I fell in love with Toutiao and became the GOAT.

The Warriors secured a resounding victory at home, and as usual, Lin Bei stood in front of the CCTV broadcast cameras at the end of the game.

In fact, Lin Bei was the MVP of the winning team in the last two games. According to the usual practice of TNT, the NBA broadcasting rights holder, he should have accepted a post-game interview with TNT Sports.

The Warriors' press officer did indeed come to inquire about his wishes, but Lin Bei politely declined, choosing to remain with CCTV.

Today's CCTV interview was a little different; reporter Xiao Zhang also brought in Yi Jianlian.

Lin Bei smiled, raised his chin, and greeted him again, "Brother Lian."

Yi Jianlian forced a smile and nodded slightly in response.

In this game, garbage time arrived too early, giving Yi Jianlian a full quarter of playing time.

However, Yi Jianlian's performance during this entire garbage time period was also less than satisfactory:

He took four shots in total: one three-pointer, two mid-range shots, and one layup, but only made the layup.

Throughout the game, he only managed 2 points and 2 rebounds, with all other stats such as assists, steals, and blocks being a complete zero.

Reporter Xiao Zhang, following the instructions of Coach Zhang and Yu Jia through the earpiece, asked: "Dalin, another victory, and you've recorded two consecutive double-doubles of 20 points each. You're getting into form. Do you think you have a chance to win Rookie of the Year this season, given your current form?"

以及：「三节就得到23分16个篮板3个助攻1个抢断2个盖帽，如果在多给你一点时间，你觉得你能交出一份什幺样的数据？」

This kind of question itself carries a hint of flattery towards Lin Bei, and Lin Bei has always been quite casual when facing reporter Xiao Zhang.

When reporter Xiao Zhang asked him if he was aiming for Rookie of the Year, Lin Bei confidently replied, "Rookie of the Year isn't impossible. I've been number one on the rookie rankings for two weeks now..."

After boasting for a moment, he turned to Yi Jianlian, who was standing to the side, and asked, "By the way, Yi, did you guys have a rookie ranking system back then?"

Yi Jianlian shook his head, saying that the NBA's official rookie list was only added in the last two years; it didn't exist in his era.

Lin Bei added with a hint of regret, "No? Sigh, I was just wondering if you ever topped the rookie rankings back then..."

Upon hearing this, Yi Jianlian's expression immediately darkened.

Lin Bei immediately realized this. He meant well; seeing that A-Lian looked very uncomfortable standing to the side, he found a way to bring A-Lian into his conversation with reporter Xiao Zhang.

"Brother Lian is a bit too sensitive..."

Lin Bei muttered something to himself and didn't continue the topic.

When reporter Xiao Zhang posed the second hypothetical question, Lin Bei shrugged: "At a normal pace, even if the fourth quarter isn't too expensive, I probably won't play the whole game. I'd estimate I'll score around 30 points and grab over 20 rebounds..."

Reporter Xiao Zhang nodded earnestly: "That's still very impressive!"

This time, Lin Bei didn't look at Yi Jianlian again.

He had actually planned to make a harmless joke: "Brother Lian, you should thank me. I worked so hard to widen the lead so you could get on the court!"

But considering Yi Jianlian's sensitive nature, he swallowed the joke.

The interview ended in a somewhat awkward atmosphere, and could be described as ending on a sour note.

Lin Bei watched A-Lian hurry away and shook his head inwardly.

Reporter Xiao Zhang is a good person. Standing next to Lin Bei, she said, "Brother Lian seems to care a lot about his performance in this game."

Lin Bei nodded: "That's right."

"I think this is a good thing. If he cares about his performance, he will work harder and be motivated to improve!"

Reporter Xiao Zhang flashed a bright smile, appearing very optimistic.

Lin Bei frowned. Reporter Xiao Zhang was right. Yi Jianlian did care a lot about his own performance, but that was because there was a comparison.

Lin Bei could sense that his appearance had indeed deeply provoked Yi Jianlian.

Whether Yi Jianlian will be motivated by shame and strive for improvement is hard to say.

……

「贝斯特·林继对湖人砍下22分17个篮板5个助攻1个抢断2个盖帽之后，对小牛再砍23分16个篮板3个助攻1个抢断2个盖帽……」

"With consecutive double-doubles, he's hitting his stride and will top the rookie weekly rankings for the second consecutive time. Who would have thought that the 2011 draft's best player would be the 58th overall pick in the second round?"

The following day, Lin Bei discovered that he was on the cover of the latest issue of Sports Illustrated, which was the headline.

Unfortunately, with only one headline, it's impossible to create a truly effective one.

In the Bay Area, he was also featured on the front page of the sports sections of two major media outlets, the San Jose Mercury News and the San Francisco Chronicle.

The former stated, "Bob Myers inadvertently struck gold; the free agent second-round pick has become the Warriors' core player!"

The latter reads: "Two consecutive wins, made by Best Lin..."

On the streets and alleys, Lin Bei's No. 7 Warriors jersey is appearing more and more frequently, and more and more Bay Area fans are becoming Lin Bei's supporters.

On the training day following these two games, Lin Bei arrived a little early as usual and practiced free throws.

In recent games, he has consistently made free throws, although his initial free throw percentage was only around 60%.

In these two games, he made 5 out of 6 free throws in one game and 4 out of 4 in the other, raising his free throw percentage to 79.2%, which is quite respectable for a center.

Lin Bei knew very well that this was the result of his extra training every day.

When it comes to free throws, feel is still very important.

After practicing for a while, Bob Myers came over.

"Kobe Bryant is the hardest-working player I've ever heard of, and you, Best, are the hardest-working player I've ever seen."

The guy started with a joking compliment, and Lin Bei simply thanked him.

Then he heard Bob Myers say with a wry smile, "Speaking of which, I heard from Mark that you agreed to sign that contract extension."

Lin Bei then remembered that when the team was still in Los Angeles, he had indeed promised to sign a contract with Bob Myers as soon as they returned to the Bay Area.

But after returning, he was busy with consecutive competition days and completely forgot about it.

Slapping his forehead, Lin Bei apologized, "I completely forgot about it, I'm so sorry Bob, I'm really sorry."

Bob Myers could only wave his hand: "It's okay, Best, the contract is ready. Just come and sign it whenever you're free."

Bodogor has been traded to the Spurs, and the previously agreed-upon contract extension can indeed be signed.

Lin Bei immediately replied, "Let's do it now..."

The two then went together to Bob Myers' office, where a printed contract renewal was neatly laid out in front of Lin Bei.

"Wait, something's not right?"

Lin Bei immediately noticed something was wrong: the contract amount was not the $9 million for two years that the two had previously agreed upon, but $10 million for two years.

Bob Myers smiled and squinted: "You've been doing very well lately, and I think I can offer you a two-year maximum contract."

For Lin Bei, this two-year, $10 million contract is indeed a top salary.

Due to league rules, he cannot receive a higher salary than this.

At that moment, Lin Bei felt Bob Myers' sincerity and immediately signed his name on the contract without hesitation.

The moment the pen touched the ground, it also meant that for the next two seasons, he would be completely bound to this Warriors team.