NBA's Super Troublemaker

Chapter 40: 20 points in a single quarter, shining at Staples Center

When Li He made his fourth three-pointer, even Kobe Bryant dared not underestimate the young man in front of him anymore.

In basketball, a competitive sport, there aren't many reasons. If you can score a basket on the court, that's good enough.

With a pull-up jumper that found the net, Kobe Bryant brought his total points for the quarter to 12.

"KOBE!"

"KOBE!"

"Kobe's aiming for 20 points in a single quarter!"

The Staples Center fans were celebrating, but then they remembered that Hansen Lee had also scored 12 points in the third quarter.

hateful!

How dare that awful jerk be compared to Kobe?

In the next possession, Li He tried to receive the ball in the mid-range, but Kobe's defense was unyielding. The two grappled and fought, their positions locked in a fierce battle that resembled a wrestling match.

The little flying squirrel, quick as a flash, delivered a bounce pass to Li He.

Kobe kept using his arm to disrupt Li He, increasing the intensity of his defense while muttering to himself:

"This isn't how you score; you won't be able to make it."

"Don't waste your chance, I'll be on your guard!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li He executed a grand loop, making an exaggerated gesture in mid-air, followed immediately by the referee's whistle.

"Hansen Lee... drew a foul from Kobe Bryant!"

"He's going to take two free throws!"

"Hmm, Hansen Lee's pose in the air was really exaggerated, like he was diving."

"He possesses the potential to be an actor!"

It wasn't that Li He wanted to be deliberately flamboyant; it's just that in the NBA, if a rookie doesn't exaggerate a bit, the referees might not notice.

The NBA has a history of celebrity refereeing. When referees call fouls on Michael Jordan, they even ask Jordan if he thinks the other player committed a foul, which is absurd.

As Li He stepped up to the free-throw line, he didn't forget to retort to Kobe:

"So, is this my scoring method?"

Kobe turned his head away and refused to respond.

Li He continued rambling, "As long as it scores points, it's a good move, isn't it? Kobe."

The Staples Center fans booed in unison, filling the entire arena. In their eyes, Li He was not qualified to provoke Kobe at all; he was simply trying to attract attention!

Li He took a deep breath and made the first free throw.

The second free throw bounced a few times on the rim before luckily going in!

14 points in a single quarter!

With 3 and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter, Coach Maurice Cheeks had no intention of substituting Li He.

As a coach who was originally an All-Star level guard and has even won a championship, he knows exactly how to coach guard players.

In Maurice Cheeks' view, Hansen Lee was on fire, scoring 14 points on 4-for-4 shooting, and he should take advantage of this opportunity to let him play more and build his confidence.

This is very important for rookie players.

Coach Maurice Cheeks called a timeout to allow Li He more rest and substituted Bonzi Wells.

Bonzi Wells played poorly tonight. He has a fiery temper and was very unwilling to be substituted, throwing his towel on the bench.

Looking at Li He on the field, he felt a sense of crisis.

Once this young man gets into a good rhythm, I might be pushed off.

The game continues.

Lakers on offense.

It's still the triangle offense, with Kobe, who's on fire, leading the attack.

He received the ball in mid-range, while Li He defended him with all his might, just as Kobe had called out to him earlier.

Kobe's post-up game wasn't fully developed yet, but his fadeaway jump shot was still hard to defend.

Various forms of exertion, direct confrontation, and underhanded tactics continued.

This is all part of the competition.

Kobe suddenly swayed his shoulder and delivered a wide loop to Li He's arm.

Fortunately, Li He reacted quickly and withdrew his hand in time, thus avoiding being framed for an accident.

Kobe also committed a turnover, sending the ball out of bounds.

"Oh... Kobe tried to return a big loop with that shot, but Hansen Lee anticipated it and he didn't succeed!"

"Hansen Lee's defensive judgment was really good! Otherwise, these would have been two free throws!"

It wasn't that Li He's defensive judgment was particularly brilliant, but rather that Li He understood Kobe very well.

Excessively stubborn and petty.

If you make a big mistake with him, he'll definitely retaliate.

"Kobe! This isn't how you score; you've lost your rhythm," Li He responded.

"hehe."

In this day and age, star players actually despise things like "flopping" or "faking accidents".

Even when faced with intense defense, the goal is to score as much as possible rather than wait for the whistle to blow the ball after a mere touch.

Unlike the games of ten or twenty years later, which featured various "mantis shrimp" shots, fadeaway jump shots, and arm-clamping layups, etc.

Kobe's attempt to use a giant loop to provoke Li He also illustrates one point.

He was already caught up in the moment and Li He had swayed the rhythm of the game off course.

With 2 minutes and 15 seconds left in the third quarter, Damon Stoudemire attempted a three-pointer, but it missed slightly.

Zach Randolph desperately tipped the ball to the outside under the basket, and Li He was lucky enough to grab the offensive rebound.

At this moment, he was about 1 meter away from the three-point line. Seeing that no one was coming to defend him, Li He raised his hand and shot.

The basketball slammed into the back rim with a loud "bang" as everyone watched, and the ball went in!

"Hansen Lee's 5th three-pointer of the quarter!"

"A 27-foot three-pointer from way beyond!"

"This guy's going to be famous overnight!"

"No one can stop him!"

After scoring, Li He did not celebrate. He looked at the scoreboard with a serious expression. The Trail Blazers were only leading by 11 points, and their away game was still unstable.

The opposing team is the Lakers, who have the F4.

He high-fived Randolph and quickly returned to defense.

"Hey! Look at Hansen Lee's expression! He didn't even do a celebratory move!"

"It's like saying that making five three-pointers in a single quarter at Staples Center is perfectly normal!"

"This composure is an essential attribute for a top shooter!"

"I'm almost falling in love with this guy!"

With 48 seconds left in the third quarter, as Malone's layup went slightly wide, chaos erupted under the basket. Amidst the commotion, a long arm suddenly slammed the backboard into his arms.

"Hanson Lee got the rebound!"

The Lakers were somewhat shaken by the Trail Blazers' fast breaks and quickly retreated to defense. Little Mouse tried to get the ball, but was tightly guarded.

On the contrary, no one cared about Li He's side, because the Zen master said that this kid didn't have much control over his destiny.

Li He dribbled the ball past half-court, two meters from the three-point line, glanced at the timer, and started to kill time.

With 36 seconds left in the third quarter, Li He saw that Kobe was more than a meter away from him and chose to shoot a three-pointer!

"They've already voted?"

"While the intention was to create another attacking opportunity, this was far too hasty!"

The moment the basketball was released, Li He clenched his fist sharply as he shot. Kobe, noticing this detail, suddenly turned around with an incredulous look on his face.

Swish!

It still went into the net hollow!

WTF!

"Crazy!!"

"Amazing!!!"

"Oh My God!!!!!"

"Hanson For Threeeeeeee...!"

"That was a three-pointer from 30 feet!"

"That's his sixth three-pointer of the quarter!"

"Hansen Lee scored 20 points in a single quarter at Staples Center!"