July 12th.
With the afterglow of LeBron James joining the Los Angeles Lakers still lingering, the NBA Las Vegas Summer League officially kicked off!
For the Summer League opening game, the NBA official schedule had the Los Angeles Clippers playing first.
After all, this summer, if there was any news hotter than LeBron James transferring to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors forming their five-star lineup, it was undoubtedly Duke University successfully defending their NCAA Championship.
As the absolute hero of Duke University's championship defense, the MOP winner of the Final Four, Kai Chen's professional debut naturally became the focus of media and fans!
"Although the whole world is very much looking forward to Kai Chen's debut, in reality, people still have some concerns."
At the Summer League venue, O'Neal, an ESPN commentator on the sidelines, said with great interest, "Kai Chen's scoring ability displayed in the NCAA was exceptionally terrifying, but the physical confrontation in the Summer League is much stronger than in college basketball."
In other words, the defense Kai Chen faced in college was fundamentally different from what he was encountering now.
Whether Kai Chen can quickly adapt to the change in environment is clearly the focus of fans, experts, and even some NBA teams today.
"That's right, many fans have expressed online that Kai Chen's debut today might end with frequent misses."
Barkley stated, "This MOP from Duke University has a high probability of surprising fans today."
As the two commentators spoke, the first Summer League game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Cleveland Cavaliers officially began!
The Clippers' center tipped the ball to the point guard first.
The Clippers gained the first possession of the opening game of the Las Vegas Summer League.
The Clippers' point guard dribbled past half-court, first found Kai Chen on the left side beyond the three-point line, and passed the ball into Kai Chen's hands.
"Bang!"
With the basketball in his hand, Kai Chen didn't even look at the defender in front of him. He caught the ball and directly pulled up for a three-pointer!
"Kai Chen shooting a three-pointer already?!"
Seeing the Clippers' first offensive choice, O'Neal, who was still joking on the sidelines, was stunned for a moment. "That was two steps beyond the three-point line!"
Just a moment ago, he was still discussing with Barkley whether Kai Chen could adapt to the NBA's defensive intensity.
As a result, he chose to completely disregard the defender at the start? Directly an ultra-long three-pointer??
"Swish!"
The next moment, the eyes of all the fans in the arena widened!
The basketball in the air was like a sword unsheathed, a single strike to cut the throat!
"Woohoo~"
Almost all the fans in the arena stood up from their seats!
"No one would have thought that Kai Chen would open his NBA curtain with an ultra-long three-pointer!"
Barkley exclaimed in surprise: "You have to know that the three-point line in the Summer League is much longer than the three-point line in the NCAA!"
"Those who said Kai Chen couldn't adapt to NBA intensity can shut up!"
Next to him, Smith, as Barkley's good partner, excitedly stated: "Kai Chen only used one shot to prove those who looked down on him wrong!"
3:0!
The Los Angeles Clippers scored first!
Possession changed, Cleveland Cavaliers offense!
Sexton dribbled from the backcourt past half-court, then passed the ball inside.
After the Cavaliers' center's back-to-the-basket post-up was unsuccessful, the rebound was collected by Grayson Allen.
"Whoosh!"
After securing the rebound, Grayson Allen didn't stop the ball; the moment he touched it, he swung his arm and slammed the ball fiercely to the frontcourt!
The basketball precisely traversed the frontcourt, perfectly landing in the hands of the fast-breaking Kai Chen!
With the basketball in his hand, Kai Chen didn't hesitate at all. He caught the ball and quickly drove forward. Two steps inside the free-throw line, he soared into the air and delivered a one-handed tomahawk dunk!
"Bang!"
The powerful dunk made the rim hum!
"Crazy!"
This time, it was O'Neal on the sidelines who was shocked: "Grayson Allen's precise long pass found the fast-breaking Kai Chen!"
"We cannot overlook Kai Chen's speed; you should know he ranked first in this year's rookie physical tests!"
With this play, Kai Chen fully demonstrated his speed advantage.
The Cavaliers' fastest retreating defender, Sexton, had just reached the mid-court line when Kai Chen had already taken off for the dunk and landed.
"Shit!"
The huge difference in speed made Sexton curse under his breath.
And all of this was just the beginning; an even more dazzling performance that left the commentators and the live audience spellbound was yet to come.
Whenever the Cavaliers' offense was stalled, the Clippers players would immediately look for Kai Chen.
Back on offense.
Kai Chen almost perfectly executed a pull-back and a large-scale change of direction to get past his defender, driving into the paint for a successful reverse layup.
The dazzling dribbling moves combined with his extreme speed directly stunned the defender, who took a long time to react.
Next possession.
Kai Chen still chose to drive, getting past his defender even more easily than crossing the Los Angeles streets at four in the morning, and in just a few moves, he penetrated the restricted area.
The Cavaliers' center quickly rotated to cover, but Kai just paused, then suddenly accelerated, slipping past the former's left side into the paint, and made a reverse layup.
His excellent rhythm changes drew continuous cheers from the live audience.
On defense, facing Sexton's strong drive, Kai Chen managed to complete the help defense, and as Sexton attempted a scoop shot, he came from behind and delivered a huge block.
Grayson Allen grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Kai Chen.
With the ball in his hands, Kai Chen dribbled from the backcourt to the logo, still facing the same defender, then suddenly shot—a cold-blooded three-pointer, catching the opponent off guard.
In astonishment, the defender in front of him looked back as the basketball flew toward the hoop and plunged into the net.
"!!!!!"
Not just him—even O'Neal and Barkley at the commentators' table were utterly astonished.
They were not surprised that Kai Chen could shoot a three-pointer, but rather by the location of the shot and his confidence in taking it.
"Logo shot!"
O'Neal opened his mouth wide and said in disbelief: "Perhaps now we finally understand why the Los Angeles Clippers would not hesitate to trade Griffin just to acquire Kai Chen in this year's draft!"
"Based on the offensive talent he has shown so far, he is indeed worth the Los Angeles Clippers' investment!"
Next to him, Barkley nodded heavily in agreement: "As I said, Kai Chen is very likely to become the new super guard after Jordan and Kobe!"
"Los Angeles is really going to get lively this new season!"
At the same time, Los Angeles Clippers headquarters.
"Mr. Jerry West, I truly admire your foresight!"
Watching Kai Chen continuously score on television, Ballmer excitedly said to Jerry West: "Kai, he really has the potential to lead us to a whole new level!"
Ballmer looked at Kai Chen with eyes full of fervor.
"Hahaha!"
Hearing this, Jerry West laughed loudly: "I can't wait to see what kind of expression they'll have in Phoenix after seeing Kai Chen's performance."
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