The Boston Celtics quickly responded!
Irving and Horford worked inside-out to create space. Irving took the return pass from Horford and rose for a three over the closing Beverley.
"Swish!"
The ball arced cleanly through the air and dropped straight through the net.
61:58, the Celtics led the Clippers by three.
Jeff Green inbounded to Kai Chen, who pushed the ball upcourt.
"Whoosh!"
From the sideline, Celtics head coach Stevens shouted, "Double-team Kai Chen!"
As Kai approached the free-throw line, Horford stepped up to cut him off. At the same time, Jaylen Brown exploded in from the wing.
With Jayson Tatum pressing from behind, Kai was suddenly surrounded.
Facing the trap, Kai stayed calm. He rose and flicked a quick pass inside to Lopez.
Lopez caught it cleanly and hammered home an uncontested dunk.
"AAAAAAhhhhhhhh!!!"
After the slam, Lopez roared, finally venting his pent-up frustration.
On the court, Kai attacked again, and Boston stuck with the double-team.
This time, Kai didn't pass. He accelerated, blew past Horford in a single step, and went up for the layup.
Horford rotated late and jumped with him under the rim. Their bodies collided hard in midair.
What happened next stunned everyone.
Thrown off balance by the collision, Kai switched the ball from his right hand to his left while still in the air and released it from an impossible angle.
"Bink!"
"Swish!"
"Beep!"
The ball banked in as the whistle blew—shooting foul on Horford.
2+1!
"And one bitch!!!"
Kai hit the floor, flexed his bicep, and roared straight at Horford.
Horford frowned, clearly unhappy. He tried to argue but Irving quickly pulled him back.
Kai stepped to the free-throw line.
Tatum stared at him, shaking his head to himself.
He never imagined that the guy who used to warm the bench in college would now dominate him on both ends.
"Swish!"
Kai knocked down the free throw.
63:61, the Clippers took a two-point lead.
Back on offense, Irving isolated Beverley, shook him with a string of crossovers, stopped on a dime, and hit the midrange jumper.
Despite Kai's scoring burst, the gap didn't open. Boston's starters kept answering.
Time ticked down. Ten seconds remained in the first half.
Kai held the ball at the top of the arc for the final possession.
Tatum stood in front of him, jaw tight, locked in.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Kai dribbled back and forth, his handles making Tatum sway.
The moment Tatum lost his balance, Kai exploded forward, reaching the free-throw line in an instant.
Horford gritted his teeth and stepped up to meet him.
Kai paused, backed into him, spun hard, and slipped into the lane.
Horford's face flushed as he fought upward. Three fouls or not, he wasn't backing down.
With the clock winding down, Kai had no choice but to force it.
He planted, rose high, collided with Horford, and shot the ball over his head.
"Swish!"
"Beep!"
The ball went in with the whistle, basket and foul.
Kai crashed to the floor as Clippers players rushed over to help him up.
"Ah!! Ah!!! Kai Chen is the god of the Clippers!!"
In the booth, Kenny Smith jumped out of his seat. "Anyone who said Kai Chen can't perform in big games—might just have to get up and apologize to him!"
"Thirty-eight points in one half! Against the best defensive team in the league!"
"Look at the Clippers' bench. Look at the Celtics. Look at the fans!"
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it doesn't get better than this!!!"
On the court, Tatum stood with his hands on his hips, staring at Kai in disbelief.
He was terrifying.
The feeling was exactly like facing LeBron last year.
No matter how they defended, no matter how they doubled, Kai still scored. That was what crushed him most.
He never thought the guy who once handed him water would grow into this.
"What the fuck are you, Kai Chen?!!"
"Tell me—did you take fucking Steroids, are you on something?!"
In the Clippers locker room, Grayson Allen circled Kai again and again, spewing nonsense.
"Grayson, what the hell are you talking about?" Kai said helplessly.
"I'm checking if you took something before the game!"
Grayson's hand drifted toward Kai's lower body.
"Slap!"
Kai smacked it away. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"So you didn't take any testosterone?" Grayson grinned. "Then tell me—did you sneak out with a model last night?"
Carmelo, Lopez, and the others chimed in, their looks toward Kai slowly becoming… strange.
Kai: "..."
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