Chapter 143: Three-Stage Check-In

“What?!”

At those words, Zhu Deli sprang from his seat. His right hand came crashing down on the desk, sending water splashing from the cup he had just poured.

“The Sports Channel is going to broadcast every one of the Knicks’ upcoming games? Who said that?!”

Zhu Deli’s face darkened.

“The live commentator, Hao Wei, just said so,” Zhao Jian replied.

“How is that possible?”

Zhu Deli frowned grimly for a moment before dialing He Congwen’s number.

Beep… beep…

The phone rang for a long while, but no one answered.

“Damn it! How dare he make a fool of me!”

Zhu Deli tossed the phone aside and dropped angrily back into his chair.

“And how many points did you say Lin Feng had just scored?” he asked.

“Forty-one,” Zhao Jian answered.

“That many?”

Zhu Deli knitted his brows and rubbed his hands in frustration. “He scored thirty-one in the last game, didn’t he? And now he’s got forty-one in this one? If this keeps up, what are we supposed to do?”

“Er, Director, the game isn’t over yet. Forty-one is only Lin Feng’s first-half total.”

“What?! He scored forty-one in just the first half?”

Zhu Deli’s mouth fell open, his jaw nearly hitting the floor.

“Director, I think perhaps we should…” Zhao Jian began hesitantly. “Maybe we should stop going after Lin Feng…”

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Zhu Deli shot him an icy glance.

“Director, at this point, we have to admit that Lin Feng’s talent for basketball is far beyond that of an ordinary person. He’s a once-in-a-century basketball prodigy. If he could play for the national team, forget the Olympic qualifiers—we could even contend with the strongest teams in the Olympic tournament itself. As long as the national team achieved results, your position would certainly be promoted. So I think that if we keep fighting with Lin Feng, we’ll only end up losing more than we gain.”

Zhao Jian finally mustered the courage to speak his mind.

But the moment he finished, Zhu Deli slammed his hand against the desk.

“Well, well, Zhao Jian. Looks like you’re afraid of Lin Feng, are you? Fine! Since you want to repair your relationship with him, go ahead and do it! And don’t bother keeping that position as executive member of the league committee either!”

“Please, Director.”

Seeing that Zhu Deli was truly enraged, Zhao Jian immediately backed down and began flattering him.

“I didn’t mean anything by it. I was only thinking of your interests. Since you don’t want to mend things with Lin Feng, then forget I said anything. No matter how well he does in America, he’s still just a player. Could he possibly stand up to you? If he wants to return home and develop his career, he’ll have to come begging to you. I believe that day will come.”

Zhu Deli nodded.

“Now that sounds more like it. I refuse to believe Lin Feng will stay in America for the rest of his life!”

“Exactly! He’ll return home sooner or later,” Zhao Jian quickly agreed.

…

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The third quarter began.

Both teams sent their starting lineups back onto the court. Despite scoring forty-one points in the first half, Lin Feng had not taken a rest.

The Cavaliers’ Big Three also returned together. Clearly, they had no intention of surrendering without a fight.

Whistle!

The game resumed.

The Cavaliers had possession. Thomas brought the ball up while the other four players spread out, creating room for him to isolate his defender.

For the Knicks, small forward Cook guarded Thomas one-on-one. Thomas rose over his defense and sank a mid-range jumper.

At the very start of the third quarter, the Cavaliers struck first for two points.

The Knicks inbounded from the baseline. Jones brought the ball across half court and immediately swung it to Lin Feng, whose shooting touch was still blazing hot.

“Kid, don’t expect to score in the second half!”

The instant Lin Feng caught the ball, Thomas closed in on him.

Sure enough, the Cavaliers had adjusted their defensive strategy. They had put Thomas, their power forward, on Lin Feng.

In height, weight, and explosiveness, Thomas overwhelmed Lin Feng. Using him as Lin Feng’s defender unquestionably made things much harder for the Knicks’ star.

Thomas was not only one of the league’s most dangerous offensive players; he had also been named to the All-Defensive First Team during the regular season. His defensive ability was recognized throughout the league.

“Oh, Coach Brown has made an adjustment on defense. Thomas is now guarding Lin Feng. This could be trouble for Lin Feng. Thomas stands six foot six, while Lin is only six feet. Against a player who is six inches taller and possesses incredible leaping ability, Lin’s three-point shot may well be neutralized.”

The commentator, Haisen, had barely finished speaking when Lin Feng rose for a three-pointer directly in Thomas’s face.

“Oh my God! Lin Feng has completely lost his mind! He’s taking a three with Thomas right in front of him. That is incredible confidence…”

“Good heavens… it’s… in!”

Haisen had not even finished his first sentence before Lin Feng answered with a crushing rebuttal, leaving him no chance to continue.

The three-pointer extended the Knicks’ lead by another point.

74–38!

As Lin Feng passed Thomas, he grinned and said, “Sorry to disappoint you, Thomas. I’ve already scored.”

On an NBA court, exchanging threats and talking trash was part of the game.

The Cavaliers attacked again. Thomas remained their primary weapon, but when he drove into the paint, he was blocked by the Knicks’ massive center, Poldoski.

Poldoski secured the ball and quickly fired it ahead to Jones. Jones accelerated up the court and, imitating Lin Feng, pulled up from beyond the arc.

Swish!

The shot went in!

77–38!

The Knicks now led by thirty-nine points.

From that moment on, the Cavaliers launched a desperate comeback attempt. They knew that if they entered the fourth quarter trailing by more than thirty points, they would have no chance at all. If they still hoped to steal the game, they had to cut the deficit to under twenty before the third quarter ended. Only then would they have an opportunity to stake everything on one final assault in the fourth.

But the Cavaliers’ hopes were lofty, while reality was…

The Knicks had a monster named Lin Feng.

Swish!

Swish!

Swish!

Lin Feng did little else that quarter. Whenever he saw an opening, he fired from three-point range.

And because he wanted to hone his three-point ability, Lin Feng did not use any special aids. As a result, his accuracy fell somewhat. Even so, he still sank seven three-pointers in the third quarter alone, scoring twenty-one points.

Added to his forty-one from the first half, he had already amassed sixty-two points through three quarters.

The Cavaliers also seemed to have found their rhythm on offense during the quarter, scoring twenty-five points. After three quarters, they had sixty-one in total.

The overall score stood at 98–61.

The Knicks ended the third quarter with a thirty-seven-point lead.

Looking back over the first three quarters, the Cavaliers as a team had scored sixty-one points, while Lin Feng himself had poured in sixty-two—one more than the entire Cavaliers roster.

It was no exaggeration to say that Lin Feng had single-handedly defeated the Cavaliers’ Big Three.

And with the third quarter over, the enormous gap had completely stripped the game of suspense. Making up thirty-seven points in a single quarter was something only God could accomplish.

Or perhaps Lin Feng.