19: Kobe's test

In the locker room, Kobe's gaze was like two tangible searchlights, piercing through the noisy air and locking firmly onto Lin Feng.

There was no congratulation in that gaze, no joy, only a pure, emotionless scrutiny.

Lin Feng's heartbeat, which had begun to level off after the adrenaline faded, began to accelerate uncontrollably once more.

He knew that conquering the fans at the Staples Center, the media, and even his teammates was only the beginning.

The man before him, this black totem of Los Angeles, was the highest peak he had to climb.

The celebratory atmosphere in the locker room continued.

Nick Young, shirtless with a towel draped around his neck, had somehow found a bottle of chilled champagne and was wobbling toward Lin Feng.

"Lin! You amazing guy! For your twelve three-pointers! We have to celebrate properly!"

He held the champagne high, aiming the bottle at Lin Feng, prepared to give him a bone-chilling champagne bath.

The surrounding teammates were all jeering and laughing, waiting for the show to begin.

Just as Nick Young was about to pull the cork.

"Enough."

A quiet voice sounded.

The voice was calm, yet it was like a giant stone thrown into a lake, instantly suppressing all the noise.

The entire locker room fell silent.

Everyone's gaze subconsciously turned toward the source of the sound.

Kobe Bryant.

He was still sitting on the bench, his posture unchanged, only looking up to glance at Nick Young.

"It's just a Preseason Game."

No emotion could be heard in Kobe's voice, but that invisible pressure caused the temperature in the locker room to drop a few degrees.

The joy of victory and the festive atmosphere were rapidly cooled in an instant.

Nick Young's hand, holding the champagne, froze in mid-air, the smile on his face hardening.

He looked at Kobe, then at Lin Feng, and dejectedly put the bottle down.

"Kobe's right, guys, let's cool it."

Nash stepped in to smooth things over, but his eyes swept thoughtfully between Kobe and Lin Feng.

Gasol silently picked up a towel to dry his hair as if nothing had happened, but his ears were perked.

Everyone felt the powerful aura radiating from Kobe.

It was the aura of a winner, and also the aura of an obsessive.

A historic individual performance seemed trivial in his eyes.

Kobe finally stood up.

He adjusted his expensive suit with meticulous movements.

Then, he stepped forward, ignoring everyone else, and walked straight toward Lin Feng.

In the locker room, everyone held their breath.

Kobe stopped in front of Lin Feng, looking down at him.

"Kid, come here."

His tone left no room for doubt.

Lin Feng did not hesitate; he stood up and followed behind Kobe.

One after the other, they walked through the quiet locker room toward the room at the far end labeled 'Video Analysis Room'.

"Hey, Steve, what's going on?"

Nick Young leaned toward Nash and asked in a low voice.

Nash shook his head, his expression serious.

"I don't know, but I think Lin's real test is only beginning now."

The players in the locker room looked at each other, everyone's heart filled with doubt and speculation... The door to the Video Analysis Room closed with a 'click,' sealing off everything outside.

The room was very dark, with only the Tactical Display Screen emitting a faint blue light.

Kobe didn't turn on the lights; he walked to the console and skillfully pulled up the footage of the game that had just ended.

Throughout the entire process, he didn't say a word.

Silence was the best tool for applying pressure.

Standing behind him, Lin Feng could clearly hear the sound of his own heartbeat.

The screen lit up.

The game footage began to play.

Kobe fast-forwarded to the first quarter, to a possession shortly after Lin Feng had entered the game.

"Look here."

Kobe's finger pointed at the screen.

On the screen, Lin Feng received a pass from Nash beyond the three-point line. Facing the closeout from Golden State Warriors interior David Lee, he didn't hesitate, using a step-back to create space before shooting immediately.

The basketball traced a high arc.

"Swish!"

Nothing but net.

This was the first three-pointer he made tonight.

"You made 12 three-pointers, which is great."

Kobe's voice remained calm.

"But look here."

He pressed the pause button, freezing the frame at the moment Lin Feng released the shot.

Kobe's finger slowly moved from Lin Feng on the screen to the paint.

"The Golden State Warriors interior came out to defend you, and a hole appeared in their defensive rotation."

His finger pointed at the figure wearing the Los Angeles Lakers No. 16 jersey.

Pau Gasol.

After Lin Feng drew the defense, the spaniard had moved into a completely open position under the basket through a clever back-cut.

Within three meters of him, there was no one.

He was holding his hand high, an expectant look on his face.

"Gasol was completely open under the basket."

Kobe's voice was like a scalpel, precisely dissecting the image.

"Did you see it?"

On the screen, after Lin Feng chose to force the three-pointer, the camera cut to Gasol under the basket.

the spaniard threw up his hands helplessly and then silently turned back to defend.

That image had flashed by during the live broadcast and hadn't attracted much attention.

But now, frozen on the screen, it appeared incredibly glaring.

Kobe didn't wait for Lin Feng to answer.

He pressed play, and the footage continued.

"And here."

He froze another frame.

In the fourth quarter, Nick Young received a pass after a cut. He could have easily gone for a layup, but he chose to pass the ball to Lin Feng on the perimeter.

Under the double-team of Thompson and Andre Iguodala, Lin Feng used an extreme fadeaway to score off the glass.

That shot had brought the house down.

"A great goal," Kobe commented.

"But was it the right choice?"

His finger pointed to the other side of the screen.

At the moment Nick Young passed, the Golden State Warriors's defense had been completely disrupted to help defend Lin Feng.

Standing at the forty-five-degree angle beyond the three-point line on the other side, Steve Nash was also in a massive open spot.

If Nick Young had passed to Nash, or if Lin Feng had immediately swung it to Nash after receiving the ball, it would have been an easier and more reliable scoring opportunity.

Kobe didn't stop.

He played five or six similar clips in a row.

Every time, it was Lin Feng finishing the play with a stunning, high-difficulty individual shot.

And every time, there was a teammate beside him in a better position with a more logical opportunity.

Those overlooked passing options were magnified one after another under Kobe's operation, presented right before Lin Feng's eyes.