Chapter 172: The Wolf King's Gradual Descent into Darkness

Both teams settled into half-court sets, and the Timberwolves executed an inside play.

Blount set a screen to help Garnett seal Gasol, instantly creating a shooting opportunity for Garnett, forcing Kaman to step up and contest.

Garnett then leveraged his exceptional quickness for a forward or center, receiving the pass and driving past Kaman straight to the rim for a layup.

His speed was vastly superior to that of traditional power forwards and centers.

Not only could he bully slower interior defenders on offense, but he was also capable of switching onto perimeter players on defense.

On the Clippers' ensuing possession, Kaman looked somewhat fatigued and showed little offensive desire in the paint.

Gasol thought about challenging Garnett's defense, but he frowned and refrained from calling for the ball.

Mobley had logged 40 minutes the previous night and was running on empty.

Among the entire starting lineup, only Livingston appeared full of energy.

However, making his first career start at point guard, he let his excitement get the better of him, blindly charging into the paint and turning the ball over after having it stripped away.

Fortunately, the Timberwolves were not adept at running transition offense, allowing the Clippers to get back and set up their defense.

This time, Gasol glued himself to Garnett, denying him any operating room.

While Garnett could easily blow past Kaman, his success rate would plummet when trying to drive against the much quicker and more agile Gasol.

As a Wolf King who always prioritized efficiency, he refused to play that way.

Banks was left dribbling the ball on the perimeter, looking quite bewildered.

From his perspective, handing the ball to anyone seemed like the wrong choice.

The Timberwolves' firepower had been lackluster all season, with their scoring average hovering just over ninety points.

Once the Wolf King was contained, generating offense became a daunting task for the team.

Eventually, the ball found its way to Blount, who had no choice but to force the issue and back down Kaman.

To his utter astonishment, the heavily built Kaman was actually budged by the contact.

Kaman could arguably be called the most exhausted player on the Clippers; lacking a reliable backup, he was indispensable every single game, despite his massive frame.

Blount easily adjusted his shooting posture off the turn and banked a shot in off the glass.

The Clippers attacked, and Jerry Xing began cutting off-ball.

Mobley set a screen for him, but unfortunately, Livingston failed to spot the opening in time. By the time he recognized the opportunity and delivered the pass, Ricky Davis had already fought around Mobley and plastered himself in front of Jerry Xing.

This was the exact gap between a rookie point guard and a seasoned veteran.

Feeding an open teammate sounded simple enough on paper, but executing it required genuine talent and experience.

Livingston still needed time to grind and level up.

With no other choice, Jerry Xing had to force up a shot with Davis contesting him tightly.

The shot missed as he suffered heavy defensive interference.

The Clippers fell back on defense, and Jerry Xing chose not to chew out Livingston; he disliked placing unnecessary pressure on teammates the way Kobe did.

He preferred applying pressure solely to opponents.

"Ricky, how are things treating you in Minnesota? Does Kevin beat you up in practice?"

Jerry Xing inquired.

With a single sentence, both Davis and Garnett felt a flicker of displeasure.

"Of course not."

Davis denied defensively.

"Then you must really suck for never having blown him out in practice."

Jerry Xing taunted.

Once upon a time, a rookie named Rickert had accidentally caught fire in practice and destroyed Garnett, leaving the superstar completely humiliated. Garnett had responded by throwing a punch right into the clueless rookie's face.

Playing alongside Garnett as a player without established status carried immense psychological pressure.

Jerry Xing spoke loud enough for the Wolf King to hear, and it deeply infuriated him.

Yet, he held back from unleashing his anger on Jerry Xing.

Adidas had already scheduled a lucrative promotional trip to China for him in June, and he wanted to carefully sculpt the image of being "Jerry Xing's good buddy" to win over the affection of Chinese basketball fans.

For the sake of the paycheck, he chose to swallow his pride.

The ball returned to Garnett's hands in the midrange area, where he executed a turnaround jump shot right over his defender.

His luck held this time, and the ball swished through the net.

6 to 0.

"Agh!"

The Wolf King pounded his chest, wearing a ferocious scowl on his face.

Anyone unfamiliar with his antics could easily be intimidated by him.

The Clippers mounted an offensive, and Jerry Xing's movement sucked in the defense, leaving Mobley wide open for a jumper, but regretfully, the shot rimmed out.

Garnett leaped through a sandwich of Gasol and Kaman to snatch the rebound.

From 2003 to 2007, he reigned as the league's rebounding champion, proving particularly elite at securing defensive boards.

Aside from his scoring not being explosively dominant and struggling against heavily muscled interior powerhouses, Garnett practically possessed zero weaknesses.

His efficiency rating consistently ranked near the top of the league, claiming the number one spot across multiple seasons.

Had he ever been paired with O'Neal, it wouldn't have just been a matter of winning three championships.

Despite missing another offensive possession, Jerry Xing did not halt his harassment of Davis.

He remarked, "Ricky, looks like Kevin curses you out quite a bit in Minnesota; your resistance to trash talk has leveled straight up."

"......"

That comment struck a raw nerve deep inside Davis's heart, as he indeed endured a relentless barrage of verbal abuse from Garnett within the Timberwolves' locker room.

Moreover, Garnett's trash talk tended to be vulgar, making it all the more nauseating to listen to.

Jerry Xing's piece of trash talk irritated Garnett even further.

Roast Davis all you want, but why did you keep dragging me into it?

At that moment, he felt tempted to throw his agent's advice to the wind, march right up to Jerry Xing, and hurl insults back to vent his bubbling frustration.

The Timberwolves attacked, and the Wolf King converted another basket, riding a scorching hot shooting touch tonight.

He unleashed another roar, completely hyped up by his own performance.

"Shit, can you stop roaring after literally every single bucket? It's genuinely low-class."

Jerry Xing complained aloud.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding players suppressed chuckles; they had long found Garnett's theatrical displays obnoxious, though no one else dared to voice it.

Now, Jerry Xing had brought their secret wish to life.

"Shut your damn mouth, you worthless piece of trash. Hit a shot first before you even think about talking to me."

The Wolf King, who had been in high spirits, was suddenly struck by the taunt, and the boiling rage in his chest could no longer be suppressed.

Screw the carefully managed public image; he was going to let loose first.

"Give me the ball! You, get your ass up here! Everyone else clear the f*** out, this is personal business!"

Jerry Xing roared across the court.

Across the entire league, he was probably the only person who could so casually disregard the solemnity of a game and openly demand a one-on-one showdown.

Yet, precisely because of that, fans adored watching such unfiltered, rebellious drama unfold.

The moment Jerry Xing made his challenge, viewers in front of their televisions erupted into cheers, eagerly anticipating the ensuing duel.

In a situation like this, the self-proclaimed iron-willed superstar certainly couldn't back down.

Nor did he have any logical reason to shrink away.

His lateral quickness was entirely capable of smothering the drives of players like Kobe and McGrady, while his height and vertical leap allowed him to contest jump-shooters effectively.

Objectively speaking, choosing to play Garnett one-on-one was a terribly misguided decision.

However, that burning defiance—marching knowingly toward danger—was the kind of raw passion that electrified countless fans.

"Go get him! Go get him! Go get him!"

Countless spectators bellowed in a frenzy.

On the hardwood, the remaining players cleared out to let the two rivals settle their score.

Jerry Xing dribbled the ball rhythmically, probing for an opening to drive.

Relying on his elite lateral speed and wealth of experience, Garnett slammed the door shut on Jerry Xing's driving lane.

Without missing a beat, Jerry Xing executed a step-back jump shot.

To ensure absolute perfection, he activated a guaranteed-make ability.

With his pride on the line, he couldn't afford to hold back.

Garnett lunged forward, planting himself directly in Jerry Xing's airspace.

The defensive execution was stellar, textbook-level contestation.

Alas, the ball swished through the net.

Upon landing, Jerry Xing didn't even bother watching the trajectory of the ball. He immediately spun around, placed both hands behind his back, grabbed one wrist with the other hand, and strolled leisurely toward his team's half of the court like an elderly gentleman taking a walk in the park.

It formed a stark contrast to Garnett's fierce, iron-willed roaring.

Such a swaggering display left many fans utterly speechless.

Yet, the exact moment the ball dropped through the hoop, those very same people had no choice but to tip their hats in respect.