149: A deadly pass!

The basketball left Lin Feng's fingertips.

At that moment, the sounds of the entire world seemed to be drained away.

Within Lin Feng's body, the last trace of strength was completely wrung out along with this pass.

He watched the basketball flying through the air, heading toward that corner forgotten by everyone.

Nick Young.

He stood there, with no one around him.

All the Thunder defenders had swarmed toward Lin Feng like moths to a flame.

They gave Nick Young a wide-open space, large enough for him to leisurely drink a cup of coffee.

This was the most logical choice.

This was the most correct decision on the basketball court.

Trust your teammates.

That phrase flashed through Lin Feng's mind.

He looked at Nick Young.

Nick Young caught the ball.

A hint of astonishment flashed across his face, which was immediately replaced by immense ecstasy!

He knew what this shot meant.

If it went in, he would be a hero!

He would be the clutch player who ended Game 1 of the series and saved the team from the brink!

He had even already thought of the most stylish and classic celebration move to perform after making the shot!

He adjusted his breathing.

He jumped.

He released the shot!

The motion was incredibly smooth!

The form was incredibly standard!

The basketball traced a high, seemingly wonderful arc through the air!

On the Lakers' bench, everyone stood up!

Kobe's fist was clenched tightly!

An expectant smile appeared on Nash's face!

Chesapeake Energy Arena, that sea of blue, fell into a dead silence.

Every Thunder fan held their breath, their hearts in their throats, staring fixedly at that fate-deciding basketball!

Time became incredibly slow at this moment.

Under everyone's gaze, the orange ball flew leisurely toward the hoop.

It was close.

Closer!

In Lin Feng's eyes, the image of the basketball about to swish through the net was already reflected!

However.

"Clang!"

A cold sound of metal clashing that made the hearts of all the Lakers players stop!

The basketball hit the front of the rim!

It bounced high into the air!

"Beep—!!!"

The final buzzer sounded sharply throughout the arena at the same time!

The game was over.

The bouncing basketball tumbled feebly in the air.

Finally, it landed on the floor.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

It was like heavy hammers striking the heart of every Lakers player.

They lost.

The Lakers had lost.

"Roar!!!"

After a brief silence, Chesapeake Energy Arena erupted in a mountain-collapsing, tsunami-like explosion of wild cheering!

The Thunder players rushed onto the court from the bench like a pack of madmen!

Westbrook slammed his mouthguard onto the floor, then jumped onto the scorer's table, pounding his chest and letting out a beastly roar!

Durant opened his long arms and embraced every teammate around him!

They won!

In this incredibly brutal battle of attrition, they had the last laugh!

And on the other end of the court...

...was hell.

Nick Young stared blankly at his hands, the ones that had missed the game-winning shot.

The expression on his face went from ecstasy to astonishment, and finally to complete collapse.

He suddenly buried his head deep inside his jersey.

The oversized jersey covered his already distorted face.

Gasol shook his head helplessly, then walked over and patted him on the shoulder, not knowing what to say.

The veterans' faces were filled with disappointment and exhaustion.

And Lin Feng.

He just stood there, blankly, outside the three-point line.

He watched the high-bouncing basketball, the wildly celebrating Thunder players, and the deeply regretful Nick Young.

His gaze was hollow.

The frantic fighting spirit that had sustained him for a full 48 minutes was completely extinguished the moment the final buzzer sounded.

All that remained was an endless, bone-deep exhaustion.

And a hint of bewilderment.

Did I... do something wrong?

...The post-game press conference.

The atmosphere was terrifyingly oppressive.

The reporters' questions were like knives, stabbing into every Lakers player.

Especially Nick Young.

He kept his head down and didn't say a word, like a child who had done something wrong.

Meanwhile, the Thunder's press conference was a sea of jubilation.

An ESPN reporter handed the microphone to Westbrook.

"Russell, you guys contained Lin tonight and made it very difficult for him, but even so, he still scored 51 points. What are your thoughts on that?"

Westbrook grinned, revealing a flamboyant smile full of a winner's posture.

He took the microphone and looked at the camera.

Then, in a nonchalant yet lethal tone, he uttered the famous quote that would later be frantically cited by countless media outlets.

"He's very strong."

Westbrook paused, enjoying the focus of all the cameras.

"But he's only one person."

The corner of his mouth curled into a slightly mocking smile.

"And we have two."

These words spread across the world in just a few seconds via the live broadcast signal!

It was like a virus, instantly detonating the entire social network!

The headlines of major sports media were immediately changed to this quote from Westbrook!

[Yahoo Sports: Westbrook: He's only one, and we have two!]

[TMZ: The Victory of Talent! The thunder duo ends individual heroism in the cruelest way possible!]

The public discourse surrounding Lin Feng, which had just peaked because of the "Black Eight Miracle," quickly cooled down!

The tide had turned once again!

Those experts who were just recently praising Lin Feng's individual heroism had now changed their tune.

"I've said it before, basketball is a five-man game!"

"Lin Feng's style of play is too selfish! He overextended his stamina and hurt the team!"

"That last pass of his seemed logical, but in reality, he was just passing the buck!"

Doubts and mockery came flooding in.

The hero who had just been placed on a pedestal seemed to turn back overnight into that reckless man who only relied on individual ability... In the player tunnel leading back to the locker room.

The lights were somewhat dim.

Lin Feng dragged his exhausted body, walking silently at the very back alone.

A television was hanging on the wall of the tunnel.

The television was broadcasting the post-game press conference live.

Westbrook's face, full of defiance, appeared on the screen.

"...But he's only one person."

"And we have two."

Lin Feng's footsteps stopped.

He looked up at the man on the screen who was laughing so flamboyantly.

Listening to that sentence full of mockery.

The surrounding clamor and his teammates' sighs seemed to drift away from him at that moment.

In his world, only that face on the screen and those words constantly echoing in his ears remained.

One person... two... In his eyes, which were somewhat dim from exhaustion, something was quietly changing.

It was something deeper and colder than the violence of [Aomine ZONE].

This provocative sentence was like a needle, stabbing deeply into Lin Feng's pride.