I fell in love with Toutiao and became the GOAT.

On the morning of the competition day, Lin Bei ran into Lee Priest, a big name in the bodybuilding world, again at the apartment gym.

"Hey bro, we meet again."

Upon meeting, Lee Priest extended his hand warmly.

The two first gave each other a high five, and then bumped fists together, completing a classic American street greeting.

After greeting everyone, Lin Bei continued rowing with the barbell, his arm muscles bulging slightly as he exerted force.

Lee Priest, standing nearby, chimed in with curiosity, "I watched your game against the Heat. Is LeBron particularly strong?"

Lin Bei took a breath and nodded slightly: "Indeed, the intensity of his confrontation is outrageous."

"Honestly, with your muscle mass, it's really impressive that you were able to withstand his impact."

Lee Priest brought up the old topic again: "Aren't you really considering using some drugs? That would make your muscles grow much faster."

Lin Bei shook his head without hesitation: "No."

"But if you don't use drugs, you may never have the muscle mass of LeBron in your entire life."

Lee Priest remained undeterred, so Lin Bei simply stopped rowing, wiped the sweat from his brow, and firmly shook his head.

"No, I just play basketball, I don't really need such thick arms, enough is fine."

After catching his breath, he added with a smile, "If I plan to get into bodybuilding after I retire from the NBA, I can consider using performance-enhancing drugs then."

To be honest, if it weren't for the system, Lin Bei would probably have considered using some medicine.

But he has a system, and no medicine can compare to it, so what medicine does he need?

Lee Priest sighed, "What a pity."

He genuinely believed that Lin Bei had talent, and that such talent would be wasted if it weren't used with medicine.

However, upon hearing that Lin Bei might enter the bodybuilding industry after retiring, his eyes lit up again, and he continued to linger around Lin Bei.

"Do you have a match tonight?"

Lin Bei changed his posture and replied, holding his breath, "That's right, play against the Jazz."

"I suddenly really want to watch your game. Could you get me a few front-row tickets?"

"How many?"

"I have two younger sisters who are in the Bay Area these days, so I'd like to introduce them to you. That's why I'd like four tickets."

Lin Bei readily agreed. Oracle Arena, the home stadium, does indeed reserve some front-row seats for players' families and friends at each game.

Although Lee Priest hasn't been able to help him in any substantial way yet, after these two encounters, Lin Bei can genuinely feel that this guy is a warm, straightforward, and good person.

In addition, Lin Bei had specifically looked into Lee Priest and knew that this guy was quite famous in the bodybuilding world, and could even be considered a half-student of former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Building a good relationship with this person will help Lin Bei plan his next "effective headline".

As for the sister Lee Priest mentioned, Lin Bei didn't take it to heart.

Keep in mind that Lee Priest is only 1.63 meters tall, and his sister is unlikely to interest Lin Bei much.

Lin Bei isn't Shaquille O'Neal; he doesn't like short girls.

……

In the afternoon, since Little Potato wasn't there, Lin Bei summoned Little Zhang.

Anyway, Xiao Zhang was going to Oracle Arena to cover the upcoming match.

She drove from Berkeley to Oakland, a journey of more than half an hour, passing through the upscale apartment complex where Lin Bei lived.

In the car, the two chatted casually for a few minutes, mainly about topics related to the competition.

Xiao Zhang asked Lin Bei, "Has Bogut joining the team affected you?"

Lin Bei leaned back in the passenger seat and shook his head calmly: "Not for now."

Xiao Zhang then mentioned, "That guy doesn't have a good reputation in China."

At that time, in 2012, Bodog only had two major flaws in the eyes of domestic fans.

One incident occurred during a warm-up match before the 08 Olympics, when he elbowed Yao Ming, causing the latter to have difficulty breathing and requiring oxygen therapy.

When questioned by reporters afterwards, he responded with a smile: "I was just demonstrating the intensity of Australian basketball."

Another is his consistently dirty playing style.

In an anonymous poll conducted in the US, asking players to vote for the dirtiest player on the NBA court, Bogdanovic ranked in the top three.

Therefore, Xiao Zhang only said that Bodog's reputation in China is not very good, not that it is terrible.

Lin Bei shrugged in response: "Don't worry about that guy, I'll handle it."

Xiao Zhang nodded; she trusted Lin Bei.

……

Evening, Oracle Center, home team locker room.

Lin Bei had changed into his competition gear early on, and his gaze would occasionally drift towards Bodog not far away.

Bodog had already changed into his jersey. He glanced down at his jersey number, 12.

Then she looked ahead, deliberately avoiding Lin Bei's gaze, feigning composure.

Lin Bei chuckled inwardly. He could clearly sense that Bodog was very nervous at this moment, and he cared more about his starting position tonight than anyone else.

A moment later, Mark Jackson stepped forward and, as usual, tapped his whiteboard to signal everyone to be quiet—he was about to announce the starting lineup for tonight.

Lin Bei asked himself: Am I nervous?

To be honest, he's not nervous. If Mark Jackson really lets Bogdanovic start, he'll accept it.

At worst, he can just become a free agent when the season ends.

If he can't start again after putting up a huge double-double in the last game, then this kind of head coach is not worth playing for.

Anyway, when Lin Bei joined the Warriors, he only signed a one-year minimum salary contract, so he always kept the initiative in his own hands.

"The starting lineup for this match..."

Mark Jackson looked up, his gaze sweeping across the entire arena: "Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Dorell Wright, David Lee, and..."

He finally looked at Lin Bei, this time without any suspense: "Best Lin!"

When Lin Bei's name was called out, Little Potato nudged Lin Bei with his elbow, as if to say: See? I told you long ago that you were going to be the starter!

Looking at Bodog again, his face instantly darkened.

Next, when the team takes the field.

Bodog, as a substitute, visibly dawdled out of the player tunnel with obvious reluctance, giving the impression of being very unwilling.

Curry patted Lin Bei on the shoulder and gestured with his chin towards BoGout in the distance, indicating to Lin Bei: Look at that guy, he looks furious.

Lin Bei shrugged, then, as if he had just thought of something, he leaned close to Curry with a cheeky grin: "Stephen, this might be my last start. Have pity on me, let's switch starting order, let me be the finale one..."

Curry rolled his eyes, looking like he was saying "I'm really impressed with you," but then surprisingly agreed.

"Okay, you stay behind, I'll go to the front."

This time, Lin Bei didn't refuse. For a rebuilding team like the Warriors, the order of the entrance ceremony wasn't that important.

Curry, the core player who holds the reins, "voluntarily" gave up his position to Lin Bei without any objection, so no one else had any objection either.

So, after the substitutes came on, when it was time for the starters to come on, Bodog watched Lin Bei step onto the field last, and his face turned even worse.

In contrast, CCTV's Yu Jia and Director Zhang were very excited.

"Hey, Da Lin makes his grand entrance last!"

"You need to understand that the order of appearance in NBA home games is very important. The fact that Dahlen was the last to appear shows that the Warriors value him highly and consider him the core of the team!"