34: A game-winning shot! An assist!

4 seconds.

3 seconds.

Under the gaze of nearly twenty thousand people in the Staples Center, time ticked away second by second.

Lin Feng didn't move.

He just stood there, rhythmically dribbling the basketball, his calm eyes scanning the entire court.

His gaze bypassed Butler in front of him, seeing the Clippers' interior defense contracted like an iron barrel.

Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan stood like two guardian gods on either side of the paint; their intention couldn't be clearer.

They would let him shoot, but they would never let him drive inside.

This was a trap specifically designed for his individual scoring ability.

"Time is running out! What is Lin Feng waiting for?"

At the commentary table, Barkley clenched his fists nervously.

"He has to take the shot!"

Just as Barkley finished speaking, Lin Feng moved!

He suddenly dipped his body to the right, making an incredibly realistic drive fake!

Caron Butler's body instinctively shifted to the right to block his path.

Now!

Lin Feng's body snapped back like a spring, he crossed the ball between his legs, and launched himself to the left!

A simple change of direction, yet so fast it left only an afterimage!

Butler's center of gravity was completely fooled. He twisted his body, only to see Lin Feng's No. 1 jersey flash past him.

He was beaten by half a step!

"He's in!" Kenny Smith shouted.

Lin Feng took long strides, charging toward the paint!

At that moment, the Clippers' trap tightened completely!

Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan didn't hesitate for a second, closing in on Lin Feng like two moving mountains!

In their eyes, there was only that Eastern kid rushing toward the basket.

This was a lethal double-team!

For a rookie facing two of the league's top interior defenders, the outcome seemed predetermined.

In the stands, countless Lakers fans had their hearts in their throats; some even closed their eyes, unable to watch.

In the VIP seats, Taylor Swift's Agent let out a low cry.

"Oh no, he's being too impulsive!"

Taylor didn't speak. Her fists clenched even tighter, her blue eyes reflecting the figure flying through the air.

Just as Griffin leaped high, his massive hands about to envelop the ball, ready to deliver a sky-blocking rejection to this overconfident rookie...

In mid-air, Lin Feng made a move that caused everyone's brain to freeze.

He didn't choose to shoot, nor did he even attempt a layup.

His body leaned back to the limit in the air, performing a double-clutch maneuver that completely evaded Griffin's block.

Then, he flicked his wrist downward.

The basketball didn't fly toward the rim.

Instead, from an inconceivable angle, it passed through the gap between Griffin's raised arm and body, right under his armpit!

This was a pass that should never have appeared in a game-winning possession!

This was a pass that belonged only on a street court or in an exhibition game!

The eyes of the world followed that orange ball as it traced a low, flat arc.

The ball flew accurately to the other side of the basket.

There, a figure in a No. 16 purple and gold jersey had been waiting for a long time.

Pau Gasol!

All of the Clippers' defensive attention had been drawn to Lin Feng, who was flying through the air.

No one noticed when the Spaniard had cut into that position.

He was completely wide open!

Gasol caught the ball with no one in front of him.

He didn't even need to adjust.

He rose from the floor!

Holding that basketball, which represented the hope of victory, high above his head with both hands.

"Roar!"

With a roar that had been suppressed all game, Gasol smashed the ball into the hoop with a powerful two-handed dunk!

"Clang!"

The rim let out a groan of pain.

"Buzzer!"

At the same time the ball passed through the net, the red light above the court lit up, and the final buzzer echoed throughout the arena!

Time's up!

The shot is good!

97 to 96!

The two points count!

The Lakers, in the final second of the game, snatched a comeback victory over the Los Angeles Clippers by one point!

After a split second of dead silence, Staples Center...

...instantly turned into an ocean of joy!

"Aaaaaah!"

"We won! We won!"

"A game-winner! It's a game-winner!"

The tension, suppression, and anticipation accumulated throughout the game transformed into the most primal cheers and shouts at this moment, the sound waves nearly lifting the roof off the arena!

On the court, Gasol, having completed the dunk, excitedly beat his chest and roared at the sky!

Nick Young was the first to rush in from the bench, jumping directly onto Gasol's back!

Jordan Hill, Chris Kaman... all the Lakers players rushed toward the center of the court like madmen.

But their target wasn't Gasol, who had finished the dunk.

It was that No. 1 rookie who had just stood up from the floor.

"Lin! You genius!"

Nash rushed over and grabbed Lin Feng's head tightly.

"Incredible pass! It was pure magic!"

Gasol also squeezed in, slapping Lin Feng's back hard; the Spaniard's face was full of excitement and gratitude.

Lin Feng was surrounded by his teammates and tossed into the air.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Like a hero, he enjoyed the adoration of the entire crowd.

The Clippers players, meanwhile, looked stunned and dejected.

Chris Paul stood with hands on his hips, staring blankly at the replay on the big screen.

He couldn't understand how a rookie dared to make such a choice in that situation.

It wasn't a rational choice.

It was a gambler's choice.

Yet, he had won the bet.

On the big screen, the slow-motion footage of the final moments played over and over.

Lin Feng's inconceivable double-clutch evasion in the air.

That brilliant pass through Griffin's armpit.

Gasol's easy, uncontested dunk.

Every frame felt like a heavy punch to the heart of everyone on the Clippers.

"My God! That wasn't a game-winning shot! It was a game-winning assist!"

Barkley stood up excitedly at the commentary table, waving his arms.

"I take back what I said before! He's not the next Kobe! He's Magic Johnson! He's Larry Bird! He's Jason Williams! He's a combination of all the passing masters!"

"On the final possession, when everyone thought he would attack himself, he chose to trust his teammate! That kind of poise and court vision is something I've only seen in the top superstars!"