aircannonsinc Chapter 40 Death vs. Villain
Chapter 40 Death vs. Villain
Knicks vs. Thunder.
This is a war of talent, and also a personal feud that spilled over from Twitter into real life.
Scarlett was still sitting in the first row courtside. Tonight she was wearing a retro Knicks jersey, holding a Coke, her eyes constantly following the figure wearing the number 8 jersey.
Durant was staring at Li Xiangbei with a gloomy look in his eyes.
"Stop looking, Kevin."
Li Xiangbei is doing pre-competition stretches.
"Even if you keep looking, she won't text you."
Durant's face instantly darkened.
……
At the start of the game, it wasn't Durant who wanted to intimidate Li Xiangbei, but Westbrook.
This rookie point guard possesses historically great physical attributes for his position.
The Thunder won the jump ball. Westbrook received the ball without any hesitation.
He used his incredible first step to get past Du Hong in an instant and went straight into the penalty area.
The one who came to reinforce was Li Xiangbei.
He chose the most primitive and masculine approach—head-on confrontation.
"Bang!!"
The two collided violently in mid-air. There were no fancy moves, just a pure collision of bodies.
However, Westbrook, whose weight and strength are monstrous, did not gain any advantage.
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
Westbrook looked at Li Xiangbei with disbelief in his eyes.
"Is this guy... made of iron?" Westbrook felt a dull ache in his ribs.
From the commentary booth, Brin exclaimed:
"My God! This is like two trucks colliding head-on! But clearly, Li Xiangbei isn't at a disadvantage!"
……
After Westbrook's initial setback, the true killer took over the game.
Kevin Durant.
He is 2.11 meters tall with a 2.25-meter wingspan. He has the height of a center, but the touch and dribbling skills of a guard.
Durant specifically named Li Xiangbei.
This is a natural misalignment. 191cm corresponds to 211cm.
Durant has the ball at a 45-degree angle. He doesn't need to fake anything; he simply dribbles once and then pulls up for a jump shot.
Li Xiangbei had already jumped with all his might.
However, due to the huge difference in wingspan and height, his fingertips could only barely touch Durant's elbow.
For Durant, this is no different from an open shot.
"brush!"
The mid-range shot went in.
"brush!"
again.
"brush!"
Same position, same action.
Three in a row! No solution!
After Durant scored, he didn't yell or shout. He simply looked down at Li Xiangbei and said softly:
"You're too short."
Li Xiangbei wiped away his sweat.
"short?"
Li Xiangbei smiled.
Next possession. Knicks on offense.
Li Xiangbei holds the ball and faces Durant.
Durant spread his long arms, trying to cover Li Xiangbei.
Li Xiangbei made no unnecessary movements.
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He took a straight pull-up jump over Durant's long arms!
Force it!
Durant thought the ball would definitely be interfered with.
however.
The basketball precisely bypassed Durant's fingertips and went in.
"brush!"
Then, the next round.
Li Xiangbei had just dribbled past half-court.
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The logo is three points away from the camera!
"brush!"
Two in a row!
When Li Xiangbei retreated to defend, he deliberately stopped next to Durant and looked up at him.
"Kevin, are you saying I'm short?"
Li Xiangbei pointed to the basketball hoop.
"Then why do you need to look up to watch my ball go into the net? Doesn't your neck get sore?"
……
Although Li Xiangbei responded to Durant with a "sure win" promise, he knew that the "sure win" limit was finite. But once Durant got hot, the limit was limitless.
If physical defense fails, then psychological warfare must be employed.
Li Xiangbei activated his "Trash Talk King" taunting mode.
When the two were locked in a physical battle at the baseline.
Li Xiangbei whispered in Durant's ear:
"Kevin, Scarlett told me last night that she hates guys who wear a T-shirt under their jersey. She said it makes them look like immature kids."
Durant's movements visibly stiffened, and a hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes.
"Shut up!"
They reached the free-throw line.
Durant prepares for the free throw.
Li Xiangbei stood to the side, continuing to deliver the finishing blow:
"I heard you want to drink her bathwater? I can ask her if she'll sell it to you. But I guess... she'd rather pour it down the drain than give it to you."
Even just a drop.
This is absolutely devastating!
[System Notification: Opponent's Rage Value is at its maximum (85%)]
Your defensive reaction speed has increased by 16%.
Durant's face instantly fell.
"when!"
Missed free throw!
In the next few minutes, Durant began to get impatient. He stopped patiently looking for opportunities and started shooting whenever he got the ball, even when double-teamed.
He wanted to prove himself and shut that annoying guy up.
But the more anxious he was, the lower his accuracy became.
……
The last 1 minutes of the fourth quarter.
Knicks 106 : Thunder 103.
The Knicks are leading by 3 points.
Thunder possession.
Durant has the ball. He has scored 35 points, but has also missed many crucial shots.
This time, he's going to get his revenge with a slap in the face.
Facing Li Xiangbei, he dribbled between his legs repeatedly, trying to create space.
Li Xiangbei remained completely still.
Durant panicked. He didn't want to wait any longer and jumped up for a pull-up jumper!
However, due to his impatience, his pre-shot motion was slightly longer than usual, and he exposed more of the ball in order to avoid Li Xiangbei's harassment.
In that very instant.
[Defensive reaction speed +16%: Effective.]
Li Xiangbei seemed to have foreseen Durant's timing for the shot.
The instant Durant released the ball, he slashed at it!
"Smack!!!"
Block! Or catch!
Li Xiangbei caught the ball in mid-air!
The entire venue erupted in cheers!
Land, turn around, accelerate.
Li Xiangbei rushed to the front.
There is no one in the attacking third.
Li Xiangbei took to the air.
"boom!!!"
One-handed windmill dunk!
108:103.
This dunk completely sealed the game and extinguished Durant's last bit of fighting spirit.
……
competition is over.
The Knicks defeated the Thunder 110-105.
The moment the whistle blew, Durant didn't even greet anyone. He slung his iconic backpack over his shoulder and walked into the players' tunnel without looking back.
That figure looked incredibly lonely.
Westbrook readily agreed and walked over.
"You're strong, bro. Try again next time."
Li Xiangbei smiled and said, "I'm always ready."
Post-match interview.
The reporter asked, "Li, your argument with Kevin on Twitter was quite heated. You won tonight. Is there anything you'd like to say to him?"
Li Xiangbei took the phone from the reporter, faced the camera, and made a gesture as if he were tweeting.
Some things don't need to be said face to face.
Li Xiangbei looked at the camera.
"Some people are better off living online and being a keyboard warrior; it's safer that way."
"Because of the real world..."
Li Xiangbei pointed to the scoreboard behind him.
"It's much crueler than Twitter."
After saying that, he handed the phone back to the reporter and turned to leave.
Meanwhile, on Twitter, the hashtag #LiXiangbeiDestroysDurant# had already climbed to the top of the global trending topics.