105: A desperate battle! A public trial!

When Lin Feng's name lit up, the entire Staples Center erupted in a wave of incredibly complex sound.

Boos.

Verbal abuse.

But even more so, there were deafening cheers, carrying a certain sense of expectation!

These sounds mixed together like a thunderstorm on a sweltering summer afternoon, rolling and circling above the arena.

Everyone inside could feel that extremely suppressed energy, on the verge of exploding.

The live broadcast director clearly knew what the audience wanted to see.

A massive close-up shot focused on Lin Feng by the sidelines.

He stood there with a calm expression, not even twitching an eyebrow at the mixed reception.

But everyone knew what kind of undercurrents were hidden beneath the calm surface.

"Good evening, viewers! This is TNT bringing you the live broadcast of the NBA playoffs!"

At the commentator's table, Charles Barkley looked at the overwhelming atmosphere with a complex expression.

"To be honest, I've been commentating on games for over twenty years, and I've never seen a scene like this."

"A regular Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs is receiving more attention than a Game 7 of the NBA Finals!"

Kenny Smith nodded in agreement beside him.

"That's right, Charles. The eyes of the world are focused on that young man wearing number 24."

"The chase at the airport, the romantic declaration... he responded to all the outside skepticism and abuse in the most incredible way."

"But he has chosen the most difficult path."

Kenny Smith's voice grew a bit heavier.

"Tonight, if he can't provide an answer on the court, then everything he did during the day will only end up as a massive joke."

Just then, the broadcast director's camera panned.

It focused on a seat in the front row by the court.

An Asian girl, wrapped up tightly in a baseball cap and a face mask, appeared on the big screen.

Despite her best efforts to keep a low profile, her outstanding figure and aura still made her the focus of the crowd.

It was her.

Yoona.

The live camera swept across her face without lingering too long, but it was enough for everyone to understand.

She was here.

When the whole world thought she would choose to hide, she appeared here.

She appeared at the scene of this public trial of her man.

Yoona sat there quietly, her hands tightly clasped together on her lap.

She could feel the various gazes coming from all around.

There was curiosity, inquiry, disdain, and also envy.

Fine beads of sweat broke out on her palms.

But her back was straight.

She looked up, her gaze passing over the surging crowd and the cameras, landing firmly on the back of the man in the center of the court.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the court.

The Spurs players were conducting their final pre-game warm-ups.

Duncan was practicing bank shots in the low post.

Tony Parker was practicing teardrops.

Ginóbili was stretching his body.

Every one of them had a cold, machine-like expression on their face.

They were deaf to the overwhelming atmosphere around them.

It was as if this wasn't the hostile home court of the Staples Center, but some quiet training facility in San Antonio.

Their head coach, Gregg Popovich, didn't even have a clipboard.

He just stood by the sidelines with his arms crossed and an expressionless face, like a cold bystander.

Everything was under control.

This powerful confidence, rooted in their system, made the clamor of the Staples Center seem somewhat hollow.

In front of the Lakers' bench.

Kobe Bryant, leaning on crutches, limped over to Lin Feng's side.

He didn't give a long speech.

He just reached out and gave Lin Feng's shoulder a firm pat.

"Don't worry about what others say."

Kobe's voice was low but carried an unquestionable power.

"Play your game."

After saying that, he turned and slowly walked back to his seat.

Lin Feng nodded.

He felt the lingering strength from Kobe on his shoulder.

He slowly scanned the arena.

He saw the fans booing and hurling abuse at him.

He saw the fans holding up signs of support for him.

He saw the cold faces of the Spurs players.

Finally.

His gaze crossed the entire court and met the eyes of the girl in the front row of the stands.

No words.

Just an exchange of glances.

But at that moment, Lin Feng's heart settled completely.

All the surrounding clamor and pressure turned into nothingness at this moment.

In his world, only three things remained.

The hoop.

The basketball.

And the woman who was watching him.

"Beep—!"

The referee's whistle blew, announcing the official start of the game!

Jump ball at center court.

Howard used his excellent vertical to tip the ball to the Lakers' side.

Blake controlled the ball, slowly advancing to the frontcourt.

The Spurs still used that suffocating defensive system.

Man-to-man, but ready to switch on defense at any time.

Blake didn't find a good opportunity and passed the ball to Gasol.

Gasol was facilitating from the high post, also being hounded by Tiago Splitter.

The twenty-four-second shot clock was ticking away rapidly.

Eventually, the ball returned to the point guard, Blake.

As the shot clock was about to expire, he hurriedly opted for a three-point shot.

"Clang!"

The basketball hit the front of the rim and bounced high.

Under the basket, Duncan firmly boxed out and grabbed the rebound.

Transition.

The Spurs' offense surged forward like a tide.

Tony Parker, like a French Sports Car, advanced rapidly with the ball.

Without any extra movements, a simple crossover shook off Blake's defense as he charged into the paint.

Howard immediately stepped up to help on defense.

Without even looking, Parker flicked his wrist, passing the ball from under Howard's arm to the other side.

There, Tim Duncan had silently appeared in the most comfortable position.

Catch, lift, bank shot.

The movements were seamless, simple to the extreme, yet effective to the point of perfection.

"Swish."

The basketball went through the net cleanly.

2:0.

A suppressed sigh echoed throughout the Staples Center.

It was like this again.

The exact same start as the previous two games.

That fluid, unstoppable team offense made the heart of every Lakers fan sink.

Lakers' possession.

This time, after several passes, the ball finally reached Lin Feng's hands.

As soon as he caught the ball.

A black figure stuck close to him.

Kawhi Leonard.

No emotion could be seen on that expressionless face.

But those long arms were like two giant iron pincers, blocking all of Lin Feng's possible offensive routes.

At the same time.

The Spurs' other perimeter defensive stalwart, Danny Green, also quietly moved to Lin Feng's flank.

He crouched slightly, like a lurking cheetah, ready to pounce at any moment to form a double-team.

This was the defensive trap Popovich had custom-made for Lin Feng.

It was to use two DPOY-level defenders to completely lock him down.

The air in the entire arena seemed to freeze at this moment.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Lin Feng.

To see how he would break this deadlock that appeared unsolvable to everyone.

Lin Fengdribbling the ball.

He could feel the rock-solid physical contact from Leonard.

He could hear the faint sound of Danny Green adjusting his breathing nearby.

He could hear the countless voices in the arena, either supporting or cursing him.

He slowly closed his eyes.

All the boos in the arena.

The cheers.

The defender's breathing.

The sound of his teammates' movements.

At this moment, all of it was blocked out by his brain.

The world fell into an absolute silence.

The next second.

His eyes snapped open!

A flash of light, invisible to the naked eye, flickered deep within his pupils!

In his heart, he silently recited word for word.

"ZONE, activated."