67: The weight of trust

The basketball landed firmly in Lin Feng's hands.

The sounds of the world vanished at that moment.

The shouts of eighteen thousand people in the Staples Center, the movements of his teammates, the hurried footsteps of the defenders—all were blocked out of his world.

Time seemed to slow down infinitely.

His brain, however, was operating at speeds exceeding the speed of light.

Kobe's raspy voice echoed in his ears.

"Now, you are the engine of this team."

"I'll carry the burden for you."

When Nash fell to the ground and was carried out on a stretcher, that roar he gave with all his strength also surfaced clearly.

"Win it!"

And then there was that damn five-game losing streak.

The overwhelming mockery from the media.

"Stat padder!"

"Team cancer!"

The fans at the Staples Center booing him for the first time.

Finally, the image froze on the locker room.

Nick Young's face, contorted with anger, his finger pointing straight at him.

"The ball is always in his hands! He only thinks about shooting it himself!"

These images, like frames of movie film, flashed back rapidly in his mind.

In reality, two Minnesota Timberwolves defenders were like two hungry wolves, opening their bloody maws and lunging crazily toward him.

They were blocking all his shooting space.

Their faces were written with determination.

They knew this was the Los Angeles Lakers' final attack.

They also knew that this shot would inevitably be finished by either Lin Feng or Kobe.

Since Kobe passed, they would smother Lin Feng!

Out of the corner of his eye, Lin Feng glanced at the left corner of the court.

Nick Young was standing there.

Because Love had rushed over to help defend Kobe and then followed the ball toward him, Nick Young's position was completely open.

Wide open space.

A massive opening where he could jump and shoot directly, or even take a moment to adjust his breathing.

Pass?

The thought appeared for only a split second.

Lin Feng's body had already subconsciously made the preparation for a shot.

He had Aomine Daiki's Unrestricted Shot.

He could shoot the ball from any posture, ignoring any defense.

The two people in front of him couldn't truly block him.

He had a sixty percent chance.

If he wanted to, he had more than a fifty-fifty chance of making this game-winner right in their faces!

At that point, he would be the hero who saved the team.

All the doubts and insults would vanish into thin air.

But... what then?

Win this one game, and then what?

Would the cracks in the team be mended?

Would Nick Young's complaints disappear?

Would he, as a "leader," truly be able to convince everyone?

No.

It wouldn't happen.

If he took the shot, it would only deepen the stereotype in his teammates' hearts that "he only trusts himself."

That crack would never heal.

He would forever be a lone hero, a stat padder.

At the critical moment.

Just before the defender's palm was about to cover his face.

Lin Feng made a decision that caused the commentators and all the fans in the Staples Center to experience a brain freeze.

He passed!

He actually passed the ball!

In the final moments of the game, at a time when he could have taken the shot himself and become a hero, he chose to pass!

That wasn't even the most shocking part.

The most shocking part was the way he passed!

Facing two defenders who were almost glued to him, he didn't choose a lob or a bounce pass through the gap.

With a flick of his wrist.

The basketball flew out from behind his back!

This wasn't an ordinary behind-the-back pass!

After leaving his fingers, the ball hit the floor with heavy spin.

Then, at an inconceivable angle, it zipped through the open legs of one of the defenders!

Behind the back!

A bounce pass!

A nutmeg!

This pass was full of imagination!

It was full of mockery for the defenders!

And even more so, it was full of that heavy weight of trust for his teammate!

"My God! What kind of pass was that?!"

On the TNT broadcast, Kenny Smith jumped straight out of his chair, his face full of disbelief.

"He... he actually passed the ball like that at a time like this? Is he crazy?!"

Charles Barkley's eyes widened, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit a basketball.

On the court.

The basketball was like a precision-guided bullet.

It bypassed all the blocks and avoided all the arms and long legs.

Accurately, it arrived at the left corner.

Nick Young was standing there.

He was completely stunned.

When Kobe passed the ball to Lin Feng, he had actually prepared himself mentally.

He was prepared to watch Lin Feng take that damn individualistic hero shot against the defense.

And then, either witness a miracle or lose the game together.

He hadn't even prepared to crash the boards for a rebound.

Because he knew the ball wouldn't be passed out again.

The past five games had proven that.

But.

The pass he thought would never happen came just like that.

And it came in a way that was as flashy as it was comfortable.

The ball arrived exactly where the man was.

He didn't even need to move half a step.

The height of the ball's bounce was exactly at his most comfortable shooting position.

The moment he caught the ball, he could shoot immediately.

Nick Young caught the ball.

He froze for a moment.

The warmth of Lin Feng's palm seemed to linger on the basketball.

It also seemed to carry a silent message.

"Nick, it's up to you."

At that moment, all the previous dissatisfaction, all the complaints, and all the anger disappeared.

In its place was a searing flame.

It burned fiercely in his chest!

This was trust!

From the team's core!

In the deciding moment of the game!

Unreserved trust!

He, Nick Young, wasn't just a player who could score during garbage time!

He could also be the hero who ended the game!

Fire ignited in Nick Young's eyes.

He did not betray that trust.

He did not waste that perfect pass.

He took a deep breath, filling his chest with air.

He adjusted his body posture to the most standard and comfortable state.

Legs bent, core tight.

Arms raised, wrist flicked.

With no one defending him, he calmly shot the basketball in his hands.

The ball left his fingertips.

Under the gaze of tens of thousands in the Staples Center and the bright lights of the arena, it traced a high, beautiful arc.

On the sidelines, Kobe didn't look at the flying basketball.

His gaze remained fixed on Lin Feng.

When he saw Lin Feng make that choice to pass, the corners of his mouth curled upward.

It was an expression of relief from the bottom of his heart.

This kid finally understood.

Regardless of whether this shot went in or not, Lin Feng had already made the choice that a true leader should make.

Time seemed to slow down.

Everyone held their breath.

The entire arena was so quiet that one could hear their own heartbeat.

That orange-yellow basketball spun in the air as if carrying the hopes of all of Los Angeles.

It passed the peak and began its descent.

Its target was straight for the hoop.

This shot would determine whether Lin Feng's choice would make him a god or a scapegoat.