Chapter Ninety-Two: Counterattack from the Brink

"I'm back!" Lin Fei shouted loudly as he walked in. It was after the fourth game, during the Warriors’ collective training session.

"Brothers, let's give a warm welcome to our Lamborghini sports car's return!" Keynes was the first to start yelling.

The training ground erupted in cheers; finally, the super kid was back. Though only two games had passed, the players felt as if it had been an eternity.

At this point, the Warriors were trailing the Thunder 1:3, the situation far from optimistic. Yet, judging by the atmosphere on the court, one could hardly sense the looming threat of defeat.

"Three-point showtime! Ding ding ding!" Keynes demanded Lin Fei perform his signature three-pointers.

Lin Fei obliged without hesitation. He picked up a ball, stepped back beyond the three-point line, jumped, and scored.

"Next! Next!" All his teammates shouted.

Lin Fei grew more excited amid the calls. He grabbed a second ball, from the same spot, scored again.

"Next! Next!" The calls continued.

Lin Fei followed with another three-pointer, one after another, his teammates' eyes widening. In the end, Lin Fei hit thirteen consecutive three-pointers. My God! To sink thirteen ultra-long-range shots in a row, especially after days without real training, and still maintain such a monstrous touch—truly a prodigy.

"Brothers, we must win again and take the final game on our home court!" Nelson rallied the team passionately.

Is this not the team of your dreams—united, harmonious, invincible?

Having been inactive for days, Lin Fei was especially energized upon his return. After playing in the intra-squad scrimmage, he stayed to practice alone for another two hours. All of it was captured by the cameras; people began to scrutinize this "shooting genius!"

The next day, after the team's training, Lin Fei continued his relentless three-point practice. He seemed to feel his shots weren't accurate or far enough. The camera filmed him throughout; many were stunned. This kid could repeat the same shot, from the same spot, endlessly. And in a real game, no one could defend him. After countless shots, Lin Fei began dribbling—rare for him. It was his unique method: reportedly, he practiced to build a relationship with the ball, to find a feel for the court. But if you looked closely, you'd notice Lin Fei dribbled with his eyes closed. It was a tactic he developed in college during his intense training, supposedly to perfect his timing and find the ideal spot for shooting.

Lin Fei knew the Warriors now had no retreat. Another loss, and they could head off on vacation—something this team did not want. Lin Fei had once said that whatever he lost, he would reclaim himself. Now, due to his injury, the Warriors had lost three games. So Lin Fei told himself: he'd retrieve every lost game.

Three days seemed to fly by. Now the Warriors and the Thunder once again faced each other on the court.

The Warriors' starting lineup remained unchanged. The newly returned Lin Fei came off the bench. But as with certain players, sometimes merely having someone on the court can intimidate the opposition. For the Thunder, Lin Fei was that kind of player.

At tip-off, the Warriors seized the initiative at home. With Lin Fei back, the team's energy was transformed. Nelson could focus his offense on the backcourt, with Curry and Keynes both sinking two consecutive shots—catching the Thunder off guard. Nelson’s intention was likely to familiarize his team with the backcourt-centric offense, preparing for Lin Fei’s return. Unexpectedly, this gave the Warriors the upper hand.

Halfway through the first quarter, the Warriors led 18:8, a ten-point advantage. At this point, Nelson had no plans for substitutions; his starters were performing so well, there was no need to bring in bench players.

The Thunder called a timeout, subbed in their bench unit, and shifted to a defensive strategy. Scott Brooks still harbored faint hopes of containing the Warriors’ offense.

Truthfully, the Warriors were at a slight disadvantage—their players were beginning to tire, while the Thunder's substitutes could wear them down and still profit. But the Warriors knew well that against the Thunder, they had to press on relentlessly. Nelson consciously shifted tactics to his wing players, Jobs and Ax. The Thunder's defense now focused more heavily on the Warriors' perimeter, but the Warriors’ wings started to fire up. Jobs and Ax scored eight consecutive points, while the Thunder managed only two from Westbrook in transition. The Warriors stretched their lead to sixteen. Scott Brooks couldn’t take it anymore, called another timeout (the Warriors had yet to use any), and put his starters back in, their seats barely warmed. Meanwhile, Nelson substituted his own bench, led by Lin Fei.

"Alright! Let me end your hopes right here!" Lin Fei secretly told himself as he entered the game.

Lin Fei's presence on the court was pure terror for the Thunder.

Lin Fei took the ball, dribbled quickly, then passed to a teammate, who cut through the paint. The teammate deliberately kicked the ball out to Lin Fei at the three-point line, but Westbrook was still tightly guarding him, making it tough to shoot. Lin Fei passed to the corner wing; his teammate caught it, drove inside, and with the Thunder defense in disarray, Perkins under the rim was completely lost amid the Warriors’ rapid ball movement, unable to locate the ball. As the Warriors attacked the basket, Perkins tangled with Crowder, and the Warriors’ bench wing dunked cleanly.

It wasn’t an assist—but everyone knew what role Lin Fei played in that scoring sequence.

Up by eighteen, and the first quarter wasn't even over.

The Thunder tried to inject energy, and Durant responded with a basket.

Haha! Things were heating up! Was the final playoff showdown between two scoring kings not thrilling enough? The battle would continue!

Lin Fei received the ball, passed to a teammate, and sprinted upcourt without the ball. The teammate dribbled up himself; at the midcourt line, Lin Fei used a screen to shake off Westbrook, caught the pass, stepped forward, jumped, released—a high, soft arc, with a strong follow-through—swish! It was almost Lin Fei's trademark, an ultra-long-range three.

But that wasn’t the end. With five seconds left in the first quarter, Lin Fei took the ball, raced upcourt. Facing two Thunder defenders, he spun, one defender rotated over, Lin Fei took a step back, spun again, shaking off the second layer of defense. Time running out, Lin Fei rose for a pull-up jumper; as the ball left his hand, the buzzer sounded—true buzzer-beater, from deep. God! An unimaginable man, hitting another century-defining buzzer-beater.

That shot seemed to crush the Thunder's spirit.

In the second quarter, Lin Fei stayed on the floor, dishing assists and draining threes. In the first half of the quarter, Lin Fei led the bench unit to twenty points; he himself went 3-for-5 from three, 2-for-2 from the line, scoring eleven. Once again, people believed—even God was going crazy!

Such outrageous firepower, almost unprecedented in NBA history!

By midway through the second quarter, the Warriors were up by twenty-seven. Speechless!

Since Lin Fei had just recovered from injury, Nelson had him rest.

Once benched, Lin Fei didn’t return—there was no need. Thus, Lin Fei "only" scored seventeen in this game!

The series score: 2:3. The Warriors pulled one back on home court.

But would the Warriors stage a comeback in the next games?

At least, fans’ expectations had reached their peak. Lin Fei’s three-pointers seemed unstoppable—almost supernatural. Scott Brooks would absolutely not let such a player run rampant again!

Playoffs! We begin anew!