13: Ace's Challenge

The sound of the timeout buzzer seemed somewhat weak amidst the clamor of the arena.

Nash saw D'Antoni's hand gestures clearly.

This two-time MVP, a veteran who had fought in the league for nearly twenty years, looked at Lin Feng with a completely different gaze at this moment.

It was no longer the guidance and care of a senior toward a promising rookie.

Instead, it was an equal trust, the kind where one could leave their back to the other.

It was the recognition from one warrior to another ace who could determine the outcome of the battle.

He nodded solemnly toward D'Antoni.

In front of the Lakers' bench, the atmosphere was equally fanatical.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Did you see that! What was that!"

Sacre was like a madman; he stripped off his training vest and waved it frantically over his head, cheering for Lin Feng on the court.

His teammates beside him, who had previously harbored slight complaints about Lin Feng being parachuted into the starting lineup, now all had their mouths agape, faces filled with shock.

Jealousy? Discontent?

In the face of such a miraculous shot, any negative emotions seemed laughable.

All that remained was the purest form of awe.

"This guy... is a monster."

Center Chris Kaman murmured to himself; he had just been setting an off-ball screen for Lin Feng.

He only realized now that he wasn't screening for an ordinary shooter, but for a mobile artillery battery.

Nick Young's expression was the most complex; as he watched Lin Feng's back, his eyes held a hint of inexplicable excitement alongside the shock.

He seemed to have already foreseen how interesting it would be to play with such a teammate.

On the other side, at the Golden State Warriors's bench, the atmosphere was solemn to the extreme.

head coach Mark Jackson's face was ashen.

He furrowed his brows tightly, his mind in a state of chaos.

A monster capable of making a shot like that had completely disrupted all of his pre-game deployments.

How to defend him?

Play him tight? He can force a shot right in your face.

Give him a step? He can fire directly from two meters behind the three-point line.

Double-team? The Lakers still have Nash and Gasol.

This was simply an unsolvable problem.

"Don't lose your defensive discipline! Maintain your rotations!"

He shouted at his players, but his voice betrayed a lack of confidence that even he didn't notice.

The timeout ended, and the game resumed.

The Golden State Warriors inbounded the ball in the backcourt.

Curry received the ball and slowly advanced toward the frontcourt.

The smile on his face had vanished, and for the first time, that baby face became incredibly serious.

He dribbled the ball, but his gaze bypassed everyone and landed on Lin Feng at the other end of the court.

It was a look of scrutiny, of inquiry, and even more, a fighting spirit that had been ignited.

He didn't choose to attack himself, nor did he try to respond with an equally unreasonable three-pointer.

He was very calm, handing the ball to Klay Thompson, who had run into an open spot.

The Golden State Warriors's offense was still proceeding according to the tactical plan.

But everyone could feel that something was already different.

Thompson caught the ball and, facing Gasol's help defense, took a pull-up jumper.

Clang!

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

Perhaps the shock from Lin Feng's shot had slightly affected his shooting rhythm.

Kaman firmly boxed out, secured the defensive rebound, and passed the ball to Nash.

Lakers, on the offensive.

Nash controlled the ball across half-court, his movements unhurried.

At this very moment.

Inside the Staples Center, tens of thousands of spectators seemed to receive the same command.

"LIN—!"

"LIN—!"

"LIN—!"

The uniform shouts converged from all directions of the arena.

The sound rose layer by layer, finally merging into an earth-shaking wave of noise.

This was no longer sporadic cheering, but a mountain-moving, sea-shaking pilgrimage.

They were welcoming the birth of a new king.

Listening to the deafening shouts, a smile appeared at the corner of Nash's mouth.

He looked up, scanned the court, and finally found Lin Feng's position with precision.

The Golden State Warriors's defensive formation was completely in disarray.

Thompson and another wing player were drawn to Lin Feng like two magnets, not daring to give him even an inch of space.

But the more they did this, the stronger Lin Feng's presence became.

Just by standing there, he was enough to bring the opponent's defensive line to the brink of collapse.

Beep—!

Another piercing buzzer sounded.

Mark Jackson could not tolerate this loss of control; he was almost hopping mad as he called for another timeout.

The game had only just restarted for one possession, and he had called another timeout.

This was an extremely rare situation in an NBA game.

But at this moment, no one found it strange.

Everyone knew he had to do it.

If he didn't stop it now, the Golden State Warriors would be completely overwhelmed by the momentum known as "Lin Feng."

The Golden State Warriors's players walked back to the bench with their heads down.

The atmosphere was terrifyingly oppressive.

Mark Jackson held the tactical board, his mouth opening and closing, but he didn't know what to say.

Any tactic seemed pale and weak in the face of those unreasonable shots.

Just then.

A voice rang out in the heavy atmosphere.

"Coach."

Stephen Curry stood up.

He walked up to Mark Jackson, the previous greenness gone from his eyes, replaced by a soaring, burning fighting spirit.

He didn't look at the tactical board, only into his coach's eyes.

"Let me guard him."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a pebble thrown into a lake, stirring up waves in everyone's hearts.

All the Golden State Warriors players looked up at their ace.

Having the team's primary scorer focus on defending an opposing player?

In basketball philosophy, this was almost equivalent to a suicidal attack.

Not only would it greatly exhaust Curry's own stamina, but it would also put him in foul trouble.

But Mark Jackson looked into Curry's blazing eyes and understood the meaning behind them.

It wasn't a momentary impulse.

It was one ace issuing a challenge to another rising ace.

He wanted to respond to his opponent in the most direct and purest way.

After a few seconds of silence.

Mark Jackson nodded slowly but with great force.

"Okay."

The whistle to end the timeout sounded.

The players walked back onto the court.

The spectators at the Staples Center keenly noticed the change on the floor.

The Golden State Warriors's defensive formation had changed.

Stephen Curry did not return to his usual defensive position.

He crossed the court and walked straight up to Lin Feng.

He stopped, lowered his center of gravity slightly, and assumed a standard defensive stance.

Those eyes were locked firmly onto Lin Feng.

An ace-versus-ace shooter's duel was inevitable.