Chapter 131: Superstar Quality

Watching Lin Fei after he hit two three-pointers, a demonic yearning suddenly appeared on Nowitzki's aging face—a feeling that he himself had once possessed as a high-spirited, blond-haired youth.

Kidd handled the ball. Nowitzki stepped out to the three-point line, and Kidd promptly passed to him. Upon receiving the ball, Nowitzki employed a pump fake, causing Jobs, who was defending from the high post, to shift slightly. Habitually, Nowitzki preferred driving to his left, which was where Jobs focused his primary defensive efforts. The fake didn't fool Jobs, so Nowitzki simply chose to drive left anyway—it was the move he was most confident in. Many were astonished that an aging Nowitzki still possessed such explosive speed. Five or six years ago, he might have done this with ease, but at his current age, it was truly difficult. He then came to a sudden stop, pivoted, faced the basket, and finished with a layup.

Nowitzki was preparing to explode from the start. Clearly, he valued this game immensely. At his age, he didn't know how many games he had left, how many playoffs he would reach, let alone championship runs. He had to cherish every opportunity and absolutely could not lose to a bunch of kids.

Nelson clearly saw the threat Nowitzki posed. In fact, Nelson understood Nowitzki’s style of play perfectly, but there was simply no way to defend it. It was like how everyone knew Lin Fei would drive rapidly and pull up for a jumper; even if people could predict where he would shoot from, no one could stop him.

Next, it was Lin Fei’s turn to control the ball. Seeing his aura, only one word came to mind: domineering. Lin Fei, usually a gentleman on the court, would occasionally unleash astonishing actions—like that time he threw the ball at Terry. This showed that hidden within his nature was a surging impulse and passion, which, combined with his craving for scoring, formed a unique, overbearing intensity.

Running at full speed, Curry also moved with purpose. At this moment, four Warriors players were involved in the fast break; perhaps only Claxton was slightly slower. The four players involved in the break were all elite ball handlers. Seeing this, Carlisle knew that this Warriors possession would be unsolvable, as the Mavericks' defenders could not keep pace with them. The only mystery was who would finish the play.

Lin Fei was in the lead. He came to a sudden halt, and both Kidd and Barea rushed over. Normally, a veteran floor general like Kidd wouldn't make such a foolish move, but he was facing Lin Fei. With both Kidd and Barea occupied, Curry was left wide open, while X and Jobs continued their dash. Lin Fei lobbed the ball to Curry, who caught it in mid-air and immediately dished it to the sprinting X. X’s body moved past Jobs, and appearing unable to halt his momentum, he made a blind pass behind his back to Jobs, who easily laid it in. The sequence was seamless. From Lin Fei bringing the ball up to the final layup, it was all simple and clear. It wasn't even a complex tactical play, just pure speed and chemistry, yet few teams in the league could handle such simplicity.

The Warriors had seized the initiative! The opening flurry left the Mavericks disoriented.

However, the Mavericks were a championship-caliber team. They soon found their rhythm. Nowitzki found his touch first, hitting a three-pointer. On the next possession, Kidd used a screen to face Lin Fei and drained a three of his own. Conversely, the Warriors struggled to replicate their earlier ball movement, even missing layups. Still, halfway through the first quarter, the Warriors led 16-15.

Lin Fei was in great form, having hit two threes and scored 8 points in half a quarter. Curry was also solid, adding a three and two assists. Seeing the Mavericks’ momentum, Nelson decided to avoid their peak and engage in a war of attrition to preserve strength. But "attrition" requires absolute depth, so Nelson subbed in Smith, who had played exceptionally well the previous game, for Lin Fei.

Seeing this, Carlisle adjusted his defense, tasking Kidd with Curry while shifting Barea to shadow him.

Upon entering, Smith clearly had a strong desire to score. He dribbled to the frontcourt and shot immediately against Barea, but he seemed to lack the touch from the day before. Having misjudged his own speed, he hit the rim, and the ball bounced back. X leaped high, grabbed the board, and kicked it out to Curry to reset the offense.

Curry signaled for a screen from Jobs. The two worked together, freeing Curry from Kidd’s defense. Curry drove to the basket, forcing Kidd and Barea to collapse inside to cover the gap. Smith was left wide open on the perimeter. Curry reacted quickly and passed to him, but Smith’s shot was short, hitting the front of the rim. Everyone stared at Smith in silence.

Undoubtedly, Smith’s entry had disrupted the Warriors' offensive rhythm. The two-man perimeter game he and Lin Fei had demonstrated the day before was absent with Curry. The Warriors were now on the back foot.

The Mavericks grabbed the rebound and passed to Kidd, who orchestrated the offense. With a nimble cut from Barea, Kidd found him for a layup, and Smith was forced to foul. Barea made both free throws.

Was this the same Smith from yesterday? He seemed to have lost all his spark. Many wondered if Lin Fei had possessed him the day before; how could there be such a difference?

It was normal for young players like Lin and Smith to be inconsistent. But Lin Fei had seized that one game to show Nelson his infinite potential. His inconsistency was often masked by his high scoring averages and the terrifying numbers he posted when he was on. Even if he occasionally had games with only 7 or even 0 points, fans remembered his record-breaking playoff performances. Critics might point to his inconsistency, but those voices would vanish whenever he played well—even the harshest experts were left speechless by his gaudy stats.

One wondered if Smith would have the same good fortune.

In the next Warriors possession, Smith found himself open again. He hesitated for nearly two seconds before passing the ball away. After all, among the players on the floor, he didn't have the definitive green light. Although the coach emphasized that the open man should shoot, the pressure caused many to hesitate.

Nelson shook his head on the sidelines. He understood now. Lin Fei would also miss consecutive shots, but if that had been Lin Fei, he would have shot without hesitation. Why? Because Lin Fei was the kind of player who believed that even if he missed 99 shots in a row, the 100th would go in. This was the hallmark of a superstar—a trait that required tempering. This was the biggest difference between Lin Fei and Smith.

However, Nelson didn't bench Smith immediately; he allowed him to adjust. For the next few minutes, Smith didn't shoot, focusing on letting his teammates handle the scoring. As long as they could "wear down" the Mavericks' stamina, it would be a success.

With two minutes left in the first quarter, the deficit was five points. Nelson finally subbed out Curry and Smith for Lin Fei, surrounding him with bench players. It was a clear message: Lin Fei was the primary option, and the Mavericks were welcome to try and stop him.

Sure enough, Lin Fei dribbled to the three-point line. Everyone expected him to shoot, but he passed to a teammate who cut inside, only for the teammate to pass it right back.

When Lin Fei received the ball, the positioning wasn't ideal, and he was immediately double-teamed. He passed again, and after the ball moved around, it returned to his hands. Seeing that ten seconds had elapsed and the "speed" was gone, Lin Fei took one dribble, stepped to the side, shook off Kidd, and jumped to shoot—but missed.

Lin Fei was annoyed. *Why pass it to me when everyone else had a chance?*

In truth, if the starters were on the floor, the Warriors wouldn't have been in that situation. Or perhaps, if Curry had been in Lin Fei's place, the offense wouldn't have stagnated.

The Mavericks attacked, and Marion drove to the rim for a floater. The lead grew to seven.

The Warriors had the final possession with 20 seconds remaining. Lin Fei brought the ball up. Compared to his usual breakneck pace, his demeanor seemed almost languid.