"According to the news we just received, LaMarcus Aldridge will not be returning to this game."
In San Antonio, at the AT&T Center, Smith said from the booth, surprised after being informed by staff: "The Spurs have officially announced that Aldridge will undergo a concussion evaluation and is confirmed out for the rest of the game."
"Oh shit, hope Aldridge is okay."
Hearing this, O'Neal sighed. "Nobody wants injuries, but Kai Chen's play was just too brutal!"
"This dunk is very likely the dunk of the year."
Across the ocean, in the live broadcast room, after getting the same news, NBA Insider instantly went wild. "Oh my god! Kai Chen's poster dunk sent Aldridge straight to the ICU!"
"No debate, this is the best dunk in NBA history."
"There has never been a dunk that gave the opponent a concussion."
"In this game, the Spurs are in serious trouble without their rim protector."
Just as NBA Insider said, once Aldridge exited, the Spurs' interior defense dropped off a cliff.
And Kai Chen was never soft-hearted.
If the paint showed weakness, he would attack it mercilessly.
Throughout the first quarter, Kai, who usually mixed in mid-range and long-range shots, shifted almost entirely into drive mode.
In just over ten minutes, he took ten shots, and only two came from outside.
Everything else was at the rim.
Including free throws, he scored 20 points and handed out 3 assists in the quarter alone.
Thanks to another explosive period from Kai Chen, the Clippers led the Spurs 38-28 after one, a ten-point cushion.
"Aldridge leaving is absolutely the turning point," Smith said between quarters. "Without him protecting the rim, relying only on Gasol to limit Kai Chen is extremely difficult."
"Exactly," O'Neal added. "Forget the flashy handles. The way Kai finishes looks just like LeBron James!"
"When he gets into the restricted area, I don't care what you're doing—everybody has to go double him!"
On the Spurs' bench, Popovich laid out the counter.
Stopping Kai was priority number one.
The second quarter began quickly.
The Spurs' bench unit, led by Mills, Forbes, Gay, and Belinelli, pushed the pace and chased points.
Seeing their depth, Kai Chen, sitting on the Clippers' bench, began thinking about his own team's rotation.
The starters, with Kai and Carmelo providing offense and Beverley hounding the perimeter, could build leads.
But true contenders had elite bench units.
Once the Spurs' reserves came in, the rhythm changed immediately, and they played with ferocity.
The Clippers' bench was caught off guard.
The gap kept shrinking, and midway through the quarter, Doc Rivers called timeout and sent the starters, led by Kai Chen, back out.
"Remember, when Kai Chen drives, everyone must be ready to double," Popovich repeated to his players.
"If DeRozan can't stop him, the rest of you must step in."
"He cannot be allowed to finish inside!"
In the brutal Western Conference, anyone could meet in the playoffs.
Popovich clearly saw the Clippers as a future threat.
If they wanted answers, they had to defend like hell tonight.
Out of the timeout, the Clippers had the ball.
Beverley pushed it up and swung it to Kai on the left wing.
The Spurs were on red alert, ready to trap at any second.
After a few crossovers, Kai blew by DeRozan again and attacked the rim.
Gasol rotated over, and the whole defense collapsed.
In mid-air, Kai fired a pass to Lopez under the basket.
Lopez caught it, worked past the 2.06-meter Rudy Gay, and laid it in.
"Swish!"
Two points.
52-48, the Clippers were back up six.
After landing, Lopez pounded his chest, flexing like he'd done something monumental.
Gay shot him a look of pure contempt and, jogging back, muttered, "Do you think you're Kai?"
"You scored two points and you're this arrogant?"
"Dammit!"
Lopez grumbled, glancing at Kai with a bit of grievance.
But the moment he got the ball again from Kai, that grievance vanished.
Next trip, the Spurs missed, and Kai charged into the paint, pulling defenders with him.
"Swish!"
A gorgeous behind-the-back dime found Lopez alone at the rim.
"Boom!"
Lopez rose and crushed it.
After scoring, he wore a bizarre smile.
Moments later, Kai hit him again in the left corner for a wide-open three.
"Swish!"
Seven straight points, and Lopez completely lost his mind. It was hard to picture a 2.13-meter giant hopping around doing a pistol-head-tilt celebration.
Watching him, NBA Insider couldn't hide his disdain.
"Oh my god, Lopez, are you doing ballet out there??"
"You hit a couple shots—look at you!"
"Did you forget when you played the Celtics and couldn't make a wide-open layup?!"
As the margin grew, Popovich called timeout.
He stressed trapping Kai and cutting off his passing lanes.
But after the break, Kai Chen shifted back into his unstoppable perimeter mode.
Drives, threes, kick-outs—he kept shredding the defense, making it impossible for the Spurs to execute their plan.
By halftime, the Clippers led on the road 68-53, a fifteen-point advantage.
Kai Chen had already piled up 28 points and 8 assists.
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