NBA's Monster Rookie

Chapter Seven Response

On November 25, 1996, the Los Angeles Clippers hosted the Phoenix Suns.

This is the second meeting between the two teams this season. Two weeks ago, the Clippers lost to the Suns on the road, a game that marked the start of a four-game losing streak. Arthur scored 51 points, but the team lost. After the game, the media called him a "stat padder" and said his stats were meaningless.

Arthur hadn't forgotten that match.

The Suns remain the same run-and-gun team. Although Charles Barkley has moved to the Rockets, the duo of Kevin Johnson and Dan Mayerle is still sharp. Their pace is breathtaking; from inbounding the ball in the backcourt to releasing the shot in the frontcourt, it often only takes five or six seconds.

Before the game, Phoenix Suns head coach Danny Ainge was asked by reporters what he thought of Arthur Thorn.

"He's a phenomenal player," Ainge said. "But we beat them last time. We'll win again in the same way."

Arthur was tying his shoelaces when he heard this in the locker room. He paused for a moment, then continued tying them.

"The same way," he repeated softly.

As expected, the Suns used the same strategy to accelerate the pace of the game, using fast breaks to break down the Clippers' defense. Their first offensive possession took only four seconds; Kevin Johnson dribbled to the frontcourt and launched a three-pointer, which went in.

The Clippers inbounded the ball, and Arthur received it in the backcourt, dribbling it up the court himself. He didn't pass, but instead dribbled the ball up the court by himself. His dribbling speed was so fast that before the Suns players could even get into position, Arthur had already dribbled to the three-point line and pulled up for a three-pointer.

Goal! Response.

In the next possession, the Suns scored on another fast break. Arthur dribbled the ball up the court again, this time facing two defenders at the top of the key. He used a crossover dribble and a behind-the-back crossover to get past the first defender, then used his body to push past the second defender into the paint and slammed home a one-handed dunk.

The entire venue erupted in cheers.

In the first quarter, Arthur played all twelve minutes. He scored eighteen points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out five assists, and blocked three shots. On the defensive end, he used his incredible lateral quickness to cover the entire paint, repeatedly disrupting the Suns' fast breaks with his long arms.

But more importantly, he demonstrated a new kind of leadership on the offensive end.

After each score, he would turn around and shout to his teammates: "Get back on defense!" "Stay with your man!" "Don't let them get ahead!"

He was no longer that silent monster. He began to speak.

At halftime, the Clippers led by 12 points, 64-52.

In the second half, the Suns attempted a comeback. Kevin Johnson hit two consecutive three-pointers, narrowing the gap to six points. Arthur called a timeout himself, not from the coach.

He walked over to his teammates, and without looking at Coach Fitch, he started speaking directly.

"They've set the pace. We need to slow down. Every possession should last at least fifteen seconds. Give me the ball, and I'll organize the offense."

Fitch stood to the side, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. He put down his tactical board, took a step back, and looked at Arthur.

At that moment, Fitch knew in his heart that the leader of this team had changed.

After the timeout, the Clippers' pace noticeably slowed down. Arthur received the ball at the high post, orchestrating the offense like a point guard. He repeatedly found open teammates and delivered precise passes time and again.

Rodney Rogers catches the ball and sinks a three-pointer. Brent Barry cuts to the basket and scores a layup. Walter Williams receives a bounce pass from Arthur under the basket and easily dunks.

The Suns' defense was completely torn apart. Their fast breaks failed, and their half-court offense was dominated by Arthur alone.

At the end of the third quarter, the Clippers led by twenty points.

In the fourth quarter, Arthur was substituted after playing only five minutes. He sat on the bench, took a towel to wipe his sweat, and watched his teammates maintain their lead until the final buzzer.

Final score: 127 to 103, Clippers win two consecutive games.

Arthur's stats: 39 points, 16 rebounds, 14 assists, 6 blocks.

At the post-game press conference, a reporter asked him, "You recorded a triple-double today, but what was most surprising was your leadership on the court. Do you feel ready to be the leader of this team?"

Arthur looked at the reporter who asked the question and remained silent for two seconds.

"I'm nineteen," he said. "I've played seven NBA games. I'm still learning."

The reporters were taken aback. This young man, who had always said "I am the best" and "I am the future," was suddenly saying "I am still learning"?

“But,” Arthur continued, “learning doesn’t mean waiting. I’m not learning how to be a leader; I’m learning how to be a champion. These are two different things.”

After saying this, he stood up and left the press conference.

On November 28, 1996, the Clippers played against the Golden State Warriors on the road.

The Warriors are a rebuilding team, but their head coach, Rick Adelman, has a unique offensive system: the Princeton offense. This system emphasizes off-ball movement, drives, and passing, and can produce efficient offense without superstars.

Arthur faced a new challenge in this game: the Warriors used a defensive approach he had never seen before.

Instead of using a center to defend Arthur, they used forwards to front him while the center provided help defense on the weak side. The goal of this defense was to cut off Arthur's passing lanes, rather than trying to physically challenge him in the low post.

Arthur only received the ball four times in the first quarter, took three shots, and made two.

He sat on the bench, looking at the tactics board, his brows slightly furrowed.

"They won't let me receive the ball," he told Fitch.

Fitch nodded. "You need more off-ball movement. Don't just call for the ball in the low post, come to the high post, come to the perimeter, use your mobility to create space."

Arthur thought for a moment, then nodded.

In the second quarter, Arthur began to do something he had never shown in the NBA: off-ball movement.

He moved from the low post to the high post, from the high post to the perimeter, and from the perimeter to the basket. He was so fast and agile that the Warriors' defenders simply couldn't keep up with him.

During one offensive play, he suddenly started from the right corner, cut along the baseline to the basket, and Barry passed the ball to Arthur in time, who caught it in the air and dunked it directly.

On another offensive possession, he ran from the left 45-degree angle to the top of the arc, received the pass, and without dribbling, turned and shot a three-pointer that went in.

At halftime, Arthur had 25 points. The Clippers led by 18 points.

In the second half, the Warriors reverted to their traditional defensive strategy, using their center to guard Arthur one-on-one. But Arthur had found his rhythm, repeatedly posting up in the low post and using his strength and height to overwhelm his opponent.

Final score: 119 to 96, Clippers win their third straight game.

Arthur's stats: 45 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks.

After the match, Adelman made a meaningful remark at the press conference.

"I thought we had found a way to limit him. Then he figured out how to break through in half a quarter. His basketball IQ is higher than any of us thought."

On November 30, 1996, the Clippers hosted the San Antonio Spurs.

This was Arthur's first time facing the Spurs. Three weeks earlier, the Clippers lost to the Spurs on the road, one of their four-game losing streak. In that game, the Spurs limited Arthur's performance with their twin towers lineup of David Robinson and Greg Anderson. Although he still scored forty points, the Clippers' outside shooting was completely shut down.

This time, the situation is different.

The Clippers teammates have improved a lot over the past three weeks. Barry's three-point shooting percentage has increased from 32% to 38%. Rodgers' off-ball movement is more incisive. Williams' defense is more solid.

More importantly, they began to believe in Arthur.

When Arthur received the ball at the high post, they stopped standing around and started running, screening, and cutting. They knew that as long as they got to the right position, the ball would be there.

This trust has been built up little by little over the past seven games.

After the game started, the Spurs once again deployed their twin-tower lineup. Robinson guarded Arthur up front, while Anderson helped on the weak side. But this time, Arthur didn't force his way to the basket; instead, he kept passing the ball to his cutting teammates.

In the first quarter, he dished out six assists. The Clippers led 31-23.

In the second quarter, the Spurs adjusted their defense, no longer double-teaming Arthur. Arthur immediately switched to scoring mode, hitting three consecutive mid-range jumpers over Robinson, extending the lead to fifteen points.

In the second half, the Spurs tried to use Duncan, but that was wrong; Duncan hadn't even entered the league in 1996. The Spurs' interior defense only consisted of Robinson and Anderson; they had no one who could contain Arthur one-on-one.

Arthur scored another 24 points in the second half, finishing with 42 points, 17 rebounds, 11 assists, and 7 blocks.

Final score: 120 to 98, Clippers win their fourth straight game.

This is the Clippers' first four-game winning streak this season. The last time the Clippers achieved a four-game winning streak was in 1993.

After the game, Robinson was interviewed by reporters in the locker room. His expression was complex, a mixture of approval and helplessness.

"He's taller, stronger, faster, and more accurate than me," Robinson said. "I can't guard him. Nobody in this league can guard him one-on-one. Maybe in the future, but not now."

Four-game winning streak.

The Clippers' record improved from one win and five losses to six wins and five losses, ranking sixth in the Western Conference.

No one calls Arthur "the scribbler" anymore. No one says his stats are "meaningless" anymore.

Because his stats started to improve and he was winning.

And the teams that won were all strong teams.

On December 1, 1996, the Los Angeles Times sports section changed its headline:

He is not the future. He is the present.

There was a passage in the article that Arthur later cut out and pasted on his bedside table.

Three weeks ago, people said Arthur Thorne was a statistic monster, but not a winner. Three weeks later, he led a team that had only won 25 games last season to a four-game winning streak. He's averaging 41 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists, and 6 blocks per game. He speaks on the court, and his teammates start to listen. He stands in the locker room, and his coaches start to back down.

This isn't the trajectory of a future superstar. This is the trajectory of an MVP.

That evening, Arthur sat on his bed at home, looking at these words.

He didn't laugh, he didn't get excited, he just watched quietly.

Then he pasted the clipping on his bedside table, turned off the light, and lay down.

His eyes were still open in the darkness.

He was thinking about Jordan. He was thinking about that game. He was thinking about that fadeaway jumper.

"February," he said softly.

Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep.