Chapter 73

Lin Han's 35-second, 13-point game-winning performance against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden had a tremendous impact. As a nationally televised focal match, nearly ten million fans watched the game, especially the last minute. According to ABC's statistics, when the final minute of the game arrived and Lin Han hit the first of his last four three-pointers, the ratings skyrocketed. When Lin Han finally hit the last buzzer-beater, ABC's peak ratings soared to an astonishing 20%, which was a regular NBA game. Although such ratings cannot compare to the NBA Finals, last year's Finals between the Bulls and the Suns, featuring Jordan and Barkley, set a new NBA ratings record of 17.9%. The previous record was 15.9%, set by the Celtics and Lakers in 1987, when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were the stars.

Although it cannot compare to the attention of the NBA Finals, this was just a regular season game. Even the average playoff games did not have such high ratings. In this situation, almost all NBA fans in the United States watched the game, and even some NCAA fans saw the miraculous event reported in newspapers or on TV after the game. The impact was evident.

The day after the game, the front page of USA Today, the largest-circulation newspaper in the United States, featured a photo of Lin Han raising his right hand with four fingers extended after hitting the final game-winning shot. The headline was shockingly bold: "Conquest, Starting Now!" Although USA Today has always been the most supportive of Lin Han among all major American media, it was almost unbelievable for the media to use such a headline, especially since Lin Han was just a rookie. The expectations for a rookie to conquer the NBA are rare in NBA history, with recent examples being Jordan and Olajuwon, and before Jordan, Bird and Magic Johnson, who were the most watched players in college, with a game between them setting a record of over 30 million viewers that has yet to be broken in any other sport.

In a sense, USA Today's expectations for Lin Han after this game should have been met with ridicule and contempt, but this time there was surprisingly little opposition. It seemed that this Chinese-American rookie had truly become another player expected to win a championship from the start of his rookie season, like Jordan, Olajuwon, Magic Johnson, and Bird. In this regard, Lin Han had already surpassed all the other rookies of the year, including the highly popular and highly drafted Chris Webber and Penny Hardaway. Although these two were indeed popular and strong, they were called the future of the NBA when they entered the league, but the future of the NBA and the future king of the NBA are different.

In a sense, USA Today's statement suggested that the media believed Lin Han would be the king of the NBA after Jordan, just as all American media believed Jordan would be the king of the NBA after Magic Johnson and Bird. If USA Today were not a media outlet that had previously criticized Lin Han, others might have thought USA Today was trying to sabotage Lin Han by praising him.

Of course, if we only look at the data from Lin Han's game against the New York Knicks, his performance was not outstanding. He made 11 out of 26 shots, missing 15 times, and scored a total of 31 points. Apart from scoring, his assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks were negligible. Such data is惨不忍睹. If Lin Han had not scored 13 points in the last 35 seconds, the American media would have had a different attitude, one filled with harsh criticism. However, now, whether willingly or not, the dominant voice in the media is praising Lin Han's miraculous and crazy performance, and even the NBA's official channels are starting to hype him up.

For example, NBA Commissioner David Stern, who rarely comments on current players to avoid conflicts of interest, expressed his regret that Lin Han did not attend the draft in person, missing an opportunity to record a historic moment. What kind of player would cause regret for missing the draft? Naturally, it would be future Hall of Famers or NBA legends. When these players retire or leave, their entry into the NBA and their handshake with David Stern are permanently preserved. Clearly, even David Stern, who never comments on current players, is hyping up Lin Han, showing how significant this is.

Or, perhaps, after Jordan left the league, the NBA desperately needed another hero. Lin Han truly seized the opportunity. After Hardaway, who was highly anticipated, faced significant resistance from Jordan fans due to media hype, his rookie season faced many challenges in popularity. The media's pressure on Jordan fans created a strong backlash, which was directed at Hardaway. In contrast, Lin Han, who was initially despised and discriminated against by the American media, gradually won the favor of Jordan fans as he shattered the discrimination and contempt with Jordan-like performances.

Therefore, recently, there has been a voice that many fans will not vote for Hardaway in the All-Star Game, a young star expected to replace Jordan. Many fans are looking forward to Lin Han's performance in the All-Star Game, showing that Lin Han is truly making a comeback. Do not underestimate the number of Jordan fans in the NBA; in fact, nearly half of NBA fans in the United States are Jordan fans, with the other half being fans of other stars or teams. The impact of this is significant.

If a very influential person, like the Bulls' coach Phil Jackson, were to create some momentum, expressing the Bulls' grievances after Jordan's departure and encouraging Bulls or Jordan fans to vote for a certain Bulls player, even the Bulls' starting point guard B.J. Armstrong could replace Jordan as a starter in the All-Star Game, and even become the top vote-getter at the guard position. Do not think this is impossible. Although Armstrong only became a starter last season and has career averages of 8 points and 3 assists, if Bulls or Jordan fans are willing and Phil Jackson plays the sympathy card, Jordan fans would definitely vote for Armstrong to take Jordan's place.

Of course, Lin Han did not know that his recent performances had won the recognition of the largest group of NBA fans. After leaving New York with his team and returning to Utah, a group of special guests was waiting for him in Utah.

"Lin Han, hello, my name is Su Qin. I am a reporter for the China Sports Daily. This is Mr. Sun Zhengping, a basketball commentator for China Central Television (CCTV). This is Li Feng, the leader of the CCTV team in the United States. This is Zhang Hong, a reporter for the Xinhua News Agency in the United States."

When Lin Han returned to the team, the club informed him that a group of guests from across the ocean was waiting for him. Seeing so many domestic journalists, commentators, and staff, Lin Han was indeed taken aback.

After all, he did not know that his performance in the United States would attract attention from the other side. When he saw this group, he was genuinely afraid. Lin Han was not an ordinary American; he was a defector, and his entire family were defectors. According to the other side, Lin Han was a complete deserter and traitor, who could be arrested and even executed if caught.

Although the other side has not executed many defectors like Lin Han, he was still nervous. Although he had been in the United States for a long time and was young at the time, his adoptive parents had told him some things. For example, his adoptive parents were not ordinary farmers but top graduates from a university in the capital and researchers at a research institute, among the highest-level intellectuals or experts. This is why they could buy a house and a car in the United States and quickly obtain citizenship for their family of five. His adoptive parents had always told him that they were different from ordinary civilians in the other side and would be charged with treason if caught. They had apparently been involved in some secret projects in the other side, but they never mentioned the details. This is why his parents, with their abilities, could live well in New York or Los Angeles but chose to live in the small state of Utah.

Therefore, when he saw the group of journalists from the other side, Lin Han was very humble. He was genuinely nervous, not knowing if his parents' names were on the list of traitors.

Fortunately, these people seemed interested only in Lin Han's NBA career and not in his personal background. When asked about his family, Lin Han briefly mentioned that he came to the United States with his parents when he was very young, and they did not delve deeper, as it was their first interview.

This relieved Lin Han.

However, from now on, Lin Han was truly being watched by the other side, which was definitely a good thing for him.