Chapter 130: The Familiar Formula

A three-pointer off the glass! 83-64!
The lead was cut to 25 points with 5 minutes and 22 seconds remaining.
"The kid’s got some luck," one remarked.
"Yeah, that’s 3 points already. If he scores seven more, that reporter is going to have to kiss a donkey's rear end. Heh, just thinking about it is pretty amusing."
On the Cavaliers' bench, Thomas and Devin didn't give Lin Feng’s three-pointer a second thought; in their eyes, it was merely a stroke of luck.
"Nice shot, Lin."
Bright high-fived Lin Feng in celebration.
The Cavaliers inbounded the ball. Roddy, the backup point guard, brought the ball across midcourt with Lin Feng defending him.
"Damn it! Trash! Don't even think about stealing the ball from me!" Roddy spat, trash-talking while dribbling.
"Basketball isn't played with your mouth. I just hit a three; can you?" Lin Feng replied with a smile.
"It’s just a three-pointer, nothing hard about that!" With a large lead, Roddy knew Lin Feng was baiting him, but he chose to force the shot anyway.
Clang!
The three-pointer missed.
Bright grabbed the rebound, and Lin Feng sprinted down the court, reaching the corner on the left side.
"Lin, your chance!"
Bright whipped the ball to Lin Feng once more.
Lin Feng caught the ball and released it decisively. It was an open look, and he took the shot with effortless composure. The ball’s flight path was perfect.
Swish!
The net snapped!
It was good!
Clean and crisp!
83-67!
The Cavaliers were still up by 22.
"He hit another one."
"That kid has made two consecutive threes."
"That's 6 points. Could he actually score ten in this game?"
As Lin Feng hit his second straight three, the fans in the stands began to murmur. However, at this point, they were only focused on whether Lin Feng could reach ten points; no one believed there was any possibility of a comeback in this game.
"Damn! You trash, you're so lucky!" Roddy said angrily as he matched up against Lin Feng again.
"Luck? Then why aren't you as lucky?" Lin Feng sneered.
"Just watch, yellow pig, I'm going to destroy you!" Roddy snarled.
"Oh, your shoelace is untied..." Lin Feng suddenly said.
"What?" Roddy looked down instinctively, and in that split second, Lin Feng lunged with his right hand and swiped the ball away.
"Fool, you fell for it!"
Lin Feng dribbled quickly across midcourt, with no one in front of him. Just when everyone thought he would complete an easy layup, he stopped at the three-point line.
"Damn! What is this guy doing?"
"Taking a three?"
"He's that confident?"
Under the gaze of over twenty thousand spectators, Lin Feng pulled up, leaped high, and fired.
Swish!
The net snapped!
It was good!
83-70!
The gap narrowed to 19 points with 5 minutes and 2 seconds left!
"Damn! How is this possible!"
"Oh my god, he hit it again!"
"This Chinese kid has hit three consecutive threes!"
A buzz of commotion erupted in the arena, and Cavaliers coach Brown was forced to call a timeout.
At the commentary desk, UNP Sports announcer Hayson said, looking incredulous: "My god, the kid has 9 points already. One more point and Swift will have to kiss that donkey's rear end."
"It’s truly surprising that this Chinese kid has such a beautiful three-point shot," remarked guest commentator Johnson.
"No! No! No! I think he just has good luck. Look at that bank shot three; that tells you everything," Hayson said dismissively.
"That bank shot certainly had more luck involved, but the last two were a display of pure skill. His release speed is definitely top-tier in the league. Just looking at his release, you can tell how hard he trains—he probably shoots over a thousand balls a day, maybe more. Plus, he is extremely confident; after he shot, before the ball even entered the rim, his hand was already clenched in celebration. That’s the confidence and mental toughness only a super shooter has!" Johnson said solemnly.
"Is that guy really that good?" Hayson remained skeptical.
"At least that's what I see." Johnson stared at Lin Feng on the Knicks' bench. "This kid might just become the X-factor in this series."
"Isn't that exaggerating? Even if he has some skills, it's only because the Cavaliers haven't put their starters in. Once he matches up against guys like Devin or Larry on the perimeter, he’ll definitely be exposed," Hayson said, shrugging.
"Perhaps. But this trade by the Knicks is quite a bargain. I’ve always said, Mills never makes a bad deal," Johnson sighed softly.
On the Knicks' bench, Coach Fills was drawing up plays centered around Lin Feng, demanding that everyone on the court create open three-point opportunities for him.
The referee's whistle blew.
The game continued.
Neither team made substitutions. The Knicks were in a rhythm, and Cavaliers coach Brown saw no need to change, as they were still up by 19 points; they simply needed to control the tempo and avoid blind, rushed shots.
Cavaliers ball.
Roddy followed Coach Brown's instructions, slowing the tempo and not rushing the offense.
With 6 seconds left on the shot clock, Roddy suddenly attacked, used a pick-and-roll with a teammate, and charged toward the rim.
Slap!
Oscar, the Knicks' backup power forward, pinned the ball against the backboard for a massive block, grabbed the ball, and flung it to Bright, who was streaking down the court.
"Lin, go!"
Bright shouted while sprinting with the ball, and Lin Feng followed quickly past midcourt.
"One more!"
Seeing Lin Feng catch up, Bright passed it to him.
At this moment, Lin Feng was nearly two meters behind the top-of-the-key three-point line. Yet, from that distance, he caught the ball and immediately rose for the shot.
The ball seemed to fly across half the court before dropping precisely into the basket.
Swish!
The net snapped.
It was good again.
83-73!!
The gap was now 16 points!
And Lin Feng personally had scored 12 points!
"This guy has made four consecutive threes!"
"More importantly, he's already at 12 points!"
"Oh my god, is this guy crazy!"
As Lin Feng hit this three, the entire Quicken Loans Arena was in an uproar. Of course, this wasn't cheering or excitement; it was almost entirely stunned disbelief.
On the Cavaliers' bench:
"Things are looking a bit bad," Devin said with concern.
"We're still up by 16 points, what's there to worry about?" Thomas, though surprised by Lin Feng's shooting, didn't believe he could sustain such a "crazy" performance.
Coach Brown frowned, contemplating whether to call another timeout...
At the Cleveland Sun headquarters, Swift was being interviewed by another sports media outlet. Because of his bet with Lin Feng, his profile had skyrocketed, and many gossip-hungry sports media outlets had sought him out for interviews, offering decent pay. Consequently, he hadn't even attended the first game between the Cavaliers and the Knicks.
"Hey, brother, I have some very unfortunate news for you," the reporter interviewing Swift suddenly said.
"Oh? What is it?" Swift shrugged, confused.
"That Chinese guard you bet against has already scored 12 points in the game currently underway!" the reporter said.
"What? No! That’s impossible!!" Swift shook his head decisively.
"Brother, I don't want it to be true either, but it is." The reporter shrugged and pressed, "So, you've lost the bet. Are you ready to kiss that donkey's rear end??"
The reporter, naturally, wasn't going to pass up the chance to get the first interview with the person involved.
"No, I still don't believe it. You must be joking with me to try and trap me. Haha, your little tricks won't fool me." Swift remained in denial.
The reporter shook his head. "My dear brother, I’m not joking. My colleague at the arena just messaged me. He said that Chinese guard has hit four three-pointers in a row!"
The reporter showed him the message from his colleague.
Swift glanced at it, and his face instantly turned pale. "No! This can't be real! I have to verify this myself!"
Swift grabbed his phone and called his colleague at the arena.
"Hey, buddy, I was just about to call you. That Chinese guard has already scored 12 points..." the person on the other end said immediately.
"What! It’s actually true??"
Swift was stunned. I actually lost?? I have to go kiss a donkey's rear end???
No!!
I must be dreaming!!
Swift pinched himself hard, wincing in pain...