NBA's Monster Rookie

Chapter Seventeen: The New Season

October 28, 1997, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The championship banner hung in the center of the dome, its red fabric gleaming like a burning flame under the lights. Arthur Thorne stood at the entrance to the players' tunnel, looking up at the banner for a full five seconds.

Nineteen years old, NBA champion, Finals MVP, regular season MVP. He has accomplished what many people can't do in their entire lives. But trophies and banners won't help you play, and opponents won't go easy on you just because you're the defending champion.

"Have you seen enough?" Coach Fitch walked up from behind.

"That's enough," said Arthur. "It's time to defend our title."

Tonight is the season opener, and the opponent is the Chicago Bulls. The league schedulers clearly have a sense of humor, reuniting last season's Finals opponents in the opening game. But the difference is, this Bulls team is not the same one as last season. Scottie Pippen requested a trade in the summer and is currently semi-retired; Dennis Rodman went to the Lakers; even Phil Jackson has left. Michael Jordan is now surrounded by an empty roster.

But that doesn't mean Jordan is easy to deal with. Arthur knew that very well.

The arena was packed. When Jordan ran out of the visiting team's tunnel, the Los Angeles fans gave him a standing ovation—a sign of respect for the basketball god. Jordan didn't respond; his gaze swept across the entire court and landed on Arthur, who was warming up and shooting a three-pointer.

Arthur felt the gaze but didn't look up. He sank five consecutive three-pointers, then turned and walked towards the bench, stopping as he passed Jordan.

"Many of your men have left," Arthur said.

Jordan's lips twitched slightly. "I never need anyone on the court."

The game begins. During the jump ball, Arthur faces the Bulls' new center, a tall white guy named Bill Wennington, whose name Arthur doesn't even bother to remember. The ball is passed to Barry, the Clippers' first possession.

Arthur called for the ball in the low post, with Wennington guarding him from behind. After receiving the ball, Arthur didn't even dribble; he simply turned and jumped. Wennington stood rooted to the spot, watching Arthur dunk the ball into the basket.

2-0. The Bulls are on offense. Jordan receives the ball at the right 45-degree angle, facing Healy's defense. Healy takes a probing step, moves back half a step, and Jordan jumps and leans back—the ball goes in. 2-2.

The first quarter became a duel between the two. Arthur dominated every Bulls interior player in the low post, while Jordan punished the Clippers' defense with his signature mid-range jumper. The two scored fourteen points each in the quarter, giving the Clippers a 30-28 lead.

But the difference became apparent in the second quarter. The Bulls' bench consisted of unknown rookies and overlooked veterans, while the Clippers' bench depth, honed over last season, was considerable. Rodgers and Williams led the bench unit on a 12-2 run, extending the lead to twelve points.

When Jordan returned to the court, he glanced at the scoreboard, his expression unchanged. He scored eleven points in the next four minutes, including three consecutive fadeaway jumpers over Arthur's head—Arthur's hand was already in his face, but Jordan's hang time ensured that his release point was always a few centimeters higher than Arthur's fingertips.

At halftime, the Clippers led 61-55 by six points.

In the second half, Arthur began punishing the Bulls' collapsing defense with three-pointers. He hit four three-pointers in the third quarter, all of which came when Jordan was helping on defense. Jordan's defense was not the problem; his hand was at Arthur's eye level, but Arthur's 2.3-meter height made his release point much higher than Jordan's blocking point.

At the end of the third quarter, the Clippers led by 13 points, 94-81.

In the fourth quarter, Jordan made a final push. He scored twelve points in five minutes, narrowing the gap to six. But Arthur responded with eight points after a timeout, including two three-pointers, a dunk, and two free throws, widening the gap back to fourteen points.

Final score: 128 to 113, the Clippers easily won their opening game.

Arthur's stats: 47 points, 16 rebounds, 9 assists, 6 blocks. Jordan's stats: 41 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists.

After the game, Jordan was asked at the press conference how he viewed Arthur's growth.

"He's even better than he was in last season's Finals," Jordan said, his tone as calm as if stating a fact. "That's terrifying. Because he's already the best, but he's still getting better."

The reporter pressed further, "Do you think he can defend his title?"

Jordan glanced at the reporter. "He's the defending champion. That's a question for him."

Arthur heard Jordan's words in another press conference room. He didn't laugh, but simply said, "Jordan is right. I'm not trying to defend my title, I'm trying to win back-to-back championships. It's different."

In November 1997, the Clippers played breathtaking basketball.

Arthur's average stats continue to be a terrifying level of 40 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists, and 6 blocks per game. But what's truly frightening is that the other Clippers players are also improving. Barry's three-point shooting percentage has risen to 41%, Rodgers has become one of the league's top sixth men, and Williams is in discussion for an All-Defensive Team selection.

On November 8th against the Jazz, Arthur recorded 43 points, 20 rebounds, 12 assists, and 7 blocks, leading the Clippers to a decisive 18-point victory. After the game, Malone made a statement that shocked everyone: "He's 20 percent better than last year. I don't know how he did it, but he did it."

The final matchup between Arthur and Olajuwon was on November 15th against the Rockets, as Olajuwon announced his retirement after the season ended. Arthur scored 49 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, dished out 11 assists, and blocked 8 shots, while Olajuwon scored 20 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. After the game, Olajuwon stopped Arthur in the player tunnel.

"Young man, I pass the torch to you," said Hakeem Olajuwon.

Arthur shook his head. "I don't want your torch. I have my own."

Hakeem Olajuwon paused for a moment, then smiled. "You're right. You don't need someone else's torch. You yourself are the flame."

On November 22nd, in the Los Angeles derby against the Lakers, O'Neal and Rodman formed the Lakers' new twin towers, but Arthur (O'Neal) outscored them with 51 points, 22 rebounds, 9 assists, and 7 blocks. Rodman fouled out, and O'Neal declined to be interviewed after the game.

On November 30th, the Clippers finished their first month of play with a 19-1 record. Arthur was once again named Player of the Month, marking his seventh consecutive month as Player of the Month since his rookie year in the NBA.

On December 9, 1997, Arthur's photo reappeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. This time, the headline read: "He's building a dynasty."

The article concludes with these words: "Michael Jordan took seven years to win his first championship. Arthur Thorne took seven months. Jordan was considered unbeatable before he was thirty. Thorne was unbeatable before he was twenty. This isn't arrogance; it's a fact. When someone's height, strength, speed, skill, and intelligence all exceed the limits of your imagination, what can you do? You can only sit back and watch them perform."

February 8, 1998, New York, All-Star Weekend.

Arthur was voted All-Star leader with a record 3.12 million votes, breaking Michael Jordan's record of 2.45 million votes set in 1997. In the All-Star Game, he scored 36 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out 8 assists, and blocked 5 shots, winning the All-Star MVP award for the second consecutive year.

During the award presentation, Arthur held up the trophy and said to the audience, "Thank you to the fans in New York. But I'd love to see you all again in June."

The crowd erupted in laughter. New York fans knew he was referring to the NBA Finals in June; if the Clippers made it to the Finals and their opponent was the Knicks, he would lift the trophy in New York.

But before that, there's still half a season of regular season games and three rounds of playoffs to play.

Arthur Thorne doesn't care. He only knows one thing: he did it last season, and he's going to do it again this season.

Then do it again next season.

Do it again next season.

Until everyone stopped asking "Can he do it?" and started asking "When will he stop?"

The answer, however, lies in his own heart.

will never.