Chapter Eighteen: Pulling the King off His Horse

  A week's time passed quickly, and Yan Lingfeng's injured left hand had fully recovered. The night before the match against Class 5 of Senior Three, he couldn't sleep, tossing and turning in bed, unable to fall asleep. Yan Lingfeng could only attribute this situation to tension caused by his emotions, but he really couldn't understand why he was so tense about this small river ditch when he had seen worse storms in his past life.

  It was already getting light outside when Yan Lingfeng finally managed to close his eyes, and he had a faintly uneasy feeling in his heart, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what the problem was. Since it was the weekend, and the match wasn't until 9 am, Yan Lingfeng had slept relatively late, but being young was an advantage - despite only getting less than five hours of rest, when he woke up, Yan Lingfeng still looked spirited and refreshed.

  Looking at the other brothers in the same dormitory, Liu Zhuofan has already resigned himself to his fate and deliberately pulled out some cotton from his quilt to make a simple earplug. As for whether it has any effect on preventing noise, it's just doing what one can do. As for the other guys, Guo Fangzhen doesn't care about this dormitory environment at all. He covers himself with a quilt, closes his ears and focuses on reading, the others' quarrels are just trivial matters to him.

  Compared to the spirited Yan Lingfeng, Sun Feiyang and a few others were like eggplants that had been hit by autumn frost. Especially Xiang Qingyun, Yan Lingfeng's comeback made him return to the bench, although he couldn't say he was resentful or jealous, but he couldn't help feeling a sense of loss. As for Sun Feiyang and the others, they were completely overshadowed by Yan Lingfeng's performance, which would definitely reduce their chances of showing off. The psychological gap was quite large. For Yan Lingfeng, these people now completely acknowledged his strength, not because of that dunk, after all, Fu Zijun could now barely dunk the ball alone. Yan Lingfeng's broad vision on the basketball court, accurate prediction during defense, and precise control of shooting and passing during offense made them feel a sense of admiration and helplessness, like "I am not as good as you".

  Yan Lingfeng took out the jersey that had been put away for several weeks and held it with tears streaming down his face...

  Five people were speechless for a moment, this guy is too good at pretending, isn't it just a few games that didn't work out? They made it to the semifinals, what's there to regret? If it weren't for his brothers fighting hard, would he have had such an opportunity?

  Han Dengyun dragged Yan Lingfeng, who was posturing, over to him and raised his fist the size of a basin, saying viciously: "Today you must pass the ball to me more times, got it?"

  Yan Lingfeng slipped out of his arms, and with a charming smile, he gave Han Dengyun a glance: "What benefits do you bring to others?"

  Han Dengyun heard that there was still a chance, and immediately rubbed his head with a silly smile: "What benefits do you want? As long as you let me score more than 30 points today, Old Han will unconditionally agree!"

  Yan Lingfeng fetched a basin and toothbrush, slung a towel over his shoulder and rushed out to the washing area, leaving behind only his back for Han Dengyun to see.

  Yan Lingfeng had just stepped out of the dormitory when the phone rang, in 2004, mobile phones were not common among high school students in this small city of Yunyun, except for a few rich second-generation kids, most students usually kept in touch mainly through flying pigeons and broken dormitory phones.

  The nearest Xiang Qingyun walked over, and said with a big smile: "Who are you looking for?"

  "What? Auntie, don't cry, Lingfeng has gone to wash up. Yes, please wait, I'll call him right away." Xiang Qingyun hastily hung up the phone and rushed out of the dormitory with a serious expression on her face. The four people looked at each other in confusion, the phone call was definitely for Yan Lingfeng, but they didn't know how severe the matter was or if it would affect today's match.

  Although on the surface, several people expressed dissatisfaction with Yan Lingfeng's return to injury, everyone in their hearts understood that it was just a way of expressing emotions between brothers. They couldn't let several people hug Yan Lingfeng and cry: "Brother, you're finally back! I almost died from missing you!"

  Yan Lingfeng, who was brushing his teeth, heard that it was a call from his mother at home. His heart skipped a beat as he suddenly remembered something and rushed back to the dormitory with a mouthful of white foam to pick up the phone.

  "Mom, what did you say? How is that possible? It's impossible, yeah, I'll go ask for leave from my teacher right away." Yan Lingfeng hung up the phone with a painful expression, and at this moment he finally understood where his unease came from.

  Mom said on the phone that at 5 o'clock in the morning, Yan Lingfeng's grandfather finally couldn't bear the ruthless years and passed away...

  What ambition, what fame, what wealth and glory, what wives and concubines, now filling Yan Lingfeng's chest cavity is only regret. In his previous life, Yan Lingfeng did not catch up to see his grandfather's last face. When he received the call and hurried back home, his grandfather, who had been very fond of Yan Lingfeng since childhood, had become a cold corpse. Looking at his grandfather, who would take him with him whenever he had time, was now separated from him forever. Since understanding things, Yan Lingfeng rarely cried, but this time he could no longer control the sadness in his heart and wailed loudly while guarding his grandfather's body, almost fainting during the funeral.

  Yan Lingfeng's parents were busy making money when he was young, and since he could remember, Yan Lingfeng had been following his grandfather around like a shadow until he went to kindergarten. Under his grandfather's care, not only did Yan Lingfeng receive meticulous care, but he also learned beautiful calligraphy, how to win at chess, and countless Tang poems and Song lyrics...

  Time has passed a bit far away, and Yan Lingfeng, who was reborn, has already become somewhat fuzzy about his grandfather's memorial day. The sorrow of the previous life is now more regretful for Yan Lingfeng. Having seen many partings in life and death, even he himself had walked through the Naihe Bridge. Birth, aging, illness, and death are all normal human experiences. The six paths of reincarnation will not stop because of human will. Although Grandfather has passed away, at the age of 3, he lost his father; at 10 years old, he was forced by Japanese devils to build a watchtower; after getting married, he encountered three years of natural disasters; during the chaotic period, he was locked up in a cowshed. For a grandfather who had never enjoyed any good fortune in his life, leaving might not necessarily be a bad thing, but rather a kind of liberation.

  What made Yan Lingfeng regretful was that if he had been more careful, perhaps he could have rushed to see his grandfather for the last time.

  "What's going on? Ling Feng, do you need our help?" Sun Feiyang asked cautiously.

  "My grandfather is gone, I won't be able to play today's game, brothers, I'm really sorry, the basketball match is all up to you!" Yan Lingfeng shook his head, and a tear actually rolled out.

  "Take a break, brother. Hurry back early, don't worry, I've said it before, the championship is definitely yours! Even if I exhaust all my strength, this game is for you, for the departed old man, I must win it!" Sun Feiying patted Yan Lingfeng's shoulder and said with a determined face.

  Zhao Senming's face didn't change much, but his eyes inexplicably added a hint of sadness. He walked up gently and comforted him, saying: "The dead cannot be brought back to life, the living are more important, don't grieve too much, Grandfather in heaven wouldn't want to see this either."

  Han Dengyun and Fu Zijun stood on either side of Yan Lingfeng, each with an arm around his shoulders. In this situation, Han Dengyun wisely chose to keep his mouth shut, instead using his powerful arms to let Yan Lingfeng feel his strength.

  Fu Zijun, who was always smiling, rarely became serious and stared at Yan Lingfeng's eyes, saying: "Tomorrow's game I hope you can come back, although it's a bit difficult, but Lingfeng, you know? In the previous games, you basically didn't play much. If tomorrow's game isn't played, the school team will definitely not be possible. I hope to see all five of us appearing on the school team's roster at the same time!"

  Fu Zijun's words were a bit inhumane, but Yan Lingfeng also understood the emotions contained within. He nodded heavily and said: "Don't worry, I'll definitely be back! Not saying anything else, I'm taking leave with Zhu Yao, brothers, today's match is up to you!"

  Beijing time 2004 September 9th, Fu Zijun's 15th birthday, Shuiyun No.1 Middle School basketball court.

  A group of players from Class 18, wearing light yellow jerseys, walked onto the court with a heavy atmosphere. The stern expressions on their faces stunned all the spectators. On their faces, everyone saw an unshakeable determination to win. Number 5 Zhao Senming, number 8 Sun Feiying, number 9 Fu Zijun, number 13 Han Dengyun, and number 15 Xiang Qingyun stood together, with Sun Feiying leading the chant: "For Lingfeng!"

  Five people shouted in unison: "Sweat and toil to the utmost!"

  Sun Fei shouted again: "For victory!"

  "Blood on the arena!"

  The sound shook the sky, and the momentum was like a rainbow. The players of Class 18 of Senior One, this new freshman class, exuded an aura of determination before the game that startled everyone from Class 5 of Senior Three. Before this, they had also watched the games of this dark horse freshman team. In previous games, except for No. 5's face, which always had a million-year-old icy expression, the others seemed to be playing with smiles on their faces. What was the reason that made them fight like a defeated army today?

  Only the pig demon at the scene guessed the reason, when Yan Lingfeng asked for leave, he couldn't help but feel a pain in his heart. In the previous game, although he didn't show any expression on the surface, he had already believed in the heroic words that Fu Zijun said to him earlier. This group of freshmen was like a group of newborn calves, and any team that dared to block their way would be knocked down without hesitation.

  Because he had more contact with them, he understood these kids better than anyone else. Although he didn't appear much, he clearly knew that Yan Lingfeng was actually the leader of this group of calves. Including the previous magnificent match, it was all planned by Yan Lingfeng. For this reason, it made this brilliant student on the basketball court bid farewell to the place he deeply loved. It's not true for Zhu Yao to say that she didn't feel any regret in her heart.

  Zhu Yao, an English teacher, was once a basketball star in Shandong province. Unfortunately, a serious injury took away his childhood dream of becoming a professional player. His torn Achilles tendon ended his sports career. If the country had paid enough attention to him at that time, perhaps there would be another player from Shandong competing with Yao Ming for a spot on the national team. Growing up in the US, Zhu's English skills are naturally excellent, and as compensation, he received a high-level teaching certificate.

  On Yan Lingfeng's body, Zhu Yao saw a speed that was faster than his own at the time, and a better bounce. These were not the most critical things, though. In a vast China, there are many basketball players with excellent physical qualities, but why can't one good shooting guard emerge from 1.3 billion people? It's a matter of consciousness. A point guard must be able to see through the ever-changing situation on the court like an open flame. Why do NBA guards get better with age? When young, everyone has a strong competitive spirit and never gives up. Chris Paul can easily crush any opponent in the same position, but the Hornets, except for their brief glory in 2007, fell back into the doldrums. Under the leadership of the nearly 40-year-old Kidd, the Mavericks, with every player's shooting posture very ugly, were able to extinguish the surging Heat. The reason is self-evident.

  Although he has been away from the basketball court for many years, Zhu's vision has not declined. Although he has been busy with education in recent years, he still has time to watch a few basketball games. In the CBA, after one season, the highest average number of assists per game is only 5 or 6 times. After introducing the single-quarter 12-minute system, the scoring of each team in the CBA is not inferior to that of the NBA, but why are the number of assists far apart? Apart from the habit of Chinese centers adjusting after receiving the ball, it may also have a lot to do with the vision and means of passing by the guards.

  Zhu Yao watched the grouping matches between the 6 best basketball players in the class, no matter how they were grouped, Yan Lingfeng always ended up on the winning side. However, he didn't score many points and rarely even shot the ball. The key to his success lay in his ability to accurately grasp the situation on the court and make accurate predictions about the reactions of others, thereby passing the ball to the position where the opponent's defense was weakest. With his passing strategy, his teammates' scoring became much easier.

  In the lineup of Bayi, Yan Lingfeng appears in the position of small forward. Although in the NBA, this position is often occupied by a defensive specialist, and only a few superstars like Larry Bird, Oscar Robertson, and LeBron James have emerged over the decades, but in the original definition of basketball positions, the small forward is actually the most critical position on the court. Players who appear in this position must be required to be versatile on both offense and defense, with expertise in rebounding, assists, steals, blocks, and being the team's primary attacking point. Point guards and shooting guards can get away without having to have breakthrough ability, but for small forwards, if they cannot successfully break through, they are not considered qualified.

  In Zhu's mind, if Yan Lingfeng ultimately chooses to engage in basketball, a sport with high risks, he currently has two shortcomings. Firstly, his body is relatively thin and his height is not sufficient to stand out in the professional basketball arena. Secondly, his shooting level needs further improvement, especially three-pointers. Zhu observed that during games, Yan Lingfeng rarely uses shooting as an attacking method. When the team's offense is stagnant, he often resorts to breaking through and scoring at the rim.

  When Zhu was lost in thought, his old friend, also a retired Shandong men's basketball team player, now a physical education teacher at Shuiyun No. 1 Middle School, Huang Sheng blew the whistle, and the first match of the top four matches of the Shuiyun No. 1 Middle School basketball game officially started.

  The two teams competing against each other are Class 5 of Grade 3 vs Class 8 of Grade 1.

  The Sacramento Kings, still clad in their deep blue jerseys, started with Bibby, Peja, Webber, Divac and Christie. The early 2000s were the heyday of the Kings under Adelman's leadership, with a beautiful Princeton offense, White Chocolate Bibby, sharpshooter Peja, Chris Webber and Vlade Divac from Yugoslavia forming a team that had challenged the Lakers' dynasty several times.

  At this time, Peja was still the league's top scorer, Webber was still a dominant power forward alongside Vlade Divac, Bibby was in his prime, and Divac was old but still strong. If the Kings weren't unlucky, they probably would have had another NBA championship team.

  In 2004, the Kings had already shown signs of decline, being eliminated by the Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals. However, in the eyes of these old high school students who had liked the Kings since their freshman year, the Kings were strong and perfect, so they supported them unconditionally. Therefore, they still wore the Kings' jerseys onto the court.

  "Be willing to sacrifice one's life, we must pull down the king from his horse! Brothers, let us eliminate them!" Sun Feiyang shouted loudly.