Chapter 130: Let's Talk About the Number 81

The tip-off began, and the Dragon King, Chris Bosh, secured possession for the Raptors. The Raptors initiated their offense.

He Xinghui, matched up against Jalen Rose, remarked, "Jalen, you’re in such great shape. If I recall correctly, you played in 81 games last season."

In his past life, He Xinghui had seen a video of Kobe Bryant teasing Jalen Rose. In the clip, Kobe ran into Rose at a restaurant and ordered a vodka martini. When the waiter asked how many olives he wanted, Kobe replied, "81," leaving a stunned Jalen Rose with a look that became an instant internet meme.

In short, the number 81 had taken on a special, painful significance for Jalen Rose. Merely mentioning it in his presence was enough to pierce his heart. Sure enough, no sooner had the words left He Xinghui’s mouth than a look of deep resentment appeared on Rose’s face. Simultaneously, he contributed 10 points of rage to He Xinghui’s system.

Mike James ran a pick-and-roll with Bosh. After Bosh rolled to the basket, he was met by the double-team of Brand and Kaman, drawing the attention of the other Clippers as well. With no good look available, Bosh kicked the ball back out to the neglected Mike, who caught and shot, burying a three-pointer. This season, Mike was shooting an impressive 44.4% from beyond the arc.

While the players at other positions were playing with intensity, the conversation between He Xinghui and Rose was equally heated.

"Jalen, why don’t you change your jersey number to 81? It would really leave a lasting impression on the fans and make you even more famous."

[+10 Rage points from Jalen Rose.]

He Xinghui smiled. Though the amount was small each time, it was consistent. As long as he kept talking, Jalen Rose would keep contributing.

On the next Clippers possession, He Xinghui called for the ball to isolate against Rose. He started with a jab step, then suddenly pulled back for a jumper. Players encountering this move for the first time were almost always fooled, and Jalen Rose was no exception. Although he had watched game tape of He Xinghui before the match, he hadn’t paid much attention to the step-back, as it wasn't a high-volume part of He's repertoire. Caught off guard, Rose missed his chance to contest the shot, and He Xinghui easily sank the bucket.

"I finally understand why Kobe was able to drop 81 points on you," He Xinghui taunted.

"..."

Jalen Rose went silent for a moment before replying, "Honestly, your trash talk is pretty low-level. I’m not going to lose sleep over one bad play. The whole '81 points' bit is incredibly boring."

If it weren't for the system notifications telling him that Rose was actually seething, He Xinghui might have been fooled. As it was, he simply responded with a knowing, silent smile.

The Raptors moved back on offense. With Mike and Bosh drawing defenders at the high and low posts respectively, Mike swung the ball to Peterson in the corner. Peterson lacked the ability to create his own shot and relied entirely on his mid-to-long-range game. His corner three was exceptional, though his accuracy elsewhere was unreliable, which was why he spent most of his time standing in the corners. A player like that relied on the opponent’s negligence; if ignored, he could go on a scoring tear, but if the defense tightened up on him, he would often disappear, lacking the ability to perform in high-pressure situations. That was precisely why he was considered inconsistent.

The game had just begun, and the Clippers hadn't paid much attention to Peterson. Upon receiving the ball, he shot from his favorite spot and drained it. Looking at that shot alone, he bore a slight resemblance to a sharpshooter.

"Stay with your man!" Dunleavy shouted from the sidelines. It was ridiculous to let the opponent hit two consecutive threes right out of the gate.

On the next Clippers possession, He Xinghui tried to go at Rose again. Unfortunately, this time Rose’s contest was perfect, and He Xinghui clanked the shot off the rim.

On TNT, Barkley was still discussing the power struggle between Brand and He Xinghui. "Before He emerged, Brand was averaging 19 shots a game. Now, that number has dropped to 16.5."

Barkley’s implication was clear: it was natural for Brand to want to leave, and perhaps he should.

"But the Clippers' record has improved," Smith countered. "They’ve reached 27 wins and are fourth in the West. Charles, if you hadn't cared so much about your own stats back in the day, maybe you’d have a championship ring by now."

"Sh*t, let’s talk about the present, can we leave me out of this? My situation was completely different from the Clippers now," Barkley snapped, visibly annoyed. He truly regretted never winning a title, a fact he was teased and mocked for daily.

"Even in the present, I don't think Brand should be throwing a tantrum. He and 'The Cousin' are the top-rated duo in the league in terms of efficiency. If they just bolster their center position and their bench, the Clippers could be championship contenders..."

Before Smith could finish, Barkley interrupted, "It’s too late for that now. The conflict is public; Brand has to go. A fractured team can never succeed."

"That’s not necessarily true," Smith said, continuing to play the contrarian.

On the court, the game raged on. He Xinghui faked a shot and drove toward the rim. Peterson scrambled to help, blocking his path. With the drive stalled and no good passing lanes in his field of vision, He Xinghui kicked the ball back to Cassell. Although He Xinghui’s drive didn't result in a score, it disrupted the Raptors' defense. Cassell easily lofted the ball toward the rim, and Maggette surged in to slam it home.

This was the reason He Xinghui’s assist numbers weren't climbing yet; even though his drives could collapse the defense, he couldn't yet deliver the ball to the open teammate in the blink of an eye. Once he leveled up his passing ability, his drive-and-kick game would become a lethal weapon.

During the transition, He Xinghui said to Jalen Rose, "Today is my 81st day in the NBA. Do you have any well wishes for me?"

The 81st day in the NBA—was it really that much of a coincidence? Rose couldn't help but try to calculate the time since the season started. The result made him furious because He Xinghui was spouting nonsense; it wasn't even close to 81 days.

"I wish for you to suffer a career-ending injury immediately," Jalen Rose cursed internally.

If this weren't an unimportant regular-season game, he wouldn't have been so polite. Back in the 2000 Finals against the 76ers, he hadn't hesitated to trip Kobe. Unfortunately, Kobe only missed one game before returning to play through the injury and defeating the 76ers. Since this was just a regular-season game, Rose didn't want to pay the heavy price for playing dirty; it wasn't worth it. Moreover, He Xinghui was so popular right now that injuring him would draw too much public backlash.

While Jalen Rose was busy calculating the days, the Raptors' offense stalled. As a cog in the tactical machine, Rose looked like he was sleepwalking, failing to provide any spacing or gravity. The commentators erupted in criticism, and the fans began to jeer.