bring in Li Rui, whose outside shooting was on fire tonight.
The score was 78 to 75, with the Rockets leading by three.
On his first possession back, Li Rui didn’t receive the ball. Kobe dribbled inside, forcing a contested shot against McGrady, which missed, and Yao grabbed the rebound firmly.
Honestly, although Kobe dominated many teams brutally, he didn’t explode against McGrady. Most of the time, he played within reason.
Kobe and McGrady faced off 21 times in their careers. Kobe averaged 26.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.3 assists, shooting 42.5% from the field and 29.9% from three, leading his team to a 14-7 record.
McGrady averaged 17.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, shooting 39.2% from the field and 30% from three.
This comparison shows Kobe was performing normally.
The Rockets’ offense:
Alston carefully dribbled past half-court. He had committed two turnovers when matched against Li Rui earlier, leaving him a bit cautious.
Alston passed inside to Hayes.
Hayes was one of the Rockets players beloved by domestic fans—a short, blue-collar big man with a unique free-throw shooting style that often gave Yao trouble during practice.
Hayes posted up on Odom, then spun and handed the ball low to Yao.
Yao continued to bully Bynum in the paint, catching the ball with one hand and soaring for a thunderous dunk.

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“Bang!”
The basketball slammed through the hoop.
80 to 75.
“Damn!” Yao Ming shouted in frustration.
Odom looked confused and asked Li Rui, “Li, why does Yao shout ‘tomato’ after a dunk?”
Tomato?
Li Rui was momentarily puzzled, then realized and explained, “He’s wishing you good health.”
This curse’s pronunciation is very close to “tomato” in English.
Odom was still confused—was Yao worried I’d get hurt?
Well, that’s actually not bad of him.
But why say it so fiercely?
The Lakers’ offense:
After receiving the ball, Li Rui was pressed tightly by Alston. He quickly passed to Kobe, letting Kobe bring the ball upcourt.
Li Rui was very confident in his ball-handling and didn’t attempt to dribble past defenders.
Kobe surveyed the court at the frontcourt and then passed to Odom at the top of the key.
Odom, standing 2.08 meters tall, nicknamed the “Left-Handed Magician,” was a versatile player and one of Kobe’s key allies. He was in line to win Sixth Man of the Year—and, of course, the future husband of Khloe Kardashian, forever cursed by the Kardashian family.
Li Rui continued cutting inside, then used Bynum’s off-ball screen to pop out to the wing.
Odom passed the ball to Li Rui.
Li Rui caught it at a 45-degree angle on the right side, where Yao Ming should have been guarding him.
But Yao couldn’t get out.
Li Rui exploited this perfectly, easily catching the ball and shooting a high-release jumper.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc.
Swish!
It pierced the net.
80 to 78.
After a while, Li Rui’s three-point touch returned.
The crowd at the Staples Center screamed and cheered.
“Hey, this rookie is really something—scoring right away.”
“His style leans toward off-ball movement; it seems Phil has found his instruction manual.”
“Catch and shoot, the form’s really textbook.”
“The way he uses screens to move is beautiful.”
Lakers fans buzzed with excitement.
The coach also understood—Li Rui’s offense was shooter mode; giving him heavy ball-handling duties would only make things harder for him.
Fine, just use him as a shooter.
Anyway, the Lakers don’t really need a great point guard.
Alston dribbled into the frontcourt and chose to run a pick-and-roll with Hayes.
After the screen, Hayes rolled down, and Alston bounced the ball to him.

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At this moment, Odom switched onto Li Rui.
Normally, Hayes would pass the ball out to McGrady, but sensing Li Rui behind him, he thought Li Rui’s resistance was weak, and he had an opportunity.
Hayes leaned into Li Rui, initiating contact.
But Li Rui’s physicality exceeded Hayes’s expectations.
Boom!
Hayes barely pushed past Li Rui but not without difficulty. His turnaround layup was contested by Odom, who came back quickly.
The ball bounced off the rim.
Bynum held Yao firmly, and Li Rui quickly secured the rebound.
Li Rui prepared to pass to Kobe.
But Kobe didn’t seem to be looking that way, so passing there risked a turnover. Li Rui instead passed forward to Odom.
The Lakers’ lineup had many ball handlers—no need for Li Rui to bring the ball up.
Lakers players were used to guards with limited organizing ability and didn’t find it unusual.
As a point guard, Li Rui rarely dribbled past half-court himself.
Odom dribbled into the frontcourt, observing as McGrady tangled with Kobe, making it hard for Kobe to receive the ball.
Alston continued chasing Li Rui, who first faked receiving a hand-to-hand pass from Odom, then abruptly stopped and cut inside again.
Such movement was second nature to Li Rui now.
Alston was once again left behind.
Odom saw the opening and quickly passed inside.
Yao guarded the paint firmly, so Li Rui didn’t continue driving but chose a running floater.
The shot was soft and delicate, brushing past Yao’s fingertips.
Swish!
80 to 80.
The crowd at Staples Center kept cheering.
The coach’s eyes brightened; he was increasingly satisfied with Li Rui’s performance.
With only Kobe reliable on the Lakers’ backcourt, it was crucial for Li Rui to step up.
Li Rui’s scoring burst was powerful—he took every chance to score.
Alston gasped for breath, unable to keep up with Li Rui’s defense.
Li Rui’s movement on the court was sharp; Alston’s defense was mediocre and ill-suited to chase him around.
“Oh wow, so stylish, scoring five points straight!”
“Li the Great is completely on fire today.”
“Haha, love to see Li Rui play like this.”
“Awesome, awesome, keep it up.”
Back home, the live broadcast and forums like Hupu buzzed with excitement as fans were energized by Li Rui.
This Chinese derby was a pure delight for the fans to watch.