"Shaq, go for another slam dunk!"
"Stop yelling, he's about to knock Barkley flying."
At the Staples Center, Richard, Paul, and Mike sat in the front row watching the game. It was the playoffs, with the Lakers hosting the Rockets.
The Lakers had the 'OK' duo of Shaq O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, and their point guard Fisher was also performing well. The Rockets had two big stars too: center Hakeem Olajuwon, known as "The Dream," and "The Round Mound of Rebound" Charles Barkley.
The three main Lakers players were all under 25 years old, while the two main Rockets players were both 36.
The game started with a dunk by Shaq, while Barkley, the Rockets' veteran power forward, missed three shots and a free throw. The Rockets were clearly at a disadvantage.
"They're playing too soft. I feel like I could go out there and beat them myself."
Paul said with a smirk.
"Stop bragging. When you have time, you can challenge Shaq one-on-one. I bet you'd get crushed."
"Only Shaq is tough out there. The others, I could definitely take down."
Paul said confidently.
"Wow! That was awesome!"
Shaq, under the basket, turned and used his backside to shove Olajuwon away before spinning and dunking the ball, eliciting cheers from the crowd.
"Shaq, nice one!"
Paul shouted, pumping his fist.
Richard clapped. The atmosphere at a basketball game was more intense than a boxing match, with more highs and excitement. That's probably why basketball is more popular.
As he was watching, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw it was Gwyneth calling.
"Hey, Gwyn."
"Richard, where are you? It's so noisy."
"I'm at Staples, watching the game with some friends. Want to join? The game just started."
Richard said, covering his right ear.
"Alright, Angie and I are out shopping. We were thinking of asking you to join us."
"How about I meet you after the game? You girls usually shop for at least three or four hours until your legs give out."
"Haha, even your legs give out? I thought you were made of iron."
Gwyneth laughed.
Richard chuckled softly when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something suddenly approaching.
"Richard, watch out!"
Mike shouted.
Just before it hit his face, Richard instinctively extended his fist and punched it—right into a basketball.
Whoosh~
The ball, after being punched, quickly rebounded, flying across the court and hitting the Lakers' backboard.
Boom~
A gasp went up from the crowd. As the ball fell, the cameras zoomed in on Richard's face. He waved his hand and said a few words to Gwyneth before hanging up the phone.
"Richard, the boxing champion!"
Someone in the crowd shouted.
"Hey, Richard, can you hit the Rockets' side?"
Shaq, hands on his hips, shouted.
"Sorry, I didn't see it coming."
Richard raised his hand.
A staff member tossed another ball onto the court, and the game continued.
From the first quarter to the fourth, the Lakers maintained a lead of four to five points. But with just over a minute left, the Rockets caught up, making it 98:97 in favor of the Lakers with 1:25 left on the clock.
At 66 seconds, the Rockets' small forward Walt Williams scored a layup, putting the Rockets ahead by one.
At this point, all the fans were on their feet, the atmosphere at the stadium growing even more intense.
With 48 seconds left, Kobe took the ball and was fouled by Charles Barkley. Kobe went to the free-throw line and made both shots, putting the Lakers ahead again, 100 to 99.
With just 5.3 seconds left, Rockets' point guard Steve Francis drove into the lane and was about to shoot when Shaq blocked the shot with a powerful rejection, sending the ball flying out of bounds.
"Wow~"
The crowd erupted, celebrating as the Lakers secured their first playoff victory.
"Hey, Shaq, you were awesome!"
Paul shouted loudly.
Shaq pumped his fist, shouting excitedly.
"Hey, Richard, how did I do?"
"Shaq, you're the MVP!"
Richard clapped and smiled.
"Haha, let's grab a drink together later!"
"OK!"
After the game, Richard, Paul, and Mike left the arena. They waited at the exit for a while before Shaq came out with two of his teammates, Kobe and Fisher.
"Let's go, drinks on me!"
Shaq waved.
"Alright!"
The group got into their cars, four in total, and roared away from Staples Center to the largest bar on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.
"Cheers!"
Shaq shouted, holding up a huge beer mug.
"Cheers!"
The six of them clinked glasses hard.
Shaq and Paul downed their beers in one go.
Fisher and Mike drank half.
Richard and Kobe, sitting opposite each other, each took a small sip. They glanced at each other and exchanged polite smiles.
"Hey, Richard, when's your next fight?"
Shaq asked after putting down his glass.
"Probably around July or August. I'll wait until a new challenger emerges before stepping into the ring."
Richard replied with a smile.
"You guys only have three or four fights a year, and each match lasts just a few minutes. It's not thrilling enough. You should try WWE—there's one-on-one, brawls, and you can even use chairs to smash people. It's wild."
Shaq said.
Here's the translation of the passage:
---
"Bah, truly powerful people don't mess with that stuff. Those guys may look big and intimidating, but very few of them can actually fight. Do you know Mark Henry? He set a world record by squatting 430kg and was dubbed the 'World's Strongest Man' by the media. He's also a WWE wrestler. Last year, he had a match against Richard. Guess how long he lasted against Richard?"
Paul grinned as he spoke.
"Mark Henry? I know that guy. He's huge, even bigger than Shaq, and super strong. I heard he got injured in a match last year and was out for over two months. Did Richard beat him up?"
Fisher, curious, asked.
"Haha, yes. Guess how long he lasted against Richard?"
Paul held up one finger.
"Ten minutes?" O'Neal asked.
"Keep guessing!"
"One minute?" Fisher asked.
"Hehe, not ten minutes, not even one minute. It was ten seconds. They exchanged only two moves, and Richard landed an airborne punch on Mark Henry's head. Mark passed out instantly, with blood flowing from his eyes, nose, and ears. So, those guys just look tough, but they're nowhere near as strong as us boxers."
Paul said proudly.
"Ten seconds? Richard took down Mark Henry in just ten seconds?" O'Neal found it hard to believe.
"An airborne punch?" Fisher was even more skeptical, thinking it sounded like something out of a movie.
Richard chuckled, "Mark Henry is a power wrestler, and his moves are pretty slow. I'm very fast, so beating him wasn't difficult. Any decent boxer could take him down."
"Aren't you a boxer, Richard? How did you end up wrestling too?" O'Neal asked.
"I dabble in it occasionally," Richard replied with a smile.
"How about we team up next time and take on WWE? We could spar with Triple H, The Rock, and Hitman," O'Neal grinned.
"Sure," Richard raised his eyebrows and smiled.
"I don't think you guys could handle it," Fisher chuckled. "Especially you, Shaq. Richard has serious combat skills—he once took down four armed guys by himself. On the ring, besides shaking your hips, what else could you do?"
"Haha, good point!" Kobe laughed.
"Hey, are you guys asking for trouble?" O'Neal scowled, displeased.
"Hey, look! Beautiful women are coming our way!" Paul suddenly pointed across the room.
Richard glanced over and saw two women in athletic outfits approaching. They had dark skin and full figures—the kind of women Paul considered beautiful.
"Hey, Venus, Serena!" O'Neal shouted, grabbing the first woman and giving her a few playful kisses.
"Beast, Shaq's such a beast! Why does he always get the hot chicks?" Paul cursed, wide-eyed.
"Relax, there's still another one," Richard smiled.
"They're tennis players, the Williams sisters. They won the French Open and US Open women's doubles titles this year. Shaq's dating the older sister, Venus, while Serena's relationship status is unclear," Mike whispered.
"Does that mean I still have a chance?" Paul clenched his fist excitedly.
"Yes, go for it. Try to win over Serena," Richard patted him on the shoulder.
"But..." Paul glanced at the women, then scratched his head.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm a little shy, what should I do?" Paul lowered his head.
...
Richard and Mike exchanged glances. "Don't be shy. It looks like Fisher's interested in Serena. If you don't make a move now, you might miss your chance."
"Really?" Paul immediately raised his head, saw Serena chatting with Fisher, and, after gritting his teeth, bravely walked over to start flirting.
A little later, two more black women arrived, and soon Kobe and Fisher each had one by their side.
Richard and Mike looked at each other, realizing they had inadvertently become the minority in the group. They decided it was time to find a different spot.
When Gwyneth entered the bar, the two of them switched seats.
---
(End of Chapter)