NBA's Monster Rookie

Chapter Four: Losing Streak

On November 3, 1996, the Los Angeles Clippers played against the Utah Jazz on the road.

Delta Center, a high-altitude home court at 1,300 meters above sea level. It is known as the "devil's home court" not only because of the altitude, but also because the Jazz have one of the most consistent duos in NBA history: Karl Malone and John Stockton.

Karl Malone, a two-time MVP, is one of the strongest power forwards in NBA history, nicknamed "The Mailman" because he consistently delivered double-doubles every night. John Stockton, the NBA's all-time leader in assists and steals, is a master executor of the pick-and-roll offense.

Before the game, Malone glanced at Arthur during warm-ups. He had seen countless talented rookies panting and missing shots on the high plateau of Salt Lake City. He didn't think this 2.3-meter-tall young man would be any different.

"Gao Yuan will teach him a lesson," Malone told Stockton.

Stockton didn't speak, he just nodded. His face was expressionless, as was his usual style: cold, precise, and efficient, like a finely tuned machine. The match began.

During the jump ball, Arthur easily passed the ball to his teammate again. However, the Jazz's defense was completely different from the Lakers'; they didn't double-team or help defend, but simply had Malone guard Arthur one-on-one.

Malone's defensive approach was clever. He didn't try to outmuscle Arthur in terms of height and wingspan; instead, he used his lower body strength to brace against Arthur's lower body and his arms to disrupt his dribbling routes. This is the experience of a veteran against a taller player—making him unsteady.

When Arthur first faced Malone in a post-up game, he definitely felt the difference. Malone's strength was no less than O'Neal's, and his center of gravity was lower, forcing Arthur to exert more effort to maintain his balance with each dribble. However, Arthur adjusted faster than anyone expected.

On the second possession, instead of backing down his opponent, he faced the basket. He received the ball beyond the three-point line, forcing Malone to come out to defend, and then Arthur used a crossover dribble to get past Malone.

Malone's lateral movement speed was like slow motion compared to Arthur's.

Arthur drove into the paint, faced Greg Ostertag who was helping on defense, and jumped to dunk. Ostertag tried to foul, but Arthur's strength made it impossible for him to stop the ball, and it went in. The referee blew the whistle, and an extra free throw was awarded, eliciting gasps from the crowd.

At the end of the first quarter, Arthur had 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. The Clippers led 28-26, but problems began to emerge in the second quarter.

The Jazz began attacking the Clippers' defense with pick-and-rolls between Stockton and Malone. Malone would set a screen for Stockton and then cut to the basket, and Stockton's passes always arrived at the perfect moment, tearing the Clippers' defense apart.

Arthur worked hard on defense, but he couldn't cover the entire paint by himself. Malone and Stockton's partnership was like a machine that had been running for over a decade, with every gear meshing perfectly.

At halftime, the Clippers trailed by six points, 52-58.

In the locker room, Arthur's breathing was slightly faster than usual. It wasn't fatigue—his stamina was 120, and the high altitude had almost no effect on him—but rather some emotion he wasn't familiar with: he was angry.

He wasn't angry at his teammates, nor at the opponents. He was angry at himself. He felt he should have done more, and Arthur said, "I'll guard Malone in the second half."

Fitch glanced at him. "If you're playing center and guarding Malone, who's going to protect the rim?"

"I'll handle it," Arthur said. "I'll guard both of them at once."

Fitch was stunned. One person guarding both Malone and Stockton's pick-and-roll at the same time? No one had ever done that in NBA history.

But he looked into Arthur's eyes and said nothing more.

In the second half, Arthur began his incredible defensive performance.

When Malone set a screen for Stockton, Arthur didn't switch on defense. Instead, he covered both players simultaneously in an unbelievable way. He first used his 250-centimeter wingspan to disrupt Stockton's passing lane, and then returned to Malone with amazing lateral speed to prevent him from receiving the ball on the cut.

Stockton encountered this kind of defense for the first time. He passed the ball, which was deflected by Arthur's long arm and lost direction, resulting in a turnover by the Clippers.

The second time, Stockton tried to shoot himself. Arthur rushed out from beyond the three-point line with such a large stride that he was in front of Stockton in just two steps, his huge hand completely covering Stockton's shooting vision.

Stockton was forced to pass the ball, but it was intercepted again.

On the defensive end, Arthur blocked Malone's shot again, and the Clippers gained possession.

After the timeout, the Clippers inbounded the ball. Arthur received the ball beyond the three-point line, and the Jazz double-teamed him. He passed the ball to the open Rodney Rogers, who took a three-pointer, which bounced off the rim.

Arthur grabbed the offensive rebound and scored on the putback. 103-102, the Clippers took the lead.

There are 23 seconds left.

The Jazz called a timeout. After the timeout, Stockton had the ball, and Malone came up to set a screen. Arthur was once again guarding two players simultaneously, but this time, Stockton didn't pass to Malone; instead, he passed the ball to Jeff Hornacek in the corner.

Hornacek caught the ball and shot, sinking a three-pointer.

103 to 105.

With three seconds left in the Clippers' game, Arthur received the ball at midcourt, turned and shot. The ball arced through the air, hit the back of the rim and bounced out, ending the game.

Arthur's stats: 43 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists, and 8 blocks, but the Clippers still lost.

The atmosphere in the locker room after the game was eerily silent.

Arthur sat in his seat, staring at the stat sheet in his hand. Forty-three points, eighteen rebounds, seven assists, eight blocks. He had one of the most insane rookie debuts in NBA history, but the result was one win and one loss.

But Arthur wasn't concerned about the winning percentage. He cared about that final three-pointer. He cared about not being able to stop Hornacek. He cared about that game-winning shot that bounced off the rim.

"I should have gone out to help defend earlier," Arthur said softly, but everyone in the locker room heard him.

Fitch walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "It's not your fault. Our whole team had a problem with execution."

"I'm not making excuses," Arthur said, looking up. "I'll get better."

When he said this, his tone was completely different from all his previous statements. There was no arrogance, no confidence; he simply stated a fact calmly, as certainly as if the sun would rise tomorrow.

Over the next two weeks, the Clippers faced the Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs in succession.

In every match, Arthur redefines people's perception of him.

Against the SuperSonics, he scored 38 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, dished out 10 assists, and blocked 6 shots. But the SuperSonics' "Glove," Gary Payton, shut down the Clippers' backcourt with his signature trash talk and suffocating defense, and the Clippers lost 95-103.

Against the Suns, he scored 51 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, and blocked 7 shots. But the Suns' alley-oop duo, Kevin Johnson and Charles Barkley, used fast breaks and pick-and-rolls to tear apart the Clippers' defense. 112-119, another loss.

Against the Rockets, he was matched up against Hakeem Olajuwon. Olajuwon's dream-like footwork left Arthur bewildered on defense for the first time; the fakes were so realistic that Arthur was faked out twice. But on offense, Arthur also overwhelmed Olajuwon with his height and strength.

Statistic: Arthur won his individual matchup 40-28. However, the Rockets' outside shooters exploded, and the Clippers lost 105-111.

Four-game losing streak.

Including the loss to the Jazz after the opening game, the Clippers had a record of one win and five losses in the first week and a half of the season.

The media has started to change its tune.

"Data monsters are just data monsters; they can't win games."

"Arthur Thorne is a giant in individual statistics, but a dwarf in team victories."

"Did the Clippers draft a player who only knows how to pad his stats?"

Arthur did not respond to any comments. He simply stayed at the arena an extra hour after each game to practice his shooting and defensive footwork.

On November 15, 1996, the Clippers played against the Dallas Mavericks on the road.

This was a game that everyone overlooked. A match between two weak teams, not broadcast nationwide, and without any media attention.

But for Arthur, this was the most important match.

It wasn't because the opponent was so strong, but because he had to win.

Once the game started, Arthur was more focused than ever. Defensively, he no longer relied solely on his height and wingspan to block shots, but began anticipating his opponents' every move. Offensively, he no longer just focused on scoring himself, but constantly created opportunities for his teammates.

In the first quarter, he scored ten points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out five assists.

In the second quarter, he scored 12 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists.

Halftime stats: 22 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists. Just one assist shy of a triple-double.

In the second half, Arthur continued to dominate the game. Just thirty seconds into the third quarter, he delivered his tenth assist, a cross-court pass that precisely found Barry on the fast break for a layup.

A triple-double was achieved.

But this is only the beginning.

At the end of the third quarter, his stats were 32 points, 15 rebounds, 14 assists, and 6 blocks.

In the fourth quarter, the Mavericks began to double-team Arthur relentlessly. Arthur passed the ball to an open teammate, and this time, his teammates didn't disappoint him.

Rodney Rogers made four three-pointers. Walter Williams dunked three times. Brent Barry dished out six assists, all from Arthur.

Final score: 128 to 91, the Clippers won by 37 points.

Arthur's final stats: 41 points, 21 rebounds, 19 assists, 8 blocks, and 4 steals.

This marks the first time in NBA history that someone has recorded over 40 points, 20 rebounds, and 15 assists in their rookie season. In fact, no one in the entire history of the NBA has ever achieved such statistics.

After the game, Arthur sat in the locker room and finally showed his first smile in the NBA.

It wasn't pride, nor arrogance, just...

As relieved.

"We won," he said.

Then he stood up and walked towards the shower. After a few steps, he stopped and turned to look at his teammates.

"We'll continue tomorrow," he said.

His teammates watched his retreating figure; some smiled, some shook their heads, but everyone's eyes held the same expression.

hope.

Because of this monster, for the first time they felt that winning wasn't so difficult.

Late that night, ESPN's SportsCenter program again reported on Arthur's performance.

The host, Dan Patrick, said something to the camera that was later engraved on the wall of the Clippers' locker room.

"They said Arthur Thorne couldn't win. Then he put up 41 points, 21 rebounds, and 19 assists in one game. My question is—what kind of stats does he need to put up for people to believe he's really that good?"

The camera cut to Arthur's smile after the match and froze for three seconds.

Then a line of text appeared at the bottom of the screen:

"The monsters aren't just stats. The monsters win."