After dinner, Reese drove Larvin and Owen to a nearby hotel. The two sat in the back, still teasing each other.
“Hey, should we get one room or two?” Larvin seemed to be seriously considering this.
“Two, of course,” Owen replied.
“But that would cost twice as much. Isn’t it a bit wasteful?” Larvin asked.
They were just regular college students. Larvin spent most of his time practicing basketball, hiring private trainers or assistants, so he didn’t have much pocket money left. However, Owen’s family was well-off, and he answered nonchalantly, “I don’t want to sleep with you in the next bed.”
Larvin smirked, “I sleep very quietly. Besides, we’ve been partners all day; you should be more tolerant of your partner!”
“Being tolerant of you is being cruel to myself,” Owen replied.
Nie Chuan turned his face to look at Larvin and Owen, showing a big smile.
Even though Owen was looking down at his phone, as if he had eyes on his forehead, he reached out to press Nie Chuan’s head.
But Reese, who was driving, pressed Nie Chuan’s head back before Owen could.
After dropping them off at the hotel, regardless of how they arranged their rooms, Reese took Nie Chuan back to the dorm.
When it was just the two of them in the car, it suddenly felt a bit lonely.
Just as Nie Chuan was getting drowsy, Reese suddenly asked, “Do you really think that me, Larvin, Owen, and you can form the best lineup to beat AZU?”
When this question was asked, Nie Chuan suddenly became alert.
He looked at Reese’s profile and then smiled.
“We can’t help but imagine what the perfect lineup would be. But isn’t it too greedy to always want the best? Besides, putting all the best together isn’t necessarily perfect.”
“Is it just about not being too greedy?” Reese asked.
“The reason not to be too greedy is that our DK already has the perfect lineup!” Nie Chuan tilted his head back and closed his eyes. “AZU has the Boulder, we have Heishan. The Boulder is indeed a powerful opponent with amazing explosiveness, but Heishan has stronger low-post skills, is more agile under the basket, and is great at positioning. AZU’s power forward Edgar is decisive under the basket and good at rebounds, but we have Carlo, a nimble power forward with strong aerial control. AZU’s shooting guard Ben Robbins is quick to shoot, good at positioning, and can shoot comfortably from midcourt. But our Ewin has excellent ball-handling skills and precise shooting. Maybe Ben Robbins and Sethston have great chemistry, but Ewin and I also have great chemistry!”
“Then there’s you and me.” Even without opening his eyes, Nie Chuan could sense the faint smile in Reese’s voice.
“Yeah, there’s you and me, the best partners in the finals. We always know what each other wants, always manage to do what we hope to do at the most critical moments, not to mention… you’re so strong. At least at this moment, I haven’t seen anyone in the entire finals who can truly beat you. Whether it’s Larvin, Owen, or Raven Harvey and Sethston.”
“And what about me? What am I to you?”
Nie Chuan sighed a bit sadly, “I always try to imitate you, but I don’t know how to surpass you.”
At that moment, Reese parked the car, leaned over, and kissed Nie Chuan’s upturned face.
The touch on his lips made Nie Chuan’s heart tighten suddenly. Before he could open his eyes, Reese’s tongue slipped in, gently licking and kissing him.
Reese rarely had such gentle moments, and even when he was gentle, it would eventually become intense.
“But I must constantly surpass the version of me in your heart.” Reese’s fingers brushed against Nie Chuan’s cheek.
At that moment, Nie Chuan’s heart was inexplicably filled to the brim.
Actually, Reese might never realize how lucky Nie Chuan felt to have met him.
Even today, after witnessing so many amazing moments in the finals, the most perfect one was still the first time on the community basketball court, Reese’s simple and efficient dunk that no words could describe.
They returned to the dorm, showering together in the dorm bathroom.
Through the water, Reese kissed Nie Chuan lightly, making even a hug feel fleetingly precious.
The next morning, as usual, Nie Chuan went to the track with Reese for morning practice.
As they passed the school’s outdoor basketball court, they saw Ewin practicing his shots.
Nie Chuan instinctively stopped, standing on the sidelines with Reese, watching Ewin shoot while retreating. Each shot was farther than the last.
Ewin’s hand was steady, his expression focused, as if the people passing by watching him didn’t exist.
Until Ewin had retreated a good distance from the three-point line, he continued to move side to side, and the ball consistently fell into the basket.
“When did Ewin start shooting from so far away?” Nie Chuan showed a surprised expression.
“He’s always been able to. It’s just that on the court, with more interference, he loses that confidence,” Reese said.
Nie Chuan suddenly understood. Indeed, if you calculate carefully, Ewin’s speed from jump to release isn’t slower than shooting guards like Ben Robbins or Owen Whishaw, but Ewin rarely shoots quickly; he always waits until he’s very confident.
“Just like your transition from a regular point guard to being able to play small forward, only the first time, when you realize you can block someone like Raven Harvey or even dunk, will you ever be sure you have that ability. Ewin is the same,” Reese said.
By this time, Ewin had moved to the midcourt line, and everyone’s eyes were on him, seemingly saying, “How is this possible?”
Nie Chuan instinctively clenched his fist, remembering Owen Whishaw and Ben Robbins’ midcourt shots, that confidence and the arc of the ball over their heads, something Nie Chuan would never forget.
At this moment, Ewin jumped, his basketball tracing a line unique to him, beautifully focused, landing in the basket.
At that moment, exclamations rose all around.
Nie Chuan’s clenched fist slowly relaxed.
Ewin half-tilted his head, exhaling.
Nie Chuan knew that as long as Ewin succeeded once on the court, he could succeed a second, a third time.
Facing AZU, Nie Chuan knew he not only had to help Ewin find confidence but also find confidence for himself.
“You all say that in the finals, I’m the only point guard who can rival Sethston Lind. Is that true?” Nie Chuan turned to ask Reese beside him.
“At least right now, I haven’t found a stronger point guard than you. And for Sethston, meeting you is also a kind of luck.”
“Why ‘luck’?” Nie Chuan asked, puzzled.
“Because you make him feel a sense of crisis.” Reese said only this, then pulled Nie Chuan’s collar and continued running forward.
The showdown with AZU came much faster than Nie Chuan had imagined.
The basketball team headed to the city where the finals would be held a day before the game.
In recent days, basketball fans’ attention had shifted from the NBA to this final showdown between AZU and UDK. Who would be the true champion? The returning UDK or the defending champion AZU?
Various magazines and media were publishing predictions, even analyzing the lineups and performances of each key player from both teams.
The venue for this final wasn’t an ordinary basketball arena; it was said to be a temporary conversion from an American football stadium. A regular NBA arena could hold about 20,000 spectators, but for this final, over 70,000 people would be watching.
Such a number!
Nie Chuan was truly surprised by these foreigners’ dedication to NCAA basketball.
Sitting on the bus with his teammates, Nie Chuan received a text from Mao Xian.
Mao Xian: Oh my gosh! A-Chuan, do you know how much the tickets for this final are selling for?
Nie Chuan: No idea.
Mao Xian: The average price is already $1,346! In dollars! Not RMB!
Nie Chuan’s eyes almost popped out: No way! Are you kidding me?
Mao Xian: Why would I joke about this? Ever since people found out I’m part of your fan club and you gave me a friendship ticket, I’ve been harassed non-stop! Last night someone offered $1,800 for my ticket! This morning it’s already up to $2,000!
Nie Chuan was dumbfounded: You didn’t sell the ticket, did you?
Mao Xian: Of course not! Am I the kind of person who only sees money? The chance to witness my bro dunking in the finals doesn’t come around often! How could I sell the ticket!
Nie Chuan: There might be three more chances! But the chance to make $2,000 is really rare! You should sell the ticket! We could eat hotpot for years!
Mao Xian: …If you say that, I might take it seriously.
Nie Chuan laughed. Having Mao Xian around eased his nervousness quite a bit.
But after relaxing, when he saw the broadcast images on various screens along the road, he couldn’t help but feel nervous again.
Then, Nie Chuan received a text from Larvin: Crush AZU for me, I’ll be watching you from the stands.
Recently, the most talked-about topic on the international student forum was Nie Chuan. As a key player for DK entering the NCAA finals, if UDK won, Nie Chuan would create a new history.
