51: Official idolization, the Spurs' disdain

It was a push notification from the official NBA social media account.

Lin Feng subconsciously swiped his screen, his fingertip touching the notification.

A well-produced video highlight reel automatically began to play.

The cover of the video was the moment from last night when he was knocked to the ground by P.J. Tucker but still managed to toss the ball into the hoop.

A large, eye-catching English title with fire-burning effects occupied the entire screen.

【Can You Believe It? The Acrobat King of the Basketball Court! Linsanity 2.0 Is Coming!】

(Can you believe it? The Acrobat King of the basketball court! Linsanity 2.0 is coming!)

Rousing rock music blared.

The first shot of the video showed him facing a triple-team, elegantly tossing the ball into the air, then squeezing through the gaps between defenders to catch it for a layup.

Following that was the goal where he had his back to the basket, bounced the ball off the top edge of the backboard, and it fell eerily into the net.

Then, there were those unreasonable three-pointers from the preseason that he took just after crossing half-court.

Every goal was accompanied by the heart-wrenching roars of the live commentators and slow-motion replays of fans in the stands holding their heads in shock.

The video editor was clearly top-tier; they had strung together all of Lin Feng's illogical scoring methods in the most visually impactful way possible.

At the end of the video, the frame froze on Kobe's serious face at a press conference.

"Even I can't do that."

"He's not playing basketball."

"He's creating art."

Kobe's words became the ultimate endorsement for this video.

The video ended, and the screen displayed its statistics.

Posted less than an hour ago.

Views: three million.

Shares: two hundred thousand.

The social networks across North America, and even the entire globe, were set ablaze by this video.

Lin Feng stared at his phone screen, silent for a long time.

Kobe's teachings from earlier seemed to still echo in his ears.

"When a simple pass can end the battle, don't use a shot that relies on luck."

"Victory is the only objective."

But now, the whole world was going crazy over those shots of his that "relied on luck."

The league officials had even personally crowned him as the "Acrobat King."

The feeling was a bit strange.

He exited the video and looked at his social media account.

His follower count was skyrocketing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The comments section was flooded with messages from all over the world.

"My God! This is what basketball should look like! So gorgeous!"

"eastern magician! Please take my knees!"

"From today on, I'm your fan! You're much more interesting than those beasts who only know how to dunk!"

Lin Feng silently put away his phone.

Kobe looked at him and didn't ask anything.

"Go back and rest early."

"Understood." Lin Feng nodded, turned, and left the video analysis room... The next day.

Lin Feng's global popularity experienced a terrifying, explosive growth.

That video titled 【Acrobat King】 surpassed thirty million views across the entire web in just twenty-four hours.

"Acrobat King."

"eastern magician."

These two nicknames spread like wildfire, becoming the most prominent labels on him.

In the official NBA store, the sales of Lakers jerseys printed with "LIN" and number "24" jumped from the middle of the league rankings directly into the top five overnight.

His ranking was second only to the four top superstars of the league: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Derrick Rose.

Countless commercial endorsement offers flew into his Agent Rich Paul's inbox like snowflakes.

Early in the morning, Rich Paul called, his voice filled with uncontrollable excitement.

"Lin! You're famous! You're completely famous!"

"Nike has already sent over a new contract offer. They're willing to give you a five-year, seventy-million-dollar contract! It comes with a personal signature shoe!"

"There's also Gatorade, McDonald's, 2K Games... Do you know? 2K even wants you and LeBron to be on the cover of next year's 'NBA 2K15' together!"

"We're rich! Lin! We're really going to be rich!"

Lin Feng listened to his Agent's wild joy on the other end of the line, but his own emotions were very calm.

"Rich, calm down."

"How can I calm down? Do you know how much these endorsements are worth combined? This is just the first wave! There will be more in the future!"

"Hold off on all these offers for now. Tell them I'm not in a hurry," Lin Feng said.

Rich Paul was stunned on the other end.

"What? Not in a hurry? Lin, this is cold, hard cash!"

"I said, I'm not in a hurry," Lin Feng repeated, his tone brook no argument.

He knew very well that part of the current hype was just superficial heat.

Only by continuing to win and translating his on-court performance into solid results could this commercial value truly solidify.

He took Kobe's teachings to heart.

Victory was the foundation of everything... Lakers practice facility.

As soon as Lin Feng walked into the gym, he was grabbed in a hug by Nick Young.

"Hey! Acrobat King! Our eastern magician is here!"

Nick Young winked and mimicked Lin Feng's spin-around shot from the video, nearly twisting himself into a pretzel.

"Quick, tell me, how did you practice that move? I want to learn it too!"

Lin Feng pushed him away helplessly.

"I suggest you don't learn it. I'm afraid you'll be out for the season."

"Hahahaha!"

A burst of laughter erupted in the locker room.

His teammates looked at him with eyes full of good-natured teasing and genuine admiration.

Clearly, they had all seen the video that was going viral across the internet.

However, amidst this joyful atmosphere, an undercurrent of "overpraising to kill" was also quietly surging.

On the television in the practice facility, a famous basketball commentary program was playing.

Two commentators were heatedly discussing the topic of Lin Feng.

One of them, a white-haired veteran commentator, looked serious.

"I admit, this young man's performance is highly entertaining. He reminds me of 'White Chocolate' Jason Williams, maybe even more flamboyant."

"But do you really think this style of play can lead a team to victory?"

The other younger commentator countered, "Why not? He scored 49 points in the last game and led the team to a 27-point victory!"

The veteran commentator shook his head, his words sharp.

"One game doesn't prove anything. Basketball is a five-man sport. Victory comes from sound tactics and efficient teamwork."

"And what he's doing is playing in an extremely individualistic way. Those high-difficulty shots are essentially harmful to team basketball."

"When he makes them, he's a hero. But what happens when he misses? He becomes a cancer to the team."

"To be blunt, this is a form of sophisticated egoism. He enjoys all the cheers and the spotlight while leaving the risk to the entire team."

The veteran commentator concluded.

"This style of play might make him an All-Star or a social media superstar, but he will never be able to lead a team to a championship."

These words caused the atmosphere in the locker room to cool down.

Nick Young shouted indignantly, "What does that old man know? He's just jealous!"

Gasol and Nash exchanged a look, their expressions somewhat grave.

They knew that while the old commentator's words were harsh, they weren't entirely without merit.

This was exactly what Kobe had been worried about last night.

Just then, head coach D'Antoni walked in, clapped his hands, and drew everyone's attention.

"Guys, the scouting report for our next opponent is out."

He pinned a document onto the tactical board.

When everyone saw the logo on it, they fell silent.

It was the silver and black Spurs logo.

The San Antonio Spurs.

The most disciplined team in the league, with the highest tactical literacy, and the most emphasis on team basketball—a truly steely squad.

They were also the natural nemesis of Lin Feng's flamboyant style of play.

D'Antoni's expression was very serious.

"This will be a tough battle. They are completely different from the Suns."

Meanwhile, in far-off San Antonio.

After the Spurs' practice, head coach Gregg Popovich accepted a routine interview by the sidelines.

A reporter handed over a microphone and asked a question everyone was concerned about.

"Coach, you'll be facing the Los Angeles Lakers in the next game. What are your thoughts on their rising star Lin Feng and his flamboyant 'acrobatic basketball'?"

Popovich took a sip of water, expressionless.

He glanced at the reporter and, in his signature tone that was so flat it was almost cold, said simply:

"I prefer five-man team basketball, not a circus."