MM Racing Chapter 75 Dismemberment
Chapter 75 Dismemberment
In the Knicks' locker room.
Randolph kicked the cabinet in frustration, muttering curses under his breath.
Trailing by 12 points, core guard Li Xiangbei had 3 fouls, and center Randolph also had 3 fouls.
D'Antoni held the whiteboard and kept drawing various protective defensive positions, trying to prevent Li Xiangbei from being sent off in the second half.
"We must play zone defense! We can't let them inflict any more damage!"
"No, Mike."
Li Xiangbei suddenly spoke up.
He walked to the tactics board, picked up a marker, and circled two names on the Cavaliers' roster.
Valejo.
West.
"LeBron is now an invincible Hulk; we simply can't beat him head-on."
"However, Hulk only has a pack of hyenas who are just there to bully him. If all the hyenas die, Hulk will die of exhaustion because no one will help him hunt."
He pointed to the two names.
"In the second half, I'm not going to guard LeBron anymore. I'm going to hunt down his supporting players."
"I'm going to use the rules, draw fouls, muddy the waters, and break the game apart. I'm going to prevent LeBron from running and sprinting."
……
The third quarter begins.
The Cavaliers remained on fire, hoping to capitalize on their momentum and end the game in one fell swoop.
But the Knicks changed their tactics.
Li Xiangbei dribbled the ball up the court. Instead of rushing to attack, he called for a screen from David Lee. However, he didn't want to get rid of the defense and instead deliberately went to switch onto the Cavaliers' center, Varejao.
Varejao, a Brazilian, is known in the league for his frizzy afro and his superb "flopping" acting skills.
Li Xiangbei dribbled the ball to the three-point line.
Varejao lunged out, his long arms outstretched, trying to disrupt the attack.
Li Xiangbei's eyes flashed.
Instead of shooting, he suddenly made an extremely exaggerated movement—
He held the ball and swung his arm in a wide arc from bottom to top!
His arm deliberately hooked onto Varejao's outstretched arm, and then he jumped up as if he had been electrocuted, casually tossing the ball toward the basket.
That's not a shot, that's faking it!
"beep--!"
Although referee Crawford didn't want to call it, the action was too obvious; Varejao's hand had indeed violated the cylinder.
The whistle blows.
Three-point foul! Three free throws!
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
LeBron stormed over, arms outstretched, roaring, "Is this basketball? He's cheating! He's exploiting loopholes in the rules!"
Li Xiangbei stood at the free-throw line and shrugged at James.
"Don't blame me, LeBron. It's written on page 51 of the rulebook. Go back and read it more; knowledge is power."
All three free throws were made.
Next round.
Li Xiangbei dribbles past his opponent.
Valeci thought his chance had come. Just as Li Xiangbei was about to touch him, he dramatically flew backward, sliding on the ground for a while with a pained expression.
But Li Xiangbei suddenly stopped and was still a body length away from him.
He stood there, coldly watching Varejao perform.
The referee did not blow the whistle.
Valecião lay on the ground, somewhat embarrassed.
Li Xiangbei walked over and used his "Trash Talk King" skill to taunt him.
"Your acting is too exaggerated; Hollywood wouldn't even hire a lousy actor like you."
Li Xiangbei pointed to Valejo's messy hair.
"Also, is there a bird hiding in your hair? It seems to have flown away just now."
"asshole!!"
Varejao angrily got up to argue, but the referee immediately called a technical foul on him.
……
Having secured Varejao, Li Xiangbei turned his attention to the emotionally unstable defender, West.
On the defensive end, although Li Xiangbei had fouls, he once again used his "Trash Talk King" skill to launch a high-intensity mental attack on West.
As West dribbled, Li Xiangbei stayed close to him, his voice low and suggestive:
"Delonte, did you see that? When you made that mistake, LeBron glared at you."
He doesn't trust you. He sees you as a burden.
"Do you know where you'll go after the season ends? Maybe prison, maybe a shelter. But it's definitely not here. The Cavaliers don't need trash."
This statement was a devastating blow to West, who already had psychological issues.
His eyes instantly turned red, and his movements became rough.
Meanwhile, on the offensive end...
During his off-ball runs, Li Xiangbei constantly used subtle, underhanded movements to push and pull West.
When West finally couldn't hold back any longer and retaliated by shoving Li Xiangbei hard during a boxing match.
"what!"
Li Xiangbei collapsed to the ground, his face contorted in pain.
"beep--!"
The referee blew the whistle again.
Pushing is a foul!
This was West's fourth personal foul.
For a guard, having four fouls before the third quarter is over means he has to sit out and rest.
Brown reluctantly substituted West.
At this point, all of the Cavaliers' perimeter defensive specialists were in foul trouble.
James has lost his helper and must defend Li Xiangbei himself.
And this is exactly what Li Xiangbei wanted.
……
There are 3 minutes left in the third quarter.
The situation has quietly reversed.
LeBron exhausted too much energy in the first half in order to vent his anger.
Now, he has to chase the tireless Li Xiangbei all over the court on the defensive end.
Even an iron man couldn't withstand it.
The turning point in physical fitness has finally arrived.
During a dead ball situation.
He braced himself on his knees, panting heavily, sweat dripping from the edge of his hairband.
Although his eyes were still fierce, that dominance was being gradually eroded by fatigue.
In the following possessions, James's drives to the basket were no longer unstoppable, and he began to opt for mid-range jump shots more often.
"when!"
"when!"
He kept missing shots.
In contrast, Li Xiangbei...
He was slightly sweaty, and his steps were as light as if he had just finished warming up.
Randolph grabbed the rebound in the backcourt.
Li Xiangbei activated instantly!
That speed seemed particularly terrifying at the end of the third quarter, when everyone was exhausted.
Three seconds past the halfway mark.
James tried to chase back, but his heavy legs slowed him down.
Li Xiangbei suddenly stopped outside the three-point line.
A three-pointer in pursuit!
"brush!"
hit!
Another steal!
Li Xiangbei anticipated James' somewhat casual pass, intercepted the ball, and launched a fast break, finishing with a powerful dunk!
"boom!"
The Knicks went on a 12-2 run in just two minutes!
……
With Li Xiangbei assisting Randolph to score a buzzer-beating basket in the final second of the third quarter.
Knicks 82:85 Cavaliers.
The point difference was reduced from 12 points to just 3 points.
In the commentary booth, Miller shook his head and sighed:
"LeBron is tired. He looks like he just ran a marathon, every step is so heavy."
"And look at Li Xiangbei... he was even joking with the fans on the sidelines. Is that what makes him so terrifying? He turned the game into an endurance race."
Li Xiangbei walked back to the bench.
"In the fourth quarter, we reaped the victory."