When I Slowly Typed Out This Question Mark!

Of course.

A hotel room number by itself was already pretty blatant, but the sign had four even more eye-catching words on it: Basketball Exchange.

What the hell was "Basketball Exchange"?

What decent guy would get a hotel room with a woman in the middle of the night to "exchange basketball"?!

But... since it had something to do with balls, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it!!!

Who knew whether Su Yan would go or not, but a female fan with looks like hers probably wouldn't be short of men knocking on her door.

If she didn't get Su Yan, would she...

Brr~ The more I thought about it, the more terrifying it got!!!

At the commentary desk.

"COME ON!"

ESPN commentator Jon Barry, a former member of the Rockets, laughed. "You'd never imagine that beneath Su Yan's face, which is even more handsome than a movie star's, lies the face of a Cold-faced Killer!"

"Haha~"

The other commentator, Mark Jackson, nodded with a laugh. "Five minutes, eight three-pointers, and a step-back game-winner against the Thunder's Big Three.

That really does sound like a killer.

And... just because of that one game, Su Yan has already pushed last year's sixth overall pick, Danilo Gallinari, out of the starting lineup and taken over as the starting small forward.

That seems a bit abrupt.

But when you think about it... it makes perfect sense."

"He's starting already?"

Jon Barry hadn't taken a close look at the starting lineups for tonight's game yet, so he couldn't help exclaiming, "That's hard to believe.

I thought he might just be a flash in the pan.

After all... Su Yan was undrafted, and the Knicks picked him because of his looks.

If they're putting him in the starting lineup,

the Knicks must have their reasons. No need to overthink it. Let's just... look forward to another precision three-point feast from Su Yan tonight!!!"

On the Pistons' side,

head coach John Kuester had done his homework, and knew about Su Yan's brilliant performance in the previous game.

He was still somewhat skeptical,

but he wasn't going to ignore the threat either. He planned to watch him for a while, and if he kept shooting accurately, they'd take him seriously.

On the Knicks' side,

McGrady was warming up when he noticed the banner held by the curvy blonde woman.

He walked over to Su Yan and teased him. "Those boobs, those legs—I could have fun with her for a year. And she's practically throwing herself at you.

I'm seriously jealous of your looks. So... you gonna venture into the dragon's lair after the game?!

Who knows, you might get one surprise after another."

"Boring~"

Su Yan waved him off, uninterested. "She's being so brazen about putting her room number on display. You can imagine how messy her private life is.

I don't want to catch anything.

The world's so big, I want to see more of it."

"Haha!"

McGrady laughed without replying.

A woman with a body that hot had even booked a room and was waiting for you. So what if she was a little dirty?!

First he turned down a gorgeous fifteen-year-old princess, and now he was looking down on a flirtatious woman throwing herself at him.

This guy... was impossible to tempt.

McGrady was starting to wonder if Su Yan was gay!

Before long,

amid the arena's fiery atmosphere, the game was about to begin.

The starters from both teams took the floor.

New York Knicks starters: point guard: Chris Duhon; shooting guard: McGrady; small forward: Su Yan; power forward: Al Harrington; center: David Lee.

It was worth mentioning that the team's starting shooting guard should have been Wilson Chandler.

He was averaging 15.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game this season, a two-way wing who could play both guard and forward.

However,

McGrady was a star attraction.

They had to let him take the floor as a starter... to keep the arena full and, in turn, protect the team's revenue.

It was a business league. Everyone knew how it worked.

Detroit Pistons starters: point guard: Rodney Stuckey; shooting guard: Richard Hamilton; small forward: Tayshaun Prince; power forward: Jonas Jerebko; center: Ben Wallace.

"Jump ball!"

David Lee and Ben Wallace faced off for the tip.

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David Lee averaged 11.6 rebounds per game, but he was only 206 centimeters tall.

He was smart about protecting the rim,

but he had no advantage at all when it came to jump balls.

As it turned out... Ben Wallace was even shorter. His official height was 206 centimeters, though in reality he might have been just over two meters.

And he was old now.

"Smack!"

David Lee tipped the ball first, winning the Knicks their first possession.

Duhon took the ball up the court. The Knicks charged into the frontcourt and began running their play in an orderly fashion.

"Hmm?"

Jon Barry looked surprised. "Why does it feel like the whole Knicks team is suddenly so confident?

They're clearly the Eastern Conference's worst team, and even the worst in the league."

"Uh..."

Mark Jackson had noticed something was off, too.

He rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, then offered a guess. "Could it be... that Su Yan's eight three-pointers last game, and his incredible shooting talent, gave them confidence now that he's been moved into the starting lineup tonight?!"

On the court,

Duhon settled at the left wing above the arc, while David Lee cut into the paint and called for the ball as he fought for position.

He was the Knicks' strongest core player.

His post-up threat immediately drew the defensive attention of both Ben Wallace and Jerebko.

McGrady set a screen for Su Yan.

Su Yan curled up from the baseline and stopped above the arc on the right, a step beyond the three-point line.

"Whoosh~"

Duhon passed him the ball.

Before, he never would have made that pass. But after seeing Su Yan's performance in the previous game and his test results the day before,

he passed without hesitation.

A shooter whose potential might even surpass Ray Allen and Peja was a threat from a step beyond the three-point line. How could that not be an opportunity?

The pass and the receiver met in perfect rhythm.

Su Yan caught the ball, half-turned, and immediately fired an Extended three-pointer, with almost no time spent setting himself or adjusting his stance.

The shot was deep and quick.

A classic Curry-style three, but Su Yan's three-point ability was even better than Baby-Faced God Curry's.

He was shooting from that far out?

Was he sure his coach wouldn't chew him out for a shot like that?!

Prince, a step late in closing out, didn't even get the chance to block the shot. It wasn't that he lacked the reach—he simply hadn't expected it.

Of course,

he didn't think Su Yan would make it either.

Although... he'd heard the coach mention that Su Yan was a pretty good shooter.

But when he thought about how the three-pointer wasn't respected and Su Yan was undrafted, he cared even less.

He turned toward the basket, already preparing to crash the boards.

The next second,

"Swish!"

The crisp sound of the ball cutting through the net rang out.

Su Yan's three-pointer from a step beyond the line, almost completely uncontested, dropped right into the net and sent up a spray of white mesh.

Nothing but net.

[Knicks 3:0 Pistons].

"He got lucky and made it!"

Prince pursed his lips, unconcerned. As he ran back, he even shouted toward Coach D'Antoni, "Take that number seven off the court.

He's just chucking it. He's undrafted. He doesn't know how to play basketball."

D'Antoni: ???

When I slowly typed out this question mark, it wasn't because there was something wrong with me. It was because there was something wrong with you.

The Run and Gun System I believed in was all about finding players who could shoot three-pointers this recklessly, without regard for convention.

The only condition was

that they could maintain a decent shooting percentage.

Su Yan was exactly that kind of player, and you were telling me... he didn't know how to play basketball and should be taken out?

Were you kidding me?

D'Antoni suppressed the urge to roast Prince. He just gave him a look and said nothing.

Try searching for the author if you can't find the book title—maybe it was just renamed!