30: Play ball with your brain

The whistle for the second half was about to sound. Players filed out from the tunnel, returning to the brightly lit court.

The faces of the Lakers players still held a trace of solemnity. The ten-point deficit weighed on their minds like a stone.

Except for Lin Feng.

He walked in the middle of the pack, his face showing none of the fatigue or struggle from the first half.

His expression was calm, so calm it was almost indifferent.

The anxious, desperate desire to prove himself that had filled his dark eyes in the first half had vanished without a trace, replaced by a clear, placid lake, utterly undisturbed.

He simply stretched his wrists and ankles, as if what was coming wasn't an intense Rivalry Game, but an ordinary shooting drill.

On the sidelines, Kobe keenly noticed the change in Lin Feng.

The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

The kid listened.

On the commentary desk, Kenny Smith noticed it too.

"Lin Feng looks... different."

"His body language is relaxed, completely unlike someone who was locked down and only scored 6 points in a half."

Barkley grunted.

"Maybe he's given up."

"Under that savage defense from Matt Barnes, any rookie's confidence would be shattered."

"He's probably accepted his fate of being shut out tonight."

On the Clippers' side of the court, Matt Barnes saw Lin Feng.

Seeing Lin Feng's utterly unperturbed demeanor made the fire in his belly burn even hotter.

Putting on an act.

He made a throat-slashing gesture in Lin Feng's direction, the malice in his eyes unconcealed.

In the second half, he was going to make sure this kid couldn't even touch the ball.

The game began.

The Clippers had the first possession. Paul orchestrated the offense, but his mid-range jumper missed against the Lakers' collapsing defense.

Gasol boxed out and secured the defensive rebound cleanly.

Possession changed, Lakers on offense!

Nash dribbled slowly up the court, his eyes immediately finding Lin Feng.

Lin Feng had already positioned himself at the right-wing, about a 45-degree angle from the three-point line.

Matt Barnes arrived as expected, sticking to him like a plaster, his chest pressed tightly against Lin Feng's back, his arms spread wide, covering all possible passing lanes.

The same suffocating defense as the first half.

Nash hesitated; he couldn't find a passing angle.

Just then, Lin Feng suddenly made a backdoor cut, using Kaman's screen to move towards the top of the key.

Barnes immediately fought through the screen, staying right on him step for step.

Lin Feng didn't stop. He changed direction again, looping around, and returned to his original spot.

A simple off-ball move, yet it successfully created a fleeting moment of space to receive the pass.

Nash understood instantly. With a flick of his wrist, the ball was delivered precisely.

Lin Feng caught the ball!

This was his first possession of the second half!

In the Staples Center, the hearts of all Lakers fans were in their throats.

The moment Lin Feng caught the ball, Barnes had already readjusted his position. His whole body was like a coiled leopard ready to pounce, his center of gravity low, his eyes locked onto the basketball in Lin Feng's hands.

All his attention was focused on preventing Lin Feng from shooting.

Those two difficult three-pointers from the first half were still fresh in his memory.

He absolutely would not allow this kid to score another basket in his face!

On the court, Lin Feng held the ball, crouching slightly.

His shoulders rose, his knees bent, and he brought the ball up towards his head.

It was a standard shooting motion!

He was going to shoot!

Barnes' brain made the judgment in an instant.

He was utterly deceived by Lin Feng's first-half performance, convinced that Lin Feng's only threat was his shot.

"No way!"

Barnes roared, channeling all his strength into his legs and leaping into the air recklessly, stretching his arm to its limit like a giant net, aiming to smother Lin Feng.

He was going to use a chasedown block to completely shatter this rookie's confidence!

He jumped very high.

High enough to block a shot from any angle.

However, just as he reached the peak of his jump, the basketball vanished from his sight.

Lin Feng hadn't jumped at all.

His feet were still planted firmly on the floor.

It was just an incredibly realistic, perfectly detailed shot fake.

In Lin Feng's eyes, there was only calm.

He looked at the figure in the air, flailing wildly but completely off-balance.

"He took the bait."

He thought to himself.

Lin Feng pulled the ball back, pivoted on his left foot, and turned his body with a very light touch.

Just like that, he easily blew past the desperately blocking Barnes with a single step!

The defense was breached!

"Not good!"

Inside for the Clippers, Blake Griffin reacted extremely quickly, immediately rushing out from the paint to attempt a help defense.

He was like a beast, spreading his arms wide, blocking Lin Feng's driving lane.

If it were the Lin Feng from the first half, he might have tried a forced layup, only to get swatted by Griffin's help defense.

But now, he wouldn't.

In Lin Feng's field of vision, a huge gap appeared behind Griffin.

Pau Gasol was completely wide open.

Without the slightest hesitation, the moment he drew Griffin's full attention, Lin Feng flicked his wrist.

The ball didn't fly towards the basket, but rather a precise bounce pass that went right past Griffin's feet.

The ball bounced up and landed securely in Gasol's hands.

The Spanish Bull caught the ball, with no one within three meters of him.

He even had time to take a breath.

Then, easily and gracefully, he took the mid-range jump shot.

"Swish!"

The ball went through the net cleanly!

54 to 62!

The deficit was cut to 8 points!

"Yes!"

After scoring, Gasol didn't retreat on defense as usual. Instead, he excitedly pointed a finger from afar towards Lin Feng.

That pass was so clever!

He had fooled the Clippers' fiercest defender in the simplest way!

On the sidelines, D'Antoni's tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed.

He understood. Kobe's teaching had taken effect!

Lin Feng was starting to play with his brain!

Clippers on offense.

Perhaps affected by the Lakers' easy score, Chris Paul's drive looked a bit rushed, resulting in a small passing error that was stolen by Nash.

The Lakers regained possession!

Nash dribbled across half-court, glanced at the already positioned Lin Feng, and passed him the ball again.

The same spot.

The same matchup.

Matt Barnes stood in front of Lin Feng, his expression extremely ugly.

Being faked out of his shoes on the last possession made him feel like a clown.

"You think the same trick will work again?"

He squeezed the words out through gritted teeth, his gaze fierce.

Lin Feng didn't answer him.

He caught the ball and executed the exact same motion as before.

Knees bent, rising up, bringing the ball up.

Another shot fake!

Barnes' body tensed up instantly!

In his mind, two thoughts fought wildly.

Jump? Or not jump?

Jump, and he might get blown by again, becoming a highlight reel victim.

Don't jump, and what if he actually shoots this time?

He was scared.

He didn't dare to commit fully like he did before.

It was that 0.5 seconds of hesitation!

For a top-tier shooter, that half-second is the distance between heaven and hell.

Lin Feng caught the hesitation in his eyes.

This time, the fake became real.

His legs exploded with force, his body leaping lightly upward, his wrist flicking softly.

The entire motion was fluid, so fast it was just a blur.

By the time Barnes reacted and tried to reach out to contest, it was too late.

The ball had already left his fingertips, flying through the air.

Drawing a perfect arc.

"Swish!"

Another crisp, pleasant sound.

Three-pointer made!

57 to 62!

The deficit was now only 5 points!

The Staples Center, a sea of Purple and Gold, completely erupted!

Fans wildly chanted Lin Feng's name!

Matt Barnes landed, staring blankly at the back of the number 1 jersey retreating on defense.

His mind was a complete mess.

Jump, and he gets blown by.

Don't jump, and he gets the shot off.

He felt trapped in an unsolvable loop.

The initiative was completely out of his hands now.

His proud, savage defense had become a laughable trap in the face of Lin Feng's basketball IQ, and he himself was the prey that had fallen into it.

"Beeeeep——!"

The Clippers head coach couldn't take it anymore and called a timeout.

On the court, the Lakers players excitedly gathered around.

"Well done, Lin!"

"Just like that! Play him to death!"

Nick Young rushed over and gave Lin Feng a hard chest bump.

Gasol also walked over, patted the back of his head, his face full of approval.

Lin Feng just calmly high-fived his teammates and then walked towards the bench.

His gaze passed over everyone, landing on the man in the suit.

Kobe sat there, slowly giving him a thumbs-up.

The rest of the game completely entered Lin Feng's rhythm.

After the timeout, Lin Feng held the ball beyond the three-point line again.

He didn't even do anything, just raised the ball slightly.

Barnes, like a startled bird, instinctively took half a step back, afraid of getting blown by again.

Lin Feng smiled.

He seized the gap, delivering a precise lob pass to Chris Kaman inside.

Kaman caught it, powered to the basket, drew a foul, and made both free throws.

Next possession.

Lin Feng used a shot fake and once again sent the already mentally shaken Barnes flying.

He drove into the paint, drawing the defensive attention of the entire Clippers team.

Then, a no-look pass to a completely wide-open Nash in the corner.

The veteran Nash calmly drained the open three!

The deficit was erased!