Chapter 36

"Terrible, the Lakers were absolutely terrible in this game, 101 to 129, a 28-point loss on the road. This powerhouse team had no resistance against the new league power, the Supersonics."

"In this game, the Lakers' rookie Van Exel performed decently, scoring 19 points on 3-of-19 shooting. Although his shooting percentage was low, he drew 9 fouls from the Supersonics' two key bench players, McMillan and Rich Giny, which gave this Lakers rookie 12 free-throw opportunities."

"It's clear that this Lakers rookie has strong penetration and three-point shooting skills. All his points in this game came from three-pointers and free throws, 3-of-7 from three-point range and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line, totaling 19 points."

"However, compared to Gary Payton, he seemed like a child in this game, being almost completely shut down by Gary. All his mid-range shots and two drives against Payton failed, 0-of-12 on two-point shots. His offense was too hasty."

"Of course, it must be said that after last season's Western Conference Finals, Gary's defense has become even stronger. He might make the All-NBA First Team this season. He is now one of the best defensive players at the guard position in the league."

"I remember that in two days, the Supersonics will face the Utah Jazz. The most potent scoring guard in the NBA and the best defensive player in the NBA will go head-to-head. It's really something to look forward to."

On November 6, 1993, after the Jazz and Timberwolves game, Lin Han escaped the swarm of reporters and hurried back to the team's hotel in Minnesota. In this road game against the Timberwolves, Lin Han was named the game's MVP, scoring 41 points. Combined with his 62 points from the previous game, he had scored 103 points in two games, leading the league in scoring with an average of 51.5 points per game.

For a while, Lin Han, who was once universally criticized after entering the league, became a target for many NBA media outlets. After his near-supernatural performances in two consecutive games, no one was calling him a fraud anymore. Although it was unclear how long Lin Han's hot streak would last, at least no one was deliberately bad-mouthing him anymore. This reduced the pressure on Lin Han during road games. He had expected to be booed by the away fans in his first regular-season road game, just like in the preseason, but he didn't receive such treatment in Minnesota.

However, Lin Han was not happy about the change in his status and treatment in the league. After the first game, he realized that he would likely face a league-wide manhunt from opposing players. In just two days, he had seen at least a dozen well-known NBA forwards and guards express their eagerness to face him in the media. Lin Han knew what these guys meant by "eager to face him."

"Yeah, I watched the ABC national broadcast. That was a crazy game. I won't claim to be one of the best perimeter defenders in the league because I haven't truly proven it. The best perimeter player in the league is no longer around. But he's clearly a very talented young player. His jump shot is unique; few players can match Jordan's unguardable jump shot. I'm looking forward to facing him in the next game. It should be very interesting."

In the hotel in Minnesota, Lin Han watched on TV as Gary Payton, the Supersonics' No. 20, who had just dominated Van Exel defensively, expressed his interest in facing him. Lin Han subconsciously swallowed hard.

Gary Payton, the Supersonics player, was a big talker. Lin Han knew that this guy had entered the league three years ago as a second-round draft pick. Like many low-drafted players with superstar potential, Payton had gradually established himself through his defense. Especially in last season's Western Conference Finals against the Suns, he was praised for making Kevin Johnson "like a baseball in a glove" under his defense. Although the Supersonics lost the series, with Charles Barkley scoring 44 points and grabbing 24 rebounds in Game 7, Payton earned recognition. After all, his opponent, Kevin Johnson, was one of the best point guards after Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas.

Last season's playoffs had transformed Payton from a promising role player to one of the Supersonics' core players. His comment about Jordan not being around to prove he was the best perimeter defender was not just boasting. In the game against the Lakers, Payton had limited Van Exel, a player Lin Han considered very strong, to scoring only from beyond the three-point line. Of Van Exel's 19 points, 16 came against the Supersonics' bench players. Against Payton, the once cocky player from the talent camp managed only 3 points from a long-distance three-pointer.

"Coward, you've been targeted by Gary Payton. You're in trouble."

At that moment, Lin Han was shivering as he watched the smiling Payton on TV. Alice, however, had no intention of letting up on her taunting. She was also curious about how Lin Han could be so unlucky. After two superhuman games, he was facing Payton in the third game. Wasn't this setting him up to be dominated? With Lin Han's current abilities, Payton could beat him even worse than Van Exel.

"Alice, is this guy also famous in the Basketball Legend system? The TV caption shows his stats from last season were only 13.5 points and 5 assists per game."

"Yes, his stats aren't impressive, but don't just look at his scoring and assists. Look at his steals. Although he's still young and hasn't reached his peak, he's only 25, and he's not far from it. At his peak, he was ranked third in NBA history for defense at the point guard position. Is that famous enough?"

Damn, third in NBA history for defense over 100 years. Considering the NBA has only been around for about 50 years, Payton was the best defensive point guard in NBA history at his peak. Although the current Payton might not be at his peak and he wasn't directly matched up against Lin Han, who knew if he would defend Lin Han as a small forward in the next game.

"I need to increase my strength. I need more powerful skills."

At that moment, Lin Han saw a path forward. He quickly turned off the TV and returned to the special space inside his body.

The space, now about ten square meters, had undergone significant changes. In addition to the two large doors for the store and the training hall, there was now a bedroom on the other side. Lin Han didn't enter, but he knew Alice had used his points to create an entertainment space, which cost him a lot of points. After exchanging 10,000 points, Lin Han had spent over 8,000 on developing his basketball potential in the training hall, leaving him with only 1,100 points. After just two games, his points were almost depleted.

These points were not enough to make Lin Han stronger immediately, and he didn't expect them to, as he didn't have enough victory points to buy attribute cards or other equipment.

However, this didn't mean Lin Han had no opportunities. The first two games had made him the focus of the NBA and a target for all opposing players, which was very bad for a rookie. After scoring 62 points and getting a bit cocky, Alice, the shameless girl, told him a story.

In the NBA 20 years later, a rookie named Brandon Jennings had a similar experience. In his rookie season, he scored 29 points in a single quarter, setting a rookie record and nearly breaking the Ice Man's 33-point quarter record. He scored 55 points in the game, nearly breaking Wilt Chamberlain's 58-point rookie record. After this performance, Jennings didn't receive a red carpet; instead, he faced endless pressure and formidable opponents. In his first 10 games, he scored over 20 points in 6 games, but in the next 30 games, he only scored over 20 points in 6 games. His season average was just over 15 points, with a terrifying 37% shooting percentage. His career after that 50-point game was very bleak.

After hearing Jennings' story, Lin Han felt a sense of foreboding. Although he had the Basketball Legend system and wouldn't be as bad as Jennings, when Alice said that the guards in Jennings' era were much weaker than those in his era, Lin Han couldn't stay calm. If James had a 37% shooting percentage in an era when guards were considered weak, what would Lin Han's shooting percentage be? He didn't dare to imagine.

After the first game, Lin Han regretted playing too recklessly. Although scoring 62 points in the first game put him in a difficult situation, breaking Wilt Chamberlain's 58-point rookie record in a single game inadvertently completed a purple-gold game task. According to the system, a purple-gold task was the second-best, so Lin Han received a very satisfying reward: +5 happiness, +10 attribute points, and a 10-hour training card with Wilt Chamberlain. Happiness, which increased height and other attributes, was very valuable, as were attribute points. The 10-hour training card with Chamberlain was worth at least 1,000 points, a very generous reward.

Moreover, Lin Han's 62 points not only broke the purple-gold single-game record but also broke two gold records. One was being the youngest player to score 50+ points in a single game, previously held by Rick Barry at 21 years and 261 days, while Lin Han was 19 years and 305 days. This gold task gave Lin Han +3 happiness and +5 attribute points, as well as a 5-hour training card with Rick Barry.

Additionally, Lin Han's 33 points in a single quarter tied the record set by the Ice Man, George Gervin. According to Alice, breaking this record would have been a purple-gold task, but tying it was only a gold task. The reward was the same: +3 happiness, +5 attribute points, and a 5-hour training card with the Ice Man.

So, because of the 62 points, Lin Han received +11 happiness, +20 attribute points, and the opportunity to be personally trained by three historical superstars. These three opportunities might help him learn some of their signature moves. Even if he didn't learn their moves, Alice said that while the chances of learning skills from these superstars were low, the chances of increasing specific attributes were high.

"Hahaha, Alice, I now have 20 attribute points, plus the 3 I had left, a total of 23 points. If I max out my shooting and three-point shooting skills to 20 points each, won't I be able to dominate Payton?"

Thinking about this, Lin Han suddenly felt his future wasn't so bleak. But before long, Alice poured cold water on him.

"Hmph, who told you that maxing out skills makes you invincible? Do you think you could score 60 points in a game without Kobe's turnaround jump shot? Even if you max out your shooting and three-point shooting, without Kobe's skill, you wouldn't score 10 points in an NBA game. Attributes without skills are always empty. Jordan had the best mid-range shooting percentage in the NBA, but his shooting was never the best, not even in the top 20."

"Damn, so even if I max out these 23 attribute points on shooting, I'll still be weak against Payton without upgrading Kobe's turnaround jump shot?"

"You can think of it that way. Skills are always stronger than attributes. A player with 20 points in an attribute but a bronze-level skill is far weaker than a player with 15 points in an attribute but a gold-level skill. So, even if you max out your level 1 shooting to 20, it won't help as much as you think, young man."

"So, the most useful thing for you is the three training cards you have. If you can learn a few skills from Chamberlain, Rick Barry, or the Ice Man, you'll see a significant boost in your strength."

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