bookbashuk Chapter 27 Rookie Game MVP
Chapter 27 Rookie Game MVP
At the Philips Arena in Atlanta, the moment the opening whistle blew for the Rising Stars Challenge, the cheers of more than 20,000 spectators instantly lifted the dome.
The broadcast cameras immediately focused on Lin Hao and Joe Jensen—their public statements at the pre-game press conference had already heightened the tension of this rookie game. American sports media broadcast the entire event live, while domestic sports platforms were packed with viewers, the barrage of comments making the screen almost unreadable. Zhang Qingying, sitting in the domestic studio, gripped the microphone tightly, her gaze fixed on the Asian face wearing the number 6 Warriors jersey.
"The game begins! The first-year team wins the jump ball, and Yao Ming passes the ball to Lin Hao!"
As soon as the commentator's roar faded, Joe Jensen, like a cheetah that had been poised for a long time, instantly pressed forward, pinning Lin Hao down with his body, while spewing trash talk: "Internet celebrity kid, welcome to the NBA. Today I'll show you that the tricks on the stage are worthless on the court."
Lin Hao remained unfazed, his dribbling rhythm perfectly controlled. A behind-the-back layup followed by Iverson's signature crossover dribble created half a body's width of space. Joe Jensen reacted quickly, moving laterally to help defend, but Lin Hao showed no intention of driving. He abruptly stopped and stepped back to the three-point line, flicking his wrist as he met Jensen's block attempt. The basketball arced perfectly through the net!
Swish!
The crisp sound of the net falling rang out, and the entire arena erupted in gasps of surprise.
"The first basket of the game! Lin Hao, facing Joe Jensen's tight defense, sank a super long-range three-pointer!" The commentator's voice instantly rose. "Before the game, Joe Jensen said he would teach him how to play, but in the very first possession, Lin Hao gave him a lesson!"
Joe Jensen's face instantly darkened.
Back on defense at half-court, he immediately reached for the ball, waving to his teammates to create space, clearly intending to take on Lin Hao one-on-one and regain his lost face. He was a lottery pick in the 2001 draft, had played two seasons with the Heat, and had already secured his starting shooting guard position. With explosive physical talent and a well-rounded offensive arsenal, he saw a second-round pick Chinese player as nothing more than a social media celebrity who had become famous through hype, someone he could easily dominate one-on-one.
With a back-to-the-basket move that pushed past Lin Hao, Joe Jensen executed a smooth turnaround jump shot. But just as the ball was released, Lin Hao suddenly leaped into the air, his fingertips precisely brushing the bottom edge of the ball, forcefully blocking what seemed like a sure basket!
A volleyball-style block!
The basketball flew directly to the midcourt. Lin Hao landed and immediately started running, receiving the ball and charging straight to the frontcourt. Facing the player who was helping to defend, he soared into the air, drew back fully in mid-air, and delivered a powerful one-handed slam dunk, smashing the ball into the basket!
Clang!
The basketball hoop even swayed slightly, and the whole arena erupted!
The stands where the Chinese fans were located erupted in cheers. Fans holding up the Chinese national flag and suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument) support signs jumped and cheered. Some even took out their suonas and started playing the tune of "People from Our Village" on the spot. The cheers mingled with the cheers and became the most unique scene in the stadium.
"My God! Less than two minutes into the game, Lin Hao hit a three-pointer, a dunk, and even blocked Joe Jensen's shot!" the commentator roared. "That's the confidence that gives him the guts to accept the challenge! Joe Jensen's pre-game boasts now look like a joke!"
Joe Jensen's face was extremely grim.
In the first quarter, he went head-to-head with Lin Hao, trying to take on Lin Hao one-on-one in almost every possession. But no matter if he drove, backed down, or pulled up for a jump shot, Lin Hao was like a piece of chewing gum that he couldn't shake off, sticking to him tightly with perfect footwork and terrifyingly accurate anticipation.
Breakthrough? Lin Hao had positioned himself well in advance, forcing him to stop the ball and send it out of bounds.
Backstab? After holding out for a long time, Lin Hao's body didn't move an inch, and he couldn't squeeze out any space to strike.
Jump shot? Lin Hao's block always appears right on cue. Even if you manage to get a shot off, it always misses the rim.
In the first quarter, which lasted 12 minutes, Joe Jensen went 0-for-6 from the field, scoring zero points and committing two turnovers and one blocked shot.
And what about Lin Hao?
At the end of the first quarter, he had made 5 of 6 field goals, including 2 of 3 three-pointers, scoring 12 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Not only did he score himself, but he also delivered several brilliant passes to Yao Ming. The two's high-low post play was fluid and seamless, and the iconic connection between the two Chinese stars was repeatedly replayed on the broadcast. The first-year team led the second-year team 32-18 at the end of the first quarter.
During the break, the big screen repeatedly played the footage of Lin Hao locking down Joe Jensen. The boos from the audience had long since turned into cheers, and even the local American fans who were not optimistic about Lin Hao started chanting "Lin Hao" along with the Chinese fans.
In the domestic studio, Zhang Qingying looked at the figure on the screen, her eyes slightly red, and smiled as she said to the camera, "I've always said that he will never let down those who believe in him. Those who said he didn't deserve to stand on this stage should now see clearly that his confidence has never come from the suona and canned peaches, but from the basketball in his hands."
In the players' tunnel, as soon as Lin Hao sat down on the bench, Zhao Dabao immediately handed him a can of chilled yellow peaches, unscrewed the lid, and gave it to him: "Haozi, well done! Keep it up, that kid's defense is completely disoriented!"
Lin Hao took the can of food, took a sip of the sweet syrup, and most of his fatigue dissipated. He looked up at Joe Jensen, who was being scolded mercilessly by the coach on the court, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
In his past life in the youth academy, his greatest strength was defense. He could mentally break down players who were taller, stronger, and more talented than him, let alone a stubborn Joe Jensen.
The mission requirement of 【Iron Blood Binding】 is to reduce his shooting percentage to below 40%. He's 0-for-6 in the first quarter, and in this game, he wants to make sure this kid doesn't even reach 17% shooting percentage.
Returning for the second quarter, Joe Jensen went on a rampage, relentlessly guarding Lin Hao and even resorting to physical confrontations and dirty tricks to try and disrupt Lin Hao's rhythm. But Lin Hao remained unshaken, his defensive moves clean and efficient, giving Jensen no chance to draw fouls. Instead, he repeatedly capitalized on Jensen's mistakes, launching fast breaks and counterattacks.
In this segment, Lin Hao completely unleashed his personal performance mode.
Facing a double team, he used a behind-the-back dribble to shake off the defender and replicated Kobe's signature fadeaway jump shot, which went in cleanly.
During a fast break, he faced the player who was helping to defend and completed a 360-degree windmill dunk in the air, replicating Carter's classic moment, and the entire audience stood up and cheered.
In the half-court offense, he used a series of crossover steps to shake off the defender, replicating Iverson's classic crossover, and scored a layup while also drawing a foul, completing a 2+1 play.
Every goal ignited the atmosphere in the stadium. The commentators went completely wild, shouting out the names of legendary players, their eyes filled with disbelief as they looked at Lin Hao.
In the first quarter, Lin Hao scored another 14 points, 3 assists, and 1 steal. By halftime, he had already racked up a spectacular stat line of 26 points, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. Meanwhile, Joe Jensen, after playing only 2-for-10 from the field and a mere 6 points from the free-throw line, had completely lost his composure. He sat on the bench, his face ashen, unable to utter a single word.
During halftime, the camera precisely focused on the canned peaches in Lin Hao's hand. He sat on the bench, sipping the canned peaches and drinking syrup, as calmly as if he weren't playing in the All-Star Rookie Game, but rather on a local basketball court back home. In the broadcast, Chinese fans in the arena waved their cans of peaches at the camera, and the hashtag #CannedPeachWinningBuff# instantly surged to the top of the trending topics in both China and the US.
In the second half, the second-year team tried to launch a counterattack, but Lin Hao gave them no chance at all.
On offense, he no longer focused on individual scoring and began to deliver brilliant passes, connecting the whole team and organizing the first-year team's offense in an orderly manner. His teammates were all on fire, hitting three-pointers one after another, and the point difference widened.
On the defensive end, he continued to lock down Joe Jensen tightly, staying close even during off-ball movement, never giving him a chance to receive the ball and shoot. Halfway through the third quarter, Joe Jensen once again forced a one-on-one against Lin Hao, but Lin Hao stole the ball, launched a fast break, and assisted his teammate to complete an alley-oop dunk, widening the gap to 30 points and completely sealing the game.
By the end of the third quarter, Lin Hao had already racked up 36 points, 10 assists, and 3 steals, achieving a double-double ahead of schedule. Meanwhile, Joe Jensen shot a dismal 4-for-12 from the field, a shooting percentage of less than 30%, failing to even reach his pre-game boast of a 40% shooting percentage. Lin Hao's defense left him questioning his very existence.
In the fourth quarter, Lin Hao only played for the first two minutes, hitting a three-pointer before being substituted by the coach. At this point, the first-year team was already leading by 32 points, and the more than 20,000 spectators in the arena stood up and erupted in thunderous applause and cheers, chanting "MVP! MVP! MVP!" which echoed throughout the entire Phillips Arena.
At the moment the final whistle blew, the scoreboard showed 132:110.
The first-year team defeated the second-year team by a huge margin of 22 points, winning the Rookie Challenge!
Throughout the game, Lin Hao played 28 minutes, shooting 15 of 19 from the field, 6 of 8 from three-point range, and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line, racking up a spectacular stat line of 42 points, 11 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. His plus-minus rating was a game-high +38.
Joe Jensen, who was completely shut down by him, only made 2 of 12 shots, scoring a paltry 6 points and 3 rebounds, along with 4 turnovers. His pre-game boasts turned into a laughing stock that resounded throughout the United States.
The moment the match ended, the cameras were glued to Lin Hao. Zhao Dabao and Harris embraced each other excitedly on the sidelines, the live stream chat in China was flooded with comments, and the servers even experienced a brief lag. Zhang Qingying, in the studio, laughed and then tears streamed down her face.
Unsurprisingly, when the host announced the name of this year's Rookie Challenge MVP—Lin Hao—the entire audience erupted in thunderous cheers once again.
Lin Hao accepted the MVP trophy and, under the gaze of tens of thousands of spectators, turned around and took out the polished ebony suona from his bag on the sidelines.
The entire arena fell silent instantly, all eyes focused on the suona in his hands. The broadcast camera gave it a close-up, and hundreds of millions of viewers around the world watched as this young man from Northeast China stood in the center of the NBA All-Star stage, holding this instrument that was completely unfamiliar to them.
The next second, a loud and familiar suona horn resounded throughout the entire Phillips Arena.
It's "The People in Our Village".
The cheerful and down-to-earth melody, emanating from the suona, felt perfectly natural and instantly ignited the atmosphere. Chinese fans sang along, while the American audience, though unable to understand the lyrics, waved their arms, cheered, and jumped to the rhythm.
When the music ended, the entire audience erupted in applause.
As soon as Lin Hao put down his suona, two figures walked over and opened their arms to give him a hug.
One of them was Allen Iverson, who patted Lin Hao on the back and said with a smile, "Kid, I knew you could do it. Well done!"
The other was Vince Carter, who looked at Lin Hao with admiration in his eyes: "Your dunks are worthy of your ability. Your suona blasts made me remember you even more. Welcome to the All-Star Game."
Immediately afterwards, Yao Ming, Garnett, and even Marbury, who had previously mocked him, came over, bumped fists with him, and expressed their approval.
The isolation and ridicule before the match vanished at this moment.
With an impeccable performance and absolute dominance on both offense and defense, he completely shed the "internet celebrity ticket king" label attached to him, winning everyone's respect in the world's highest basketball hall.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the Rookie Tournament exclusive mission, "Rookie Godhood"!]
[Mission accomplished 100%! Limiting Joe Jensen to 16.7% field goal percentage, below the 40% requirement, exceeding the target! Leading the team to victory in the Rising Stars Challenge, earning the MVP award!]
[Mission Rewards Issued! Unlocked Defensive Passive Skill [Iron-Blooded Entanglement]: Permanently reduces opposing player's shooting percentage by 15%, increases layup interference rate by 20%! Permanently increases physical strength by 10%!]
The cold system notification sounded in his mind. Lin Hao held the MVP trophy in his hand, looked at the cheering audience, and the smile on his lips grew wider and wider.
This is just the beginning.
His legendary performance in the Rising Stars Challenge was just the first stop of his All-Star Weekend.
In the upcoming All-Star Game, he will stand opposite Jordan and, in his own way, complete that cross-generational legacy.