177: Chapter 177 Deadly Bait! The Art of the Emperor!

The whistle for the inter-quarter break was like a brief pause button pressed for this boiling arena.

On the Thunder's bench, the atmosphere was terrifyingly heavy.

Holding the tactical board, head coach Brooks was speaking to Westbrook in a tone that was almost pleading.

“Russell! Calm down!”

“We need more passing! Give the ball to Kevin! Let him organize the offense!”

“We can't just follow the Lakers' rhythm!”

Westbrook ripped the towel from his neck, his face written with impatience.

“There's nothing wrong with my playstyle!”

He pointed at his chest, his voice rising a few notches.

“I scored 14 points in a single quarter! My scoring is what's helping the team stay ahead!”

“My touch was just a little off, that's all! Next quarter, I'll make those shots!”

Brooks opened his mouth, wanting to say more.

But looking at Westbrook's eyes, which seemed ready to spit fire, he ultimately swallowed his words.

He knew this wild bull had completely lost his head.

Right now, he wouldn't listen to anyone.

On the other side.

Durant just sat silently in his seat with a towel over his head; no one could see his expression at this moment.

But his hand, gripping the towel so tightly that his knuckles were turning white, betrayed the extreme dissatisfaction in his heart... The brief break ended, and the second quarter began.

On the Lakers' side, there were no personnel adjustments.

As Lin Feng walked onto the court, he made an extremely subtle gesture to Gasol and Howard.

It was a signal to collapse the defense and allow the drive.

The game began!

Thunder possession.

Westbrook caught the ball and, without even glancing at Durant, accelerated immediately, charging toward the Lakers' restricted area!

The man defending him was the aging Nash.

Everyone expected Nash to do his utmost to delay him.

However.

Nash only made a symbolic reach with his hand.

Then, as if his feet were tangled, his body tilted, and he was blown by cleanly by Westbrook with a change of direction so simple it couldn't be simpler!

“That easy?”

Westbrook himself was momentarily stunned.

He hadn't expected the Lakers' defensive line to be so fragile!

He charged into the paint, facing Howard and Gasol's help defense, which looked fierce but was actually half a beat slow.

With an easy, relaxed double-clutch layup, he sent the ball steadily into the basket!

“Roar!”

After scoring, Westbrook excitedly pounded his chest!

He felt he had found the way to suppress the Lakers!

And that was to use his unstoppable, crushing talent to smash through their defensive line composed of the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled!

He had completely fallen for the bait.

He played even more autocratically!

The next possession!

Westbrook repeated his old trick!

Once again, he used his speed to blow past Nash!

Driving into the paint, he drew a foul from Gasol and made both free throws!

The possession after that!

It was still Westbrook!

He even began to enjoy this feeling of dominating the game alone!

Like a lone hero, he tore through the Lakers' defense time and time again!

Meanwhile, Kevin Durant—

The league's top scorer and the future face of the NBA—

At this moment, he was reduced to a spectator running back and forth on the court.

Time and again, he found open space beyond the three-point line.

Time and again, he spread his arms and shouted for the ball!

But the basketball seemed to be avoiding him; it simply wouldn't be passed to his hands!

Westbrook only had eyes for the basket!

His personal score was rising rapidly!

18 points!

20 points!

22 points!

The fans at Chesapeake Energy Arena went completely wild!

They chanted Westbrook's name, giving the most enthusiastic cheers for every one of his heroic drives!

The Thunder's lead also expanded to 7 points!

It seemed everything was moving in the direction the Thunder wanted.

head coach Brooks also temporarily breathed a sigh of relief.

Perhaps using this most primitive method really could win the game?

On the Lakers' bench.

Kobe's brow, however, was furrowed tightly.

He looked toward D'Antoni on the sidelines, his eyes full of questioning.

He didn't understand why they were letting Westbrook play like this.

This was no different from drinking poison to quench a thirst!

However.

On the court.

The number 11 who had been "blown out" by Westbrook this whole time.

Lin Feng's face still carried an incomprehensible, calm smile.

He watched Westbrook, who was playing with such joy, like a god of war descended to earth.

In his eyes, there was even a hint of pity.

The fish has completely taken the bait.

It's time to pull in the net.

Just as Westbrook prepared to launch an attack with the ball once more.

Deep in Lin Feng's pupils, that pale gold light that had been dormant for a long time quietly lit up again!

【Eye of the Heavenly Emperor - ZONE】!

This time, he didn't distribute the power to all his teammates.

Instead, he condensed all the mental energy he could mobilize into an invisible giant net!

An inescapable web tailored specifically for Westbrook!

Westbrook moved!

It was that same familiar route he had been using for the entire quarter, a forced drive from the right side!

In his view, this path was already a broad highway leading to victory!

However!

At the very moment he took his first step!

The entire world before his eyes changed!

Nash, who should have been easily left behind, actually stuck to him like glue this time!

Not only that!

Howard, who should have been waiting under the basket for his layup!

And Gasol, who should have been providing help defense from the other side!

They actually acted as if they had received the script in advance!

The two of them, one on the left and one on the right, collapsed fiercely toward his driving lane at a perfect angle!

Three people!

Nash, Howard, and Gasol!

Like three moving city walls that had been waiting there all along!

Instantly, they blocked all of Westbrook's forward paths!

“What?!”

Westbrook's mind went blank!

He didn't have time to make any reaction at all!

His whole being was like an out-of-control locomotive, slamming headfirst into this wall of steel formed by three people!

“Thud!”

A dull sound of colliding muscles!

Westbrook fell to the ground!

“Beeeeep—!”

The referee's whistle blew shrilly!

He unhesitatingly made the gesture for a charging foul!

Offensive foul!

The mountain-shaking, tsunami-like cheers of the entire Chesapeake Energy Arena came to an abrupt halt!

Everyone was dumbfounded!

They didn't understand why Westbrook, who was unstoppable just a moment ago, would suddenly crash into a crowd of people!

Westbrook scrambled up from the ground, wanting to argue with the referee.

But he quickly gave up.

Because the Lakers' fast break was already underway!

Lin Feng didn't even participate in the offense.

He just stood in the backcourt, coldly watching Westbrook's back.

This was just the first appetizer.

The Lakers scored on the break, and the deficit was narrowed to 5 points.

The Thunder attacked again!

This time, possession was still in Westbrook's hands!

The turnover just now had made him somewhat irritated!

He decided to use an even tougher drive to get his payback!

However!

At the moment he held the ball to observe the defense!

In the eyes of Lin Feng, standing opposite him, the pale gold light flashed again!

【Eye of the Heavenly Emperor】!

The future presented itself clearly before his eyes!

He saw it!

He saw the only, and most likely, passing option Westbrook would have after being heavily guarded!

—A pass to Sefolosha in the corner!

The corner of Lin Feng's mouth curled into a cold arc.

He didn't even look at Artest.

But a crystal-clear command was already imprinted in that enforcer's mind!

Westbrook was forced by Nash and Gasol into a position where he had no room to shoot!

As expected, he subconsciously passed the ball toward Sefolosha in the corner!

But!

At the very instant the ball left his hands!

A black figure suddenly charged out from the side like a phantom!

It was Artest!

He was like a Cheetah that had been lying in ambush there for a long time!

He appeared precisely on the flight path of the basketball!

“Slap!”

A crisp sound!

The ball was steadily intercepted by Artest!

Steal!

Another turnover!

Two in a row!

Westbrook's mindset completely collapsed!

He looked at what was happening before his eyes in disbelief!

It felt as if all his thoughts had been seen through by his opponent in advance!

The Lakers launched another fast break, and Artest finished the layup!

The deficit was down to only 3 points!

The Thunder called a timeout!

As they walked off the court.

The previously silent Kevin Durant finally couldn't hold back anymore.

He walked up to Westbrook's side and said in a low voice, suppressing his anger.

“Russell! Pass the ball!”

“What are you doing?! Did you see my open looks on the perimeter?!”

Westbrook was already fuming; hearing this, he exploded instantly!

He whipped his head around and roared at Durant.

“Shut up!”

“Who do you think you are?! The team leader?! What right do you have to teach me how to play?!”

“If it weren't for me, we'd have been overtaken by now!”

The voices of the two grew louder and louder!

Under the gaze of tens of thousands of spectators in the arena and all the fans watching the live broadcast worldwide!

The two aces of the Thunder!

Just like that, on the court, their first public, heated verbal dispute erupted!