Chapter 136: Headphones Are Useless

The game was delayed for over a minute by He Xinghui before the tip-off officially commenced. Eddy Curry won the jump ball and tapped it to his teammate. Despite his heavy build, his vertical leap was genuinely impressive—which was why he was nicknamed the "Baby Shaq." The original "Big Shaq" was never just about raw tonnage; in his prime, he was a force that could dominate the air and the ground alike.

Stephon Marbury brought the ball up. After crossing half-court, he was relieved to see only three players calling for the ball. Before Jalen Rose had arrived, he was used to seeing all four of his teammates demanding the rock on nearly every possession. This team lacked any sense of collective spirit; everyone was focused solely on padding their own stats to secure a massive contract or to inflate their numbers before moving on. Jalen Rose wasn't calling for the ball primarily because he was wary of He Xinghui. He didn't care how many points he scored himself; his only goal was to ensure He Xinghui didn't have a big night.

Marbury scanned the court and passed to Eddy Curry, who had the better look. Curry caught the ball, backed down Kaman, and hit a short hook shot. His touch seemed excellent today, and the first bucket fell. The Knicks' roster wasn't actually that bad—most of the players were talented. Their poor record stemmed from their lack of cohesion; they played as individuals. If they happened to get hot collectively, they could defeat opponents through pure chaos, but such occasions were rare.

"Jalen, Jalen, your shoelace is untied." He Xinghui tried calling out a few times, but when he saw Jalen Rose jog back on defense without the slightest reaction, he confirmed that the noise-canceling headphones were indeed effective.

On the Clippers' end, Cassell and Brand worked a play. Usually, He Xinghui would be moving off the ball or chirping trash talk at his opponent. Now, however, he was limited to just moving off the ball. It was fine during offense, as his movement helped the team's flow. But back on defense, He Xinghui felt truly miserable. He had developed a habit of yapping at opponents to disrupt their mood and focus, and suddenly being unable to do so felt incredibly awkward.

The Knicks scored again, and the Clippers countered. This time, He Xinghui signaled for the ball to go one-on-one against Jalen Rose. Whether his touch was off or Rose’s focused defense made the difference, He Xinghui clanked the shot.

The fans at home were delighted; as it stood, the headphones seemed to be working. None were more smug than Charles Barkley, who declared that He Xinghui’s greatest weakness had been exposed and that he would surely hit the "rookie wall" soon.

The Knicks attacked, but this time they missed. On the surface, it looked like a missed jump shot by Marbury, but to Larry Brown, the problem was that Jalen Rose hadn't coordinated with Marbury. Had Rose just shifted two steps to the right, he could have screened Cassell for a second—not much, but enough for Marbury to get his shot off. Uncontested, Marbury was a lethal shooter. Larry Brown was a traditional, rigid coach; he didn't believe trash talk had much impact. Jalen Rose’s behavior was an embarrassment to the team and, more importantly, disrupted their execution. The Knicks, already struggling with chemistry, became even more disjointed.

On the defensive end, Jalen Rose didn't hear Morris Taylor calling for a switch. The two collided, and He Xinghui caught the pass, rising up to sink his first bucket of the game. Teammates running into each other wasn't uncommon, but because Jalen Rose was wearing headphones, the collision looked utterly ridiculous. It was a classic case of shooting oneself in the foot; he deserved it.

The Knicks attacked, and Channing Frye caught fire, burying a three-pointer. Brand had been playing too deep and hadn't rushed out. Even though Frye was a rookie, his ability to shoot from beyond the arc was a headache for Brand. In return, the Clippers exploited the Knicks' weaknesses. Cassell and Brand ran a pick-and-roll, forcing a switch that left Cassell matched up against Frye. Frye stayed in the paint to hunt for rebounds, but Cassell was a capable three-point shooter. With such an easy look, he calmly drained the shot.

Back on the other end, Brand didn't give Frye another chance. Unlike the rest of the Knicks, Brand prioritized winning above all else. Seeing Frye denied, Marbury drove to the basket. Cassell was aging and couldn't keep up with the pace, leaving him to watch as Marbury finished at the rim. When the Clippers attacked again, the Knicks suffered another collision.

"Beep!" Larry Brown, having reached his limit, called a timeout.

Despite the team's decent offensive output, he couldn't stand Jalen Rose’s defensive antics. "Take off those damn headphones and listen to your teammates!" Larry Brown roared. Jalen Rose looked confused; he couldn't hear a thing—the custom headphones were of excellent quality. Seeing that expression, Brown exploded, grabbed the headphones, and ripped them off.

"Coach, what are you doing?" Jalen Rose asked, genuinely puzzled. He felt he had been doing fine, having been shielded from He Xinghui’s trash talk. His oblivious look only infuriated Brown further.

"Sit on the bench and watch how your teammates communicate," Brown ordered, pulling him from the game. He had no patience for players who didn't listen. Less than half a quarter in, the headphone experiment had failed, providing the audience with a laugh and the media with fresh fodder.

In came Quentin Richardson, a former Clipper. He was known for his sharp three-point shooting but poor shot selection. He had won the All-Star Three-Point Contest, yet had shot under 40% for multiple seasons. Last year with the Suns, under Steve Nash’s orchestration, he had performed well, efficiently scoring 15 points. But after arriving in the Knicks, he was infected by his teammates' reckless play, his scoring dropped to 8 points, and his shooting percentages declined.

"Quentin, must be frustrating leaving the Suns. You helped them reach 62 wins, the best in the league, only to be tossed aside," He Xinghui said. Finally able to unleash his tongue, he felt refreshed.

"..." Richardson was stung; He Xinghui’s words hit home. He truly hadn't wanted to leave the Suns or Nash. After arriving in New York, he had spiraled, gaining weight and losing his edge.

"With your stats plummeting like this, will any team even want you after this contract ends?" He Xinghui continued, as if trying to make up for all the trash talk he had missed earlier. At that moment, Richardson wished he could run to the sideline and borrow Jalen Rose’s headphones.