I Will, Senior Paul

Los Angeles Airport:

"So, Goodwin, am I handsome or what?" Paul Pierce held up his All-Star poster to show off. That evening, Paul Pierce and Goodwin boarded a plane to reunite with the team.

"It's alright, I guess." Goodwin glanced at it and spoke his honest mind.

Huh?

Paul Pierce was extremely dissatisfied with this. Little brother, what did you just say?

Paul Pierce decided to force a confession through intimidation, grabbing Goodwin by the neck and saying, "Goodwin, I'm giving you one more chance to say it again. Am I handsome?"

Goodwin was speechless. Clutching his conscience, he said, "I didn't see it clearly just now. Now that I see it clearly, Senior Paul, you're truly handsome."

My conscience hurts so much.

Paul Pierce let go of Goodwin, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. Little brother, that's more like it.

Paul Pierce was quite satisfied with this All-Star experience. In the All-Star game, he played 13 minutes off the bench, shooting 4-of-8 to rack up 8 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists.

Goodwin rolled his eyes at Paul Pierce. Such a realistic senior!

After more than half an hour, the two boarded the plane to Boston.

The flight would take over six hours, and it was estimated that it would be morning by the time they reached Boston. So, as soon as he got on the plane, Goodwin immediately put on his headphones and eye mask to sleep.

Even though sleeping on a plane is incredibly uncomfortable, he had to do it; he couldn't waste time.

Once he woke up, he could continue his training for a new day.

Paul Pierce, still full of energy, wanted to chat with Goodwin, but after talking for a long time without getting a response, he turned his head and was nearly driven mad with anger.

This guy was asleep!

Paul Pierce took a deep breath, silently suppressing the urge to beat Goodwin up.

Just like that, Goodwin slept through the entire journey. It wasn't until the plane landed and Paul Pierce shook him awake that Goodwin finally stirred from his slumber.

As soon as he woke up, a sore sensation radiated from his neck.

Goodwin slowly rotated his neck to ease the soreness.

After getting off the plane and saying goodbye to Senior Paul, he returned home, ate a nutritional meal he had prepared himself, and headed straight to the training facility without a moment's delay.

The staff member in charge of opening the doors looked at Goodwin, completely bewildered: "Goodwin, didn't you just finish participating in the All-Star event? Why not take an extra day off?"

"No thanks." Goodwin shook his head. There would be plenty of time to rest after retirement.

The team had no group training today, so Goodwin had the entire facility to himself. Aside from bathroom breaks and eating, he spent all his time immersed in the training gym.

Around 6:00 PM, Doc Rivers came back to pick up some things and discovered that the lights in the training gym were on.

Isn't there no group training today? Who is in the gym?

Carrying a look of confusion, Doc Rivers couldn't help but walk toward the training gym.

Soon, Doc Rivers arrived at the entrance. When he saw Goodwin inside, Doc Rivers felt no surprise; instead, he felt it was only natural.

During his walk over, Doc Rivers had already guessed that it might be Goodwin.

Sure enough, it was Goodwin.

If one wants to establish a foothold in the NBA, or even climb to higher positions, talent plus diligence are both indispensable!

Doc Rivers watched for a while, then turned and left, choosing not to disturb Goodwin's training.

The next evening, shortly after 5:00 PM, at the TD Garden, with about two hours left before the game started, Goodwin rubbed his stomach. Feeling a bit hungry, he couldn't help but walk out of the locker room to buy something to eat.

Usually, there were food vendors outside the arena.

Before long, Goodwin arrived at a hot dog stand.

"Boss, give me 10 hot dogs." Looking at the delicious hot dogs, Goodwin couldn't help himself.

Although Goodwin was a basketball player now, sometimes the temptation of good food was hard to resist.

Goodwin would indulge himself from time to time, usually once a month.

"Alright, customer, please wait a moment." No sooner had the hot dog stand owner finished speaking than he looked up at Goodwin and froze.

"Goodwin!" the owner exclaimed in surprise.

Goodwin greeted him in a friendly manner: "Hello."

"OMG, I can't believe it. I'm actually seeing you! Goodwin, could you please sign an autograph for me? My daughter loves you." The hot dog stand owner immediately went to grab paper and a pen.

"Of course, no problem." Goodwin then took the pen and paper handed over by the owner, signed his name, and asked, "Boss, what is your daughter's name?"

"Her name is Ruth."

Goodwin wrote below his signature: Ruth, thank you for your support. I wish you good health and a happy life.

The owner took the paper, glanced at what Goodwin had written, and said, "Thank you, Goodwin. My daughter will definitely love this."

"You're welcome, it's my honor."

"Good luck in tonight's game."

"I will."

Having eaten his fill, Goodwin returned to the locker room.

As soon as he stepped inside, the "scent" on Goodwin reached the noses of every player.

"What is that smell? It smells so good!"

"Is that the smell of hot dogs?"

"Who's eating hot dogs?"

His teammates all turned their gazes toward Goodwin, who had just walked in.

Goodwin replied earnestly, "I was. I was a bit hungry earlier, so I just..."

Before he could even finish his sentence, Mike James and Vin Baker rushed over and gave Goodwin a sound beating.

The guy who eats alone!

"Goodwin, we're giving you one chance: treat us to hot dogs."

Following that, Goodwin was not only beaten up but also forced to pay for everyone.

Goodwin asked silently, "Can I get reimbursed?"

Paul Pierce glared at Goodwin, scaring him so much that he immediately bolted out of the locker room to buy the hot dogs.

After Goodwin left, Paul Pierce said to his teammates, "Since when is a rookie expected to pay? This meal is on me."

"Thanks, Pierce."

"Boss, you're the best."

"GOOD!"

Twenty minutes later, Goodwin returned with the hot dogs, and his teammates swarmed him, finishing them off in an instant.

As he ate, Paul Pierce asked, "Goodwin, how much did it cost in total? I'll pay you back in a bit."

Reimbursement?

Goodwin immediately blurted out, "100."

After finishing his meal, Paul Pierce took two 100-dollar bills from his pocket and handed them to Goodwin.

Goodwin took them and immediately stuffed the money into his pocket, fearing Paul Pierce might change his mind, and said, "Senior Paul, leave these kinds of errands to me from now on." He thought to himself that the more of these tasks, the better; a 100-dollar tip per run was a massive profit.

"You wish. You're a basketball player, after all, with a salary of hundreds of thousands," Paul Pierce said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Senior Paul, compared to you, I'm far behind."

Paul Pierce's current contract was a massive six-year, 79-million-dollar deal, and he also had an endorsement deal with Nike.

By comparison, Goodwin was truly "broke," needing to be cautious with every penny he spent.

If he were as extravagant as his teammates, Goodwin would likely go bankrupt very quickly.

"That is true. You should work hard and strive to sign a big contract; I believe in you," Paul Pierce encouraged.

"I will, Senior Paul."

At 7:00 PM, the Boston Celtics players walked out of the player tunnel one by one, introduced by the announcer amidst the cheers of the home fans.

For this game, they were facing a formidable opponent: the Sacramento Kings.