The first punch that shocked the basketball world

Playing away games is not an easy experience.

The team provides food and accommodation, and also offers a daily travel allowance.

But compared to Los Angeles, it's worlds apart.

When he was at home, he could go back to the restaurant after training to eat the braised noodles his aunt made, and he could tease Zhu Xiuli when he was free.

When playing away games, they stay in chain hotels every day and eat the same pre-game meals every day.

A peaceful environment is nice, but after a while, it becomes tasteless and unpleasant to the eye.

No wonder NBA players hate consecutive away games.

The Development League is even worse; its accommodations, meals, and subsidies are nowhere near as good as those in the NBA.

The more Lin Fei fought, the more he missed the cola chicken nuggets Lin Xiuqin made.

Two days later, the team bus drove into Portland, Maine.

The opponent is the Maine Red Claws, a Celtic affiliate.

This is a tough nut to crack.

Lin Fei's opponent was Terence Williams.

The 11th pick in the first round of the 2009 NBA draft, he is 1.98 meters tall and weighs 100 kilograms, a strong swingman.

He was a five-star high school player back then, but he never lived up to his potential in the NBA.

This season he averaged 4.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for the Celtics. He recently injured his ankle and has just returned from injury, so he was sent down to the Development League to get back into form.

Lin Fei was deeply impressed by him.

It's not the NBA's performance.

It's the NBA health benefits fraud case from 2021.

Eighteen former players conspired to defraud $4 million, with Terrence Williams as the mastermind.

He was ultimately sentenced to ten years in prison.

Instead of being a proper professional player, he chose to go astray.

Lin Fei always finds it outrageous whenever he thinks about it.

Williams has been in good form since his return, scoring 28 and 26 points in the first two games respectively.

Unfortunately, the team lost all their matches.

This player is selfish, inefficient, and despite impressive stats, he can't win games.

His advantage was his strength; he was three centimeters shorter than Lin Fei, 5 kilograms heavier, and had a lot of muscle.

Lin Fei has top-tier explosive power, but he doesn't have much muscle mass, so he always struggles against pure strength-based opponents.

As expected, the game started passively.

Williams carried Lin Fei inside, each blow causing Lin Fei's chest to feel tight.

The rest of the Defenders were ice cold, missing several shots from beyond the arc.

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 21 to 29.

Trailing by 8 points.

During the break, Harris squatted down in front of Lin Fei.

"Lin," he said solemnly, "this game can't just be about defense; you need to take more shots on offense."

The meaning is quite clear.

We can't count on anyone else, so we have to make Lin Fei the spearhead of the attack.

The task is simple.

Off-ball movement, use screens to shoot, play like Klay Thompson.

This is precisely what Lin Fei excels at.

After three games of practice, his chemistry with his teammates is already good enough.

He came on in the second quarter.

Lin Fei began to weave in and out continuously.

Use a screen, receive the ball in the corner, and shoot a three-pointer.

"Whoosh!"

Use another screen, receive the ball at a 45-degree angle, take a step, and score again.

He made continuous runs, caught the ball and shot immediately, without any hesitation.

He took 8 shots in the quarter and made 5.

Three of them were three-pointers.

13 points in a single quarter.

The Defenders launched a scoring run, and at halftime, the score was 48-49.

Just one point short.

While the offense exploded, Lin Fei didn't let up on the defense either.

Williams felt uncomfortable being pressed against.

Every time I catch the ball, it takes a tremendous amount of effort.

He was strong, but Lin Fei was fast and accurate, using his movements to flank, thrust at the waist, and disrupt the opponent. His small actions were clean and annoying.

At halftime, Williams' shooting percentage was less than 40%.

When he came off the field, his teammates came up one by one to give Lin Fei a high-five.

The second energy recovery was entirely due to his ability to hold up both offense and defense.

This is what impressed the scouts the most.

When they're scoring on offense, they absolutely don't slack off on defense.

Even with both legs worn out from running, they still filled in for others and held their positions when needed.

A player like that would be highly sought after by any team.

In the locker room, Harris patted Lin Fei on the shoulder and laughed.

"Well done," he said. "Believe me, it won't be long before you're in the NBA."

Yesterday, Ryan West personally called him to inquire about Lin Fei's training and competition details.

Harris knew that the Lakers had their eyes on this kid.

Leaving was inevitable.

That's why he specifically asked Lin Fei to take more action today.

The defense has been shown enough.

Let the scouts see the attack in this match.

If he goes to the Lakers, he can establish himself more quickly.

This was the last bit of help he could give Lin Fei.

Lin Fei smiled.

"If the G League salaries were as high as the NBA, I'd rather you play, Coach."

Half-joking, half-seriously.

Harris found it pleasant to hear.

Most G League players are focused on climbing the ranks and don't have much of an emotional attachment to the league.

Lin Fei's words sounded like flattery, but they warmed people's hearts.

"You wish."

Harris jokingly retorted, "The G League salaries are the same as the NBA, so why would anyone bother trying to climb up?"

Everyone in the room laughed.

...

Back for the second half.

In the third quarter, Lin Fei's shooting touch was still hot.

The Red Claws team noticeably intensified their marking of him.

When making off-the-ball runs, always have someone following you.

Lin Fei didn't force a shot.

Make lots of cuts and runs, and seize every opportunity to attack the basket.

If you can't improve, you'll draw fouls.

He made 4 out of 5 free throws in the quarter.

He broke his personal record again.

However, the point difference was never overcome.

The problem lies with the inside players.

Shaflake Randolph, the big white center for the Red Claws, exploded.

Randolph, 2.08 meters tall, 109 kilograms.

He went undrafted in 05 and played for the CBA Dongguan team in 2011, averaging 24.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per game.

What impressed domestic fans the most was when he was playing in Foshan, he was stepped on in the face by Shanxi's foreign player Charles, and was stunned for five minutes on the spot.

He signed a 10-day contract with the Celtics this year, but they didn't keep him when it expired, and he was sent down to the Development League as a backup.

A white center, with a very tough playing style.

The defenders' interior defense was already weak, and he tore it apart.

He scored with strong drives to the basket in three consecutive possessions.

The point difference has widened to 7 points.

Harris called a timeout, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.

No one in the paint can hold them off.

If we keep playing like this, we're going to lose.

"Coach," Lin Fei suddenly spoke up, "I'll guard Shaflake."

The teammates were all stunned.

Harris shook his head immediately.

"No way. He weighs 30 pounds more and is 7 centimeters taller than you. It would be too much of a disadvantage for you if you were misaligned."

"I'll go around him and defend him," Lin Fei said. "I just need to prevent him from receiving the ball. I know this guy well; he played in my hometown league, and I understand his playing style."

He paused, then added, "He's slow and can't get out of position. If you try to get in front of him, he can't receive the ball, so it's useless."

Harris stared at Lin Fei for two seconds.

There's really no one left in the paint.

Try anything, even if it seems hopeless.

"Fine." He gritted his teeth. "I'll try it for three minutes. If it doesn't work, I'll switch back immediately."

Pause back.

Lin Fei immediately moved to the inside and stood in front of Randolph.

When the two stood together, Lin Fei looked a whole size smaller.

The Red Claws' defender chuckled when he saw this.

Isn't this just giving away points?

He raised his hand, intending to dribble towards the inside.

But when it came time to actually send it, it turned out it couldn't be sent at all.

Lin Fei stuck close to Randolph, keeping his center of gravity extremely low and his arms outstretched, completely blocking the passing lane.

Randolph tried to get into position twice, but missed receiving the ball.

The defender tried twice, both times fearing the ball would be intercepted.

I'd rather not send it.

Since the ball couldn't be passed in, the head coach couldn't blame him.

Teammates in the Development League don't have much chemistry to begin with.

Nobody wants to take responsibility for a mistake.

Then a comical scene unfolded on the field.

Randolph was on fire, and he reached out his hand for the ball.

The guards kept passing the ball around on the perimeter, but never passed it inside.

Randolph was so angry that he waved his hand.

No one cares about him.

The Defenders took advantage of the situation and went on a 7-0 run.

After three quarters, the score was 76-72.

They took a 4-point lead.

When Lin Fei left the field, his teammates surrounded him, shouting and laughing.

Heroic treatment.

On the opposite bench, Randolph threw down his towel.

He was so angry that his face turned red, but he couldn't vent his anger on his teammates.

He doesn't have that level of fame yet.

In the fourth quarter, Lin Fei continued to circle around to the front.

Randolph still couldn't get a comfortable ball.

The Red Claws' offense became increasingly chaotic.

Lin Fei seized the opportunity and hit two more three-pointers.

The score gap is widening.

The final whistle blew.

109:98.

An 11-point comeback victory extends the winning streak.

林飞全场18投11中，27分8篮板3助攻2抢断1盖帽。

A career high in scoring.