I spent the whole morning playing with Su Muqing at Disneyland.
In the afternoon, Lin Feng took the initiative to go to the training hall to familiarize himself with the new skills he had activated:
* Training jump shot.
* Side jump shot.
* Fake dunk.
* Smart positioning vs. talented rebounding.
After practicing for most of the day, Lin Feng didn't return to his residence until nine o'clock in the evening.
He had already mastered these skills.
Three days later, he would face the Albuquerque Thunderbirds in the NBDL finals, and he wouldn't let anyone down.
Opening the American version of the basketball magazine "SLAM," the cover character of this issue was Kobe Bryant.
The report article claimed that the Los Angeles Lakers were preparing to recruit new players next season.
Kobe was fed up with being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Shaquille O'Neal had gone east to join the Miami Heat. Kobe was unable to carry the team alone and didn't even make the playoffs in the 2004-05 season.
In the 2005-06 season, Kobe led the incomplete Lakers to a record of 45 wins and 37 losses, ranking seventh in the Western Conference.
In the first round, they faced the Phoenix Suns, who were ranked second in the Western Conference.
That year, Kobe made a brilliant double buzzer-beater, forcing the Suns into a desperate situation and leading the series 3-1.
Just when outsiders thought Kobe would lead the Lakers to defeat the Suns, who were second in the Western Conference, the outcome was a shock.
The team led the series 3-1 but then lost to the Suns three games in a row and unfortunately lost the series.
After the game, given Kobe's strong desire to win and his intense personality, he definitely couldn't stand it.
He hoped that the Lakers management could strengthen the team during the offseason so that the Lakers could always maintain their fighting spirit and vitality.
But unfortunately, the Lakers owner, Old Buss, had his own considerations.
He did not completely agree with Kobe's request but just asked Kobe to wait a little longer.
Kobe had had enough of these excuses.
Lin Feng was a man of the future. He knew very well that because Old Buss was slow to strengthen the Lakers team, Kobe officially forced Old Buss out in the 2006-07 season.
He threatened the media that if Buss didn't strengthen the Lakers team, he would transfer to the Chicago Bulls.
Fortunately, Kobe just said some angry words and didn't follow through.
This was a great opportunity for Lin Feng.
He knew that if he defeated the Albuquerque Thunderbirds in these NBDL finals and won the championship, the Los Angeles media would definitely report it extensively. In this series, his amazing performance and consistent play would definitely attract the attention of the Los Angeles Lakers management.
In this way, he would be able to fulfill his long-cherished wish: enter the basketball temple, the NBA, from the NBDL Development League, and join his parent team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
To put it bluntly, the Los Angeles D-Fenders were the subsidiary team of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now that he was in the Los Angeles D-Fenders, as long as he played well and performed consistently and outstandingly, he would definitely attract the management's attention.
The Lakers management had noticed him, so it wasn't impossible for him to join the Los Angeles Lakers next season, strengthen the team's overall strength, and become Kobe's teammate.
"Kobe, wait for me. Next season, I will come to strengthen the Los Angeles Lakers and become your most reliable teammate,"
Lin Feng muttered to himself, tired after a long day, and fell into a deep sleep on the bed.
…
Time flies, and three days passed in a flash.
At 9 p.m., the Los Angeles D-Fenders took on the Albuquerque Thunderbirds.
At first, no one believed that the Los Angeles D-Fenders could make it to the finals, and millions of fans speculated that the Los Angeles D-Fenders would lose to the Fort Worth Flyers.
The result was that millions of fans were proven wrong.
A great hero had emerged among the Los Angeles D-Fenders: a small Chinese player.
In the crucial decisive battle, he had turned the tide and saved the Los Angeles D-Fenders from danger.
The finals officially began!
Su Muqing also came. She was an intern reporter, and she watched the game as both a fan and a girlfriend.
She sat next to the Los Angeles D-Fenders' bench to cheer for Lin Feng.
"Baby, remember, you are the best, and I will always support you!"
During Lin Feng's introduction, Su Muqing clenched her fists and waved them at him, using this method to cheer him on.
Lin Feng smiled. Now that the similarity between him and Sakuragi Hanamichi had reached 40%, beating the Albuquerque Thunderbirds was like a piece of cake, right?
He wasn't worried about the Albuquerque Thunderbirds at all. What he was worried about was whether the Los Angeles Lakers could recruit him next season.
His goal had always been the basketball temple, the NBA, not its subordinate league, the NBDL.
The reason he was still here was for his basketball dream!
Staying in the NBDL would give him a chance to enter the NBA.
Otherwise, if he left, there would be no hope in this life.
At the same time, the two commentators sitting at the broadcast desk began to introduce the rosters for both teams.
When introducing Lin Feng, they specifically mentioned the dazzling statistics he had achieved in the last game against the Fort Worth Flyers!
He scored 33 points and grabbed 30 rebounds, 15 of which were offensive rebounds. In one game, he had as many as 15 offensive rebounds. What did this mean?
That was equivalent to the Los Angeles D-Fenders having 15 second-chance opportunities, plus the impressive stats of 10 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 steals.
A standard large triple-double!
Now, the entire NBDL Development League admired Lin Feng's incredible performance.
The coach of the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, Morey, also reminded the players to be more careful with Lin Feng because the Chinese boy had suddenly become very unpredictable.
However, the players of the Albuquerque Thunderbirds collectively dismissed this.
Earlier, Raymond Lam had left such a deep impression on them as a rookie that even though he had played very well in the last game, they thought it was just a "fluke" performance and nothing to be afraid of.
In this way, the two sides met in the finals, and the first game started immediately.
Coach Ryan made a bold decision in this game, letting Lin Feng start and Matt Carlo become a substitute.
This made Matt Carlo very unhappy, but this was Ryan's decision, and there was no point in complaining.
Lin Feng stood on the court, motioned for the team's center to step aside, and said, "I'll jump the ball. You guys wait on the side to pick it up!"
"Well…"
Everyone was stunned. A point guard jumping the ball? Interesting.
The center stepped aside, and the commentator at the broadcast desk laughed. "This is interesting. This game was interesting from the beginning. We see that Lin Feng has asked the center to pick up the ball. He's responsible for the opening jump ball."
Another commentator followed up, "In the last game, Lin Feng's performance was perfect, scoring a triple-double. I hope he can still do it in this game..."
"Okay, no more words. The game has begun. The first jump ball is for the Los Angeles D-Fenders!"
"Oh my god! I can't believe that Lin Feng, who is 189cm tall, actually overpowered the opposing center Fraser on the jump ball! Lin Feng got the first possession."
"This is simply a miracle! You know, Fraser is 220cm tall, has excellent jumping ability and athletic talent, and he has hardly ever lost a jump ball."
"And tonight, he lost the jump ball to a Chinese guard who is only 189cm tall!"
American commentators are usually very passionate, making the audience feel involved.
After they started talking, the whole stadium suddenly erupted in an uproar.
The jump ball battle between Lin Feng and Fraser was full of tension from the very beginning!
...