Boston

"Ahhhhhhh!" "Ahhhhhhh!" ... Collison and Hinrich excitedly hugged the stunned Goodwin. They were even more excited than if they'd been drafted themselves.

They were genuinely happy for Goodwin!

Without him, they wouldn't have won the NCAA championship. This was their final year of NCAA eligibility, and they would both enter the NBA draft whether they won the title or not.

In the end, they had no regrets.

But Goodwin, the star of the moment, was a little dazed. He kept asking himself, Did I really get drafted? Did I really get drafted...

"Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the task: Enter the NBA."

"Reward: 3 skill points!"

It wasn't until he heard the system's voice that Goodwin came back to his senses. Holy crap, Mom, I really got drafted! Hahaha!

A radiant smile spread across Goodwin's face as he eagerly returned the two upperclassmen's hug.

After the excitement, Goodwin put on a cap bearing the Boston Celtics logo and walked onto the stage with a smile.

David Stern, standing onstage, watched Goodwin approach and couldn't help thinking, What a waste to play basketball with a face like that.

Then David Stern made up his mind: he would make good use of Goodwin's looks and build a story around him.

After all, people tended to judge by appearances.

"Goodwin, welcome to the NBA!"

"Thank you, Commissioner Stern!"

As soon as he'd spoken, the two shared a friendly hug.

They took a photo together, and Goodwin walked offstage. He couldn't wait to pull out his phone and tell Coach Roy Williams.

The call connected a moment later, and Goodwin excitedly announced, "Coach, I got drafted!"

"GOOD! GOOD! GOOD!" Hearing Goodwin's news, Coach Roy Williams said "GOOD" three times in a row!

Of the three players entering the NBA draft, Coach Roy Williams had worried most about Goodwin.

He'd feared that Goodwin might be crushed if he went undrafted, and in the worst case, might even lose his way. Fortunately, everything was going well.

"Coach, once I've established myself in the NBA, I'll invite you to come watch me play."

"Good. I'll look forward to that day!"

After a few more words, they ended the call.

"Goodwin, congratulations!" As soon as Goodwin hung up, Carmelo Anthony appeared at his side and congratulated him.

Carmelo Anthony?

"Thanks!" Goodwin hadn't expected Carmelo Anthony, who was surrounded by reporters, to come over and congratulate him.

"Goodwin, just you wait. I'll get revenge for that NCAA loss."

Carmelo Anthony challenged him outright.

He'd thought he would have to wait a long time to get his revenge. He hadn't expected to run into Goodwin today, much less to find out that the Boston Celtics had drafted him.

When Carmelo Anthony heard the Boston Celtics had picked Goodwin, he couldn't have been happier. The hunt is on!

Ever since losing the NCAA championship game, Carmelo Anthony had been training like crazy. He was waiting for the day he could hunt Goodwin down.

"Hahaha, Carmelo Anthony, that day will never come," Goodwin replied without holding back.

He might have lost, but he wouldn't back down!

The two looked at each other and smiled. Then Carmelo Anthony turned to leave, and right afterward, a "big shot" came over to Goodwin.

Goodwin was a little confused. Had this guy come to the wrong place?

The man was none other than the Boston Celtics' newly appointed general manager, Danny Ainge.

What Goodwin remembered most about him was how, in his previous life, the legendary undersized player had demanded that Danny Ainge arrive with an armored truck full of money to re-sign him. Ainge had flatly refused and even traded him.

At the time, everyone had said Danny Ainge was heartless. They all wanted to see the undersized legend make Ainge regret it.

But it wasn't Ainge who ended up looking foolish. Everyone else did. After leaving the Celtics, the undersized legend quickly fell from his pedestal!

Only then did everyone realize how sound Danny Ainge's decision had been.

"Hello, Goodwin. Welcome to the Boston Celtics." Danny Ainge smiled and extended his left hand.

"Hello, Danny." Goodwin extended his own hand and shook Danny Ainge's.

They shook hands amicably. One was a newly appointed general manager, the other an NBA rookie. At that very moment, the wheels of fate began to turn.

After the NBA draft, Goodwin said goodbye to his two upperclassmen, flew home, packed his bags, and headed for Boston.

Before leaving, Goodwin stood outside his home and murmured, "Goodbye forever, the home of the man who came before me."

A little after two in the morning, Goodwin arrived at Logan International Airport. He collected his luggage and found a nearby hotel to spend the night.

After waking up, Goodwin rushed off to look for a rental.

Buying a place was definitely out of reach, but renting was no problem. After all, the school had rewarded him handsomely for helping the team win the NCAA championship.

After spending more than three hours looking at houses with a rental agent, he finally rented one with a garden, 1,500 meters from TD Garden. The rent was a little steep, but Goodwin thought it was worth it. With the garden, he could set up a small basketball court and have somewhere to train.

Besides, he was about to sign with the Boston Celtics. Even as a second-round pick, he'd have more than enough to cover the rent.

After paying, Goodwin hurried into the house and contacted some contractors to install a basketball hoop.

"Sorry to trouble you, but could you get it done today?" As he spoke, Goodwin stuffed money into the contractors' pockets.

Money made the world go round!

"Sure, no problem. Leave it to us." With the power of money at work, the contractors got right down to it.

They finished a little after five in the afternoon. Goodwin was very pleased. After seeing them off, he hurried to try out his new basketball court.

Not bad, not bad.

It was only half a court, but it was more than enough.

Then Goodwin started his usual brutal training routine. He'd probably be up all night.

At 1:36 a.m., Goodwin finally finished the day's training. Gasping for breath, he lay on the floor, not wanting to move a muscle.

After resting a little, Goodwin got up and went inside. He took a shower, ate a little something, and went back to his room to lie down on his bed.

Just as Goodwin closed his eyes, he remembered that he still had skill points to spend.

Goodwin hurriedly opened his personal attribute panel:

Name: Goodwin

Gender: Male

Height: 206 cm

Weight: 101 kg

Wingspan: 215 cm

Layup: 49

Dunk: 50

Mid-range shot: 95

Three-point shot: 95

Off-the-dribble shot: 71

Free throw: 95

Speed: 80

Explosiveness: 30

Strength: 45

Vertical leap: 56

Stamina: 71

Agility: 60

Passing vision: 40

Playmaking: 40

Defense: 70

Offense: 60

Injury immunity: 39

Ball handling: 61

Passing: 50

Rebounding: 50

Steals: 45

Blocks: 40

Overall rating: D+

Unused skill points: 4

Goodwin decisively spent his remaining four skill points on his three-point shot, raising it to 99!

Done. Time to sleep.

Goodwin immediately closed his eyes.

But after he fell asleep, his personal attributes changed: his overall rating rose from D+ to C-.