Chapter 669 - 595: Stepping Outside the Three-Point Line

Chapter 669: Chapter 595: Stepping Outside the Three-Point Line

This summer, Carter, who had a complete falling out with the Raptors, didn’t seem too bothered by it. He stood next to Durant, dressed in a sweatsuit.

His idol was right there beside him, so close that Durant barely dared to breathe, too nervous to say a word.

"Kevin, don’t be nervous," Carter said with a smile, patting Durant on the shoulder. "You’re faster than that kid over there. When you get a chance, drive to the hoop. I’ll feed you the ball for an alley-oop dunk."

He pointed at Patterson on the other team.

Patterson was about the same height as Durant, maybe even a couple of centimeters shorter at just 203 cm.

However, Durant’s wingspan was more astonishing, giving him the advantage.

Durant nodded enthusiastically.

Playing with Carter, having Carter pass to him for an alley-oop dunk... he couldn’t even begin to imagine a more perfect scenario.

Carter turned and nudged Kobe with his elbow, pointing to three golden cards on a display stand in the center of the court. "Cards #1 and #3 are the best," he said. "Let’s take this seriously and go for card #1 first."

Kobe glanced at Hardaway on the opposing team and nodded.

’Old rivals!’

In this segment, players would team up with their idols to compete.

For example, Durant and Carter teamed up to face fellow forwards Patterson and Hill.

It was a 21-point game.

The winning team would get to pick one of the golden Artifact Cards first.

Artifact Card #1: Allowed you to substitute in one of your team’s idols for one minute during the game.

Artifact Card #2: Allowed you to retain possession after a turnover, such as knocking the ball out of bounds.

Artifact Card #3: Allowed you to gain a three-second offensive possession at any time, even when it was the opponent’s ball.

In Carter’s view, cards #1 and #3 were clearly more useful. He was especially determined to get card #1.

The teams tossed a coin to decide which position would play first.

Durant’s bad luck held, and they lost the coin toss.

Oden exchanged a look with his team manager, Mulin, and they unhesitatingly chose the center matchup.

’I feel like I could dominate Little Jordan with one hand tied behind my back.’

Carter gave a wry smile. He’d watched every episode of the show and knew that Durant was never very lucky.

"Dirk, it’s all on you now," Carter said, looking over at Nowitzki. "You have to help us get card #1!"

Nowitzki glanced at Garnett on the opposing team and said, a little unconfidently, "It should be fine. With streetball rules, I think I have a slight edge."

’It’s all about shooting, and I’m definitely the more accurate one.’

"But DeAndre," Nowitzki added, turning to him, "you have to do your best to stop Greg."

’I can’t count on Little Jordan for offense. If he can just defend against Oden, we can win.’

Little Jordan excitedly pounded his chest, promising his idol that he wouldn’t let Oden score a single point on him.

And then he got completely dominated.

"You guys saw... that guy is just too strong," Little Jordan said dejectedly to Durant and Carter as he walked off the court, rubbing his chest.

Even playing alongside Garnett, Oden was anything but overshadowed. He even coordinated with Garnett to pull off a poster dunk.

And Little Jordan, of course, was the one on the poster.

Carter patted Kevin’s shoulder with a wry smile. "Well, Kevin, we can’t afford to lose this one."

On the other side, Oden unhesitatingly took Artifact Card #1.

Durant nodded emphatically.

’Dominating Patterson won’t be a problem,’ he thought.

’The real question is whether Carter can guard Hill.’

’Although Carter could fill in at small forward, facing Hill—the best small forward in the league—seemed like a tough matchup.’

However, their game went surprisingly smoothly, and they won easily with a score of 21-17.

When the game ended, Carter hugged Hill and couldn’t resist whispering in his ear, "Grant, you threw that, didn’t you?"

He could tell that Hill had gone easy on them during a couple of crucial plays.

Hill chuckled and glanced at the ecstatic Durant beside them.

During the game, Carter had set him up with a perfect pass, and Durant had soared in for an alley-oop slam, fulfilling a childhood fantasy.

"We’re not the main characters today," Hill said, patting Carter on the back.

After a brief hesitation, Durant took Artifact Card #3.

Only Harden’s game was left.

"What’s there to be afraid of? You’ve got me!" Kobe said, slapping Harden on the back and pulling him onto the court.

A few minutes later, the game ended as Kobe sank a difficult turnaround fadeaway jumper over Hardaway.

He pumped his fist, then turned to celebrate with a high-five for Harden, who was rushing toward him.

On the sidelines, Stern, who was sitting next to Chen Yu, kept a smile on his face. "It’s great to be young," he remarked, seemingly out of the blue.

Chen Yu raised an eyebrow slightly, but he had a good idea what prompted Stern’s comment.

’He’s probably already thinking about the next face of the league.’

’As commissioner, Stern is always searching for the next Jordan.’

’Hardaway and Hill were supposed to be Jordan’s successors.’

’But now they’re over thirty and have officially entered the twilight of their careers.’

’The two of them are still incredibly popular with the fans, but as they get older, who will take up their mantle?’

’The obvious answer was the so-called "Four Great Shooting Guards" that the media was always talking about.’

’And among the Four Great Shooting Guards, Kobe—with his superior competitive drive and his place in Los Angeles—clearly had the greatest potential to become that kind of premier superstar.’

"By the way, Chen, who do you think will win?" Stern asked.

Chen Yu looked at the two teams on the court.

"If we’re just looking at the rosters, it’s obvious the Thunder have a better shot."

Oden’s team was named the Thunder.

Harden and Little Jordan were still a notch below in terms of skill.

"But under the current rules and playstyle, Kevin has more of an advantage."