I fell in love with Toutiao and became the GOAT.

The team has no training scheduled for match day.

Lin Bei spent some time tidying up the apartment he had just rented.

The apartment is a seven-story building, with the entrance lobby on the first floor and each apartment on the next two floors.

Lin Bei's apartment features a high-ceilinged living room with huge floor-to-ceiling windows offering a view of the distant bay.

There's a staircase to the side of the living room leading up to two rooms.

One room is the master bedroom, and the other is temporarily a study.

Lin Bei originally planned to convert his study into a home gym so he could work out his strength at home.

He planned to build up some muscle, since he was going to play center, and without some muscle, he would be at a disadvantage against heavy centers.

When asked, Little Potato rolled his eyes and said, "Don't you know the apartment complex has its own clubhouse and gym?"

In the afternoon, after tidying up the house, Lin Bei went for a walk in the apartment's gym.

It's a high-end apartment building after all, so there aren't many residents, and the gym only has two or three people here and there.

Lin Bei was very satisfied. He first warmed up with some aerobic exercise, and then found a bench press rack to work on his upper body strength.

His lower body is actually quite stable. During team training, even the big David Lee couldn't push him with his back turned.

His weakness lies in his upper body; in other words, his elbows aren't fierce enough.

In the afternoon, Lin Bei saw Little Potato again.

"You, you even practice extra on match days? Don't you know that sometimes working too hard isn't a good thing?"

Lin Bei shrugged. He wasn't actually trying to work hard; he was just too idle and had nothing to do.

"Are we going to Oracle next?"

Little Potato looked Lin Bei up and down: "That's right, but..."

Lin Bei looked himself up and down. He was wearing a plain tracksuit because he was going to the gym earlier.

Do you know what day it is today?

Lin Bei nodded: "Christmas."

The 2011-12 season opened on Christmas Day, and the Warriors vs. Clippers game could be considered a Christmas Day showdown.

"When popular teams play at home, the home team players are surrounded by reporters with professional cameras on their way to the stadium, and the whole process is like a fashion show."

"We Warriors aren't a favorite, but it's Christmas, and our opponent is the Clippers. How can you face all those flashing lights if you don't dress formally?"

Lin Bei suddenly realized, and at the same time remembered that in his previous life, some players would wear all sorts of strange costumes just to gain popularity.

"This is a path that could be considered for news headlines..."

There was no time today, so Lin Bei rummaged through his wardrobe and changed into a suit he had bought when he participated in the talent show.

Then we got into Potato's car and headed to the Warriors' home arena—Oracle Center.

"Nate, do you think we can win this game?"

In the car, Lin Bei scrolled through his phone, scanning previews of the game from online media outlets like ESPN and Yahoo.

Most forecasts are pessimistic about the Warriors, and the reason is simple: the Clippers recently completed a trade to acquire Chris Paul from the Hornets.

With last season's Rookie of the Year, Blake Griffin, and a string of big signings such as Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups, the Clippers are considered a playoff contender for the new season.

The Warriors, who failed to make the playoffs last season and were a lottery team, have made few moves this season besides changing coaches, and are likely to remain a lottery team.

Little Potato shrugged: "That's not something we can decide."

Lin Bei: "That's true."

The Warriors are still in the rebuilding phase, and their core roster has not yet been finalized.

Monta Ellis is their current core player, but Mark Jackson is quite dissatisfied with this core player and all that's left is a trade.

The next generation's core player, Curry, is still playing second fiddle to Monta and is plagued by injuries, so he is far from being ready to take over.

It would be strange if such a warrior could win.

When the car arrived at Oracle Arena, it was Lin Bei's first time there. He looked at the groups of Warriors fans on the road, most of them wearing Warriors No. 8 jerseys (Monta) or No. 30 jerseys (Curry).

"Not even a number 7, Jeremy Lin is really doing terribly."

Little Potato, driving the car: "..."

Little Potato parked the car, and the two walked towards the players' tunnel one after the other.

As Little Potato said, there were indeed many reporters gathered on both sides of the passage. When Lin Bei walked by, some people greeted him, and some flashes went off.

But the main character wasn't him, but the little potato that kept making strange noises.

"I'm taller and more handsome than you, so why are they all staring at you?"

Little Potato: "Remember, kid, the NBA doesn't care what you look like, it only cares how well you play basketball."

"Here, strength speaks for itself."

He patted Lin Bei on the shoulder, and quickened his pace, entering the stadium's internal passage ahead of Lin Bei.

……

In the locker room, Lin Bei took off his sharp suit and changed into his jersey and training jacket.

Teammates arrived one after another, and head coach Mark Jackson stood in the center of the locker room about half an hour before the game.

He was holding a tactical board and tapped it twice.

The locker room fell silent instantly, and everyone looked at him.

"After a two-month hiatus, our first regular season game is finally about to begin. I hope you're all ready. The starting lineup for this game..."

Lin Bei's breathing slowed down; he was a little nervous.

Mark Jackson: "Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, Dorell Wright, David Lee, and..."

The old man paused for a moment, glanced at Ai Pai Youdu, and Youdu straightened his back.

She glanced at Lin Bei again, and Lin Bei frowned slightly.

"Best Lynn!"

Lin Bei's brows immediately relaxed.

He felt that his starting position should be a foregone conclusion.

He completely dominated Udoh in the intra-team scrimmages, so why isn't he starting? Little Potato was right, the old man's brain has gone mad.

Mark Jackson wasn't mentally ill; he was just having a blast.

Lin Bei just wanted to roll his eyes at this.

Looking at Yudu again, his dark face showed no expression, but Lin Bei could still tell that the guy wasn't happy.

But, as Spud Potato said: the NBA is all about skill.

If Youdu wants that starting position, he should first think about how to defeat Lin Bei in a training match.

After announcing the starting lineup, Mark Jackson left, and the locker room returned to its original messy state.

Little Potato patted Lin Bei on the shoulder: "I told you you could be a starter, right?"

Lin Bei gave a shy laugh.

"Too bad, buddy, I'm a substitute, so I can't pass the ball to you."

Little Potato sighed, but his gaze drifted to Curry, who was only one seat away from Lin Bei.

Curry understood what he meant and patted his chest: "I'll do it."

Lin Bei: "Thank you so much, Stephen. I'll go out and screen for you more often."

……

The first game of the season is on Christmas Day.

The Warriors had a rather grand entrance ceremony at the start of the game.

The announcer called out the name of each substitute player, and the substitutes filed out, including Ekpe Udoh and Spud Potato.

Lin Bei, as a starter, waited quietly for his turn alongside Curry, Monta Ellis, Dorell Wright, and David Lee.

Soon, all the substitutes came on and lined up in two rows on the field.

The host announced, "Next up is our starting lineup! First up is... our starting power forward, from the University of Florida, number 10, David Lee!"

David Lee was the first to rush out, and cheers poured in from the tunnel entrance.

Then came Curry: "Starting point guard, from Davidson College, number 30, Stephen Curry!"

Curry also rushed out, and Lin Bei was eager to try; he was next.

"Starting center, from China, number 7, Lin! Bei!"

Lin Bei rushed out, but the Oracle Center didn't seem to react much.

Most fans were completely baffled: "Who is this guy?"

Most Warriors fans didn't know who Lin Bei was, so the cheers stopped for a while.

The announcer shouted, "Starting small forward, from South Kent High School, number 1, Dorell Wright!"

After a few seconds of silence, cheers suddenly erupted!

Lin Bei: ...