Savior

"What? Kansas is making a substitution now!"

"Hahaha, they've already given up!"

"It's Goodwin! Goodwin's deadly from three—we still have a chance!"

When the fans in the arena saw Goodwin being sent onto the court, they started talking among themselves.

On the sidelines, head coach Roy Williams watched Goodwin's back and couldn't help recalling a night six months ago. It was past midnight, and he'd left a few things at school, so he drove back to pick them up.

On the way, he passed the practice facility. He noticed the lights were still on and heard the sound of a ball being slapped. Roy Williams was puzzled. Who was still practicing at this hour? Curious, he went in for a closer look.

At that moment, the gears of fate began to turn.

The one practicing so late was Goodwin, a freshman benchwarmer—the kind of player who could make a living off his looks.

Coach Roy Williams had to admit that Goodwin was genuinely handsome, like Leonardo DiCaprio back in the day. But when it came to his basketball skills, there wasn't much to say.

He'd let Goodwin join the team because of his "potential"—his 206-centimeter height and 215-centimeter wingspan. Who could've guessed he'd turn out to be all looks and no game?

So Coach Roy Williams hadn't paid him much attention. He hadn't expected Goodwin to train so hard, and it made the coach see him in a new light.

After that, Coach Roy Williams quietly kept an eye on Goodwin during practice. You didn't know until you watched him—but once you did, it was a real shock. The guy was incredibly accurate from outside.

Gradually, Goodwin worked his way into the team's rotation. He didn't get much playing time, but whenever he stepped onto the court, he made a contribution. This season, for example, Goodwin averaged just 8.8 minutes per game, scoring 6.5 points and making two three-pointers per game, with an astounding three-point percentage of 66.6%.

That was why Coach Roy Williams had so much confidence in Goodwin's three-point shot. As for why he hadn't put Goodwin in during the NBA Finals, the reason was simple: the other team had Carmelo Anthony.

Goodwin would get completely destroyed trying to guard Carmelo Anthony!

This season, Carmelo Anthony averaged 22.2 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.

"Goodwin, you've got this!" Coach Roy Williams murmured.

The scene shifted to the court.

As Goodwin stepped onto the stage of the NCAA final for the first time, he felt an inexplicable rush of excitement. He never thought he'd get to play on the NCAA stage one day. This was some damn glorious achievement for his family.

Just as Goodwin was getting carried away with excitement, a cold voice rang out in his mind:

"Ding! Mission issued: lead the team to a comeback and win the NCAA championship."

"Ding! Will the host accept?" A glowing screen appeared in front of Goodwin, visible only to him.

Goodwin accepted without a second thought.

Only an idiot would refuse! He'd been waiting so long for a mission that the flowers had nearly wilted!

That's right. The clever ones among you must have guessed that Goodwin was a reincarnator.

Half a year ago, his name had been Wu Su. He was a programmer from Xia Country and a huge NBA fan. After working himself to the bone with endless overtime, his body finally gave out and he died suddenly. Then he was reborn as a handsome white man named Nima Goodwin.

That's right—you heard correctly. Nima Goodwin.

Goodwin was so angry he nearly died all over again. What kind of idiot would give someone a name like that—Nima...

But after he received the original owner's memories, he was thrilled. He could make his dream come true and play in the NBA!

Then, on his very first day, his heart sank. His natural talent was just too limited.

But when one door closed, another opened. It came! It came! Goodwin's cheat had arrived: a system called Superstar.

Goodwin quietly opened his stats panel.

Name: Goodwin

Gender: Male

Height: 206 cm

Weight: 100 kg

Wingspan: 215 cm

Layups: 49

Dunks: 50

Mid-range shots: 60

Three-pointers: 91

Off-the-dribble shots: 63

Free throws: 68

Overall Ability: D+

Over the past six months, Goodwin had put every skill point earned from completing grueling daily training into his three-point shot.

"I'm counting on you!" Goodwin murmured.

"Beep, beep!" The whistle sounded, and the game began. Kansas took the ball out on the frontcourt sideline and got it safely to Collison.

Collison dribbled quickly to the top of the key, then used a screen to move to the right. A Syracuse defender stayed close behind him.

At that moment, Hinrich, who was on the right, used a screen to move left and ran all the way to the left wing.

The ball arrived just as he did. Collison flicked his wrist and passed it to Hinrich.

"Guard him!" "Don't let him shoot the three!" ... Two Syracuse players rushed at Hinrich, refusing to give him a chance to shoot.

Watching the two defenders charging toward him, Hinrich didn't panic at all. He knew he wasn't the true chosen one. That was the man standing over there!

Hinrich raised the ball high and hurled it toward the left corner. It flew straight to the corner.

Goodwin was waiting there.

"Don't let him shoot!" the Syracuse head coach roared from the sidelines. He never imagined Coach Roy Williams would give such a crucial shot to a player who hadn't played the entire game.

Syracuse players rushed toward Goodwin from every direction.

But they were too late!

Goodwin caught the ball and didn't hesitate for a second. He jumped, hung in the air, and released it.

With more than 60,000 eyes fixed on him, the ball soared toward the hoop, tracing a beautiful arc through the air.

Swish. The ball dropped cleanly through the net.

At the same moment, the clock hit zero!

"Ahhhhh!" "Ahhhhh!" "Ahhhhh!" ... The Kansas fans in the arena erupted with excitement.

The Kansas players on the court and on the bench all rushed toward Goodwin and embraced their savior!

"Yes!" Coach Roy Williams waved his left hand and shouted in excitement. Goodwin, you didn't let me down. You're our savior! No words could describe how grateful Coach Roy Williams felt toward Goodwin.

On the other side, the Syracuse players were stunned. Victory had been right within their grasp, and now it was gone.

Even the Syracuse head coach was dumbfounded. What the hell! Who was this guy? To be honest, he hadn't paid Goodwin any attention. Sure, the kid could shoot threes, but that was all.

He never imagined that Coach Roy Williams would put Goodwin in at such a crucial moment—and that he'd actually hit the game-tying three, sending the game into overtime.

The Syracuse head coach couldn't help regretting that he hadn't called a timeout!

But it was hard to blame him. Under NCAA free-throw rules, the first shot in a one-and-one had to go in for the shooter to earn a second attempt. If Kansas made both free throws while Syracuse missed its first, the gap would only shrink for nothing. Then they'd have had to worry about more than just defending the three.

The Syracuse head coach quickly came to his senses and called his players back to get ready for the upcoming overtime!