26: The villain's declaration

Barnes' provocative face looked exceptionally distorted on the small phone screen.

His contemptuous smile and the phrase "King of Luck" were like a lit match thrown into the powder keg of the Lakers' training facility.

The relaxed atmosphere in the air vanished instantly.

Nick Young was the first to curse.

"What did this bastard say?"

"Who does he think he is? The league's disciplinary committee?"

"Lin, don't listen to him. This guy is just trash who plays with his mouth!"

Angry expressions appeared on the players' faces.

Fighting side-by-side in the preseason, especially Lin Feng's miraculous performance, had already earned him the initial recognition of his teammates.

At this moment, Matt Barnes' public provocation was not just directed at Lin Feng personally, but was a slight against the entire Lakers.

D'Antoni took the phone from the PR manager and turned off the video, his expression grim.

Sports media's sense of smell is sharper than a shark's scent for blood.

The matchup of "Tough Guy Barnes vs. rookie Shooter Lin Feng"—this headline was full of gimmicks and conflict.

It was foreseeable that over the next three days, this would be the absolute headline of the Los Angeles sports section.

D'Antoni scanned the indignant players, finally letting his gaze fall on the center of the incident, Lin Feng.

To his surprise, there was no anger or nervousness on Lin Feng's face.

He was calm, as if nothing had happened.

"Lin," D'Antoni spoke, his voice serious.

"This is part of the NBA, especially for a rookie."

"He wants to provoke you, make you lose your rhythm, and make you vent your spite on the court instead of playing ball."

"Don't fall for it, understand? Don't let his trash talk affect your mindset."

Lin Feng nodded, indicating he understood.

D'Antoni looked into those eyes, which were as calm as a still well, and felt a bit more at ease.

This young man's mental fortitude seemed even stronger than he had imagined.

The tactical meeting ended abruptly, and the players dispersed in small groups, still discussing Barnes' remarks.

"Hey, Kobe."

Lin Feng was about to pack his things when Kobe's voice came from behind him.

Kobe walked over; he didn't look at Lin Feng, but instead stared at the hoop not far away.

"He wants to fight you," Kobe's voice was low and cold.

"He wants to drag you into the mud and deal with you in the way he's best at."

Lin Feng listened quietly.

"On the court, anger is the most useless emotion. It only makes your movements distorted and your judgment flawed."

Kobe turned his head, his dark eyes gazing at Lin Feng.

"The more he provokes you, the calmer you must be."

"Your weapon isn't your fists; it's the basketball."

"Beat him with basketball and make him look like an absolute clown."

"Every time you score on him, it's more powerful than any trash talk."

Lin Feng met Kobe's gaze and nodded solemnly.

There wasn't a single ripple in his heart.

Anger?

For a stumbling block destined to be trampled underfoot, such an emotion was completely unnecessary.

In the eyes of someone who possessed the charm basketball system, Matt Barnes was merely the first roadblock on his path to the summit that needed to be cleared.

The night before the L.A. Derby.

Lin Feng didn't choose to go out and relax the night before the game like other young players.

He stayed in his luxury apartment.

On the massive LCD screen, a recording of one person's game was playing repeatedly.

Matt Barnes.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

This was ancient wisdom etched into his bones.

On the screen, Barnes was like a ferocious hound, hounding every opponent.

His defense was extremely aggressive, with a constant stream of subtle movements like pushing, pulling, and grabbing.

He would constantly use his chest for physical contact, bump your thighs with his knees, and use all sorts of maneuvers on the edge of fouling to provoke you and disrupt your shooting rhythm.

Lin Feng watched frame by frame.

He saw how Barnes used a concealed tug to make Ray Allen's movement a half-beat slow.

He also saw how he used fierce tight defense to make even receiving the ball difficult for Kevin Durant.

"He is indeed a troublesome fellow."

Lin Feng muttered to himself.

But he wasn't just looking at Barnes' strengths.

He switched the video to another angle—an aerial bird's-eye view of the court.

Soon, he found the problem.

Barnes' defense had plenty of aggression but lacked flexibility.

To maintain high-intensity physical contact, he kept his center of gravity very high.

This caused his turning speed and lateral movement to always be a beat slow when defending a ball-handler's sudden change of direction.

Especially when he lunged out to defend a three-pointer; if the opponent used a shot fake followed by a drive, he could hardly keep up.

The corners of Lin Feng's mouth slowly curled up.

A clear plan gradually formed in his mind.

Everyone thought he was just a shooter, and Barnes surely thought so too.

Tomorrow, he would definitely stick to him like a mad dog, not giving Lin Feng any space for an easy shot.

This was exactly what he wanted.

He would use his most powerful weapon—that unstoppable three-point threat—as bait.

He would make Barnes chase him all over the court, draining his energy through repeated off-ball screens.

Then, when Barnes was as jittery as a bird startled by a bowstring, focusing all his attention on defending the three... that would be the time to reveal the new weapon Kobe had taught him.

Using the threat of his shot to attack the weaknesses in his defense.

Ding-dong.

Just then, the phone lying aside rang with a video call notification.

The name flashing on the screen was—Yuna Kim.

Lin Feng answered the video call.

On the other end of the screen, Yoona was wearing cute pink loungewear, her face bare of makeup and her long hair draped casually over her shoulders.

Without her goddess aura from the stage, she looked like a girl next door, pure and soft.

Only now, her angelic face was filled with worry.

"Lin Feng..."

Her voice carried a hint of timidity.

"I saw the news... that guy named Bart Barnes, he looks so scary."

"He said... he won't let you score a single point."

"Are... are you okay?"

This top idol with hundreds of millions of fans worldwide now seemed like a little girl worried about her boyfriend being bullied.

Seeing her so nervous, Lin Feng couldn't help but smile.

He pointed the phone camera at the large screen behind him.

"Look, I'm studying him right now."

Seeing Barnes' ferocious face on the screen, Yoona wrinkled her little nose again.

Lin Feng smiled and comforted her.

"Don't worry, he only looks scary."

"On the court, the dogs that bark the loudest usually have the least bite."

His relaxed tone and confident demeanor seemed to have a special magic, slowly calming Yoona's nervous heart.

"Really?"

"Of course," Lin Feng's tone carried unquestionable confidence. "You just need to be ready to watch how I teach him a lesson tomorrow."

"Mm!" Yoona nodded vigorously, the worry in her eyes turning into anticipation and admiration.

"Then you... you have to do your best!"

"I will."