Chapter 134: Standing Above the Rest

Everything that followed made the Mavericks realize that Lin Fei's two-for-three performance from behind the arc earlier had been a deliberate effort to find his rhythm. Lin Fei then assisted Jobs for a layup and, moments later, dribbled past midcourt to drain another three-pointer with the help of his teammates. The Mavericks' starters were gritting their teeth as they sprinted across the floor.

The Warriors launched a furious counterattack, igniting a 15-5 run that narrowed the deficit to just five points. On the sidelines, Avril beamed with delight. Lin Fei caught a glimpse of this blossoming flower on the court; seeing her made the exhaustion feel a little less burdensome.

The Mavericks called a timeout. They had no choice—whenever Lin Fei was on the floor, they had to adjust their defensive scheme, or the game would descend into chaos. Carlisle’s expression was suddenly calm, his jaw set firmly. Surprisingly, he subbed in Rodrigue Beaubois, a player who had barely seen the court throughout the entire playoffs.

Nelson’s face turned grave. This was certainly not a good sign; bringing in a guard who had been benched all this time clearly meant the Mavericks were up to something.

Lin Fei regained possession and initiated a fast break as usual, but Beaubois was waiting right at the midcourt line. As Lin Fei reached the center, he faced Beaubois’s defense and executed a smooth crossover, intending to drive past him. However, the moment Lin Fei flashed by, Beaubois reached out and grabbed his jersey, drawing a foul. Since this was a non-shooting foul, no free throws were awarded, effectively disrupting the Warriors' offensive rhythm.

Carlisle was truly a master of his craft; this coach was not to be underestimated. He had discovered a statistic that proved highly favorable for the Mavericks: the Warriors relied on free throws for the lowest percentage of their total points in the league. The Warriors' metrics were extreme—often either elite or abysmal. For instance, they led the league in scoring, but also in points allowed; they were first in offense, but dead last in defense. They were number one in three-pointers made and in the percentage of points derived from them, yet they ranked last in free-throw scoring. In short, the Warriors were a jump-shooting team. Carlisle, having identified this, applied the strategy of increasing foul frequency to suppress the Warriors' most potent weapons: their fast-paced transition game and three-point shooting.

After the inbound pass, the Warriors' player rotation slowed noticeably, and they lost their rhythm. The Mavericks stuck to Lin Fei like glue, denying him the ball entirely.

With no other options, the Warriors had to pass to X, who found himself open but failed to convert the shot. The Mavericks secured the defensive rebound, Kidd brought the ball up the court and dished it to Nowitzki, who turned and hit a jumper.

When Lin Fei took possession again, he was fouled at midcourt, further stalling the offensive tempo. Lin Fei felt helpless; the Mavericks' tactic was indeed highly effective, and they pushed the lead back out.

After several consecutive fouls on Lin Fei, the Warriors lost their rhythm completely and couldn't find a way to score. Lin Fei seemed to have lost his touch entirely, unable to find his state of mind. Avril had stood up from her seat, clearly growing anxious. Lin Fei saw it all.

The Warriors trailed by double digits once more. But this time was different; the clock was running down. Both Nelson and Lin Fei wore heavy expressions, as the situation grew increasingly dire. Avril’s eyes even betrayed a look of deep concern; it seemed she was truly invested in this game, or perhaps, she was simply focused on Lin Fei.

The third quarter ended with the Warriors down by 15 points. In the playoffs, overcoming such a deficit seemed nearly impossible, unless a miracle occurred.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Nelson high-fived each player, appearing as hopeful as ever. Fifteen points! In league history, comebacks from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter were few and far between.

The quarter began. Lin Fei had the ball. The Mavericks had reached the foul limit, meaning any further fouls would send Lin Fei to the line. Beaubois had already been subbed out, and with Terry already suspended, if they kept fouling, the Mavericks would have no guards left.

Lin Fei held the ball again. At midcourt, no one fouled him. He crossed the line by two steps, not even noticing who was defending him—he knew this shot had to go up, and it had to head toward the rim.

Swish! Then another.

The Mavericks called a timeout to regroup. Their tactic remained the same: foul. It seemed Carlisle would rather foul Lin Fei than let the kid shoot easily—it was a classic "Hack-a-Lin" strategy. They were wary of Lin Fei’s nearly 90% free-throw percentage, which felt like handing him points, but if they didn't, Lin Fei would take them in even more devastating fashion. The benefit of the foul was that it slowed the game, burning precious time while protecting their 15-point lead. At this rate, they would need 15 free throws.

With one minute remaining, Lin Fei had put up a staggering 14 free throws in the quarter, hitting 12—nearly matching a historical record. With a minute left, history was within reach.

Unfortunately, the Warriors were still trailing by five points with only one minute on the clock. The Warriors had possession. At this point, the Mavericks’ backcourt was in shambles: Kidd had five fouls, Barea had five, and Beaubois had four. It was unbelievable. Even more unimaginable was that this was all caused by a single jump-shooting guard.

Lin Fei took the ball again, sprinting to midcourt. The Warriors had to be fast; they had to hunt for the three-pointer. Barea intercepted him again, successfully drawing a foul. Two free throws.

Standing at the line, Lin Fei looked at the rim, knowing the weight of these shots. The first free throw: he steadied himself and sank it. The second: he took a deep breath. Avril watched him, transfixed. One could almost hear Lin Fei’s heartbeat throughout the arena. He stared at the rim, focused intently, and released a soft shot. The ball bounced on the rim a few times, but it wouldn't drop. The Mavericks grabbed the rebound. Timeout!

Fifty seconds left. The Mavericks had the ball. Kidd held steady. Lin Fei didn't dare reach in on defense; everyone wanted the steal, but no one dared risk a foul, which would seal the Warriors' fate.

With 34 seconds left, Kidd passed to Nowitzki—this was the stage for superstars. Nowitzki backed down Jobs, powered through, and hit his signature turnaround jumper. The gap widened to six points.

Twenty-six seconds remained. The Warriors were forced to push the pace. Naturally, it was Lin Fei who took the lead. With a teammate’s screen, he drove to the front court and buried another three-pointer, keeping their hopes alive. Down by three!

The Warriors were forced to foul, clearly dancing to the Mavericks' tune. Lin Fei fouled Kidd, who hit both free throws.

The gap was five points. Only 12 seconds left. The Warriors pushed for a quick score in four seconds, and Lin Fei drew a foul on Kidd, who fouled out of the game. Lin Fei hit all three free throws.

Eight seconds remained. Everyone held their breath. This was the Warriors' home court. The difference was two points. The Warriors had to foul. Nowitzki stepped to the line and hit both.

Down by four, it was essentially a death sentence. Lin Fei hit another quick shot. Down by one. Four seconds remained. The Mavericks called their final timeout. Whatever the plan was, the Warriors would undoubtedly resort to fouling—perhaps for the last time, as they had essentially already lost.

The Mavericks inbounded the ball. Marion lofted it high into the sky—a very high arc, clearly designed to drain the clock. The Warriors' full-court press was useless. The ball hung so high it felt like it might touch the rafters, burning two seconds. This was tactical brilliance! To inbound the ball like that with only four seconds left. As the ball descended, Jobs and X prepared to grab the crucial possession, while Chandler and Marion waited for the ball to drop.

Finally, Chandler secured the rebound. The Warriors' defeat was absolute.

They lost by one point.

Lin Fei finished the game shooting 9-of-12 from three-point range and 14-of-18 from the free-throw line, pouring in 41 points. Everyone came over to console him. Lin Fei walked off the court with his head held high.

The consensus was that Lin Fei had given his all; his 41 points were a testament to his respect for the fans and the arena. In the MVP race, Lin Fei stood proudly at the top, but that was where it ended.

Regret? No! Lin Fei had already proven himself a giant among men. He had no regrets left.