Chapter 5: May I Speak My Mind?
“The ball is in! Game winner! A true game winner! Lin Feng! Lin Feng has just crushed Beicheng’s hopes!”
“He has inherited the glorious tradition of Jiangning’s shooting guards. In this moment, the spirits of Li Dayong, Zhao Wenzheng, Qiu Shihai possess him! He is not fighting alone! Absolutely not! They will lead Jiangning back to their home court! Once they return, Beicheng will stand no chance! To give your enemy an opening is to be cruel to yourself! The finals! This is what the finals are supposed to feel like! Jiangning, who has fallen in the finals seven times—wake up! Fight your way back here! Take back the glory that belongs to you!”
At the very instant Lin Feng landed that game-winning shot, the usually composed commentator Xu Dacheng lost all restraint without warning.
He nearly screamed out these lines, his voice charged with emotion, even cracking several times, and with a trace of tears choking his words.
Hearing this, Duan Wei, the CCTV host commentating beside him, was left speechless. In all the dozens of games he had worked with Xu Dacheng, he had never seen him lose his composure like this—or, for that matter, any commentator behaving this way during a live broadcast.
Especially considering they were on CCTV, where neutrality is a professional imperative; Xu Dacheng’s words were blatantly partial!
This was certainly not something a commentator should say, yet these passionate words, carried by the live broadcast, reached the ears of millions of viewers across the nation.
In an instant, Xu Dacheng became a sensation!
Because his impassioned commentary perfectly echoed the feelings of millions of Jiangning fans.
…
On the court, after sinking the game-winning three-pointer, Lin Feng dropped to his knees in exhilaration, raising his arms in triumph!
Only those who have lived it can truly comprehend the passion and joy that competitive sports bring!
Harris was the first to rush over, throwing his arms around Lin Feng!
Then came Wu Xiaoxu, Zhou Mingxuan, Han Dajun, and a flood of substitutes from the bench—they all swarmed onto the court.
Together, they hoisted Lin Feng high into the air…
Lin Feng!
You’re incredible!
Lin Feng!
You’re incredible!
…
City of Jiangning.
Yang Wanjun’s home.
“A game winner! We won! Hahaha, we won!” Yang Wanjun leapt from the sofa, tears of joy streaming as he cheered.
“Honey, we finally won!” Overwhelmed with excitement, Yang Wanjun pulled his wife into a tight embrace and planted a big kiss on her cheek.
“You old rascal!”
“Hahaha, I can’t help it—I’m just so happy! We’re always the ones getting beaten at the buzzer, but tonight, it was finally our turn! What a thrill! Absolutely exhilarating! By the way, what’s the kid’s name again? Lin Feng! I’ll remember him!”
“We have to act fast, honey, get online and book tickets—the next game’s at our home court, and if we wait, they’ll be gone!”
“Oh no, the official ticket site is already down…”
“Get my coat! I’m heading straight to the arena to queue for tickets in person!”
…
This scene at Yang Wanjun’s home was but a microcosm of thousands of Jiangning fans. Tonight’s game-winning moment would be etched into the memory of every Jiangning supporter—along with the name Lin Feng!
…
Jiangning’s locker room.
Shen Ziqiang, who had been ejected in the final moments of the game, sat slumped with dejection, still blaming himself for his rash actions.
“If it weren’t for that technical foul, maybe the team would have had a chance…”
He scratched his head in frustration. When he left the court, he was certain the game was lost. So, upon returning to the locker room, he’d ordered all staff out—he wanted to be alone.
Alone to ponder whether it was time to lay down the reins as Jiangning’s head coach…
Though he’d mentally prepared himself, defeat in the finals still left him utterly disheartened.
Crash!
The locker room door burst open as the players stormed in, jubilant.
Shen Ziqiang frowned, scolding them angrily, “Why are you so happy after losing? No ambition, the lot of you!”
“Losing?” Only then did the players realize—coach didn’t know Lin Feng had won them the game at the buzzer.
“Someone lost, but it wasn’t us!” Han Dajun grinned at Shen Ziqiang.
“If not us, then Beicheng?!” Shen Ziqiang scoffed, instinctively thinking Han Dajun was joking. When he’d been ejected, Jiangning trailed by three, the opponent had three free throws and possession, and only forty-seven seconds remained. Winning under those conditions? Only a miracle!
“Coach Shen, have a little faith in us. Even if we’re down by five or six, or even eight or ten, we can claw our way back.” Han Dajun continued.
“Han Dajun, you trying to get on my bad side? Lose a game and you still joke around with me!” Shen Ziqiang shot him a fierce glare.
Han Dajun forced a grin, “Coach Shen, I’m serious!”
“Really?” Han Dajun’s earnestness sparked a glimmer of hope in Shen Ziqiang.
If they’d actually won, the next game would be at home. Win that, and the series would be tied 3-3. The finals were best-of-seven, so they’d have a Game 7 showdown with Beicheng. And in Game 7, anything could happen.
“Old Wu, did we really win?” Shen Ziqiang turned to assistant coach Wu Jun.
“Yes, we won!” Wu Jun nodded with a broad smile.
“Damn! A real miracle, huh? Tell me, how did we do it?” Shen Ziqiang blurted out in excitement.
“To win this game, Lin Feng was the hero. After you were thrown out, Randall made two of three free throws, putting us down by five. But then, on the inbounds, Lin Feng stole the ball and nailed a three—cutting it to two. We got another stop on defense, and with eighteen seconds left, I drew up a three-point play. Lin Feng missed the first shot, but Xiaoxu grabbed the rebound and gave Lin Feng another chance. He didn’t let us down—buried the buzzer-beating three! Won the game by one!” Wu Jun recounted the dramatic finish in one breath.
After hearing it all, Shen Ziqiang grabbed Lin Feng out of the crowd: “You kid! If I’d known you could shoot like that, would we be in such a mess? We might already be leading 3-2!”
“Exactly!” Lin Feng replied cheerfully.
“Ha! So you’re holding out on us, blaming me for not spotting your talent?” Shen Ziqiang feigned a glare.
“No, not at all, Coach. It’s your keen eye for talent that got me on the court today,” Lin Feng said.
“Haha, I like the sound of that. Since you’re our hero, you’re coming with me to the post-game press conference. Those reporters will be dying to talk to you.” Shen Ziqiang laughed, all traces of gloom swept away.
…
Press conference.
Beicheng’s head coach, Wang Chunsheng, looked grim, all color gone from his face.
When Lin Feng followed Shen Ziqiang into the room, Wang Chunsheng shot him a venomous glare. If it weren’t for this kid, he’d be on the championship stage right now, basking in the adoration of twenty thousand fans.
Instead, he would have to face the sharp, cutting questions from the press!
Other questions were manageable—they’d only lost one game after all, and still held the match point.
But before the game was even over, the home staff had handed out championship shirts and hats to Beicheng’s bench. Most substitutes had already changed, ready to celebrate their “glorious moment.” In the end, they lost, and now the image of their team in championship shirts before the game was over would surely become the night’s biggest joke.
“Coach Wang, how would you evaluate tonight’s game?”
As soon as Shen Ziqiang and Lin Feng took their seats, the press conference began, and a reporter directed the first question to Wang Chunsheng.
“We played well. They got lucky,” Wang Chunsheng replied curtly, his face dark.
“Lucky? So, Coach Wang, are you saying Lin Feng’s five late-game threes were all flukes?” The reporter, a master at stirring the pot, seized on his words.
Wang Chunsheng glanced at Lin Feng, his tone icy. “He took the shots—ask him if they were lucky. Personally, I think it was a freak event. He won’t have another game like this.”
“Lin Feng, Coach Wang says your threes were all lucky. Do you have anything to say?” The reporter turned to Lin Feng.
Lin Feng looked at Wang Chunsheng, then at the reporter, and asked earnestly, “Excuse me, am I allowed to swear?”