boyutpedia Chapter 48: Narrowly Lost in Best-of-5! Eliminated in the First Round.
Chapter 48: Narrowly Lost in Best-of-5! Eliminated in the First Round.
The boos at the AT&T Center in San Antonio were like ice-cold knives, raining down from the players' tunnel.
An hour before the match, the away team's locker room door was locked from the inside. Team doctor Tom's hand trembled as he held the injection, looking at Lin Hao's left ankle, swollen like a bun. His voice trembled as he said, "Lin, I'm telling you this one last time. Forcing yourself to play with an injection will cause permanent ligament damage, potentially affecting your entire career!"
Lin Hao sat in the chair, clutching a half-eaten can of peaches. He swallowed the last piece of peach in one gulp, slammed the can down on the table, and said without hesitation, "Tom, go for it. Even if it means ruining this leg, I have to finish this game with my brothers."
Richardson, his eyes red-rimmed, grabbed his arm and said, "Canned Food Bro, stop! We can always come back next year. It's not worth gambling with your career!"
"Next year is next year's problem. This year's battle must be finished this year." Lin Hao pushed his hand away, rolled up his trouser leg to reveal his bruised and swollen ankle, "We fought our way from being a bottom-feeder in the West to the playoffs, a full 82 games. We can't back down at the last step. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Old Tom sighed, gritted his teeth, and inserted the injection into Lin Hao's ankle. The cool medicine spread along the veins, and the pain gradually subsided, replaced by a numb, heavy feeling. Lin Hao moved his ankle; although he couldn't feel pain, he could feel the ligaments pulling with each step.
[Beep! Host forcibly entered the battle with injections, triggering the temporary buff [Burning Life]! All attributes temporarily increased by 15%, pain perception decreased by 90%, lasting 48 minutes. Side effect: Ankle injury worsens after the match, requiring at least 6 weeks of rest.]
The system notification sounded in his mind, and Lin Hao smiled. Enough. 48 minutes was enough for him to fight this life-or-death battle.
In the jump ball, Duncan easily won, and the Spurs' first possession went to the center, "The Stone Buddha." Duncan backed down Dampier, made a deft spin move, and scored off the backboard, eliciting a deafening roar from the crowd.
Popovich sat on the sidelines, expressionless, gesturing his signature hand gestures. The Spurs unleashed their most aggressive full-court press defense. As soon as Lin Hao received the ball, two players would immediately double-team him, with Bowen sticking to him like glue, occasionally bumping his ankle with his elbow.
Halfway through the first quarter, Lin Hao had only taken 3 shots, making 1, for 2 points and 3 assists. The Spurs, relying on the inside-outside connection of the "Big Three" (Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili), led 22-16 by 6 points.
In the second quarter, Lin Hao stopped focusing on one-on-one plays and instead used off-ball movement to stretch the defense. He used his teammates' screens to constantly weave in and out of the three-point line, shooting whenever he had an open look. Even when Bowen's finger was poking his eye, his shooting form remained unchanged.
In the quarter, Lin Hao made 4 of 6 shots, including 2 of 2 three-pointers, scoring 12 points and 4 assists, leading the Warriors on a 20-12 run. At halftime, the Warriors led 46-44 by 2 points.
In the halftime locker room, Lin Hao sat in a corner, lifting his trouser leg to look at his ankle. The effects of the injection were slowly wearing off, and the excruciating pain began to rise. Zhang Qingying squatted beside him, gently applying an ice pack to his ankle, tears welling in her eyes, but she dared not let them fall.
"Don't worry." Lin Hao reached out and wiped the corner of her eye, smiling as he said, "This little injury is nothing. It's nothing."
Zhang Qingying bit her lip, nodded, and handed him a jar of warm canned yellow peaches: "Eat slowly, don't choke. I'll be watching you from the sidelines, no matter the result, I'll be with you."
In the third quarter, the Spurs suddenly changed their lineup, with Duncan moving to the high post to facilitate, and Parker and Ginobili taking turns breaking through the Warriors' defense. The Warriors' defense gradually couldn't keep up with the pace, and the point difference widened again. At the end of the third quarter, the Spurs led 72-65 by 7 points.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Lin Hao completely unleashed his killer mode. Dragging his numb left foot, he repeatedly charged into the Spurs' paint, scoring layups over Duncan's blocks; his three-point shooting was equally unerring, hitting three consecutive three-pointers and narrowing the gap to just one point.
With two minutes remaining in the match, the score was tied at 88.
Parker drove to the basket, but his jump shot missed. Lin Hao grabbed the defensive rebound and was about to push forward when Bowen suddenly rushed in from the side and slammed into his left leg.
Lin Hao staggered and fell heavily to the ground, the basketball flying out of his hand.
A chorus of boos erupted from the crowd. Warriors players swarmed around, and Richardson grabbed Bowen by the collar, yelling, "You fucking did that on purpose!"
The referee quickly separated the two players and gave Bowen a regular foul.
Lin Hao tried to stand up, bracing himself against the floor, but as soon as his left foot touched the ground, a searing pain shot through him, and his leg buckled, causing him to fall back down. His calf muscles were twitching uncontrollably; he had a cramp.
The team doctor rushed onto the field like a madman, trying to carry him off, but Lin Hao pushed his hand away, gritted his teeth, and used his hands to straighten his cramped leg.
"I'm fine, I can still play." Lin Hao, panting heavily, stood up with the help of his teammates and limped back onto the field.
The entire audience fell silent instantly, followed by scattered applause that grew louder and louder until it finally erupted into thunderous applause. Even the Spurs fans couldn't help but applaud the Chinese rookie who had given his all.
With 30 seconds left in the game, the Spurs have possession of the ball.
Duncan received the pass in the low post, and despite being double-teamed by two defenders, he forced a turn and hook shot to score, giving the Spurs a 90-88 lead.
The Warriors called a timeout.
Lin Hao slumped onto the bench, panting heavily. Sweat streamed down his face, soaking his jersey. His left leg was completely numb, and each breath brought a sharp pain to his chest.
"For the final possession, I'll inbound the ball." Lin Hao, holding the tactical board, said in a hoarse voice, "Richardson, you run to the top of the key and draw their defense. Murphy, you cut along the baseline. Dampier, you wait under the basket. I'll pass the ball to the open player."
Everyone nodded, their eyes filled with determination.
The timeout is over, and the game has resumed.
Lin Hao stood outside the sideline, watching the movement on the court. He took a deep breath and passed the ball to Richardson at the top of the key. The moment Richardson received the ball, two Spurs players rushed towards him. Without hesitation, he immediately passed the ball back to Lin Hao.
The moment Lin Hao received the ball, Bowen and Duncan rushed in simultaneously, their double block completely shutting down his shooting space. He didn't force a shot; instead, he flicked his wrist and passed the ball to Murphy, who was open on the baseline.
Murphy catches the ball, adjusts his breathing, and raises his hand to shoot.
The basketball traced a perfect arc in the air, and everyone's eyes were fixed on it.
"Clang!"
The basketball hit the front edge of the rim and bounced out.
Duncan grabbed the defensive rebound and held it tightly to his chest.
The final whistle blew, and the score was 90-88.
The Spurs won, eliminating the Warriors 3-2 in the series and advancing to the Western Conference semifinals.
Lin Hao stood there, staring at the basket, motionless for a long time. Sweat dripped onto the floor, spreading into a small puddle. He had exerted his last ounce of strength, but ultimately failed to create the upset miracle.
There were no boos, only thunderous applause. More than 20,000 Spurs fans stood up and clapped wildly, chanting "Lin Hao MVP" throughout the AT&T Center.
Duncan walked over, reached out and helped Lin Hao up, patted him on the shoulder, his eyes full of admiration: "You played very well, the future is yours."
Popovich walked over and extended his hand to Lin Hao: "Kid, you're the most motivated player I've ever seen. If I could, I'd trade the entire Spurs team for you."
The Spurs players took turns hugging Lin Hao to express their respect.
Lin Hao smiled and shook hands with each of them. He walked to the sidelines, picked up the unopened can of yellow peaches from the bench, and held it in his hand.
On domestic live streaming platforms, the screen was flooded with comments. There were no accusations, no insults, only a screen full of "honorable defeat" and "Lin Hao is awesome".
Zhao Dabao, his eyes red-rimmed, handed over a towel: "Haozi, it's okay, we'll come again next year. We've already played well enough."
Lin Hao's eyes softened, and he nodded quietly.