area51novel Reflections in Chapter 64
Reflections in Chapter 64
All-Star Game - The Final Moments.
With only 15 seconds left in the game, the Eastern All-Stars are leading by 2 points.
LeBron has the ball.
His eyes burned with a burning desire to become a hero.
He wanted to salvage the embarrassing night with a game-winning shot, or at least prove that he was the king of the team.
Accelerating, breaking through, facing Kobe's close defense, James forcefully jumped, dodging in the air, and launched a floater.
This is an extremely difficult shot; if it goes in, it will be the number one shot in the top ten.
But Lady Luck wasn't on his side tonight.
"when!"
The basketball slammed heavily against the back of the rim and bounced high into the air.
The audience gasped in surprise.
Just then, a black figure leaped high from the crowd, his hands gripping the rebounding basketball tightly.
Li Xiangbei!
This is his 18th rebound tonight, and his 10th offensive rebound!
After landing, he held the ball tightly in his arms.
Time resets to zero.
"beep--!"
The final whistle blew.
The Eastern Conference All-Stars won.
Li Xiangbei volleyed the ball, catching it with one hand and raising it high above his head.
He stood in the center of the field, his gaze sharp and commanding, looking down on the entire audience.
……
The spotlights started flashing wildly.
LeBron James is indeed a born politician.
Even though he was seething with hatred inside, and even though his missed shot had humiliated him, he still managed to adjust his expression immediately.
He forced a bright, even somewhat touching smile, opened his arms, and strode toward Li Xiangbei.
He wanted to stage a drama of "the general and the minister reconciling".
He wanted to use a hug to leave the media with a photo of "two generations of star players passing the torch" or "deep brotherhood," in order to cover up the dirty secrets in the locker room.
"Lee!" James's voice was loud and enthusiastic. "A crazy performance! I knew you..."
Li Xiangbei slowly turned around.
James's hand was already outstretched in front of him, the embrace was already in place.
But Li Xiangbei's gaze was not focused on James.
His gaze didn't linger for a moment, but was fixed on the distant western bench.
It's like James is invisible air, or a meaningless cardboard cutout.
"Yao! Kobe!"
Li Xiangbei suddenly shouted, a genuine smile spreading across his face.
Then, in full view of everyone, he turned sideways and squeezed through the gap between James's outstretched arms.
At that moment, time seemed to stand still.
The camera faithfully captured this cruel and embarrassing scene:
LeBron remained in a pose of embracing the air, his radiant smile frozen on his face.
Behind him, Li Xiangbei had already rushed to the Western Conference camp, bumping chests hard with Kobe and giving Yao Ming a high-five with a big laugh.
In the commentary booth, Barkley couldn't hold back any longer; he slammed his fist on the table and burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! My God! Did you see that?! LeBron has been 'invisible'! Li Xiangbei didn't even see him! This is even worse than a direct rejection! It shows that in Li Xiangbei's eyes, Kobe and Yao Ming are the truly respectable opponents, while LeBron... is just an obstacle in his way!"
……
The podium has been set up in the center of the venue.
NBA Commissioner David Stern held the crystal trophy in his hand, a satisfied smile on his face.
"This year's All-Star MVP belongs to—"
Stern's voice was amplified through the microphone throughout the venue.
"From the New York Knicks, scoring a whopping 35 points, grabbing 18 rebounds, and making 5 steals—Li—Xiang—Bei!"
Data comparisons are brutal.
As the so-called "team leader," LeBron only scored 25 points and 5 rebounds tonight, and missed the most crucial shot.
Li Xiangbei walked onto the stage and accepted the trophy from Stern.
He weighed it in his mind, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.
At this moment, all the Eastern Conference All-Stars—James, Wade, Howard, Garnett—had to stand behind him, serving as the backdrop for this coronation moment.
Their expressions varied; some were ashen, others were embarrassed.
The host handed him the microphone: "Li, this is an incredible comeback. You broke multiple records. At this moment, who do you most want to thank?"
This is a standard question.
The usual response is to thank God, thank your teammates, and thank the fans.
But Li Xiangbei turned around and smiled as he looked at his "teammates" behind him.
"first."
"I want to pay the highest tribute to my All-Star teammates, especially LeBron and Wade."
James, sitting in the audience, breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking that Li Xiangbei was finally going to say something polite.
But the next second, Li Xiangbei changed the subject.
"You taught me a lesson: on the field, some things can't be waited for; you have to fight for them yourself. Like possession of the ball, like victory."
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
This is a veiled criticism of their failure to pass the ball!
But this is only the first cut.
Li Xiangbei raised the trophy and made a toasting gesture towards James.
"Secondly, I would like to express my special thanks to you for your selfless dedication tonight."
"Everyone says that assists are difficult, but in my opinion, you guys provided a different kind of assist tonight that was even greater – a 'backboard assist'."
"You guys created so many rebounding opportunities for me with your precise assists. This 'selfless spirit' of sacrificing your own shooting percentage to help your teammates with their stats..."
"It's truly moving. This is what a leader should be like."
The camera immediately focused on James.
This "little emperor" has completely stopped laughing.
Li Xiangbei did not give him a chance to refute.
He shoved the microphone back into the host's hand, raised the trophy high, and turned to face the camera.
"Phoenix is nice, the sun is shining."
"But I should go back to New York."
"After all, that's the territory of villains."
……
In the locker room tunnel after the game.
His phone was vibrating incessantly in his pocket—a signal of the Twitter explosion.
At this moment, the headlines of all major sports websites are dominated by that acceptance speech:
"The Villain Arrives! Li Xiangbei Openly Humiliates the Eastern Conference All-Stars!"
The Most Selfish MVP in History?
"An assist from the backboard? LeBron James suffers the biggest blow of his career!"
Li Xiangbei walked towards the parking lot.
Next to that Under Armour van, Kobe was leaning against the door, holding a bottle of Gatorade in his hand.
Kobe smiled when he saw Li Xiangbei come out.
It was a smile of seeing one's own kind.
"You're a lunatic, Lee." Kobe shook his head. "You humiliated that guy in front of everyone on national television. Do you know what that means?"
"That means the competition will be more interesting in the future," Li Xiangbei shrugged.
Kobe raised his fist and bumped it with Li Xiangbei's.
"But I like it. Only someone with this kind of personality is worthy of being my opponent."
See you in the finals.
Li Xiangbei looked at Kobe and said, "See you in the Finals."
The bus slowly drove into the night.
All-Star Weekend is over, but the real battle has just begun.
His feud with James is now truly over.
The entire alliance will be disrupted by the presence of this "villain".