Chapter Sixteen: Let the Storm Come Even Fiercer

In truth, scheduling the season opener between the Warriors and the Thunder was a deliberate move by the league. Who wouldn't want maximum excitement? If this game was won, Lin Fei's popularity would undoubtedly skyrocket even further.

The opening moments immediately proved how visionary the league's scheduling was. Before the first quarter was even over, fans had already begun chanting "MVP." It is fair to say that Lin Fei was the first player to be chanted "MVP" for this season. Now, sharing the court with Lin Fei, Kevin Durant felt somewhat like an abandoned child, yet there was nothing he could do. The waves of the Yangtze River push the ones ahead, and sooner or later, a new generation of superstars would emerge in the league, gradually encroaching upon his own territory of fans.

Durant knew that his team might lose, but he was far from resigned. A fierce thought now arose within Durant's mind: scoring. This time, he even forgot about Russell Westbrook. Indeed, it was just like that—if the Thunder had to determine who the alpha dog was, that position undoubtedly still belonged to Durant.

Durant dribbled the ball. For a tall player, Durant's ball-handling skills were already quite impressive. Crossing half-court in five seconds, facing Axis's defense, Durant made a ruthless move, taking a giant stride followed immediately by a step-back, rising straight up for a pull-up jumper that hit nothing but net. At a glance, why did it look so much like Lin Fei? Except that Lin Fei's shooting range was even further out. Shots like these looked like game-winners; when a player had the hot hand, absolutely no one could stop them.

Durant had broken away from the Thunder's tactical system. This time, he no longer trusted his team; instead, he trusted his hot hand, wishing to use his own shooting touch to rescue the team.

Right now, it seemed that the scoring abilities of Lin Fei and Durant might still be closely matched, perhaps a contest still worth watching.

Shortly after, Lin Fei delivered a long-distance pass from the center court, threading the needle straight to Axis cutting along the baseline, where Axis converted with a dunk. Durant attacked once more, drawing a foul and sinking both free throws. Meanwhile, Lin Fei responded by draining yet another ultra-deep, long-range shot from mid-court.

Upon closer inspection, the difference lay here: once Durant detached himself from the Thunder's tactical schemes, the rest of the Thunder existed merely to serve as decoys for Durant, whereas the Warriors undoubtedly featured a mutual interplay between Lin Fei and the team. Even though Lin Fei repeatedly staged solo heroics, he also possessed pinpoint passing ability. How the Warriors would play their hand always left the Thunder baffled, making their tactical approach remarkably flexible.

Durant's surge clearly took effect. Facing the Warriors' defense, he either drew fouls or drained jump shots, continuously closing the gap and narrowing the deficit to just 6 points. However, after this prolonged period of fierce driving and heavy scoring, Durant now looked slightly fatigued. Scott Brooks substituted Durant out, and the situation on the court for the Thunder was now completely controlled by Russell Westbrook.

Don Nelson subbed out Lin Fei, bringing in Curry. Having rested for a few months, Curry was exceptionally energetic upon taking the court. Facing Russell Westbrook, he repeatedly assisted his teammates in fast breaks for easy scores. Westbrook, on the other hand, showcased the true essence of an aggressive point guard by scoring three points in a row, keeping the two teams neck-and-neck. Yet for the Warriors, this was undoubtedly a failure; even without Lin Fei, the paper value of the players the Warriors put on the floor far surpassed that of the Thunder, meaning a tie to them equated to a loss.

Nelson called a timeout. Lin Fei thought he was going to be subbed back in. But unexpectedly, Nelson did not arrange for Lin Fei to return, instead sending out the third-string point guard to pair up with Curry.

At this juncture, the Warriors gradually established an advantage. Jobs and Axis continuously roamed the interior to score, while the Thunder relied solely on Russell Westbrook's driving layups. The Thunder were having a tremendously difficult time, and the Warriors' collective firepower once again widened the gap to 15 points.

As an elite player or coach, one would naturally form an outlook on the season's achievements based on the roster. Originally, the Thunder were aiming for the championship, but this opening game of the season made the Thunder thoroughly realize that their playoff defeat last season was definitely no coincidence. In games where Lin Fei played, the Thunder's record against the Warriors was 1 win and 5 losses—this was unequivocally a gap in sheer strength.

After a flurry of fierce action, by the end of the first half, the Warriors led the Thunder by 12 points with a score of 65 to 53. Lin Fei had tallied 15 points, Jobs and Axis had contributed 12 points each, and Curry and Cairns had each put up 8 points. For the Thunder, Durant and Russell Westbrook both scored 15 points each, while the rest of the players combined for 23 points. Perhaps the only thing the Thunder could take solace in was that Lin Fei had only managed 15 points, indicating that their defense against him was somewhat successful.

The first-half vitality displayed by the Warriors in their season opener once again served as a declaration of war against the league's top-tier powerhouses. With this game broadcasted nationwide, other teams watching could truly be said to feel a sense of impending danger.

As the second half commenced, Nelson deployed a dual-point-guard lineup consisting of Curry and Lin Fei, while the Thunder fielded their full starting unit. One side intended to secure the victory in one go, while the other planned to fight tooth and nail to turn the tide.

At the start of the second half, the Thunder attacked first. Following the old pattern, the star duo displayed immense valor, charging at the vanguard. Just as they reached the front court, a teammate set a screen, shaking off the Warriors' defense entirely for a successful jump shot. Courtesy demanded reciprocity; moving in tandem, Lin Fei and Curry executed a series of crossover dribbles. As they crossed half-court, Curry handled the ball while Lin Fei set a screen and cut through. Curry drove aggressively straight into the paint. Seeing the Thunder players converging in pursuit from behind, Curry cleverly opted to dish the ball back to Lin Fei. At this moment, Lin Fei was the primary focus of the defense, but fortunately, Curry's passing was on point and Lin Fei understood the intent perfectly. Executing a low-running cut, he snatched the ball. Seeing that Axis had also followed up, Lin Fei pivoted around Axis and immediately rose up to shoot. The ball sailed over Axis's head, flying straight into the basket. Score! Such momentum was fierce indeed.

At the end of the third quarter, the Warriors' interception proved successful. Lin Fei played the entire quarter, shooting 6 out of 10 from beyond the arc and racking up 20 points—truly an unstoppable force. Durant was no exception, giving his all. The Warriors maintained their 15-point lead heading into the final quarter.

There have been many games where a 15-point deficit was overcome in the final quarter, but the probability of it happening in this match was quite low, because the Thunder players' physical stamina had been completely depleted by their frantic counter-attacks. One must realize that in the third quarter alone, the two teams completed a combined 40 offensive possessions, meaning at least 20 back-and-forth trips. Durant's slumped face was expressionless, save for beads of sweat pouring down profusely.

As the fourth quarter began, the Thunder did not send out their starters, and the Warriors also deployed their reserves, led by Curry. Three minutes later, the margin stretched to 20 points, and the Thunder completely threw in the towel. The Thunder players were utterly exhausted one by one, yet still forced to endure the bitter fruit of defeat. Perhaps for Durant and Russell Westbrook, they had already given everything they had; through three quarters, both had scored 30 points. It could be said that in the history of the league, having two players on the same team score 30 points within the first three quarters was a rare feat indeed, but they had lost nonetheless. Their combined 30-point performances paled significantly in comparison to Lin Fei's 35 points.

Following the victory, the entire arena erupted in cheers, and teammates rushed over to embrace Lin Fei, the diminutive player. This scene led people to believe that, whether on or off the court, this player standing around 180 centimeters tall had unquestionably become the undisputed leader of this team.

If the Lin Storm had already begun sweeping through the league last season, what people wanted to say now was simply: let the storm rage even harder!