Goodwin's Appeal

"Beep, beep." The whistle blew, and the game began.

With a smack, the Boston Celtics won possession...

Goodwin sat on the bench, quietly watching the action on the court. In his eyes, his team's starters clearly had the advantage—not just in their lineup, but in their momentum, especially after just beating the Eastern Conference's top-seeded Indiana Pacers.

(Indiana Pacers: Shut your mouth! (•́へ•́╬))

(Goodwin: Oh! (⊙x⊙;))

Sure enough, the game unfolded just as Goodwin had predicted. Led by Paul Pierce, the Boston Celtics quickly took the advantage.

After half a quarter, the Boston Celtics led 16–11, a five-point margin. Then came the official timeout.

An official timeout occurred when neither team called a timeout for a set period. Once the ball went dead, the game paused for one. The NBA was a commercial organization; if play went on too long without a break, there'd be no time to air commercials—and no ad revenue. Official timeouts gave broadcasters time to show ads during live games.

"You're playing beautifully. This is what you're really capable of." As soon as the starters returned to the bench, Doc Rivers immediately praised them.

Goodwin glanced at Doc Rivers. He had to admit, Doc Rivers knew what he was doing.

Just as Goodwin's thoughts began to wander, Doc Rivers looked at him and said, "Goodwin, get ready."

A few seconds later, Goodwin was still sitting in the same position, as if he hadn't heard Doc Rivers.

Ricky Davis nudged Goodwin with his elbow and reminded him, "Goodwin, the coach is calling you."

Only then did Goodwin snap out of it. He looked at Doc Rivers and called, "I'm ready, Coach."

Doc Rivers: "..."

Paul Pierce walked over from nearby and kicked Goodwin. "What are you thinking about? Coach told you to get ready to go in."

Go in?

Goodwin's eyes lit up as he looked at Doc Rivers. "Coach, you're really putting me in?"

"Yes, but if you keep zoning out on the court, I'll take you right back out," Doc Rivers said helplessly.

"Got it, Coach." Goodwin excitedly took off his warm-up top and started getting ready.

He'd never expected to get on the court so soon. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let his thoughts wander.

This was all John Carroll's fault.

John Carroll: What's that got to do with me? I'm already off the clock.

Goodwin: It's all your fault.

The cameraman knew exactly how to catch the right shot—and what the crowd wanted to see. He pointed the camera straight at Goodwin as he warmed up.

Goodwin's image appeared on the big screen.

"Looks like last game's game-winning-shot hero, Goodwin, is about to take the court!" The moment the announcer finished, the women in the crowd erupted, cheering loudly. "Goodwin!" "Goodwin!" "Goodwin!"...

The deafening cheers stunned many people. You wouldn't think this was a rookie who'd played just one game!

There was no denying the power of fangirls.

Vin Baker said enviously, "I wish I could trade faces with that guy Goodwin."

Vin Baker had voiced what every Boston Celtics player was thinking. The others all nodded in agreement.

Doc Rivers consoled them. "Don't be jealous. If you play well, you can have just as many fans."

The Boston Celtics players: "..." They weren't buying it!

How was that the same? Fans came in both male and female varieties.

"Beep, beep." The whistle signaling the end of the timeout brought the players back to the game, their attention fully focused on the court.

Both teams returned to the floor. The Boston Celtics made a substitution, sending Jiri Welsch to the bench and putting Goodwin in. The Chicago Bulls had no plans to make any changes and kept their entire starting lineup on the court.

The Boston Celtics inbounded from the backcourt and passed the ball to Mike James, who dribbled it to the top of the arc.

Goodwin started moving without the ball from the left corner.

His defender, Jerome Williams, stayed close behind.

Just then, Paul Pierce came over and set a screen for Goodwin.

Jerome Williams hadn't expected Paul Pierce to come over. As he chased Goodwin, he'd kept an eye on Mark Blount's position.

He never imagined that Mark Blount wouldn't come over—and that the Boston Celtics' star would instead.

The star was setting a screen for a rookie.

Maybe only Goodwin got that kind of treatment.

If it had been anyone else, Paul Pierce wouldn't have given him the time of day.

With a thud,

Jerome Williams crashed into Paul Pierce and had to stop chasing Goodwin.

Goodwin ran to the three-point line on the right wing.

The pass arrived just as he got there. Mike James passed him the ball.

Goodwin caught it, went straight up, hung in the air, and shot.

FUCK!

Hinrich was a step late rotating over. All he could do was jump and try to contest Goodwin's shot.

The ball left Goodwin's hand, sailed over Hinrich's head, and flew toward the basket.

"Swish." The ball dropped through the net. Three-pointer!

19–11

Goodwin made an immediate impact as soon as he got on the court, and the entire TD Garden erupted once more.

Goodwin didn't celebrate. He turned and ran back on defense.

Just another day at the office.

Goodwin might not celebrate, but that didn't stop his teammates. Paul Pierce ran over at once and threw an arm around Goodwin's neck. "Goodwin, great shot. That screen I set you didn't go to waste."

Actually, when Paul Pierce heard Doc Rivers wanted him to set a screen for Goodwin, he hadn't been too keen on it. He was the team's star. What kind of look would it be for him to set a screen for a rookie? But after Doc Rivers talked him into it and they played an intrasquad game,

Paul Pierce's attitude had changed, and he was willing to accept it.

"Paul, do you think I'd dare miss?" Goodwin replied with a grin.

"Hahaha, you've got a point."

The Chicago Bulls' coach was getting restless. He sprang up from his chair and walked to the sideline. This next possession was crucial. If they didn't score, the Boston Celtics might take a double-digit lead.

"Ball!" Jamal Crawford immediately called for the pass. He was the team's star, and this was the moment to answer with a three-pointer.

A string of fakes created space for a shot. Jamal Crawford rose decisively and launched a three.

"Clang!" Jamal Crawford's three missed. He couldn't answer.

Mark Blount secured the rebound.

At the same time, Goodwin and Paul Pierce sprinted upcourt, looking to run a fast break.

Not so fast!

The Chicago Bulls players hurried back on defense, and they all headed in roughly the same direction—toward Goodwin.

Goodwin: (O_o)??

Paul Pierce: O(∩_∩)O

The coach was right. If Goodwin hit a three, it would open up more room for me on offense.

Without hesitation, Mark Blount threw the ball to Paul Pierce, who was completely unguarded.

Paul Pierce caught it and accelerated into the Chicago Bulls' paint before leaping.

Seeing Paul Pierce already in the air, Hinrich, who had just rotated over, didn't jump. There was no stopping him now.

With a boom, Paul Pierce easily finished the dunk.

21–11. The Boston Celtics' lead reached double digits.

After scoring, Paul Pierce turned with a grin and pointed at Goodwin. "Nice decoy."

On the bench, Doc Rivers's lips curled slightly. This was the appeal of Goodwin.