198: Chapter 198 The Emperor's Cage! The Crushing Power of Talent!

The timeout ended, and the players returned to the court.

The atmosphere was heavy to the extreme.

Lakers' possession.

Lin Feng received the baseline inbound pass and slowly advanced toward the frontcourt.

He looked up, and a figure as heavy as a mountain blocked his path.

LeBron James.

Lin Feng's pupils constricted slightly.

He really came to defend him.

This wasn't an accidental switch; it was a one-on-one marking full of intent.

The entire Staples Center was instantly ignited.

All the fans and all the cameras were focused on these two.

The present and the future of the league engaged in the most direct dialogue at this moment.

Lin Feng felt an unprecedented pressure.

It was an oppressive feeling brought about purely by physical talent.

James's body was like a wall, a moving wall of muscle.

Just by standing there, he blocked almost every drive angle in front of Lin Feng.

"Come on, rookie."

James's voice was low and powerful.

"Let me see why you dare to run amok on my turf."

Lin Feng didn't respond.

His gaze became incredibly focused.

The blood in his body began to flow faster.

He was going to respond to the Emperor with his strongest weapon.

【Aomine Daiki's Unrestricted Shot · ZONE】!

Activate!

In Lin Feng's perception, everything around him slowed down.

He saw every subtle twitch of James's muscles.

He saw the fleeting gap in the defensive formation.

Now!

Lin Feng's body suddenly dropped a shoulder to the left!

His speed exploded to the limit!

This was a first step capable of tearing through ninety-nine percent of the league's defenses!

However.

"Bang!"

A dull thud.

Lin Feng felt like he had slammed into a piece of granite.

His drive was forcefully stopped!

He looked up and saw James's expressionless face.

His speed was fast, but James's strength was even greater!

Furthermore, James's speed wasn't slow at all!

For the first time, Lin Feng felt his explosiveness completely neutralized.

The speed advantage he took pride in vanished before James!

With no time to think, Lin Feng immediately went into a behind-the-back dribble, followed by a wide crossover, trying to find another opening on the right.

His movements were fluid, enough to shake any top perimeter defender in the league.

But James was unmoved.

His center of gravity was as steady as a rock; his feet seemed rooted to the floor, yet he could complete lateral movements with incredible speed.

He was like a giant net—a net woven from strength, speed, and top-tier anticipation—tightly enveloping Lin Feng within.

Only five seconds remained on the shot clock.

Lin Feng was pushed to the brink.

He couldn't find even a sliver of space to shoot.

No other choice!

Lin Feng could only choose to force a shot.

He stepped back sharply, leaning back as much as possible in the air, releasing the ball with an extremely difficult fadeaway jumper.

This was Kobe's signature move.

But under the interference of James's sky-blocking long arms, Lin Feng's shot appeared somewhat distorted.

The basketball traced a stiff arc through the air.

"Clang!"

It slammed heavily against the front of the rim.

The rebound was easily collected by Bosh.

Transition!

James received the pass and immediately launched a counterattack.

He didn't choose a fast break but instead controlled the tempo, slowly dribbling the ball to the frontcourt.

He stopped at the exact spot where Lin Feng had just shot from.

Then, he looked at Lin Feng.

His eyes were filled with unquestionable dominance.

He was going to pay him back in kind.

James began a post-up play.

One bump.

Two bumps.

Lin Feng used all his strength to resist.

But every impact made him feel like his chest was about to fall apart.

James's post-up was like a heavy tank, impossible to stop.

After grinding his way near the free-throw line, James suddenly exerted force.

Turn.

Fade away.

Jump shot.

The entire motion was fluid, full of power and beauty.

Lin Feng had already jumped as high as he could to block.

But his fingertips were still a full palm's distance away from the ball.

"Swish!"

The ball went through the net cleanly.

19:7.

This sequence of offense and defense was like a ceremony for the transfer of kingship.

No.

It was more like a declaration of kingship.

James was telling Lin Feng in the most direct way.

Everything you can do, I can do too.

What I can achieve, you cannot.

On the sideline, Kobe's expression became extremely grim.

He saw James's intention.

It was an all-around crushing, from the physical to the mental.

He wanted to completely destroy this young challenger's confidence.

The rest of the game entered "James Time."

Or rather, Lin Feng's "Hell Time."

Lin Feng tried to use 【Shintaro Midorima's Full-Court Three-Pointer】 to find an opportunity.

He ran off-ball tirelessly.

But James was like his shadow, never leaving his side.

Every time Lin Feng was about to get open, James would always use his beastly body to squeeze through the screens and reappear in front of him.

Lin Feng then tried to activate 【Eye of the Heavenly Emperor · ZONE】 to revitalize the team's offense.

He saw Gasol's scoring opportunity in the low post.

He saw Nash's opening on the wing.

His passes were precise and lethal.

But.

Every time the ball was about to reach a teammate, that omnipresent number 23 figure would appear like a ghost on the passing lane.

Either a steal or a slight interference was enough to disrupt the Lakers' meticulously planned tactic.

James not only shut down Lin Feng's individual offense, but with his all-time defensive IQ and help defense, he even locked the entire Lakers' offense into the cage he had built.

Throughout the entire second quarter, under James's one-on-one defense, Lin Feng had 5 shots and 0 makes.

He didn't score a single point.

And he committed 2 turnovers.

He felt like a rookie who didn't know how to play.

No matter what method he used, he couldn't shake off that lingering nightmare.

"Beep—!"

The halftime buzzer finally sounded.

Staples Center was in dead silence.

The bright red score on the scoreboard stung the eyes of every Lakers fan.

52:32.

They trailed by a full 20 points at the half.

The players dragged their heavy steps toward the tunnel.

In the Lakers' locker room, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.

Lin Feng sat in his spot, looking down at the stat sheet in his hand.

Halftime: 8 points, 2 assists, 3 turnovers.

And those 8 points were all scored in the first quarter before James started primarily defending him.

He felt an unprecedented sense of pressure and a deep-seated feeling of powerlessness.

His system and his talent seemed so fragile before the true Chosen One.