Chapter 94: The Insoluble Dilemma

Controlling the game? Lin Fei, do you realize? This is the moment of the superstar. Right now, you are the star for whom the crowd clamors.

After a brief rest, overtime began, and Lin Fei stepped back onto the court. Though he had barely played in the first four quarters, Coach Nelson still believed that this young man would work a miracle in overtime.

The Warriors gained possession.

The arena was in an uproar, boos echoing all around. Close your eyes—whose court is this? Whose world is this? In that instant, Lin Fei felt the ball, felt the court, felt the existence of the entire world.

He controlled the ball and drove straight across half-court. By now, everyone knew—no one could stop this young man’s frenzy, except perhaps himself.

A shot from midcourt, with Durant himself guarding him. The scoring champion had led the league in points for several years, so he was well-versed in the tricks of every elite scorer—especially someone like Lin Fei, whose singular skill seemed enough to conquer all. This made it easier for opponents to shut him down. Yet, as Durant came up to defend, Lin Fei executed an almost impossible fadeaway in midair at nearly a thirty-degree angle. Even though Durant was almost twenty centimeters taller, Lin Fei’s extreme fadeaway, coupled with his quicker release, left Durant half a step behind and barely able to reach the ball. Lin Fei’s three-pointer found the net once more.

Scott Brooks, witnessing this move, was genuinely thrilled and immediately called a timeout!

A timeout so soon—had he seen something others missed?

Back on the court, Durant drove straight into the paint to score. Only one point behind!

Lin Fei had the ball again, but a strange defensive setup appeared: one defender in front, one behind. Westbrook guarded him up front, while another player trailed from behind at some distance. Lin Fei noticed but assumed the trailing defender was marking Keyns behind him and paid it little mind. He sprinted forward, the player behind matching his pace. Suddenly, Westbrook gave him a wide berth near midcourt—an error Lin Fei found puzzling. Surely they wouldn’t make such a fatal mistake! But since the opportunity was there, he wouldn’t waste it. It was as if they were inviting him to shoot.

Lin Fei leapt to shoot. At that moment, Westbrook lunged forward, but Lin Fei knew the gap was too wide—Westbrook couldn’t even graze his jersey. Lin Fei felt a flash of triumph: this was a gift, a blunder on the opponent’s part. But just as he was about to release the ball, he caught a detail in the corner of his eye. The player he’d thought was guarding Keyns was actually closing in on him. No wonder Westbrook dared to give him space—someone else was lying in wait behind! The trap was set for Lin Fei all along. In midair, Lin Fei realized the shot was doomed. The defender behind him covered the ball with his hand, leaving Lin Fei no room to evade, and blocked the shot outright. Worse still, Westbrook seemed ready for it—at the moment of the block, he was already racing upcourt. Lin Fei, despite his speed, still needed a moment to recover and turn. All he could do was watch as Westbrook drove into a wide-open lane for a thunderous windmill dunk.

What he’d thought was a defensive mistake was, in fact, a carefully laid trap. Lin Fei could only blame himself for falling headlong into it.

Now the Warriors were down by one.

Coach Nelson understood that the Thunder’s defense was now entirely centered on Lin Fei. He didn’t call a timeout; at this moment, he trusted his players to command the court. He’d always said he wanted every player who played for him to leave ready to be a coach, or at least an assistant. In this situation, he had every reason to believe in them.

Lin Fei brought the ball up again. Calm. Stay calm.

The rhythm of his dribble, the cadence of his breath, the beating of his heart—all seemed to move in perfect harmony, as if following a set tempo.

At this moment, Lin Fei felt as if he were listening to the voice of the ocean, boundless and vast—a state of mind only he could truly grasp. Even as the stands roared like crashing waves, Lin Fei could still find his own rhythm among the tumult.

The same defensive setup—one in front, one behind. Scott Brooks, having tasted success, wanted to spring another ambush on Lin Fei. Same tactic, same personnel, but not the same opponent. Lin Fei feinted a midcourt shot. Westbrook and the trailing defender lunged to block him, but Lin Fei saw his chance. He jumped, passing the ball “premeditatedly” to Keyns. With the first line of defense gone, Keyns drove straight to the basket. The help defenders scrambled, but the defense was thrown into disarray. Keyns finished an easy layup.

It reminded people of the saying, “To control a game, you don’t always have to score.” Sometimes, grabbing rebounds, assisting, blocking, or stealing can let you dominate the court. Lin Fei was now controlling the game not through scoring, but through all-around play.

The Warriors reclaimed a two-point lead. The Thunder, unwilling to yield, had to grit their teeth and maintain their offensive composure. Now they too needed someone with a big heart—someone who could score and control the game.

Durant, from deep, took a screen from a teammate and sank a three-pointer. If not for Lin Fei’s dazzling performance from beyond the arc, fans might have noticed the other gifted shooters on the floor—like Curry, Keyns, or even Durant. But their brilliance was eclipsed by Lin Fei’s three-point barrage.

The Thunder pulled ahead by one.

The suspense was mounting.

Lin Fei orchestrated the next attack. The same double-team defense. This time, when he drew the defenders, he passed to Aix. Aix dribbled to the baseline and passed it to Jobs in the low post. Jobs, with quicker footwork than Perkins guarding the paint, easily scored with a hook shot.

Warriors back up by one.

“It’s hard to believe this is a playoff game,” someone remarked. “It looks like there’s no defense on the court, but the competition is incredibly fierce.”

Durant took possession again, scoring once more. Now the game had become a duel between Lin Fei and Durant: one scoring, one passing.

Lin Fei brought the ball up once again and noticed that the Thunder defenders, front and back, were now consciously blocking his passing lanes. He saw his window and rose quickly for a shot. The defenders realized too late—Lin Fei’s release was simply too fast. If you missed your spot or timing by even a fraction, you had no chance. Another three-pointer for Lin Fei.

Warriors by four! Victory was within reach.

Thunder called another timeout, their morale wounded.

Why did they have to face such a monstrous player?

Under the mounting pressure, the Thunder’s next attack failed. On the other end, Lin Fei once again sprinted upcourt, stopped on a dime, and nailed another three-pointer, delivering the final blow to the Thunder.

In the crucial moments, the most reliable player—Lin Fei!

With this win, the Warriors tied the series 3–3, pushing all the suspense to the final game. Now, with home court advantage and an explosive Lin Fei ready to erupt at any moment, almost everyone was picking the Warriors to win. There was no reason for them to lose.