章 11: Chapter 11: NBA‘s Fastest First step?
Chapter 11: The Fastest First Step in the NBA
Swish!
Another clean shot. Tang Lei drained his second long-range three-pointer.
Score: 6–4.
Seeing Tang Lei hit two back-to-back deep threes, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer immediately yelled from the sidelines, "Close out! Don't give him any space!"
Eric Bledsoe nodded, clearly frustrated. This rookie was outshooting even Curry at this point.
The Bucks went back on offense, and the ball found its way into Bledsoe's hands. Determined to regain some pride, he decided to go to Tang Lei one-on-one. Known for his explosive first step, Bledsoe quickly blew by Tang Lei. But Tang wasn't giving up. He chased him down relentlessly. Sure, Bledsoe had the speed advantage, but Tang Lei had hops.
As Bledsoe went up for the layup, Tang soared from behind.
Smack!
Tang Lei swatted the shot out of bounds.
The Warriors' bench erupted in cheers. Curry, Durant, and the rest of the team ran over to give Tang high-fives, praising his block. Bledsoe, meanwhile, was left shaking his head in frustration. He had beaten his man, but Tang Lei's vertical was just too much.
There were only five seconds left on the shot clock, and the Bucks had possession. Brook Lopez, standing tall, inbounded the ball with ease, lobbing it to Giannis. With little time to work with, Giannis barreled toward the rim despite Durant's tight defense. The ball danced around the rim before rolling out. Tang grabbed the rebound and fired a quick outlet pass to Klay Thompson, who was already on the break.
Klay, with his trademark smooth style, finished the layup.
Score: 8–4.
The Bucks got the ball back. Lopez, demonstrating his unique skill set for a center, drained a three-pointer on the next possession, bringing the score within one point.
In the following play, both Curry and Tang Lei were tightly guarded, leaving Durant to go one-on-one with Giannis. He missed the shot. Lopez grabbed the rebound and launched it downcourt to Giannis, who casually took three steps from beyond the arc and laid the ball in, showcasing his ridiculous athleticism.
Score: 8–9. The Bucks were back in the lead.
Even though Curry and Tang Lei were struggling to find their rhythm, Durant and Thompson stepped up to keep the game close. The lead swung back and forth, with neither team able to pull away.
With five minutes left in the first quarter, the score stood at 22–26, the Warriors trailing by four points.
Steve Kerr called a timeout.
Curry was having a rough go of it, shooting just 1 for 5, with only 2 points. Tang Lei, on the other hand, had made the most of his limited opportunities, going 3 for 2 with 6 points, 2 rebounds, and a block, though he hadn't gotten many touches after that.
During the timeout, Kerr made a lineup change, subbing out Curry and Tang Lei for Quinn Cook and Andre Iguodala. On the Bucks' side, Malcolm Brogdon and Eric Bledsoe, who had been assigned to shut down Curry and Tang Lei, were replaced by Nikola Mirotic and Pat Connaughton.
On TNT, Shaquille O'Neal couldn't help but comment during the break: "The Bucks clearly did their homework. They've locked down Curry and that new kid Tang Lei!"
Charles Barkley chimed in, "Once you shut down the Warriors' three-point shooting, they lose their biggest weapon. The defending champs are in trouble tonight."
"But don't forget," Shaq grinned, "as long as Durant is out there, anything's possible. The Reaper's blade can cut down any team in its path."
The game resumed, and Durant took charge, playing the entire first quarter. Thanks to his efforts, the Warriors managed to stay within striking distance.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 42–37, with the Warriors trailing by 5.
In the second quarter, Curry and Tang Lei re-entered the game while Durant, Thompson, and Green took a breather.
Curry began to heat up, going 5 for 8 from the field and scoring 12 points in the quarter. Tang Lei, though limited to just a half-quarter of playing time, contributed another 5 points, including a three-pointer and a mid-range jumper, maintaining his streak of double-digit scoring games.
However, Tang Lei didn't see the floor in the third quarter. His weaknesses had been exposed. He could not penetrate and his off-ball movement wasn't sharp enough.
Without a reliable drive, defenders didn't need to worry about him blowing by them, which allowed them to focus entirely on contesting his shots. Tang Lei struggled, while Curry, with his versatile skill set and deadly off-ball movement, started finding his groove.
In the Chinese livestream chatroom:
"Man, Tang Lei didn't even get off the bench that entire quarter. Looks like he's struggling against stronger teams."
"Yeah, once the defenders get physical, his limitations start to show. We might have overrated him."
"Come on, the guy's still a rookie. Scoring in double figures is already impressive! You can't expect him to be another Curry."
"Exactly. Let's be realistic here. Tang Lei's the only Chinese player we've got in the NBA right now. You want to praise him into oblivion, only to tear him down?"
Tang Lei sat on the bench, feeling a bit frustrated.
There was no denying it—this Bucks team was legit. Every player had a ridiculous wingspan, making it difficult to get off a clean shot. And they weren't just long; they were athletic and skilled, too.
"Once we're done with this game, it's back to the Bay. If I don't perform well here, the front office is going to use it against me during contract negotiations," Tang Lei thought to himself.
The NBA is a business at its core, and no owner likes to spend more than necessary. Tang Lei knew he needed to seize control of his destiny. He deserved a better contract—a bigger contract.
Then, it hit him.
"The system store!"
He had saved up over 20 system coins, just enough to buy a star player's talent or skill.
His mind raced as he opened the system's virtual shop. Rows upon rows of talent upgrades and special abilities appeared before him.
Tang Lei knew what his biggest weakness was—his lack of driving ability.
His eyes scanned the list: Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant… all the greats. But their abilities were way too expensive, costing 50 system coins or more. He couldn't afford that.
Then he saw a name that caught his eye: Tracy McGrady.
A smile spread across Tang Lei's face when he saw that McGrady's first-step ability was available for only 25 system coins.
In Tang Lei's mind, McGrady had always been one of the most gifted players in NBA history—maybe even more so than Michael Jordan. His explosiveness, particularly his first step, had earned him the reputation of having the "fastest first step" in the NBA.
Why was McGrady's talent cheaper than some of the other legends? Tang Lei guessed it had something to do with career achievements and overall impact.
Without hesitation, Tang Lei purchased McGrady's first-step ability.
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