Chapter 003: Delight!
"Everyone, stay calm. We're still in the lead. Control the tempo, focus the offense under the basket. We’re at home, the referees are on our side!"
“And Lin Feng’s shooting is hot right now. Double-team him; force him to pass.”
…
Wang Chunsheng laid out the next set of tactics. The game resumed with 1 minute and 47 seconds remaining.
Lin Feng stepped up to the free-throw line to take the bonus shot. His mindset now was a world apart from when he first came on. The earlier two missed free throws were due to nerves, but now he was relaxed, brimming with confidence.
He dribbled twice, then shot decisively.
Swish!
The net rippled; the bonus shot was good!
100 to 97!
Jiangning still trailed by three.
“He made the bonus too. Only three points left. Now it’s impossible to say who’ll win.”
“Exactly. Being down three is completely different from being down four. Three points can be erased with a single possession. The game is practically back to square one. Unbelievable! In the past 37 seconds, Jiangning went on a 10–0 run. More precisely, Lin Feng himself single-handedly outscored Beicheng 10 to 0!”
“That’s the thrill of competitive sports. When Lin Feng came on, nobody imagined this young man would turn the tide!”
…
The game continued. Randall brought up the ball. Beicheng spread the floor. With seven seconds left on the shot clock, their center, Chen Xi, came out to set a high pick for Randall, who sliced into the paint and scored a layup.
102 to 97!
That basket eased Beicheng’s pressure. Head coach Wang Chunsheng exhaled deeply. The home crowd’s passion was reignited.
1 minute and 25 seconds remained. Up by five, Beicheng seized control once more.
The championship seemed within their grasp!
On the court, as Lin Feng crossed midcourt, he was double-teamed. Even with Curry’s three-point prowess at his disposal, shooting hurried shots against a double-team was a low-percentage play. Helpless, Lin Feng passed to Harris.
With two defenders drawn, Beicheng’s defense was exposed. After several passes, Jiangning found an open man under the hoop—center Han Dajun finished with an easy dunk.
102 to 99!
Back to a three-point game.
But that possession took 20 seconds. Only 1:05 remained!
Randall brought up the ball again, running the same play. With eight seconds on the shot clock, Chen Xi set another pick. Randall drove but missed this time.
Whistle!
He missed, but the referee blew the whistle—Han Dajun was called for a shooting foul. Two free throws for Randall.
“I didn’t foul him! I didn’t touch him!” Han Dajun protested angrily.
The replay on the big screen: Han Dajun’s hands were raised, showing no extra movement. It really didn’t look like a foul, but the call stood.
“That’s a questionable call. At such a critical moment, let the players decide the outcome.”
“Yeah, this might decide the championship. Look—Coach Shen’s losing it, cursing at the refs, arguing at the scorer’s table…”
“Coach Shen needs to keep his cool. He already got a technical for arguing a call in the first half. Another, and he’ll be ejected.”
Whistle!
Even as the announcer spoke, the referee blew the whistle again.
“And there it is—another technical on Coach Shen…”
“Sigh, there goes his temper again. Now Jiangning’s really out of hope. Randall gets two free throws, plus one for the technical, and they’ll keep possession. With 47 seconds left, unless Lin Feng pulls off another 10 points in 37 seconds, it’s over. Before, Beicheng wasn’t defending Lin Feng closely, but now that’s changed.”
“Such a shame—no one could’ve predicted so many twists in the final three minutes.”
[Coach Shen Ziqiang of Jiangning has been ejected for two technical fouls! Let’s give him a round of applause for such an exciting series.]
The Beicheng arena DJ “kindly” announced the result and “generously” rallied the crowd to send off Shen Ziqiang.
Anyone could hear the sarcasm and schadenfreude in his tone.
The home fans, spurred by the DJ, answered with thunderous, sustained applause—but even a fool could hear the gloating in their cheers.
“Screw it, let’s walk off the court! This is a farce—just hand them the championship!”
“Yeah, with calls like these, no point playing. The league’s golden boys, huh!”
Jiangning’s players were furious, but they knew the calls wouldn’t change. Even if it was later ruled a mistake, the result was set.
Shen Ziqiang kept arguing at the scorer’s table, but it was futile. In the end, he was forcibly escorted off.
The game resumed. Randall stepped to the line.
“Randall! MVP! Randall! MVP!”
The DJ led the crowd in chanting, over and over.
Randall basked in the adulation, a relaxed smile on his face. At this point, he was sure the championship was theirs—nothing could go wrong.
Perhaps too relaxed, the normally reliable Randall missed one of the three free throws, making two.
But the outcome seemed secure.
104 to 99!
Beicheng led by five with possession, and only 47 seconds remained for Jiangning.
At this moment, no one believed Jiangning could come back—not even themselves.
Beicheng’s home crowd could no longer contain their joy, already celebrating in waves of cheers and shouts.
Champions! Champions! Champions!
The staff began setting up the stage for the trophy presentation at courtside. Championship T-shirts and hats were brought to Beicheng’s bench.
A grand celebration was about to begin. Everything was ready.
All Beicheng needed was to survive the last 47 seconds…
…
Jiangning’s bench was silent as death. Assistant coach Wu Jun, now in charge, called a timeout to set up the final plays.
“Forty-seven seconds left—we’re not out of chances yet!” Wu Jun encouraged his players, then continued, “On defense, go for the steal first. If you can’t get it, don’t foul—just focus and get a stop.”
“Lin Feng, you’re our hottest shooter. Whether we get the stop or not, the next three-pointer is yours. If they double you again, pass to Harris—let Old Harris shoot. Han, Xiao Xu, you two crash the boards. All right, that’s it.”
Timeout over, Beicheng inbounded the ball.
Lin Feng shadowed Randall closely—he was the obvious first option to receive the ball.
“Rookie, don’t think you can steal the ball from me again. That one was just a fluke,” Randall taunted as he ran his route.
Lin Feng didn’t reply, sticking to him, watching the inbounder. Usually, the inbounder’s body language gives subtle cues. With good anticipation, a steal was possible—especially in high-pressure moments like this, when even the inbounder can get nervous. Even in the NBA, there have been last-second steals and buzzer-beaters.
Five, four, three…
There are only five seconds to inbound; any longer is a violation.
Lin Feng counted silently. At three seconds, the ball still hadn’t come in. Suddenly, Randall cut to receive the pass…
Now!
Lin Feng surged forward—the ball was thrown toward Randall, but just as it reached him, Lin Feng’s fingertips poked it away.
The ball changed direction, flying into Beicheng’s backcourt.
Lin Feng was first to react, chasing it down and securing possession.
In the clutch, Lin Feng pulled off another steal!
“Damn!” Randall cursed and gave chase, but it was too late.
Lin Feng, after two dribbles, launched a three-pointer from two meters beyond the arc.
“Again?”
“Can he make it?”
“Miss! Miss! Miss!” the home crowd prayed.
Useless!
The ball traced a perfect arc, just like Lin Feng’s previous threes.
Swish!
The net snapped. The arena fell into stunned silence, then erupted with curses.
“Unbelievable, it went in again!”
“No way! He’s got to be on something.”
“Damn, this guy’s a freak.”
“…”
“Lin Feng with the steal! Three-pointer! Another three! It’s good! He did it again! The score is 104 to 102—Jiangning now trails by just two!”
The commentator’s voice rose with excitement at Lin Feng’s steal and broke with emotion as the shot fell, unable to contain his shock.
“Incredible! Lin Feng is truly possessed tonight! Can he really repeat the miracle of 10 points in 37 seconds?!”
The other announcer was just as stirred.
Lin Feng, having sunk the three, pounded his chest with his fist and roared at the sky.
That three-pointer—what a rush!
…