After studying the new skill "Dominate the Court" for a while, Lin Feng still couldn't figure it out.
He felt that this thing might only be useful for fighting.
After all, he acquired this new skill only after beating up those two idiots, Blake and Smith.
"Don't worry about it for now, let's eat. My girlfriend has brought a loving dinner."
"Bao! Let me see what delicious food you brought me!"
Lin Feng smiled. Now he was gradually becoming dependent on Su Muqing.
It is a very heartwarming thing to have a beautiful girlfriend who always cares about you.
"They are all your favorite Chinese dishes. I brought them specially for you."
"Thank you, Bao!"
Lin Feng was touched. When he opened the lunch box, he found it was indeed his favorite Chinese food.
After a hearty meal, Lin Feng felt full of energy.
The two returned to the house and hugged each other for a few moments. Then Su Muqing left, saying that she needed to accompany the team for an interview tonight.
Lin Feng did not try to keep Su Muqing as she had her own job.
He sat and watched some film, studying how the Phoenix Suns played.
In the next game, the Los Angeles Lakers will challenge the Phoenix Suns away.
…
On October 19, 2006, the entire Los Angeles Lakers team arrived in Phoenix, also known as the "Valley of the Sun," by plane.
The home court of the Phoenix Suns is located in the Footprint Center in the city center. Its former English name was US Airways Center.
Some people also call it the American Airlines Center due to a name change.
In 2006, it was called America West Arena.
This arena can accommodate 20,000 spectators, which is 10,000 less than the Staples Center of the Los Angeles Lakers.
After all, in terms of city status, Phoenix cannot be compared with Los Angeles.
At 8:15 that evening, the entire Lakers team arrived in Phoenix.
The game will be held at 10:30 tonight. Arriving early allows the athletes to familiarize themselves with the venue and practice shooting and stretching movements.
Last season, the Lakers and the Suns were rivals.
The Lakers, led by Kobe, were overturned by the Suns and returned home empty-handed.
Fans who are familiar with Kobe's personality know that Kobe is a person who will take revenge on the spot.
Kobe has never forgotten the defeat by the Suns last season. In tonight's regular-season game, the Lakers must win, and win beautifully!
On the plane, Kobe found Lin Feng and told him to put in a phenomenal performance tonight and try to defeat the Suns.
Since the team leader Kobe said so, Lin Feng naturally mustered up his energy to defeat the Suns.
The whole team changed into their uniforms in the locker room. Lin Feng, wearing the purple and gold No. 10 jersey, couldn't wait to beat up the Suns.
The Suns' star players this year included Steve Nash, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Shawn Marion.
In addition, there are Boris Diaw, Leandro Barbosa, Kurt Thomas, and others.
The head coach is Mike D'Antoni, who strongly advocates the run-and-gun tactics in the NBA.
It is worth mentioning that the Suns team this year had almost no true center, only Kurt Thomas.
D'Antoni, who strongly advocates playing small ball, does not need a traditional center. The center sitting under the basket will compress the offensive space of the forwards.
Kurt Thomas usually does not play significant minutes, and the Suns' most common tactic is the high-low pick-and-roll cooperation between Nash and Stoudemire.
After the pick-and-roll, Stoudemire dives to receive the ball and initiates the entire team's offense through Nash's excellent court vision and passing.
The Suns don't focus heavily on defense; they prioritize outscoring their opponents.
Once they get their offensive rhythm going, almost no team can stop the Suns.
If the offense falters and there isn't a strong rebounding and defensive presence in the paint, the Suns will most likely lose.
Lin Feng, who watched the Suns' game videos for a whole night the day before yesterday, is already familiar with the Suns' offensive tactics.
Shutting down Nash and Stoudemire would be equivalent to neutralizing a significant portion of the Suns' offense.
Shawn Marion and Boris Diaw are two versatile players.
Boris Diaw is good at spot-up shooting and has almost no weaknesses offensively. He often operates in the gaps and takes open shots.
If Stoudemire is struggling, Nash will often pass the ball to Boris Diaw to finish the play.
Shawn Marion's role is primarily defense and rebounding.
Marion is only 6'7" (2.01 meters) tall, but his wingspan is exceptionally long, comparable to that of a center.
Therefore, the fans gave him a friendly nickname - "The Matrix" or sometimes referred to as "Gibbon" due to his long arms.
Coupled with his somewhat unorthodox shooting form, which some likened to a gorilla's motion, this nickname gained popularity in the NBA league.
After studying the Suns' offensive style, Lin Feng knew that the first thing he had to do was to disrupt the cooperation between Nash and Stoudemire, essentially putting them in a 'lost connection' state.
As long as these two key players are disrupted, the Suns will be easier to handle.
Inside the Footprint Center (formerly America West Arena), Lin Feng practiced shooting for half an hour and did some warm-up exercises.
Kobe came over at some point and whispered something to Lin Feng.
Tonight, the Zen Master made a bold decision to let Lin Feng start, and Derek Fisher would be the substitute.
This made Derek Fisher quite unhappy, but it was the Zen Master's arrangement, so he didn't dare to say anything.
The opening tip-off was at the center circle. Lin Feng said expressionlessly, "Kwame, go and rest over there. I'll jump the ball!"
Kwame Brown was confused for a moment and looked at Lin Feng, wanting to laugh.
He thought to himself, you are only that tall, and you are still trying to jump the ball? Is this a joke?
Kobe Bryant supported Lin Feng, "Let Lin jump the ball, and you step back."
Upon hearing this, Kwame Brown reluctantly gave the jump ball position to Lin Feng.
The commentator for this game is the legendary NBA commentator Marv Albert.
Marv Albert was shocked when he saw this incredible scene.
He held the microphone and shouted loudly: "Oh oh oh! It's amazing that Lin asked Kwame Brown to step back, and he's at the center circle to compete for the jump ball!"
His partner Jerry Allen also expressed shock, holding a microphone and shouting: "I feel like the Lakers are absolutely crazy. Now they are too dependent on this little guy with black hair and yellow skin."
"In the last game against the Golden State Warriors, we do not deny that this Asian kid had a miraculous effect and dealt a heavy blow to the Golden State Warriors."
"But tonight, they are facing the Phoenix Suns, a strong team that ranked second in the Western Conference last season. Do Kobe and Jackson think that they can complete their revenge tonight with just an Asian kid?"
"Obviously, this is impossible. The Suns have a more luxurious lineup than the Lakers. They have Nash and Stoudemire, as well as players with comprehensive skills such as Marion and Diaw."
"I am sure that tonight's game will still be..."
Before commentator Jerry Allen finished his rant, the referee tossed the basketball high into the air.
Lin Feng seized the opportunity and jumped a whole beat faster than Shawn Marion.
Before Marion even jumped, Lin Feng was already in mid-air.
And careful viewers noticed that Lin Feng jumped earlier but landed later than Marion.
What does this mean?
There is only one explanation that works: Lin Feng was suspended in the air. Relying on his strong core and abdominal strength, Lin Feng performed a mid-air jump ball?
He grabbed the basketball flying in the air and held it in his arms!
…