Chapter 120: 7 Points

Barkley’s mouth was never one to stay idle.

"Undoubtedly, he is the fastest player in league history, as well as the greatest shooter—and please understand me clearly, the greatest, not one of the greatest. From my perspective, if he lacked either of those traits, he wouldn't be successful. He is too small; he must rely on elite speed to shake off defenders, and because his physicality is lacking, he must constantly extend his shooting range. Without either, he would never have become a superstar, nor would he have captured a scoring title." Barkley continued to share his views on Lin Fei. Having tracked him since that 28-point performance in three minutes last season, he had spent over a year harboring thoughts about Lin Fei, and he was determined to get them all out today. "It’s a shame I didn’t have a teammate like him back in my day. If we had paired up—both of us being undersized players at our respective positions—we definitely would have won a championship." The man even found himself daydreaming about what it would feel like to win a title.

"Tell me, who do you think is better, Lin Fei or Iverson?" another commentator asked.

"That’s a tough question! This past season, they were so similar—both capable of explosive scoring, both incredibly fast, and both poor defensively. However, when it comes to scoring, I lean toward Lin Fei. I know Iverson won four scoring titles, but I’m more optimistic about Lin Fei’s potential. This is only his second season. If he can stay healthy for the next four or five years, he will undoubtedly win the scoring title with ease. And look at the Warriors! These young talents are enough to make coaches from other teams drool. Even if the Warriors lose to Dallas this season, I believe that next year, when the Lakers, Spurs, and Mavericks have aged, teams like the Warriors, the Thunder—if they stay healthy—and the Trail Blazers, whose core players are all on the rise, will surely achieve even more astonishing results. But looking at the games just played, the Warriors are clearly the most formidable of these young teams. If they put in just a little more effort, they could at least reach the Western Conference Finals, if not the NBA Finals, and win it all. And if they do make the Finals, it will carry far more weight than when Iverson reached them, because the Eastern Conference Iverson played in was arguably the weakest in history."

"Oh! In the hearts of the fans, Iverson is a cultural icon, destined to be unsurpassable. Do you think Lin Fei can surpass him?"

Barkley grew more animated: "I need to clarify: the person Lin Fei needs to surpass right now is Michael Jordan, not Iverson."

As he spoke, the commentator shouted, "Oh! Lin Fei just hit his first three-pointer of the day."

"Oh! This is a disaster! He’s going to break every three-point record in existence! In front of Lin Fei, Reggie Miller and Ray Allen might just be fleeting clouds. His three-point shooting is simply too exceptional! I’ve lost count of how many dozens, or even hundreds, of three-point records Lin Fei and his Warriors have shattered this season."

"Hahahaha." Barkley laughed out loud. In truth, for this veteran, he was actually hoping Lin Fei would drop sixty-plus points again; even if it meant having to kiss a donkey's rear end, it wouldn't matter.

With four minutes left in the first quarter, Nelson subbed Lin Fei out.

"Lin Fei is 3-of-9 for 7 points in the first quarter. Do you need to adjust the number of donkey rears you have to kiss?" To be fair, putting up those numbers in a single quarter was a bit underwhelming for Lin Fei.

By the end of the first quarter, the score between the Warriors and Mavericks was 24-26. The Warriors trailed by two. Clearly, the Warriors' offense hadn't found its rhythm; for a team that averaged over 120 points per game, scoring only 24 in a quarter on 30% shooting was a bit of a letdown for the fans.

"It’s obvious that Lin Fei looks a bit fatigued. He isn't as fast as he was in the last game, and his shooting lacks its usual aggression. If it takes Lin Fei nine shots to get 7 points, the Warriors don't have much hope of winning. They can't seem to find their rhythm and are playing at Dallas's pace. This might be due to physical exhaustion; they need to make the proper adjustments to manage their energy."

At the start of the second quarter, Lin Fei remained on the bench. Curry and Cairns took the backcourt.

"Actually, I’m quite high on Cairns. If given the opportunity, this kid could be the perfect backcourt partner for Lin Fei. Truly, his defense is excellent, and he can hit open threes, though his playmaking needs work. Since Lin Fei needs to focus his energy on scoring, the Warriors need their shooting guard to be more of a facilitator, or they need a playmaker at the forward position."

"Oh! Sir Barkley! Look at the stats! The Warriors lead the league in assists! Don't let Lin Fei's style fool you! Even though he doesn't rack up many assists, Curry averages nearly 7 per game, and the Warriors are the most balanced passing team in the league. Every starter—Jobs, Aikes, Cairns, Lin Fei, and Cloudson—all contribute 2 to 5 assists. How can you say they lack playmaking?"

"Oh! My point is that they could still be better, couldn't they? If I were the general manager, I would at least sign a few experienced veterans and put them in the rotation to make up for the team's shortcomings in various areas!"

After Curry entered, the Warriors' offensive pace remained the same, but it looked much more fluid. Curry dished out consecutive assists to Jobs and Aikes for baskets. The Warriors' offense seemed to be opening up.

"Kidd is truly getting old; otherwise, he wouldn't allow a Curry to look so comfortable in front of him! In his prime, Kidd might have been a 'Lin Fei stopper,'" Barkley added.

The score was tied! Three minutes into the second quarter, it was 30-30.

Curry missed a three-pointer, and Chandler grabbed the board. Kidd pushed the ball quickly to the frontcourt to organize the half-court set.

Kidd held the ball at the top of the arc. Nowitzki set a high pick-and-roll, and Kidd used the screen to drive inside the arc, but his speed was clearly lacking. Curry stayed with him easily, and even if he hadn't, Cairns was likely there near the free-throw line to help. But Kidd’s drive was a feint, and his pass was the real intent. Facing the closing Curry, Kidd flicked the ball behind his back. The pass was perfectly placed, landing right in Nowitzki’s hands, who immediately drained the three-pointer.

The Warriors responded, with Curry passing to Aikes in the corner. Inexplicably, Aikes missed an open three-pointer with no defender nearby. Fortunately, Jobs grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked it out to Cairns, who didn't hesitate to shoot, but also missed. This time, there was no offensive rebound, and Nowitzki secured the ball.

Kidd organized the offense again, dumping it to Nowitzki, who passed to Marion. Marion swung it back to Kidd, who lofted the ball toward the rim for an alley-oop finish by Chandler.

"Kidd’s playmaking has completely unlocked Chandler! If you replaced Chandler with a player like Howard, the Warriors' interior would likely be completely decimated."

The Warriors' situation grew increasingly passive, but Nelson remained calm.