The NBA is about to shut down? A high-level league meeting!

He pointed to the financial news playing on another screen, where NBA Commissioner David Stern's iconic stern face flashed by.

"The papers say the owners want a 'hard salary cap' and to abolish Bird Rights. The players' union is taking a hard line too, saying they're trying to rob players of their livelihoods. What if... I mean, what if the new season gets locked out? Wouldn't this brand-new lineup of ours all be for nothing?"

Sprewell's concerns were not unfounded.

Having only just emerged from his suspension controversy and eager to prove himself again in New York, he feared losing the chance to play more than anyone.

The Knicks had paid a considerable price to acquire him, and he regarded this place as a land of redemption.

This lineup, built around Li Fei as its unquestioned core and supported by fierce players such as Allan Houston and Larry Johnson, was ready to make a big push in the new season. If it was interrupted by a lockout, it would be an unacceptable nightmare.

Li Fei finally stopped shooting. He turned around and looked at Sprewell with deep eyes as calm as a bottomless lake, yet they carried a reassuring strength.

"There will be a lockout."

He spoke those four words with the certainty of someone stating an established fact.

Sprewell sprang up from the floor. "What? There really will be a lockout? Then what do we do?"

The corner of Li Fei's lips lifted slightly into a meaningful smile. "But it doesn't matter. The NBA isn't going bankrupt. It'll come back sooner or later."

He walked over to Sprewell, his enormous figure casting a shadow that completely enveloped the latter.

"Latrell, remember this: we're players. Our battlefield is the court. As for how those guys in suits argue in conference