"Whoosh!"
Using Casspi's screen, CJ created just enough space to shoot. He rose up from beyond the arc and drained another three. Conley, defending him, could only watch as the ball swished through the net.
Normally, the Grizzlies would assign Tony Allen to guard CJ, their primary outside threat. But the Kings had a sneaky counter. Whenever CJ was on the floor, their shooting guard spot was occupied by LaVine, parked on the perimeter.
Sure—stick Tony Allen on CJ. The Kings would just let LaVine slice inside for uncontested cuts all night.
It wasn't unreasonable for Sacramento to play this way. The Grizzlies, after all, were one of the toughest teams in the league. You send LaVine into the paint? Waiting for him were Randolph and Gasol.
But after a few possessions, Memphis realized something was off. This LaVine kid? He really had no fear. No matter how many big men were under the rim, once he saw an opening, he'd barrel straight in, head down.
That relentless style quickly made an impact. LaVine's finishing percentage wasn't high, and he got blocked often, but this was the verticality era in the NBA. His drives, combined with Mike Malone's plan to have Cousins pound the ball inside in iso plays, sent the Grizzlies' big men's foul counts climbing fast.
By the start of the third quarter, Randolph already had four fouls, and Gasol had three. Even Allen, who'd been chasing LaVine earlier, was hesitant to risk a reach.
For a defense-first team like Memphis, foul trouble for key defenders was devastating. They were forced to shrink their coverage.
That was exactly what Mike Malone wanted. CJ immediately went to work, running off screens and launching threes.
The three-point barrage had the Grizzlies' perimeter defense scrambling.
Even the toughest shield has its cracks. Chen Yilun knew exactly where Memphis was weakest. When the starters rested, the Kings sent in Mozgov and backup Landry.
If you're going to defend hard, we'll defend hard too. If I'm not scoring, you're not scoring either.
Just when Memphis thought they'd finally dragged Sacramento into their grind-it-out pace, the fully rested CJ and Cousins checked back in with the starters and blew the game open.
I'm just waiting for the cooldown—what are you waiting for?
In the end, the Kings held serve at home without breaking a sweat. CJ cruised to 30+ points, while Cousins posted an easy 20+10.
The Golden 1 Center erupted in wave after wave of cheers. After years of frustration, Kings fans could finally stand tall again—and they were going to brag about it every chance they got. Win or lose, the home atmosphere was electric.
There were even whispers around the league about Sacramento's new "Devil's Home Court."
...
By December, Christmas was in the air everywhere. Even Chen Yilun couldn't help but get caught up in the holiday spirit.
The awkward part was, before the season started, the Kings had been one of the least talked-about teams in the league. So while the marquee Christmas Day games tipped off, Sacramento's players were… watching from home.
Most of their December matchups were against weaker teams, so Malone let Cousins and CJ play with no restrictions—except in a few showdowns with Western playoff contenders like the Rockets and Thunder. The rest? Easy wins across the board.
Earlier that month, Chen Yilun's interview aired. His polished answers and perfectly timed humor won him a fresh wave of fans.
Some even began referring to him as one of basketball's rising personalities.
Riding that momentum, Chen opened his own Twitter account. When he wasn't busy, he'd hop online to interact with fans.
After just over two weeks, his follower count was in the hundreds of thousands—but still far from enough for his goals. He knew perfectly well that stepping into the spotlight was all about completing the System's mission.
Then, just as he was wondering what to do next, an unfamiliar phone call caught his attention.
"A foreign number?"
Lounging on his apartment sofa, Chen glanced at the caller ID, surprised.
His main focus was still in the U.S., and his only contacts overseas were friends and media connections.
"Hello? Is this Mr. Chen?" The voice on the other end was calm and professional.
"Yeah, that's me. And you are?"
"Sorry for the intrusion. This is Bleacher Report. We'd like to invite you to join our platform—and if possible, bring CJ along as well."
When you're sleepy and a pillow appears—this was exactly that moment.
Chen had been racking his brain on how to expand his influence. At the time, the two biggest global sports media platforms were Bleacher Report and ESPN, with Bleacher Report having the stronger digital presence.
"What do you mean by 'join'?" Chen asked, feigning ignorance.
"We'd like you to sign with Bleacher Report and register a verified account. Once that's done, we'll send a team to Sacramento to set up a live stream for you. It'll give your influence and commercial value a major boost."
"Oh, that's what you mean." Though he was thrilled inside, Chen pretended to hesitate before replying, "I've got no problem with that, but I might need to check with CJ's agent."
Hearing the clear interest in Chen's tone, the caller's excitement grew. "Of course, of course. How about we exchange numbers and discuss the details from there?"
No time for "later"! Chen almost blurted out what he was thinking. Time was short—December was already halfway over, and the All-Star voting deadline was looming.
CJ's stats had been climbing steadily, but the All-Star Game wasn't just about numbers. Just two days earlier, the Kings had lost to the Thunder, and Oklahoma's PR machine had gone into overdrive. Westbrook's votes were now breathing down CJ's neck, with a real chance of passing him.
Acting fast, Chen immediately called CJ's agent. The moment the agent learned it cost nothing and would help expand into the global market, he agreed without hesitation.
This wasn't like negotiating a major endorsement deal. It was just registering on an international sports platform and letting the team handle the rest—especially with the GM himself leading the process. That was far easier than the agent fumbling through it alone.
With CJ quickly on board, Chen decided to push further and roped in LaVine too. CJ brought the game, LaVine brought rookie hype and high-energy play. With this move, they'd have the fans eating out of their hands.