Chapter 118: Trial (Part II)

Harris ignored everyone’s stares, then pulled a thousand dollars from his wallet and handed it to the organizer of the bet.

“Damn, someone actually finds dollars too harsh to touch? Come on, guys, let’s keep going…”

The Knicks’ players, coaching staff, and some of the club’s on-site personnel all placed bets, and the total wagered surprisingly reached thirty-one thousand dollars.

For NBA stars who spend money like water, this was trivial, but for the team’s bench players on minimum salary, coaching staff, and ordinary workers, this sum was quite substantial.

Among all the bettors, only Harris dared to guess the extraordinary figure of twenty-three shots made; the others guessed no more than fifteen.

The one who guessed fifteen was a member of the coaching staff who had watched Lin Feng’s CBA finals footage. However, even with that, he found it hard to believe Lin Feng could sink more than twenty shots, especially since the NBA three-point line is much farther than the CBA's.

The three-point shooting contest began.

Since this was only part of the tryout, the scoring wasn’t as detailed as in the official three-point contest. The rules were simple: five shooting spots, five balls at each spot, totaling twenty-five shots. The player who made the most shots would be the winner.

Jones went first. Originally, he had nothing to do with the tryout, but with all eyes on the court, he naturally wanted to perform well. After all, it would be embarrassing if he casually lost to a rookie trying out.

Jones took a deep breath and began shooting.

He was the team’s primary shooter, with a 42.5% three-point shooting percentage during the regular season. Among players in the league who attempted over two hundred three-pointers, he ranked tenth, making him an outstanding shooter.

Jones fully demonstrated his skill in this round, making eighteen out of twenty-five shots, missing only seven.

Such a performance would already be impressive in any three-point contest.

“Jones, nicely done!”

The Knicks’ players high-fived Jones, confident he would clinch first place in the contest.

Lehman was next. Before trying out with the Knicks, he had played for clubs in Europe. Although he had experience in the NBA, his career hadn’t flourished, so he sought opportunity overseas.

Lehman was a combo guard who could play both one and two positions. His strength was versatility: he had a decent three-point shot, quick penetration, and reasonable court vision. However, he lacked an outstanding specialty, so even if he found a spot in the NBA, it was only as a substitute.

Recently, Lehman had been practicing three-point shooting intensely. With the NBA trending toward small-ball play, an outside shooter needed to master the three-pointer to secure a spot.

Lehman’s shooting rhythm was slower, perhaps to ensure stability, but this steady pace earned him a solid shooting percentage: sixteen out of twenty-five shots made. Though two fewer than Jones, it was still a remarkable result.

“His open three-point shooting percentage hit 64%. For a bench player, that’s excellent.”

As the team’s data analyst, McCarthy immediately calculated Lehman’s shooting percentage and nodded approvingly.

“Kid, it’s your turn. Hope you don’t lose too badly.”

Lehman was pleased with his performance. After stepping off the court, he grinned proudly at Lin Feng.

Lin Feng shot him a sideways glance but ignored him, walking slowly onto the court.

“It’s his turn!”

“Hey, guys, the money’s about to be settled.”

As Lin Feng stepped onto the court, all eyes fixed on him, since the bets were placed on him.

Standing at the first shooting spot, Lin Feng glanced at the hoop. The NBA three-point line was one meter farther than the CBA’s. Though it didn’t sound far, on the limited space of a basketball court, it was a significant difference.

For an ordinary CBA player, shooting from the NBA three-point line would certainly feel uncomfortable due to the distance. But for Lin Feng, armed with skills akin to the legendary Stephen Curry, this was no challenge at all!

Picking up the first basketball, Lin Feng took a quick aim at the hoop.

He released the ball.

The basketball traced a familiar arch through the air.

Swish!

The net rippled.

The shot went in!

“Unbelievable! It went in on the first try!”

“First shot, and it’s good!”

“Making one shot isn’t a big deal; everyone gets lucky sometimes. Just wait, I bet he can’t make a second one…”

A Knicks player was about to speak, doubting Lin Feng could make a second shot. But on the court, Lin Feng had already released his third shot—and like the first two—he made it!

Then came the fourth and fifth shots.

At the first shooting spot, he made all five shots perfectly!

“Holy—five in a row?!”

“I can’t believe this is real!!!”

“My thousand dollars… I only guessed he’d make five shots total…”

As Lin Feng hit five consecutive shots, the Knicks’ coaches and players stood stunned, their faces full of shock. Lehman, Lin Feng’s direct competitor, gaped in disbelief, mouth agape for a long time.

Harris, Lin Feng’s former teammate, smiled broadly, and his agent Walker stroked his beard with a satisfied grin.

On the court, Lin Feng’s streak continued.

At the second shooting spot—five shots, all made!

At the third shooting spot—five shots, all made!

At the fourth shooting spot—five shots, all made!

In the blink of an eye, Lin Feng had made twenty consecutive three-pointers!

With one shooting spot left, Lin Feng had already secured victory in the three-point contest.

On the sidelines, everyone in the Knicks organization was dumbfounded. They looked at Lin Feng as if he were a monster. Hitting twenty consecutive three-pointers was a feat only a handful of elite shooters in the league could achieve.

“He must be on something!”

“Could God have taken on yellow skin?”

“Where did this guy pop out from?”

“Oh my God! I must be dreaming…”

The Knicks players buzzed with speculation.

Head coach Fields rested his chin on one hand, seriously studying Lin Feng’s fundamental physical test data that McCarthy had handed him earlier.

Lehman, Lin Feng’s direct rival, was dumbstruck, staring blankly at Lin Feng on the court.

“This… it’s impossible…”

Jones, the Knicks’ top shooter, looked dazed and muttered, “I actually lost to an Asian?”

On the court, after making the last shot at the fourth shooting spot, Lin Feng did not continue to shoot at the final spot. Instead, he strode off the court with his head held high.

You all looked down on me, didn’t you?

You thought I would lose, didn’t you?

You thought I could only make single-digit shots, didn’t you?

Now, Lin Feng answered with undeniable strength. He not only won the contest but utterly dominated it!

…