NBA's Monster Rookie

Chapter Twenty-Four: Tie

Los Angeles, July 2001.

The banner announcing their five consecutive championships hung from the dome; the five red flags resembled five wounds, or perhaps five medals. Arthur Thorne stood at the free-throw line in the training facility, eyes closed, and sank fifty free throws in a row. Then he opened his eyes, walked to the three-point line, and sank one hundred three-pointers in a row. Then he walked to the center circle and sank twenty deep three-pointers in a row.

Security guard Kurt sat on the sidelines, watching everything, and took a sip of his coffee. "Don't you get tired of practicing like this every day?"

Arthur threw the final ball, and it swished through the net. "It's greasy," he said. "But the opponent won't become weaker just because I find it greasy."

Kurt shook his head. "Do you still have any rivals?"

Arthur thought for a moment. "Duncan counts. O'Neal counts as half. The others... don't count."

In September 2001, before training camp began, a major event occurred in the NBA: Michael Jordan announced his comeback, joining the Washington Wizards. The news sent shockwaves through the basketball world. At thirty-eight years old, Jordan, after a three-year hiatus, decided to don the jersey once more.

A reporter asked Arthur for his opinion on the matter. Arthur was having breakfast when he glanced at the footage of Jordan's press conference on television.

"It's good that he's back," Arthur said. "Now I can defeat him with my own hands."

The reporter pressed further, "Do you think you're better than Jordan right now?"

Arthur put down his fork. "I won five consecutive championships. He never won five consecutive championships. What do you say?"

On October 30, 2001, the Clippers hosted the Washington Wizards in the season opener. This was Jordan's first game back after his return, and also Arthur's first time facing Jordan in an official game while wearing a Wizards jersey.

Before the game, Jordan walked up to Arthur during warm-ups. The two looked at each other for a few seconds.

"You look good," Jordan said.

"You look old," Arthur said.

Jordan smiled. "Getting old doesn't mean you can't play."

"I know," Arthur said, "but being old means I can't beat you."

Once the game started, Jordan demonstrated why he is the god of basketball. At 38, he could still score over anyone with a fadeaway jumper. In the first quarter, he scored 12 points, including a difficult fadeaway jumper that Arthur hit while helping on defense.

But Arthur racked up 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists in the first quarter. He pulled up for threes over Jordan, dunked over Jordan, and stole the ball from Jordan's passing lanes. His physical gifts overwhelmed Jordan's skills and experience.

At halftime, the Clippers led 72-54. Arthur had 32 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 blocks in the first half. Jordan had 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in the first half.

Jordan did not return to the game in the second half. He twisted his knee in the second quarter, and the team doctor advised him to rest. Jordan sat on the bench, watching Arthur continue to dominate the game.

Final score: 131-99, Clippers win decisively. Arthur's stats: 43 points, 18 rebounds, 11 assists, 6 blocks, played only 30 minutes.

After the game, Jordan was asked about Arthur Thorne at the press conference. He remained silent for a long time.

"He's better than me," Jordan said. "Not 'better than me in the future,' but right now. He's already better than me. I'm 38, he's 25. He's surpassed me in every statistic. Championships? He has five, I have six. But he'll win more, I won't."

The reporters exchanged bewildered glances. This was the first time Jordan had publicly acknowledged that someone was better than him.

Jordan looked at the camera and added, "But I won't retire. I'll keep playing. Because I want to play against him again."

In November 2001, the Clippers started the season with a 15-0 record. Arthur's average stats were 38.2 points, 16.1 rebounds, 10.4 assists, and 6.3 blocks, unchanged from the previous five years.

The matchup between Arthur and Duncan against the Spurs on November 10th once again became the focus. Duncan had worked hard on his defensive footwork and anticipation during the summer, and his defense against Arthur in this game was the best in their head-to-head history, holding Arthur to "only" 35 points. However, Duncan himself only scored 20 points because Arthur also put tremendous pressure on him on the defensive end.

The Spurs lost by fifteen points. After the game, Duncan sat in the locker room, and Coach Popovich walked up to him.

"You defended very well," Popovich said.

"Not good enough," Duncan said.

"Nobody can defend him better than him," Popovich said. "You have to accept that fact."

Duncan looked up. "I don't accept it."

Popovich sighed. "Then keep practicing."

In January 2002, All-Star Weekend was held in Philadelphia. Arthur was voted the leader in the polls again with 4.8 million votes, and started in the All-Star Game for the sixth consecutive year. In the All-Star Game, he scored 34 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists, and 5 blocks, and was named All-Star MVP for the sixth consecutive year.

But a small incident occurred during All-Star Weekend. Courtside at the Rising Stars Challenge, a reporter asked Arthur, "Who do you think will be the next face of the league after you?"

Arthur glanced at the young faces on the court—Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, Joe Jensen—and then shook his head.

"There won't be a next one," Arthur said, "because I won't give up my place."

In March 2002, the Clippers secured a playoff spot early. Arthur put on an outrageous performance in the final month of the regular season, averaging 42.5 points, 17.8 rebounds, 11.3 assists, and 6.7 blocks per game. He seemed to be warming up for the playoffs.

At the end of the regular season, the Clippers finished first in the league with a record of 69 wins and 13 losses. Arthur averaged 38.6 points, 16.4 rebounds, 10.7 assists, and 6.3 blocks per game, winning his sixth consecutive regular season MVP award. He received 100% of the first-place votes. This is the first time in NBA history that a player has been unanimously voted MVP.

During the awards ceremony, Arthur received the trophy from David Stern and held it above his head.

"Thank you," he said, "but this trophy doesn't matter to me anymore. I only want the one in June."

In April 2002, in the first round of the playoffs, the Clippers faced the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves had Kevin Garnett, but Garnett alone couldn't contend with the Clippers. The Clippers swept them 3-0, with Arthur averaging 39 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists, and 6 blocks per game. After Game 3, Garnett said, "He plays on another dimension. I'm not on that dimension."

In May 2002, the Western Conference Semifinals saw the Clippers face the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks were stronger than the previous year, with Nowitzki, Nash, and Finley displaying even better chemistry. However, they were still no match for Arthur. The Clippers swept the series 3-0, with Arthur averaging 41 points, 18 rebounds, 9 assists, and 6 blocks. Nowitzki was twice defeated by Arthur's game-winning shots in the series.

In May 2002, the Western Conference Finals saw the Clippers face the Sacramento Kings. The Kings were the second-best team in the West that season, with 5 wins in the regular season. Their Princeton offense was running at its best, and the combination of Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Mike Bibby, and Vlade Divac was a headache for many teams.

But the Kings' defense was helpless against Arthur. Webber couldn't stop him, Divac couldn't stop him, and even the substitute Pollard couldn't stop him. In Game 1, Arthur had 41 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and 6 blocks. In Game 2, he had 43 points, 18 rebounds, 11 assists, and 7 blocks. In Game 3, he had 46 points, 21 rebounds, 9 assists, and 5 blocks. In Game 4, the Clippers swept to advance.

After Game 4, Webber sat in the locker room and threw his towel on the floor. "He wasn't playing basketball. He was playing video games. And he chose the easiest mode."

The finals were held in June 2002.

The Clippers' opponent is the New Jersey Nets. The Nets eliminated the Pistons in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals, with Jason Kidd having the best season of his career, averaging 14.7 points, 9.9 assists, and 7.3 rebounds per game. They rank second in the league in defensive efficiency, but nobody thinks they can stop Arthur.

Game 1, Los Angeles. Kidd recorded a triple-double—23 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. But Arthur had an even bigger triple-double: 44 points, 21 rebounds, 12 assists, and 6 blocks. The Clippers won decisively.

In Game 2, Kidd recorded another triple-double, but the Nets' offense was completely stifled by the Clippers' defense. Arthur finished with 40 points, 19 rebounds, 9 assists, and 7 blocks. 2-0.

Game 3 was played in New Jersey, at the Nets' home court. Kidd, buoyed by the home crowd, delivered his best Finals performance of 30 points, 12 assists, and 8 rebounds. But Arthur finished with 47 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and 6 blocks. With 30 seconds remaining, Arthur hit a fadeaway jumper over Kenyon Martin to seal the victory.

Three-nil. The Nets are on the verge of elimination.

In Game 4, the Nets had their backs against the wall. Kidd recorded another triple-double, but Arthur finished with 41 points, 18 rebounds, 9 assists, and 5 blocks. The Clippers won 117-109.

The Clippers swept the Nets 4-0 to win their sixth consecutive championship.

Arthur accepted the Finals MVP trophy from Bill Russell, winning the honor for the sixth consecutive year.

During the awards ceremony, Arthur held up the trophy and said something to the camera.

"Six. I've tied Michael Jordan."

The crowd cheered. Jordan sat in the stands, dressed casually, arms crossed, expressionless. He neither clapped nor shook his head; he simply watched.

Arthur's gaze pierced through the crowd and landed on Jordan. Their eyes met in mid-air. Arthur nodded slightly, and Jordan nodded slightly in return.

There were no words, but everything was conveyed in that nod.

That night, Arthur sat in the visiting team's locker room in New Jersey. The championship trophy sat next to him, and the Finals MVP trophy sat on the other side. His jersey was soaked, the sweat mingling with the smell of champagne.

His phone vibrated. It was a message from Jordan: "Six to six. Tie. Next year, if you get the seventh, you win."

Arthur replied, "I won't take the seventh one."

Jordan replied instantly: "Why?"

Arthur typed a few words: "I will take the eighth, the ninth, the tenth, and the eleventh."

Jordan did not reply.

Arthur put down his phone, stood up, and put the trophy in his bag. He walked out of the locker room and into the New Jersey night. Behind him, the arena lights went out one by one. But the era of Arthur Thorne continued to burn.

He was twenty-six years old. Six NBA championships. Six regular season MVPs. Six Finals MVPs.

He tied Michael Jordan's record.

But he won't stop here.