score maniac

Chapter 42: Top Scorer?!

“…Holy shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!!!” Just three points short! “What… did I just see? The press box had completely erupted. The reporters stood there wide-eyed, clapping along with the cheers of the entire crowd, yet their gazes fixed on Gu Yu were filled with utter astonishment. A layup…?? This slick-haired guy—who “only knows how to shoot”—actually pulled off a one-handed layup?? And it was a layup after a fake move to shake his defender! “Does this guy… actually know any other moves??” At that moment, the reporters once again thought of Xiao Yu, who was closest to Gu Yu. Many of them turned to look at Xiao Yu, asking with puzzled expressions, “What else can he do??” “First of all…” Xiao Yu was at a loss for words—he’d practically turned into Gu Yu’s agent. Shaking his head slightly, he held up one finger and said, “Gu Yu is, after all, a professional basketball player. He can’t possibly not know how to make a simple layup.” “Mm-hmm!” The reporters completely ignored the exasperated yet amused tone in Xiao Yu’s voice and pressed on, “And second?” “Second…” Xiao Yu held up a second finger, turned around, and gave the reporter a sharp tap on the forehead. “That’s not a slicked-back hairstyle—it’s a pompadour. How many times do I have to tell you before you’ll remember?!” “It’s 20 points now…” On the other side, fans watched the player stats on the scoreboard, their mouths agape: “When did that slick-haired guy score his first point? It seems like it was in the fourth quarter!” “That’s right, he barely touched the ball in the first three quarters.” Another fan nodded, then shot a disgruntled glance at the Kings’ bench and frowned, “Evans is too selfish!” “Now…” Looking back at the scoreboard, the clock showed there were still just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter, which meant… “In just over seven minutes, this slick-haired guy racked up 20 points and 1 assist!” What the hell kind of scoring explosion is that! In just over seven minutes, Gu Yu made all ten of his shots, racking up a full twenty points as if he were slicing through butter. During that stretch, he even used his presence on the court to set up Cousins for an alley-oop assist. That kind of scoring explosiveness—even in the Summer League—would definitely be considered world-class, wouldn’t it?! “That’s insane… The Kings’ ‘greasy-haired guy’ has some seriously wild scoring ability!” Fans had seen wild scorers before, but never anything quite like this. Instantly, they began drawing parallels between Gu Yu and many of the history’s most legendary, unpredictable scorers. “How many points did ‘Hairstyle Guy’ score in the last game against the Timberwolves?” Some fans began to wonder about Gu Yu’s Summer League stats. “I think it was 17 points!” Dongqiudi replied immediately. “I remember a reporter interviewed him after the game. ‘Hairstyle Guy’ said he’d bet the coach he’d score 20 points. Now that he lost the bet, he’ll have to do 200 push-ups when he gets back—hahahaha! That guy is something else!” “Counting today’s game, he’s averaging 18. 5 points per game—that’s a pretty solid scoring average!” another fan nodded. “And that’s even though he’s only playing about half a game each time… Whoa, whoa, whoa—he scored again! ‘Hairstyle Guy’ scored again! He completely dominated Deron Washington!!!” “Yes…!” On the court, Gu Yu once again used his movement to find an open mid-range shot. With 11 shots, all made, and 22 points, he set the crowd ablaze once more. “Coach…!” With the lead down to just one point, the entire Bucks team seemed to have been completely outplayed by Gu Yu. On the sidelines, Evans—who had returned to the bench at some point—looked grim as he watched Gu Yu still defending fiercely on the court. With a displeased expression, he said, “I remember you said you’d only give him six minutes of starting-caliber playing time. What’s going on here??” “The strategy is working. As the coach, of course I’m going to stick with it!” Westphal looked completely unconcerned, not even glancing at Evans. “…This isn’t fair!” Evans was on the verge of exploding. He stood up, walked over to the head coach, and shouted, “I’m the star player—I’m the future of the Kings. Why are you letting that slick-haired guy steal the spotlight??” “Stealing the spotlight? I don’t think so.” Westphal glanced at Evans with a faint smile. “I think he’s doing a pretty good job leading the team.” Wait a minute… Evans froze at those words. Leading the team…?? Was the coach saying that the current strategy was to have that slick-haired guy lead the team’s offense?? What makes him qualified?!! “Great play!” While Evans was still seething with frustration, on the court, the Kings Storm, led by Gu Yu, continued to rage. A successful defensive play forced the Bucks to miss their shot. Cousins grabbed the rebound and spun around, looking to make a long pass, only to find that the team’s offensive engine, Jeter, was being tightly marked by a Bucks player. “Damn it… I’ll handle it myself!” What kind of temper does Cousins have? He simply turned around, started dribbling, and pushed the ball up the court. “You’re dreaming!” Seeing this, Sanders couldn’t take it anymore. If a center can successfully bring the ball up the court, what’s the point of the Bucks even existing?? Press him! Sanders took a big stride forward, spread his arms wide, and blocked Cousins’ path, determined not to let the Kings’ center get past him. “Great defensive instincts!” From the press box, a reporter murmured in admiration, “Sanders may be rough on offense, but his defensive instincts are incredible. That press came at just the right moment! No matter how versatile Cousins is, he’s still a big man in the paint—there’s no way he could…” “Thud!” At that moment, De Marcus Cousins showcased, for the first time on a professional court, his unparalleled future “potential.” Behind-the-back dribble! “Get out of the way! Cousins dribbled behind his back, shifted his body to the side, and narrowly slipped past Sanders. On the Bucks’ side, Sun Yue charged forward, his quick hand ready to steal the ball. Cousins came to a sudden stop, dribbling between his legs. “Thud, thud!” What…?! Everyone in the arena was stunned, watching in disbelief as Cousins used his masterful between-the-legs dribble to leave Sun Yue frozen in place, then spun around and sprinted past him. Then… “Whoosh—!!” The basketball flew from Cousins’ hands in a razor-sharp, straight line, completely piercing through the Bucks’ defense. At that very moment, people realized something else. Something that might completely reshape the league’s landscape over the next three years. That was Gu Yu’s cut. “Swoosh!” When Cousins’ pass found its mark and Gu Yu set up for a shot, people were astonished to discover that—despite having scored so many consecutive points and inevitably becoming the Bucks’ primary defensive target—there wasn’t a single defender near him. Why was that?? How did he do that?!! “Whoa—!” Gu Yu’s shooting form remained as breathtakingly beautiful as ever. Fans seeing this slick-haired player in action for the first time even felt a strange urge welling up deep within their hearts. A strong urge to freeze this moment in time and admire that perfect shooting form forever and ever. “How on earth did he create that open shot…” “…Swish!” After sinking another mid-range shot, Gu Yu seemed like the embodiment of the spirits of all the lethal assassins in basketball history; he turned around with an ethereal grace, his landing as light and silent as a whisper. After a few steps to the sideline, Gu Yu tilted his head slightly, looked out at the stunned fans, reporters, and players filling the arena, and extended his right index finger, pointing high toward the arena’s dome. “Top scorer.” A fiery passion blazed in Gu Yu’s eyes, nearly consuming this basketball cathedral. “I’m going to be the scoring champion—the greatest scoring champion in NBA history…!”