Bruce Lightning

"In the summer, I can invite you to participate in the Spurs' training camp."

After careful consideration, Kevin George finally found a way to make amends within his scope of responsibility.

Li Zhen expressed his gratitude and took Kevin George's business card before heading back to the arena.

The game was about to start, and as the starting point guard for this game, he couldn't afford to miss the pre-game meeting.

Back in the arena, assistant coach Jamie immediately pulled him aside, and the two began to talk. Jamie's most emphasized point wasn't about how to win this game.

He knew better than anyone how difficult it would be to win this game. If it were easy... why would the head coach leave and leave the mess to him?

So, he hoped Li Zhen would seize this rare opportunity to start, play his own style, and perform at his best.

Most importantly: "Don't push too hard, don't get injured. I want you to leave Stanford healthy, not with a bunch of injuries. Remember, your body is the most important thing at all times."

As he spoke, it almost felt like a farewell message.

If it were Li Zhen from a day ago, he might have felt emotional. But now, he was filled with determination. He believed he had a chance to create a miracle. After all, his speed had improved so much, and... the 'talent baby' told him that by following his instructions, he could extract 10 points of strength from Pruitt.

That's why he had emailed Zuckerberg last night, stating that he had no plans to sell his Facebook shares.

With only three games left, he decided to go all in.

...

As the broadcast equipment of Time Warner Cable was set up in various positions around the court, the Stanford players seemed to be getting restless. No one expected this game to be broadcast on television. Even though Time Warner was only broadcasting to viewers in California, it was still a rare opportunity to be on TV.

Scott became particularly excited. He specifically pulled Li Zhen aside: "Bruce, I just called my mom, dad, two older brothers, and older sister, as well as my cousin and aunt. I hope you pass me the ball more tonight. I want them to see a soaring Scott on TV!"

Uh...

Alright.

Li Zhen nodded.

Actually, he wanted to call his parents too, but New York was out of Time Warner's coverage. Besides, his two old-fashioned scholarly parents probably wouldn't watch this kind of basketball game, would they?

He shook his head.

Suddenly, the voice of the 'talent baby' echoed in his mind again: "The game is about to start. Are you ready to take him down?"

Li Zhen carefully recalled the tutorial the 'talent baby' had given him earlier, then nodded: Ready.

Honestly, he found the tutorial a bit absurd. But well, if he already had a 'talent baby' living in his head, what's so strange about this?

...

When the supporters of the University of Southern California filled the entire main arena, the game was announced to begin.

Before even stepping onto the midline, Scott was full of hormones and a strong desire to stand out like a poor country boy. He kept moving back and forth next to Li Zhen, emphasizing: the girls from USC are really beautiful. They dress much more stylishly than the girls from Northern California.

Li Zhen, of course, knew that Scott was just letting off steam this way to relieve his nervousness. So, he jokingly said, "Look, those stylishly dressed girls are all here for Nick Young. They shout his name and hold up signs with his name on them."

"Yeah!"

Scott sighed with regret and said, "These superstars are always at the top of the mating chain. They never lack bed companions."

The way he said this, Li Zhen almost burst out laughing. How could you talk so vulgarly with such a philosophical tone? If someone didn't know, they'd think you were pondering the meaning of life.

Ding!

With the sound of the whistle, Scott, who was in the middle of the mating chain, leaped up. Although the USC center opposite him was over seven feet tall, he looked rather clumsy and couldn't jump. He could only watch as Scott passed the ball to Li Zhen.

Li Zhen received the ball and immediately shouted, "Run!"

He sprinted towards the frontcourt like lightning. Pruitt, who was defending him, hadn't even reacted yet. By the time Nick Young came over for help defense, Li Zhen flicked his wrist, and the basketball landed perfectly in the corner. Thompson arrived in a hurry, received the ball, and shot... Swish!

Three-pointer!

Stanford poured a bucket of cold water on the enthusiastic home crowd right from the start.

The commentators from Time Warner were caught off guard, and the fans at the scene were still immersed in the joy of the game's start. Stanford actually scored?!

Even the USC players hadn't fully reacted yet.

From the jump ball to the basket, it took at most five seconds.

By now, Thompson had already given Li Zhen a thumbs-up, indicating: Great pass.

While the two commentators from Time Warner were at a loss for words, Kevin George in the fifth row was intrigued. Even before the game started, his gaze had already noticed the Stanford guard he had met at the fast food restaurant at noon. Then, he saw Li Zhen's lightning speed, which automatically made him think of Tony Parker from the Spurs: they both had astonishing speed.

What excited him even more was that Bruce was able to find his teammate's position while moving at full speed, and he delivered the ball in advance, creating a leader-follower effect.

This was a talent that only top guards possessed!

Some guards played for their entire careers without developing this skill, let alone having the ability to react in milliseconds during high-speed movements.

"This is interesting!"

He carefully remembered this name in his heart.

Next, he focused even more on the court. He wanted to see how Bruce's defense was.

For the Spurs, defense was a crucial aspect. If he could pass this test, he didn't mind giving this comfortable young man a recommendation opportunity.

The USC Trojans had a relatively slow offensive pace. They were a team with a big center. Their center, Emeka Curry, was a super giant standing at 6'11" and weighing 286 pounds. Although he would never make it to the NBA in his lifetime, in the NCAA, he could cause formidable damage to opponents with his slow but powerful style. (T/N: Can't find this player.)

Some even referred to him and Nick Young as USC's 'OK combination.' Of course, this was a severely rudimentary version.

Pruitt slowly brought the ball to the frontcourt.

Then, he made a '2' gesture to Nick Young, indicating that he wanted to take this one-on-one.

Nick Young hurriedly started to move.

"Kid, you're finished."

Pruitt bent down, dribbled slowly, and trash-talked Li Zhen. In his eyes, the Asian kid defending him was no different from a piece of paper. A light bump was enough to send him sprawling and become the laughingstock of the entire arena.

Can you believe this guy dares to compare himself to me?

Isn't he kidding?

A proud Pruitt decided to give this kid a profound lesson.