met free Chapter 24: Back to the Heat
Chapter 24: Back to the Heat
2008年12月3日，晚8:00。
Miami, American Airlines Arena.
Knicks vs. Miami Heat.
Tonight, the American Airlines Center was transformed into a sea of white, and the home crowd atmosphere filled the entire arena with a sense of oppression.
Dwyane Wade is standing at center court.
He didn't joke with his teammates as usual, nor did he pay attention to the sultry cheerleaders on the sidelines.
His eyes were only on that young man wearing the Knicks' number 8 jersey.
"Revenge," Wade murmured to himself.
……
Section One. The Raging Lightning.
As soon as the game started, Wade turned on "killer mode".
He was like a black lightning bolt, tearing apart the Knicks' defense time and time again.
"Bang!"
Wade used a wide crossover to shake off Li Xiangbei's balance, then charged into the paint like a cannonball.
Facing David Lee's help defense, Wade twisted his body in mid-air, drawing a foul and scoring.
2+1!
The referee's whistle also became Wade's accomplice. The home team whistle would blow even for the slightest physical contact.
In just eight minutes of the first quarter, Wade had already taken 10 free throws and made eight of them.
Li Xiangbei already has two fouls on his record.
"beep--!"
The referee called another blocking foul on Li Xiangbei.
Wade stepped to the free-throw line and received the ball thrown to him by the referee. He didn't rush to shoot, but turned around and looked at Li Xiangbei, who was standing somewhat helplessly outside the three-point line.
"This is not New York."
Wade's voice was soft, but full of murderous intent.
"Your 'luck' won't save you. I'll knock you down, or I'll punish you."
Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni was getting restless. He walked to the scorer's table to prepare a substitution, wanting to take Li Xiangbei out to protect his foul count.
Li Xiangbei saw the coach's gesture, but he shook his head and refused to leave the field.
He walked to the sidelines, picked up a glass of water, took a sip, and then said to D'Antoni:
"No need to change, Mike. I know how to deal with him."
Li Xiangbei wiped the sweat from the corner of his mouth, his eyes becoming incredibly resolute.
"Since the referee likes to call contact calls, and since he likes to bump into me... then I'll let him have his fill of 'contact'."
"I'll show him what it means to hit a wall."
……
Back in the second quarter.
Wade continued to attack with the ball. Seeing that Li Xiangbei hadn't left the court, his contempt deepened.
"Haven't you learned your lesson yet, you newbie?"
Wade started again, this time choosing to drive hard down the right flank. His usual move is to use his strong physique to create contact with the defender, pushing them aside to create a small opening before going for the layup. This tactic has always worked.
He saw Li Xiangbei had already taken his position, but he didn't care. He was confident that his strength would be enough to knock the seemingly frail boy away.
Wade's shoulder slumped, carrying immense kinetic energy, and he slammed into Li Xiangbei's chest.
"Bang!!"
However, the scene of Li Xiangbei being hit and thrown into the air as expected did not occur.
[Core Strength: Hardening.]
Li Xiangbei stood there like a wooden stake, completely unmoved.
On the contrary, it was Wade.
The enormous reaction force caused his body to lose its balance in mid-air.
The originally prepared throwing motion was completely distorted, turning into a casual toss of the ball.
"Three things to avoid!"
After landing, Wade staggered a few steps, clutching his chest which felt tight, and looked at the referee in disbelief.
The referee hesitated for a moment but did not blow the whistle. This was because Li Xiangbei's feet were already firmly planted before contact, and he hadn't made any downward or pushing motion. This was standard, reasonable contact.
Li Xiangbei spread his hands and shrugged at the referee, his expression seemingly saying, "See, I stood there without moving; he was the one who insisted on running into the wall."
The next few minutes turned into Wade's nightmare.
Once. Twice. Three times.
Every time Wade tried to use his body to clear a path, he was met with an unreasonable backlash of hardness.
Towards the end of the second quarter, during a timeout, Wade had to bend over, clutching his ribs, with an expression of discomfort on his face.
"Damn it... Is this kid's bone made of iron?" Wade gasped for breath, feeling half of his body go numb.
Li Xiangbei stood not far away, his breathing still steady.
"What's wrong, Dwyane?"
Li Xiangbei's voice drifted over, tinged with sarcasm.
"Your bones don't seem as tough as your mouth, do they? Is the Miami sea breeze so gentle it's softened you up?"
Wade abruptly raised his head, his eyes blazing with murderous intent: "Shut up!!"
……
The last minute and a half of the fourth quarter.
The score was tied at 102.
The game entered a tense, decisive moment.
Wade was playing with a vengeance. Although he was in pain, his pride as a superstar wouldn't allow him to back down.
He wanted to get revenge in the most brutal way possible—a poster dunk!
Just like when he was blocked in the opening game, he's going to get his revenge!
Wade held the ball at the top of the key, signaling for the entire court to spread out.
Li Xiangbei stood near the free-throw line and saw through Wade's intentions.
Wade has started!
This time, he was sprinting at full speed! Like a Ferrari that had gone out of control!
He stepped into the paint area, his feet shot up, and he leaped into the air, raising the basketball high in his right hand and smashing it towards Li Xiangbei's head!
"Die!!" Wade roared in mid-air.
The entire audience stood up, waiting for this incredible dunk to happen.
however.
Just as Wade reached the highest point and was about to slam down...
Li Xiangbei, who was originally standing one step in front of the reasonable collision zone, neither jumped up like a fool to fight head-on nor dodged like a coward.
He made an extremely clever, yet extremely "bad" move.
Instead of jumping, he instantly took a big step back!
Remove the chairs!
Wade was already prepared for the confrontation in the air, shifting all his weight forward.
As it turned out, there was no space in front of us.
Without a point of support, Wade was like a kite with a broken string, completely losing his balance in the air.
He and the ball flew straight out of bounds!
"Bang! Clang!"
Wade tumbled awkwardly into a group of photographers on the baseline, even knocking over two cameras.
The cheers that the entire stadium had been preparing for instantly turned into a deathly silence.
The referee blows the whistle.
"beep--!"
It wasn't a foul. It was out of bounds!
Li Xiangbei stood there, watching Wade crawl out of the crowd looking disheveled, and shook his head expressionlessly.
"A brain is a good thing, Dwyane," Li Xiangbei pointed to his temple, "but unfortunately you've been too busy flying."
……
The shift from offense to defense.
The last 27 seconds.
Knicks ball.
Li Xiangbei dribbled the ball up the court. At this point, the Heat's defense was in disarray. The fall had not only hurt Wade, but also shattered the Heat's morale.
Li Xiangbei dribbled the ball up the court. He was also running down the clock!
[Guaranteed winnings: 4/5 (last chance today).]
He glanced at Wade, who was still sitting on the ground and had just been helped up by his teammates.
Li Xiangbei neither chose to break through nor to pass the ball.
He dribbled to the right 45-degree angle. That was Wade's weakest three-point spot, and also Li Xiangbei's sweet spot.
He pointed his finger at Wade, who looked utterly shocked.
That gesture was extremely arrogant, as if to say, "Watch closely, this is what it means to kill someone by destroying their spirit."
With two seconds left, he pulled up and jumped.
[System locked: Guaranteed win.]
Li Xiangbei silently said in his heart, "Goodbye, Flash."
The basketball flew from his fingertips, spinning perfectly, slicing through the frozen air of the American Airlines Arena.
Wade looked at the ball in despair; he didn't even have time to pounce on it to interfere.
"Whoosh—!"
Hollow into the network!
105:102.
Only 3 seconds left.
The Heat called a timeout, but it was too late.
Ultimately, with Beasley missing a three-pointer, the Knicks completed a sweep of the Heat on the road!
105:102.
When the game ended, Li Xiangbei did not celebrate. He simply walked calmly to the bench, took a towel, and wiped his sweat.
Wade stood in the center of the court, watching that figure's back. This time, he didn't utter any more threats. There was a complex emotion in his eyes—a fear of a true powerhouse.
……
Post-game. Locker room.
Li Xiangbei had just finished showering and took out his phone.
Scarlett Janssen just updated her Twitter with a new post.
That's a GIF of Li Xiangbei pulling back a chair to shake off Wade, and then hitting the game-winning three-pointer.
The caption reads: "Some people can only fall to the ground in a sorry state, while others can stay in the air for 0.8 seconds, or kill with their brains on the ground. @LiXiangbei Only you can make my heart race. Well done, my villainous gentleman. [red lips]"
This tweet instantly went viral online.
The first comment in the comment section was from a familiar ID.
@KevinDurant:
"I've fallen too! I'm tough too! I can make your heart race! Please reply to me, Scarlett? Even just an emoji?"
Netizens replied to KD:
"Brother, stop licking it, I'm embarrassed for you."
"KD, go buy a bottle of bathwater and drink it to calm down."
"Is this the difference between a simp and a male god? I feel sorry for A-Du for a second."
Li Xiangbei looked at his phone and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
He replied to one of Scarlett's private messages:
"It certainly doesn't feel good to fall to the ground. But letting him fly for a while is an act of kindness, isn't it?"
After sending the message, he turned off his phone and looked out the window at the Miami night view.
Li Xiangbei clenched his fist.
"Who's next?"