Chapter 123: Has It Really Wilted?

Possession changed hands, and the Nuggets went on the offensive.

He Xinghui trailed Watson, his mouth never ceasing its barrage of chatter.

"Earl, I suggest you ask the team for a trade. You guys have too many guards. In this rotation, your playing time is never guaranteed. Plus, because you're playing a double-guard backcourt, your defensive weaknesses are magnified, which is only going to hurt your next contract..."

His posture and persistence were comparable to a meddlesome auntie trying to arrange a marriage.

Watson, standing nearby, found it utterly annoying and wished he could find a basketball to stuff into He Xinghui's mouth. He understood the "logic" behind He Xinghui's words, but in reality, it was all nonsense. Finding a job with the Nuggets was hard-earned; he had to fight tooth and nail just to hold onto this position. He had no leverage to demand a trade, and no team was going to give up assets to acquire him. Faced with He Xinghui’s "why don't they just eat cake" brand of advice, Watson felt both infuriated and helpless, left only to lament the unfairness of life.

The ball reached Watson, and he quickly passed it to Anthony. Although He Xinghui’s defense wasn't exactly elite, Watson didn't want to try and go one-on-one against him. Every offensive opportunity was precious.

Then, He Xinghui started up again: "Earl, this won't do. A point guard really needs the ability to attack off the dribble to better facilitate for his teammates."

"Shut up, will you? You don't understand me at all."

Watson finally fired back. Attack off the dribble? In this team, when would it ever be his turn to initiate the offense? Even though he fought back, his words sounded more like a weak explanation, devoid of any real bite.

"Don't you want to develop your ability to attack? Don't you want better stats and more money..."

Before He Xinghui could finish, Watson escaped. The Nuggets had just completed a possession, with Anthony missing a contested jumper. Watson was finally able to retreat to his own defensive end, momentarily distancing himself from the fly that was He Xinghui. Back in the backcourt, Watson savored the tranquility.

The Clippers went on offense. He Xinghui ran to an open spot, launched a three-pointer, and missed. Seeing this, Watson’s face lit up with joy. He walked right up to He Xinghui and said, "I suggest you shoot fewer threes. Driving into the paint to draw fouls would be better."

He Xinghui nearly laughed out loud. He never expected Watson to try and mimic his own trash talk.

On the next possession, He Xinghui shook off Anthony and matched up against Watson. He faked a shot, drove hard to the hoop, and drew a blocking foul from Elson.

"Earl, you were right. Attacking the paint really is quite effective," He Xinghui chuckled.

"..."

At that moment, Watson almost wanted to cry. He desperately wanted to explain to Elson that he was just spouting trash talk and wasn't genuinely trying to give He Xinghui advice.

Of course, that was a minor issue. More importantly, Watson realized he had no way to retaliate against He Xinghui. He Xinghui was the star of the Clippers; he could shoot when he wanted and drive when he wanted—misses and turnovers didn't matter. Unlike him, Watson had to rely on scraps.

After sinking both free throws, the Nuggets went on offense. He Xinghui was still harassing Watson’s ear: "Following others' advice is a virtue, and it can bring unexpected gains..."

Unable to take it any longer, Watson launched a drive, determined to beat He Xinghui one-on-one and shut his mouth. Immediately after, a scene occurred that left Watson filled with rage. As soon as he started his move, He Xinghui poked the ball away and launched a fast break.

"Despicable!" Watson shouted right there on the court.

"He's a cheater!" Seeing the referee looking over, Earl even felt compelled to offer a foolish explanation.

The referee was left speechless, feeling a twinge of pity for the poor guy.

Thanks to He Xinghui’s "harassment-by-annoyance" technique, the Nuggets played a chaotic, disorganized first quarter. Although He Xinghui himself didn't perform particularly well—scoring only 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting—the Clippers still led by 7 points, 26-19, at the end of the period.

During the timeout, George Karl was furious, tearing into Watson. That wasn't the worst part; the worst part was being benched in favor of Greg Buckner. Clearly, Karl had lost faith in him.

As the second quarter began, both teams turned to their rotations. Without He Xinghui’s harassment, the Nuggets' bench played comfortably, much to the tearful envy of Watson on the sidelines. He felt that if he were playing with the reserves, he could perform just as well. The Nuggets' bench unit, lacking Anthony, played according to George Karl’s schemes and actually put together a beautiful counterattack.

However, Karl’s frustration soon returned. He had to put Anthony back in; he had to ensure Anthony’s minutes. That was a strict order from the front office. Without Anthony’s scoring to attract the crowd, their arena’s attendance would take a significant hit.

Once Anthony stepped onto the court, the ball immediately gravitated toward him. He caught the ball and went straight into his triple-threat position. While he often made shots, he also missed plenty. When it all boiled down, his efficiency was just average. The impression was that with Anthony, the Nuggets weren't necessarily strong; without him, they didn't seem that bad.

Fortunately, no one had yet publicized this startling discovery, sparing the "Melo" some embarrassment and allowing him to satisfy the fans with his high-volume scoring. He was averaging 26.5 points per game this season, eighth in the league. Based on that scoring alone, he could enjoy endless praise and secure a max contract.

In the final four minutes, the Clippers' starters returned. He Xinghui tried to harass the newly subbed-in Buckner, but it had little effect. Perhaps George Karl had just given them a stern lecture on the sidelines, or perhaps Buckner was simply steady by nature. With no effect, He Xinghui returned to playing normally, which was fine.

By halftime, He Xinghui had 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting, including free throws. At a glance, his shooting percentage didn't look high, but because he took many threes, his efficiency wasn't particularly poor. This disappointed the reporters who were trying to prove that He Xinghui had been "drained." No matter what, this performance couldn't be described as burnt out.

He Xinghui thought so too, acting quite smug in front of his teammates during the break. However, in the second half, he finally felt his stamina dropping rapidly.

"Damn it, I didn't think it would actually have an effect," He Xinghui muttered to himself.

In the third quarter, he took four shots and only made one. Even worse was his performance on defense, where he repeatedly lost his man, giving off the impression that he couldn't keep running. Helpless, He Xinghui had no choice but to purchase a bottle of Stamina Potion. He didn't want to give the reporters an excuse to claim he was "hollowed out," nor did he want to be mocked by his teammates after the game for being unable to finish.

The savings he had planned for ultimately couldn't keep up with the changes.