I fell in love with Toutiao and became the GOAT.

This game against the Magic is the Warriors' first away game of the season.

"This is my first time flying on the team's plane..."

On the morning of the match, Lin Bei arrived at San Francisco International Airport in Little Potato's car.

Here, he saw the Warriors' private jet.

"They're all custom-made seats, bigger and wider, they look much more comfortable than seats on regular passenger planes."

Upon boarding the plane, Lin Bei noticed that all the seats in the cabin had been replaced with larger and wider ones.

It's very comfortable for a big guy like Lin Bei.

Little Potato shrugged, and Curry chimed in jokingly, "Nate obviously doesn't feel that way."

At 175cm, Little Potato is just an average person in height and build, so naturally she wouldn't notice this difference.

Little Potato scoffed, "How much better are you than me?"

Curry laughed: "Being a little stronger is still being strong."

Lin Bei didn't join the elementary school debate; he was still thinking about the evening's match and felt a lot of pressure.

After waiting on the plane for a while, the teammates arrived one after another, with head coach Mark Jackson being the last to arrive.

He plopped down in the empty seat next to Lin Bei, clearly having something to say.

"Lin, the rookie rankings for the first week are out, and you're number one."

Lin Bei was stunned, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Number one on the rookie list?"

This doesn't make sense. How can he be number one? What about Kyrie Irving?

Before the plane even took off, Lin Bei opened his phone, went to the NBA website, found the rookie list, and sure enough, he was ranked number one.

1. Lin Bei, Golden State Warriors | 4 games, averaging 10.5 points, 16.25 rebounds, and 0.75 assists;

2. Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers | 3 games, averaging 13.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.3 steals;

... "

In the first week of the season, Kyrie Irving's Cavaliers played three games.

Despite having unlimited shooting opportunities, Irving had a disastrous debut, making only 2 of 12 shots and scoring just 6 points.

In the second game against the Pistons, he only scored 14 points.

In the third game against the Pacers, he scored his first 20 points in his career, but his shooting was inefficient, going 8-for-19.

Therefore, Lin Bei seized the rare opportunity and took the top spot on the rookie rankings.

Seeing Lin Bei frantically scanning the charts, Mark Jackson laughed, "You don't think I'm lying to you, do you?"

Lin Bei: "No, I just wanted to take a screenshot. This is the first time I've stood in this position, and it might be the last."

He did take a screenshot, and even opened Twitter and edited the caption—

"The 58th overall pick in the second round, plus being waived by his original team, equals the number one spot on the rookie list."

Attach a screenshot and click send.

Mark Jackson witnessed all of this: "You seem to really enjoy posting on social media?"

Lin Bei nodded and said frankly, "I think this is a way to maintain popularity, and I really need popularity."

Why do you need attention?

Mark Jackson was puzzled. He sat up straight and continued to look at Lin Bei.

Lin Bei thought for a moment: "The popularity can help me stay in this league."

Mark Jackson shook his head, thinking that Lin Bei was being somewhat self-deprecating.

"Your abilities are unquestionable, believe in yourself..."

……

The Warriors flew to Orlando, and before the game in the evening, Mark Jackson announced the starting lineup, with Lin Bei still at center.

Little Potato nudged Lin Bei with his elbow: "Are you under a lot of pressure playing against Dwight?"

Lin Bei shrugged: "No pressure at all..."

The little potato stared wide-eyed, as if to say: Is it really that awesome?

Lin Bei added, "Do you believe that?"

Little Potato immediately shook his head, "That's Howard, who was traded one-for-one for LeBron James in the previous two seasons!"

Lin Bei: "Then why the hell are you asking?"

At the Magic's home arena, the Amway Center, the Warriors came out first and then witnessed the Magic's entrance ceremony.

During the 2011-12 season, Howard was already trying to force his way out of the team, and when he came on the field, the cheers and boos from the Orlando fans were mixed.

As the game was about to begin, Lin Bei stood in the center circle, facing Howard.

从他的视角看，霍华德的实际身高应该在2米06、07左右，比自己高个3、4厘米的样子。

With a wingspan of 225cm, his proportions are similar to Lin Bei's.

What's most terrifying about this guy is his muscle mass; he's all muscle, it looks incredibly exaggerated.

The pressure was immense, already weighing on Lin Bei.

Behind Howard, Lin Bei also saw the Magic's other four starters—

Point guard Jameer Nelson, shooting guard JJ Redick, small forward Hedo Turkoglu, and power forward Ryan Anderson.

And behind him—

Point guard Stephen Curry, shooting guard Monta Ellis, small forward Dorell Wright, and power forward David Lee.

In the opening tip-off, Howard, wearing his red underwear on the outside, had the upper hand, and the Magic went on the offensive first.

In the backcourt, inside the penalty area, Lin Bei circled around to Howard's front, and immediately felt a tremendous force coming from behind.

Howard quickly squeezed back in; his goal was to hold Lin Bei in the low post and then get the ball.

Lin Bei didn't want Howard to get the ball so easily, so he had to constantly front and defend him.

Although Howard managed to squeeze back, Lin Bei circled around to the side, putting immense pressure on him.

Nelson, who was controlling the ball at the top of the key, couldn't find a good passing opportunity, so he took the initiative and scored himself.

The jump shot from the high post looked like it wouldn't go in.

Lin Bei turned around to block the way, but Howard forced his way forward again.

As they were squeezing in, Lin Bei suddenly slid a step to one side.

With a loud crash!

Sure enough, the sound of a ball hitting the backboard rang out. Lin Bei leaped up, facing the falling backboard, and snatched it away.

Curry retreated and took the ball.

Advancing into the frontcourt, Lin Bei set a screen at the top of the arc, and Curry drove straight in.

The Magic were well-prepared for Lin Bei's attack. Howard went straight back to the paint, and Ryan Anderson marked Lin Bei closely, giving him no space at all.

Lin Bei wasn't surprised, after all, he was already number one on the rookie list. In the first four games, he averaged 5.5 three-point attempts and made 2.5 of them, for a 48.6% success rate.

It would be strange if magicians didn't take precautions.

This is also why Lin Bei felt that he wouldn't be able to hold onto the top spot on the rookie rankings for long.

The opponent will eventually target his three-pointers, so as a center, he still needs to find a way to attack inside.

The attempt to steal a three-pointer failed.

However, Lin Bei still managed to create some space.

Curry used Lin Bei's screen to shake off Nelson, Howard came out to cover, and David Lee was left wide open under the basket.

David Lee catches the ball, leaps up, and slams it in.

"Clang!"

On the road, the Warriors took a 2-0 lead.

Lin Bei turned to defend, continuing to face Howard, and he immediately went up to compete with Howard for position under the basket.

Although this method of prevention is tiring, the effect is not bad.

Another tug-of-war ensued, and Nelson didn't dare to pass again.

Lin Bei leaped again under the basket and grabbed another defensive rebound.

Howard was already a bit bruised, and he shrugged and complained to his teammates, "Fuck, this guy kept pulling me, and the referees didn't care!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Bei retorted directly, "Didn't you pull me back, you big boy?"

"Big boy" was a derogatory term for Howard, and he immediately turned cold.

"What the hell did you call me?"

"Big boy? Aren't you a big boy? How about I call you little girl?"

Howard was even more furious, glaring at Lin Bei: "You're fucking asking for death!"

Lin Bei remained nonchalant in response: "Whatever."

He was more than happy for Howard to make a move against him, so that he could have a chance to make a big splash.

The argument between Lin Bei and Howard attracted the attention of Howard's Magic teammates.

Redick went up and pulled Howard aside, and the two exchanged a few words in hushed tones.

Later, when Lin Bei saw Howard again, he found that Howard had returned to calm.

"Damn it," Lin Bei cursed inwardly, "What did that guy Meijiji say to ruin my plans..."