Chapter 127: No Miracles for the Warriors

After landing, Lin Fei hammered his chest with intense force. Though he appeared lean and slight on the basketball court, his presence loomed incredibly large.

The Mavericks were undoubtedly a tenacious team. With a 3-1 lead in the second round of the playoffs, they had no reason to surrender.

Kidd attempted a quick dribble. It was a rare sight; while the young Kidd had possessed great speed, he rarely exerted such effort in his ball-handling as he aged. Meanwhile, Nowitzki and his teammates sprinted across the court. Kidd crossed the mid-court line and passed to the sprinting Barea. Barea was matched up against the faster Lin Fei. At the three-point line, Barea did not hesitate; with a swift shift, he brushed past Lin Fei. The Warriors’ defense had always been porous, and the Mavericks had surprisingly executed a fast break before the Warriors could set up their defensive formation. With no one able to rotate over in time to cover the drive, Barea was just a step away from the basket when Claxton jumped to contest the shot, but Barea simply banked it in for a layup.

It seemed the Mavericks intended to use Barea as a secret weapon. Barea, also known for his speed, was now facing the defensively challenged Lin Fei, whose recent injury was clearly a factor. It seemed like an easy task for Barea to get the better of him.

The Warriors inbounded the ball directly to Lin Fei. Lin Fei began to dribble slowly, rather than his usual practice of sprinting forward immediately upon receiving the pass. Perhaps the injury was taking its toll; despite the beauty of his earlier drifting three-pointer, it was clear he was looking to conserve his energy.

Barea crouched low, eyes locked onto Lin Fei’s. It was a wise strategy to watch a player’s eyes, as they often reveal an intent to attack long before the hands do.

Lin Fei remained cold and stoic. Beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks, so distinct it felt as if one could hear them drip.

Since Barea rarely saw Lin Fei move with such lethargy, he gave him a step of space, yet his eyes remained fixed on him, terrified that one moment of carelessness would let this kid slip away.

Seeing that Barea did not press up to defend him, Lin Fei was in no rush. He dribbled slowly to mid-court, and Barea retreated step-by-step toward the center line. This was Lin Fei’s prime strike zone; once he entered this range, his lethality was beyond what any defender could imagine. Barea stepped forward half a pace, knowing that in this position, even a slight movement from Lin Fei—given his release speed and height—would render any defense futile.

However, people noticed that Lin Fei’s rhythm slowed down even further.

The arena grew quiet. The silence was heavy with an indescribable tension, perhaps proving the old adage: "The wind howls before the storm arrives."

Beneath his cold expression, one could hardly detect a strong desire to attack, nor even the hunger for scoring and victory that had never left him before.

Barea was watching Lin Fei’s eyes, making him the person on the court who understood Lin Fei’s current state best.

Then, that 0.1 seconds! Just 0.1 seconds! In that instant, Lin Fei’s pupils dilated six-fold. It was as if he felt a beam of light shooting from the basket, piercing his eyes. Barea felt a sudden surge of fear, for in the 0.1 seconds prior, he had seen eyes devoid of aggression, but now, he faced a gaze filled with raw desire. It was like a fierce tiger—gentle before its trainer, but instantly craving blood the moment the scent hit its nostrils. Similarly, Lin Fei displayed a thirst for scoring, much like the common description of him as a vampire craving blood.

Barea had been thoroughly deceived by Lin Fei’s earlier mildness. He had assumed Lin Fei was injured and no longer that frenzied kid, but he was wrong.

It inevitably brought to mind Tracy McGrady: that languid gaze that made him seem perpetually sleepy, yet when he attacked the rim, the world realized what a true warrior was.

Lin Fei accelerated his dribble and stepped sideways. Barea was caught completely off guard. By the time he jumped to contest the shot, Lin Fei was already at his peak, the ball about to be released.

This was Lin Fei’s signature motion: the jump, the release, and the trajectory of the ball were all so fluid and graceful that it was indescribably pleasing to the eye.

Barea watched as the ball sailed into the hoop. This was his first time facing Lin Fei so directly.

Next, Barea brought the ball up, but once across mid-court, he passed to Kidd, who fed it into the high post for Nowitzki. Nowitzki shot decisively, but this time he missed. The Warriors grabbed the rebound and quickly passed to Curry. Curry and Lin Fei surged forward together on a fast break. This fast-break strategy was arguably the Warriors’ most effective weapon, second only to Lin Fei’s "frenzied mode."

Lin Fei slowed slightly at the three-point line. Both Barea and Kidd instinctively crowded him, perhaps betting that Curry would pass the ball to Lin Fei. But that wasn't the case; Curry drove to the basket unimpeded and laid the ball in.

This play revealed that a player like Curry was genuinely talented; on any other team in the league, he would likely be a locked-in starter. However, his prowess was often overshadowed by Lin Fei, who shone too brightly. It was like the sun and the stars—the stars shine during the day, but you cannot see them. When Lin Fei and Curry were on the court, people only saw the solar glare of Lin Fei, missing the brilliance of Curry. Yet, when night fell, people would eventually discover that Curry, too, was a brilliant star.

It seemed every player on the Mavericks could be blown apart by Lin Fei. Terry had already been benched; Barea had tried to act as a secret weapon, but the results were clearly less than ideal, even if it was the best they could manage under the circumstances. Carlisle was having a headache.

With two consecutive three-pointers from Lin Fei, the Warriors were now leading the Mavericks by 10 points.

The Mavericks had every reason to panic, as it seemed they might repeat the fate of the Thunder: the same 3-1 lead, the same two-game absence for Lin Fei, and the same powerful resurgence. The performance of the Warriors and Lin Fei this season had left experts stunned. As one expert aptly put it: "At this point, if any miracle happens to the Warriors, people will no longer be surprised, because they have become accustomed to it all!"