The next day, after finishing the day's training, Carmelo invited Kai Chen and Grayson Allen to his home as guests.
The three of them ate and drank while watching that night's nationally televised game: the Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks!
After LeBron James moved to the Western Conference this summer, the Eastern Conference was left without a clear leader.
As a result, attention on the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks increased significantly.
The Celtics' roster could be said to be second only to the Golden State Warriors.
Their lineup of Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Horford, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Rozier, and Morris made them extremely competitive in the East.
The Bucks also formed a highly anticipated lineup with Brogdon, Middleton, Giannis, Gasol, and Bledsoe.
The game felt like a collision between Mars and Earth, prompting the commentators to exclaim:
"The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks will be the Eastern Conference Finals matchup for the next few years!"
In the end, Giannis delivered a stunning triple-double—38 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists—leading the Bucks to a narrow 120–117 victory over the Celtics.
Kyrie Irving scored 30 points, with 4 rebounds and 7 assists.
Horford added 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Jayson Tatum contributed 20 points.
Carmelo was deeply impressed by Giannis's performance.
Grayson Allen, meanwhile, watched Kyrie Irving's dazzling isolation plays with envy.
Kai Chen noticed something else: on the Celtics' final possession, the ball should have gone to Kyrie, but Gordon Hayward inbounded it to Jayson Tatum instead.
"If Boston really needed me, I'd definitely stay—but it seems they don't trust me at all…"
It was a heartbreaking thought.
Kyrie Irving had given everything to the Celtics, yet the management personally undermined him.
His teammates didn't give him the final shot.
The head coach ignored his advice.
He wasn't trusted by either his teammates or the front office.
It was hard to imagine such treatment for a star player.
After the game, TNT announced the nationally televised matchups for the following week.
On November 8th, the Clippers would host the Boston Celtics at home.
Kai Chen vs. Boston's Five Great Kings!
This matchup was widely viewed as a preview of the league's future.
"If the Bucks and Celtics are the Eastern Conference Finals for the next few years…"
"Then the Celtics and Clippers could very well be a preview of the NBA Finals!"
"Look at the cores of these teams—their battles will span many seasons!"
Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kai Chen!
These two teams boasted four elite young stars, though Kai alone seemed slightly outnumbered.
"After defeating Ingram, another Duke product, Kai Chen is about to face yet another senior—Jayson Tatum!"
The duel between Tatum and Kai Chen became the main focus of TNT's pregame hype.
Since his rookie season, when he battled LeBron's Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, Jayson Tatum had risen to fame overnight.
Even with Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward returning this season, Tatum's growth hadn't slowed.
In the first three games, he averaged 24.2 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
Who would win?
It was something worth anticipating.
Kai was also looking forward to the Celtics matchup.
But before that, the Clippers still had to face tough Western Conference opponents like the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Portland Trail Blazers.
October 30th!
Staples Center, Los Angeles!
The Los Angeles Clippers hosted the Utah Jazz.
If any rookie before Kai Chen had shaken the league, it was Donovan Mitchell.
This mature young man had injected vital energy into the Jazz since his arrival.
In his season debut, Mitchell erupted for 30 points, leading all scorers.
As the season neared its end, the Jazz were still 11th in the West, on the brink of missing the playoffs.
Then rookie Donovan Mitchell exploded.
He played like a god over the final twelve games, something unimaginable for a rookie.
After leading the team to 10 wins, the Jazz received one piece of good news and one piece of bad news.
The good news: they made the playoffs.
The bad news: their opponent was the Oklahoma City Thunder, boasting the Big Three.
Everyone expected them to be crushed by Westbrook and Paul George.
But from the opening whistle, all predictions collapsed.
The Jazz and Thunder went back and forth, even suppressing the Big Three at times.
Mitchell's performance was phenomenal—he didn't look like a rookie, but like a seasoned veteran.
In the decisive Game 6, Mitchell hit shot after shot, igniting the crowd.
His 23 points in a single quarter were legendary.
Although Westbrook scored 46 points, Mitchell sealed the win and ended the series.
The heavily favored Thunder were eliminated.
Donovan Mitchell became famous overnight.
"Melo, I'll help you win this game today!"
During warm-ups, Kai Chen approached Carmelo confidently. "I promise—we won't just win. We'll blow them out!"
Carmelo smiled at him. "Then I'm counting on you."
On the other side,
"Donovan, that rookie on the other team is yours tonight!"
Jazz head coach Snyder assigned Mitchell to guard Kai Chen.
"You can rest easy."
Mitchell patted his chest confidently. "I won't let that kid score in double digits!"
Snyder trusted his core player completely.
This was the man who had single-handedly taken down the Thunder's Big Three.
No matter how miraculous Kai Chen had been, surely he would hit the rookie wall tonight.
But they seemed to forget one thing—
Kai Chen hadn't backed down even when guarded by the league's number one player, LeBron James.
Could one Donovan Mitchell really stop Kai Chen?
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