Chapter 004: The Final Strike!

Jiangning City.

Millions of citizens were following this basketball game, but after Lin Feng missed two free throws and Randall hit a three-pointer, most people turned off their TVs or switched channels...

They had witnessed Jiangning’s team fall short in the finals too many times and simply couldn’t bear to watch those moments again.

Yang Wanjun was one of the countless fans like this. He had been watching for more than twenty years, had seen Jiangning’s team rise and fall, had watched them reach the finals seven times, only to be defeated at the very end.

Jiangning basketball had left him with too many painful memories, yet he still quietly supported his hometown team.

In Yang’s eyes, this year was Jiangning’s best chance to finally win the coveted championship trophy, but with the team’s main players injured one after another, Jiangning had lost three games in a row!

Clinging to a last shred of hope, Yang watched the live broadcast. When Randall sank that three, he knew Jiangning could not come back. Silently, he walked into his study and gazed at the photos on his wall with players from past Jiangning squads, and tears rolled down his cheeks.

There is nothing more heartbreaking than hope rising, only to be shattered again and again. He had endured this process eight times...

“Old Yang, Old Yang, come out quick! We’re catching up!”

His wife’s startled voice called from the living room. After years of being by his side, she had also become a Jiangning fan.

“What? We’re catching up? That’s impossible!” Yang scoffed, thinking his wife was playing a trick on him.

“It’s true! We’re only two points behind. Come see! Maybe we’ll win!”

“How could we have caught up? Did Harris go wild? It’s possible, that guy is unpredictable.” Yang thought to himself, hurrying into the living room. Sure enough, the score was 104 to 102, only two points separating them.

“How did we catch up?” Yang asked his wife.

“I don’t know either! When you went to the study, I went to the bathroom, and when I came out, it was like this…”

“Well, this is getting interesting. Maybe we can force a return to our home court!” Excited, Yang settled in front of the TV again, watching the game with rapt attention.

Scenes like this were unfolding in countless Jiangning fans’ homes. Because of Lin Feng, the championship dreams that had been extinguished in their hearts were once again set alight.

...

Back at the arena.

Wang Chunsheng was forced to call another timeout; Lin Feng’s three-pointer had thrown the outcome of the championship back into suspense.

From the steal to the three-pointer, Lin Feng had taken only five seconds!

Now, with forty-two seconds left, Beicheng led by only two points—a dangerous margin. A single slip, and all their efforts could be wasted.

“Wang Chuan, what kind of inbound pass was that?? Are you out of your mind??? How could you let them steal it? Idiot!” Wang Chunsheng first lashed out at Wang Chuan, the player responsible for the inbound, before moving on to draw up a new play.

“Same as before—get the ball to Randall. Run the clock down to the final second. Everyone else clear out. Randall attacks the basket, looks for contact, tries to draw a foul. Remember, we’re at home—the refs favor us! And if the play fails, double-team Lin Feng. Don’t let him shoot, give up a two if you must, but never a three!”

...

Timeout over, Beicheng inbounded from the baseline.

Randall brought the ball up, controlling the clock as before, waiting until the last moment to attack the basket.

Beicheng had used this tactic repeatedly, but during the break, Wu Jun had arranged a targeted defense. As Randall drove to the rim, Jiangning’s power forward Wu Xiaoxu and small forward Zhou Mingxuan were already in position. Randall managed to evade Zhou’s block, but was cleanly rejected by Wu Xiaoxu.

As the ball was swatted out of bounds, Beicheng’s 24-second shot clock expired.

The score remained 104 to 102.

With eighteen seconds left, Beicheng called timeout.

“That was a great defensive stand by Jiangning! Now, anything could happen. If Jiangning scores on this last possession, it’s either overtime or a last-second win! Three minutes ago, no one would have believed this game would come to this!”

“It’s incredible! I’ve been broadcasting league games for years, and I’ve never seen anything like this. If—and I stress if—Jiangning wins tonight, it would be a miracle. More precisely, Lin Feng would have created a miracle: coming off the bench, hitting four straight threes, scoring thirteen points. I honestly can’t recall anyone in our league ever doing that.”

“Even in America, that kind of performance is extremely rare.”

“Absolutely—a godsend! A super sub!”

“The timeout’s over. Let’s see how Jiangning plays this final possession. Odds are it’ll go to Lin Feng—he’s scorching hot. Maybe he’ll hit a three to win it!”

“Actually, a two-pointer might be safer. Beicheng will definitely double Lin Feng, so if he passes, others will have a chance. Han Dajun and Harris both have the ability to attack inside.”

...

On the court, Jiangning inbounded from half-court.

Zhou Mingxuan was inbounding. Harris and Lin Feng kept running, getting open, and eventually the ball went to Harris. He didn’t attack right away, but held it at the top of the arc, with the other four players spreading out.

“Looks like Harris will drive—Wu Jun’s probably called a two-point play. After all, that’s the safer bet.”

With ten seconds left, Harris suddenly drove toward the rim. At the same time, Lin Feng shook his defender and cut to the right corner.

“Harris is inside, let’s see—wait, he passed it…”

“Hiding in the corner—it’s Lin Feng!”

“The defender’s not there—Lin Feng catches, shoots!”

“Wu Jun actually drew up a three-point play—he wants to end it right here! Bold move!”

Missed!

Missed!

As Lin Feng released the ball, twenty thousand fans shouted in unison.

Clang!

He bricked it.

For the first time that night, Lin Feng missed a three, and it happened at this life-or-death moment.

Whoosh!

As the ball clanged off the rim, the entire crowd exhaled as one. Relief and joy appeared on many faces.

We’ve won!

The championship is still ours!

Thousands of Beicheng fans cheered in their hearts.

But they forgot—the game wasn’t over. Lin Feng’s missed three left four seconds on the clock.

The rebound bounced out. Jiangning’s power forward, Wu Xiaoxu—the rebounding machine—soared up and grabbed the board. Without his feet even touching the ground, he fired it back out to Lin Feng in the corner.

Lin Feng caught it, didn’t hesitate, and leaped to shoot another three.

Ding!

As Lin Feng released the shot, the final buzzer sounded.

Every eye locked onto the ball as it arced through the air.

This shot would decide the outcome.

This shot would determine the champion.

This shot carried the hope and dreams of all Jiangning’s players and millions of fans.

Swish!

The net snapped. That familiar sight, that familiar sound.

He made it!

105 to 104!

The game was over!

Jiangning had won on the road with a buzzer-beater over Beicheng!

They had fought back tenaciously, making the finals series 3–2!

...