221: Chapter 221 The Carnival in Los Angeles

The epic victory in Game 5, along with Lin Feng's earth-shattering defensive play that the global media dubbed the 'Block of the Century,' sent all of Los Angeles into a jubilant ocean.

Only one step remained until the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy!

On the plaza outside the Staples Center, fans celebrated through the night, with champagne foam and colored confetti flying everywhere.

"Lin is our god!"

"Championship! We are the champions!"

"I can't wait to join the victory parade!"

The entire city was permeated with an almost certain sense of optimism.

The Lakers players flew to Miami the next day, preparing for the sixth game of the series.

The atmosphere aboard the team's private jet was unprecedentedly high.

"Hey, Dwight, how many days do you think we'll be staying in Miami?" Artest winked as he spoke to Howard.

"One day!" Howard grinned widely, showing a mouthful of white teeth. "We finish the game, grab the championship, and fly straight back for a party!"

"That's right! I don't want to spend another minute in that godforsaken place!" Nash also joined the discussion with a laugh.

The players' faces were beaming with ease and confidence.

Leading 3-2 and having just won such a soul-stirring victory, they had every reason to believe the championship trophy was already in their grasp.

Lin Feng leaned by the window, gazing at the clouds outside.

After a night of rest and physical therapy from the Team Doctor, most of his physical fatigue had recovered.

But his spirit remained highly tense.

He knew the series was not over.

He knew that a beast cornered into desperation was the most terrifying kind.

His reputation reached an unprecedented peak after Game 5.

All the media and experts unreservedly hailed him as the future number one player in the league, the greatest shooting guard since Jordan and Kobe.

The number of followers on his social media accounts surged by tens of millions overnight.

The entire world was anticipating him personally ending the series in Game 6 on Miami's home court, completing his coronation as the new king.

...In stark contrast to the revelry in Los Angeles and the Lakers' ease was the Miami Heat.

They had been forced into a desperate situation.

The loss in Game 5, especially the manner in which LeBron James was blocked, struck them all like a loud slap across the face.

That was not just the loss of a game.

It was their dignity, the final shred of a king's face, being slammed onto the ground and repeatedly ground into the dirt by their opponent.

The local Miami media abandoned their previous optimism and issued heroic calls to action.

"Miami Herald: Defend Our City!"

"This is not an ordinary game; this is a battle for our honor! In Game 6, we need every single person from Miami to come to the American Airlines Center and use our shouts to tell those Angelenos that this is our territory!"

"South Coast Sports: Fight with Your Back to the Wall, No Other Choice!"

"We are standing on the edge of a cliff, with an abyss behind us! To take one step back means utter destruction! Moving forward might offer a sliver of hope! Heat soldiers, show your mettle and fight for this city!"

The entire city of Miami was shrouded in a tragic atmosphere of shared enmity.

Tickets for Game 6 were sold out within a few hours.

Countless fans who failed to get tickets spontaneously gathered outside the American Airlines Center; they wanted to inject the last bit of strength into their team in their own way.

Before Game 6 began.

Inside the Heat locker room, the atmosphere was as oppressive as a volcano about to erupt.

The players sat in their seats, silent.

Coach Spoelstra stood before the whiteboard, also saying nothing.

He knew that at this moment, any tactic or motivational speech had lost its meaning.

After a long silence.

LeBron James stood up from his seat.

He didn't speak.

He simply walked to the center of the locker room and slammed a folded newspaper onto the table.

"Smack!"

The crisp sound made everyone look up.

James slowly unfolded the newspaper.

The front page featured the massive, magnified photo of Lin Feng blocking him.

Next to the photo was the glaring headline.

"A New King Ascends."

James's gaze slowly swept over the faces of every teammate.

Wade.

Bosh.

Ray Allen.

Haslem.

Chalmers.

In his eyes, the bewilderment and dejection from the Game 5 loss were gone.

Only a frenzied fighting spirit, like ice and fire intertwined, remained.

He said nothing.

But everyone understood the meaning in his eyes.

—If you want to snatch the crown from my hands? Then cross over my dead body!

Wade was the first to stand up. He walked to the table, glanced at the newspaper, then looked up and met James's eyes.

His eyes were also burning with the flame of revenge.

Bosh stood up.

Ray Allen stood up.

All the Heat players stood up.

In their eyes, there was no longer fear or hesitation.

Only the most primal, most insane determination to defend their territory!

...On the night of Game 6.

The American Airlines Center was packed to capacity.

The entire stadium had turned into an ocean of white.

Every fan wore a white T-shirt, and their faces were etched with the tragedy and resolve of fighting with their backs to the wall.

When the Lakers players walked out of the tunnel for pre-game warmups.

They were met with a deafening roar of boos!

The sound wave was so immense, so filled with hostility, that the floor of the entire arena vibrated slightly.

For the first time, the Lakers players felt the suffocating, immense pressure of an entire city united in shared enmity.

The smile vanished from Howard's face.

Nash's expression also turned serious.

They could feel that tonight's game would absolutely not be as easy as they imagined.

This was no longer an ordinary basketball game.

This was a war.

Lin Feng stood at center court, feeling the sound wave that threatened to swallow him whole.

There was no expression on his face.

But in his heart, a fire was burning hotter and hotter.

He loved this feeling.

The feeling of being an enemy to the world!

Under the gaze of the masses, personally snuffing out the opponent's last hope, and then, in their despairing eyes, lifting the championship trophy!

This was the ultimate script for becoming a king!

"Beep—!"

The whistle signaling the start of the game blew.

The referee tossed the ball high into the air.

Howard and Bosh jumped simultaneously!

The game officially began!

From the very first possession, the Heat played the most ferocious, most united, and most unreasonable basketball of the entire series!

James got the ball!

Without any probing, he immediately activated Bulldozer Mode!

Facing Artest's defense, he was like an out-of-control heavy truck, simply rolling over him!

Layup made!

And he drew a foul on Artest!

"Roar!!!"

After scoring, James roared to the sky and fiercely pounded his chest!

The entire American Airlines Center instantly ignited!

Lakers possession.

As soon as Lin Feng received the ball, Wade and Battier immediately pounced on him like two mad dogs!

Close-contact biting!

Using every means possible!

They didn't even hesitate to foul to disrupt Lin Feng's rhythm!

The entire court turned into a meat grinder.

Every change of possession was accompanied by fierce physical confrontation and players falling everywhere.

Every single member of the Heat seemed to have been injected with adrenaline.

Their eyes flashed red!

They sprinted, they dove for loose balls, they used their bodies to block shots!

The Lakers were completely stunned!

They were caught completely off guard by the Heat's sudden, fearless, dog-like style of play!

Turnover!

Missed shot!

Turnover!

Before the first quarter was even halfway through.

The score on the screen had already reached a shocking number.

15: 2!

The Heat led the Lakers by a full 13 points!

D'Antoni was forced to call the first timeout of the game.