Chapter Seventy-Five: Two Cancers

At halftime, the Lakers trailed the Clippers 62 to 64, with both teams delivering remarkably efficient offense. The main reason was the explosive performances from Xinghui He and Kobe Bryant, both shooting at a high percentage. Their stellar play drew increased defensive attention, which in turn opened up opportunities for other role players, making the entire team's offense more effective. In this era, a combined score of 126 points at halftime was truly a rarity.

Of course, compared to the teams' total points, fans were even more focused on the head-to-head stats of the two superstars. In the first half, Kobe went 11-for-19, including three three-pointers, and made five of seven free throws for a total of 30 points—an explosive stat line by any measure. However, compared to Xinghui He’s numbers, Kobe was slightly outshone. Xinghui He shot 10-for-15, drained eight three-pointers, and made all three of his free throws for a total of 31 points in the half. This was beyond anyone's expectations; many in the crowd stared at the box score in disbelief.

Kobe’s die-hard fans once again felt a sense of threat, elevating Xinghui He’s danger level several notches, ranking him above Carter, Iverson, and McGrady. Those three had already entered their decline and were no longer in Los Angeles. Xinghui He, on the other hand, not only played in Los Angeles but was also young.

Yet, despite their anxiety, there was nothing they could do but hope their idol would descend like a god and dominate the game. In contrast, Xinghui He’s fans were nearly ecstatic. Their initial admiration stemmed more from his style of play, and they had never dared to claim he could challenge Kobe in terms of ability. Now, Xinghui He had exceeded all their expectations, a delightful surprise indeed.

To challenge a legendary predecessor and ascend as the new king—such storylines were irresistibly compelling. Xinghui He’s fans were already dreaming and anticipating. Bearing witness to a star’s rise is itself a kind of joy.

Halftime brought a break for the players, but not for Barkley and Smith.

“Charles, are you nervous now?” Smith asked with a grin.

Previously, Barkley had displayed a mysterious confidence in Kobe, but with the first half over, Kobe was actually trailing by a point. That meant Barkley was once again at risk of losing his bet with Xinghui He—meaning he’d have to wear a maid outfit next time. Just imagining that scene was enough to make Smith chuckle.

“Why should I be nervous? Sure, He is ahead by a point now, but he can’t match Kobe’s stamina. Once his energy dips in the second half, his shooting percentage will definitely drop,” Barkley replied, trying to sound calm, though in truth he was anything but.

Xinghui He’s stamina was indeed inferior to Kobe’s, but he was also famous for his clutch performances. As the game reached its climax, the odds of him exploding again were high. Damn it, this guy is my nemesis, Barkley lamented inwardly.

He would never have guessed that a player who once averaged just over 20 points per game would suddenly erupt like this—it was simply unthinkable.

“All right, let’s put your bet aside for now and talk about Cousin and Kobe’s performances,” Smith said.

“No doubt about it, both played brilliantly. But I think Kobe’s game was more impressive because of his contributions on both ends of the floor,” Barkley said, his tone turning serious. Despite the banter, he hadn’t forgotten his actual job, which was to take the opposite position from Smith and talk basketball.

“Charles, you must be seeing things. Cousin not only scored more, but did it on fewer shots. He used sixteen offensive opportunities to get 31 points. Kobe, on the other hand, used twenty-two...” Smith pointed out.

“Twenty-one. Kobe grabbed an offensive rebound,” Barkley interjected.

“Okay, even at twenty-one, he was still less efficient than Cousin,” Smith retorted, his argument hard to refute since he was stating facts. Barkley had no choice but to point to Kobe’s defense, but defense is hard to quantify and doesn’t make for a compelling argument.

Smith hit him with a killer line: “If Kobe’s defense is so great, how did Cousin score 31 on him?”

“That’s because the Clippers’ offense is...” Barkley started to ramble, launching into jargon that only pseudo-analysts would understand.

Most fans, in truth, just want things that are simple, vivid, and easy to grasp. Smith didn’t forget to mention another highlight: Xinghui He’s three-point barrage.

“The previous single-game record for threes was twelve, held by Marshall and Kobe. He only needs five more in the second half to break it,” Smith said.

At that, even casual fans felt a surge of admiration—breaking a record is always impressive. Barkley, meanwhile, kept spouting arguments about Kobe’s impact, but few paid attention. After a long day’s work, who wants to strain their brain analyzing basketball minutiae when they’re just trying to relax?

Halftime was only fifteen minutes, and soon the game was underway again. Both teams made adjustments to their starting lineups. For the Lakers, Cook came on for Mihm, likely to improve defensive switch speed and try to contain Xinghui He’s off-ball movement. On the Clippers’ side, Mobley replaced Livingston, and Xinghui He shifted to small forward.

In the first half, both coaches had let Kobe and Xinghui He play freely, but now they were getting serious, each determined to win. Their plans, however, were about to run into the harshness of reality.

Back on the court, Kobe hit a shot, immediately giving Xinghui He a sense of urgency. Though it was only a one-point deficit, the difference between trailing and leading weighed on him. When it was the Clippers’ turn on offense, he didn’t follow the play as drawn. The scheme called for him to draw the defense and quickly pass to Mobley, who would then probe for cracks in the Lakers’ defense. But now, with his team behind and the opportunity less than ideal, Xinghui He still chose to take the shot.

Fortunately, luck—or perhaps the magic of his Klay Thompson “experience card”—was on his side, and the ball went in. Seeing this, Kobe grew anxious as well. He didn’t want to leave it to the final moments—he respected Xinghui He’s clutch gene, and even Kobe had to acknowledge it. For him to seal the duel, he needed to build a lead before crunch time.

But now, rather than leading, he was behind—intolerable. As Parker continued to run the offense, Kobe was already signaling for the ball. At that moment, Parker truly wished the team would just trade him, so he wouldn’t have to be caught between Kobe and Phil Jackson anymore. He passed the ball to Kobe, who tried to isolate Xinghui He, but the Clippers had abandoned all decorum—Mobley came over to double-team.

If this had happened in the first half, Kobe would have swung the ball to Odom, and the team would have banked two points. But now, in a state of tunnel vision, Kobe tried to force it through the double-team—Mamba mentality—and came up empty.

Phil Jackson frowned on the sidelines, cursing inwardly.

Just then, Xinghui He, passing by, couldn’t resist saying, “Trade him already—a cancer like that is good for nothing.”

[Received 200 points of rage from Kobe.]

Kobe, hearing this, shot Xinghui He a death glare.