Chapter Ten: The Pinnacle Duel of Western Rookies, Part Two

You could sense the murderous intent in Brulin’s sharp gaze. And you were not the only one to notice; Lin Fei saw it too. He knew that this match would largely determine the experts’ opinions and his own value—who wouldn’t want to carry a victory into tonight’s dreams?

Brulin stood at 203 cm, a swingman who played shooting guard for his team. He was a well-rounded player, quick on his feet. During the draft, many had high hopes for him; his comparisons were McGrady and Durant. It was widely believed that, given time, he would become a formidable force. Judging by his current stats, he was progressing even faster than expected; he was already on par with the league’s near-superstars, such as Iguodala of the 76ers. His greatest asset now was his youth.

With Lin Fei handling the ball, one could feel that ever since he entered the Warriors’ rotation, their offense had sped up from an 8-second attack to a 6-second one. From the moment the players stepped onto the court, there was hardly a pause in their running. This was a serious test of their stamina.

Lin Fei surged forward swiftly, with Brulin hot on his heels. The height difference was significant, so Brulin didn’t need to worry much about Lin Fei’s direct jump shots—he could even give him a couple of steps. Lin Fei moved quickly, and so did his teammates. As Lin Fei reached a 45-degree angle beyond the arc, he lobbed the ball toward the hoop; both Cairns and Ax were closing in. Cairns caught the ball and alley-ooped it to Ax, who finished with a thunderous slam, thumping his chest like a gorilla.

Brulin, now even more incensed, attacked in return. He drove straight at Lin Fei, treating him as if he weren’t there. Lin Fei managed to keep pace, stepping in to block him—collision was inevitable. Lin Fei was sent flying, fluttering to the ground like a leaf. No foul was called. Brulin charged the basket; Jobes stepped in to help, but Brulin leapt from the right and, seeing Claudson rise to block, leaned in, drew the foul, and spun the ball off the rim—it went in, plus a free throw. Tactically, the biggest problem in this defense was Lin Fei; he let Brulin in too easily, disrupting the help defense and ultimately leading to the score.

Lin Fei was helpless. He could read Brulin’s path easily enough, but stopping him was another matter.

As Brulin took his free throw, Cairns muttered something to Lin Fei, giving his head an affectionate pat.

This time, Lin Fei sprinted up the court, Brulin retreating just as quickly. Lin Fei crossed half court in two seconds and reached his attack zone in three, finding his preferred spot. He pulled up and shot a three-pointer. It seemed Brulin had forgotten the coach’s warning—Lin Fei absolutely needed to be guarded tightly all over the court. The shot went in, almost as if Lin Fei were taunting Brulin: “See? I can answer right back.” The young man would not tolerate such a thing.

Flynn brought the ball up, with Brulin quickly calling for it in the frontcourt. Seeing Brulin in top form, Flynn passed him the ball. Just then, Cairns stepped up to defend. Don’t forget, Cairns was also a Rookie of the Year nominee; though his stats of 10+5+2 weren’t outstanding, his defensive prowess couldn’t be ignored. Some players’ value can’t be reflected in stats alone—like Battier, the former Defensive Player of the Year, whose career numbers were never stellar, but he always took on the opposition’s main threats and never allowed easy baskets. The league values these players, which is why there are awards for best defenders and all-defensive teams. Earlier, Cairns had told Lin Fei, “Leave that guy to me—watch me teach him a lesson.”

“Hey, buddy, try dunking on me if you can!” Cairns muttered as he faced Brulin.

Brulin shot him a murderous glare. “I’ll take you on right now,” he seemed to say.

A few dribbles and fakes—Cairns didn’t bite and kept up. Timberwolves’ Love came up to set a high pick, Brulin used it, but Cairns stayed with him; they entered the paint almost side by side. Brulin kicked out to Love, who nailed a three-pointer. Don’t forget, Brulin was an all-around player, averaging five assists per game. He had a great sense for the big picture, ignoring Cairns’s taunts and simply making the play.

The Warriors attacked again, learning from their mistakes. Brulin quickly adjusted his defense on Lin Fei. In fact, since Lin Fei started playing, the opponents he most dreaded were those with both height and speed—exactly Brulin’s type. If Brulin hadn’t forgotten the coach’s warning earlier, Lin Fei’s shot might not have been so easy. Lin Fei continued to orchestrate from midcourt; his attack range covered nearly half the court, so he could afford to play a little further out. Coach Nelson had always said: a starting point guard must know how to organize the offense, seize opportunities, and control the tempo. Scoring in isolation was fine, but to win, you needed all five players.

Facing Brulin, Lin Fei refused to back down. He drove hard, blew by him, and rose for the jumper—missed. Cairns, spotting the ball’s odd trajectory, rushed in. The ball ricocheted off the rim as Lin Fei soared in for a powerful put-back dunk. The commentator exclaimed that the Warriors had struck gold this year with two outstanding rookies, making their offense highly explosive. The fourth quarter wasn’t even over, and the two rookies had combined for 27 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds, fully anchoring the Warriors’ backcourt.

Brulin had witnessed that last play and was impressed—they clearly had talent.

During the timeout, Cairns ribbed Lin Fei, “Hey, kid, I thought you’d pass to me, but you went for the shot instead. Good thing I can jump! Your missed shot turned into a perfect assist.” On the court, Cairns always seemed carefree, but when the game started, he played with infectious energy.

“Hey, man, I’ll keep that in mind. How about you throw down a few more dunks?” Lin Fei replied.

With one minute left, the score was 118 to 115—the Warriors led by three, Timberwolves’ ball.

Flynn brought the ball up and passed inside to Love, who posted up Ax but missed the shot. Love grabbed his own rebound and put it up again. Now, the paint was packed with three Warriors—Claudson, Jobes, and Ax. Love fought through the traffic, but the shot still wouldn’t fall. Incredibly, Love secured yet another rebound, his prowess on the boards truly living up to his reputation. Seeing Brulin in the lane, Love handed him the ball, and Brulin finished with a layup.

Coach Nelson regretted not subbing out Lin Fei earlier, as his defense was limited and he lacked chemistry with his teammates, making it hard to stifle the opponent’s offense. Another timeout was called to set up the final play.

Down by one, with 30 seconds left.

Lin Fei took the ball, naturally slowing the pace—any fool would do the same. At this point, even third-universe speed was useless.

Defense! The moment was tense. Everyone knew the last shot would go to Lin Fei—people had come to expect his clutch heroics and last-second daggers.

Twenty seconds ticked away.

Drive!

Step-back! He created space.

He jumped!

Three-pointer!

Rejected!

Stunned silence—possession to the Timberwolves!

Timberwolves called a timeout.

They drew up a play—five seconds left.

The coach pulled Lin Fei from the game—he was a bit frustrated.

The Timberwolves’ final shot went to Love—jump shot, no good!

A wave of cheers erupted!

Victory!

Victory! The joy of winning swept away Lin Fei’s disappointment at not finishing the game.

After all, winning was what mattered most. This victory was hard-earned. Since that 3-minute, 28-point stretch, the Warriors had gone 3-1, an eye-catching performance. They now had real confidence in making the playoffs. But one thing couldn’t be ignored—their wins were all by slim margins, two coming on buzzer-beaters. You might say luck was on their side.

It was a game too close to call. In truth, Lin Fei, Brulin, and Cairns all emerged as winners.

They were all outstanding rookies, and their futures depended on themselves. Brulin had an all-around game and solid athleticism, while Lin Fei boasted insane scoring and decent playmaking.

As for Lin Fei’s next steps, no one knew. He’d held his own against the best guards in the West. Was it time to challenge the league’s best? Arnold was playing better than ever—given his monstrous stats, who would dare challenge him now?