NBA: The God of Basketball Begins with Precise Scoring

Chapter 19 Li Xingchen challenges the opponent to a duel, scoring 4 points in one hit and dominating

There are 3 minutes and 24 seconds left in the first quarter of the game.

The score was 21-18, with the Jazz still leading by three points.

In the past few minutes, both teams' offenses have stalled. The Jazz have become overly cautious in passing the ball due to the threat posed by Li Xingchen's steal; while the Warriors have mainly been struggling with their shooting, making very few shots even when they find suitable opportunities.

A whole battle of defense and offense.

Kerr didn't seem too bothered by this, since the score was still close and hadn't widened, so he still substituted Curry out for rest at the normal rotation time.

Meanwhile, Jazz head coach Snyder was actually trying to keep Gobert away from Curry's playing time as much as possible.

Because Curry's pick-and-roll at positions one and five is one of the most effective offensive weapons against Gobert.

Although as core starters, their playing time can never be completely staggered, at least when Curry is resting, Gobert can be kept on the court as much as possible to maximize his defensive value.

The Jazz's current roster consists of Gobert, Bojan, Ingles, Clarkson, and George Niang, and their overall offensive and defensive attributes are relatively balanced.

On the Warriors' side, although Green and Wiggins are still two starters on the court, the Warriors' tactics have always revolved around the guards. And because Li Xingchen had a key offensive play in the previous game, turning the tide in a losing streak, and had a highlight in the first few minutes, the offensive tactics during the bench period will undoubtedly revolve around him.

Unfortunately, the initial offense didn't go very smoothly because the Jazz also adjusted their defensive strategy based on their lineup. They knew that Bojan and Clarkson, who were currently on the court, were relatively weak defensively, one being slow on foot and the other too physically weak. Therefore, they did not continue to implement the strategy of switching on every screen. Instead, they had Ingles chase Li Xingchen and George Niang cover Jordan Poole. If they encountered a screen from Draymond Green, the chasing player would try to squeeze through or go around the screen, while Gobert would always stay in the paint to help defend.

It has to be said that using such a defensive strategy against the Warriors' current roster is quite effective. After all, Poole and Li Xingchen's shooting level is far from Curry's level. The slight gap in the opponent's shot when they squeeze through the screen is not enough for them to be confident of making an outside shot.

Li Xingchen felt he wasn't confident enough, so he simply didn't shoot, patiently passing the ball around and looking for the next opportunity; while Poole was fearless, throwing up three three-pointers in a row from half-open positions, one of which was a super long three-pointer from a step away from the three-point line—luckily, one of them went in, otherwise he would probably have been substituted by Kerr immediately.

When Poole made a less-than-ideal shot selection for the second time and missed again, Li Xingchen glanced at him indifferently.

He sensed that Poole's mentality was somewhat unbalanced, as if he was eager to prove himself because of his reduced playing time and wanted to put on a spectacular performance—but this is not something that can be achieved by being impatient.

Looking at Poole's condition, Li Xingchen felt a little sorry for him.

He remembered that in his previous life, Poole had made great progress in the last two seasons. When the Warriors miraculously won the championship in 2022, he was even the team's fourth-leading contributor. In the eyes of many fans, his contribution was greater than that of Green and Klay that year.

Until the 2023 season, on the one hand, he had a fierce locker room conflict with Green, and on the other hand, he sometimes did not listen to instructions and did not seriously execute tactics on the court, and his performance on the court also declined a lot. He was eventually traded by the Warriors to the Wizards, and his performance after leaving the Warriors plummeted even further, and he eventually faded from the fans' sight.

Li Xingchen lamented that, judging from Poole's current mentality and condition, his tragic end seemed to be coming sooner than expected. Moreover, without the major contribution to winning the championship, the only big contract of his career was likely to fall through...

Of course, Li Xingchen wouldn't be so saintly as to think about the other party's feelings. After all, although he and Poole are teammates, they are the most direct competitors in terms of playing time and shot attempts, and these things can ultimately be directly reflected in the amount of the contract renewal.

So Li Xingchen was just expressing his feelings. Pu'er's performance was not as good as his, and his mentality was not good. Whatever his fate would be, it would be his own fault.

After Poole made two blunders, Kerr couldn't take it anymore and immediately clapped his hands from the sidelines, demanding that Poole execute the tactics properly around Li Xingchen.

In one of the Warriors' offensive possessions, after Li Xingchen and Poole crossed paths, the opponent's pursuit defense was a beat too slow.

At this moment, Green, who was at the top of the arc, quickly passed the ball to Li Xingchen, but at the same time Ingles also caught up, ready to block Li Xingchen's three-point shot.

But being a step too slow is still being a step too slow. Li Xingchen immediately noticed that because his opponent was a step too slow when crossing the line, his entire center of gravity shifted towards the three-point line, trying to interfere with his three-point shot.

Therefore, he did the opposite, suddenly stopping and turning on the right side of the free throw line, abandoning the three-pointer, and instead pulled up for a mid-range shot!

"call out--"

The ball traced a perfect arc and slid into the net.

Mid-range shooting feel is back!

Unfortunately, Poole's defensive position was breached again, forcing Toscano Anderson to help defend him, which in turn left his own defender open, allowing the Jazz to score an open three-pointer.

How come they not only failed to catch up, but actually fell further behind?

Li Xingchen was so angry he felt a bit itchy to bite his teeth; he was now starting to dislike Puercai.

Now that the opponent has scored three points, we must retaliate.

After the ball crossed half-court, it was passed to Li Xingchen. This time, he did not call for Green to set a screen, because Gobert always stayed in the paint and did not come out. Therefore, the screen with Green would not be very meaningful. It could only create a half-open shot, just like the previous times. At present, he is not very good at this kind of shot.

So this time, Li Xingchen chose to run a pick-and-roll with Wiggins.

Currently, Wiggins is matched up against Bojan, a forward who is strong offensively but weak defensively.

Li Xingchen called for Wiggins to set a screen, intending to target Bojan Bogdanovic. Wiggins clearly understood Li Xingchen's intentions, and the two moved in perfect unison. Wiggins quickly used a fake move to pull Ingles away, successfully forcing a switch on the opposing defense, and then ran directly to the other side of the court, creating enough space for Li Xingchen.

Next up was Li Xingchen's one-on-one moment.

Bo Yang knew he was slow, so he was extra careful to prevent Li Xingchen from breaking through. He kept his center of gravity low, ready to intercept Li Xingchen at any time.

However, Li Xingchen did the opposite. After lowering his center of gravity and making a starting step fake, he suddenly caught the ball and hit a three-pointer over the defender!

Boyang was already preparing to launch a chase, but suddenly saw Li Xingchen release the ball and hurriedly jumped up to try to interfere and block it.

However, due to his unstable center of gravity in the air, Bo Yang's jump not only failed to block Li Xingchen's attack, but also slammed hard into Li Xingchen's arm during his descent.

"Beep—"

The whistle blows for a foul.

"Whoosh—"

Three-pointer goes in.

Three plus one!