He Won

Foster's first possession.

He made wide left-right dribble moves. There was not much flash in his ball-handling, but it was steady.

Tang Tian did not move recklessly either. He simply held his defensive position.

Foster suddenly made a Change of direction drive to the right. His first step was extremely explosive, drawing a wave of astonishment from the spectators.

Of the people who had challenged Foster one-on-one before, many had not even gotten a chance to attack because they simply could not defend him. Without defense, there was no possession, let alone any chance of winning.

But before their gasps could reach their peak, they were drowned out by an even louder outburst.

Tang Tian had completely predicted Foster's driving direction. He stepped in early, fully cutting off his path and forcing him to stop!

This guy was more than just talk!

Tang Tian could now display roughly eighty percent of the individual Skill Pack's strength. If he could defend near-NBA rookies like Butler and Brooks, then naturally he could defend an NBA fringe player like Foster.

Foster was stunned. He immediately concluded that Tang Tian played professionally. He did not know where, but it had to be professionally; an amateur streetball player could not possibly have such precise anticipation.

No wonder he had dared to talk so big. He had some foundation after all.

Having figured out Tang Tian's identity, Foster felt reassured, but not the slightest bit flustered.

A young player outside the NBA, relying on his professional status to come to a streetball court and show off without knowing his limits, deserved a harsh lesson.

After picking up his dribble, he spun repeatedly, then smoothly rose into a Fadeaway Jumper.

The difference between professionals and amateurs was that every skill had been trained tens of thousands of times, making the movements instinctive. Combined with his outstanding physical talent, the shot came out fast and looked beautiful.

Another involuntary wave of gasps rose from the sideline.

But they were not for Foster. They were for Tang Tian. Tang Tian had jumped almost alongside Foster, extending his hand to completely block his shooting vision.

Foster saw only a hand. He barely raised the arc enough to dodge the block, but the shot was clearly short after leaving his hand.

The basketball landed outside the rim. It was a complete Airball!

The fans at the sidelines were dumbfounded. For a moment, they even forgot to cheer. Tang Tian had truly stopped him. No, he had not merely stopped him—he had forced Foster into an Airball!

This was not just showing off. He was genuinely incredible!

After a brief silence, cheers and whistles suddenly erupted.

This 500-dollar game was absolutely worth the price!

"Great defense," the man known as the Professor could not help saying after watching.

"Damn it, I underestimated you!" Foster said as he walked back to the three-point line.

"No change of possession?" the Professor asked the person beside him.

"Their agreement is that Foster gets five shots. If he makes even one, the yellow race guy loses."

"Interesting." After hearing the explanation, the Professor could not help taking another look at Tang Tian.

Foster's second shot.

This time, everyone on the sideline focused intently. After watching the first exchange between the two, they were terrified of missing another exciting moment.

Five hundred a game—this possession alone was worth at least 100 dollars!

This time, Foster dribbled from the three-point line to the free-throw line, then began attacking with his back against Tang Tian.

After that last possession, he had seen Tang Tian's exceptional anticipation. Driving straight at him would not be easy.

If he could not drive from the front, then he would post up. He was an all-around Guard-Forward Swingman, after all, with plenty of moves for one-on-one play.

A backdown, a spin, another backdown, then a sudden spinning fadeaway.

He had been making that shot every time against the white guard earlier.

But the moment he spun, he realized something was wrong. Tang Tian had not been shaken off at all. Once again, he jumped almost at the same time, his long arms completely sealing off Foster's vision and shooting angle.

Why was this guy's reaction so fast?

This time, Foster deliberately raised the arc and put more force into the shot.

Bang!

The ball struck the back of the rim, bounced up, and flew behind the backboard.

With his angle and vision completely gone, taking that shot was basically no different from blindly guessing.

If it had been Kobe, there might have been a chance of making it. But for Foster, the odds were practically zero.

The heckling from the sidelines grew even louder.

Tang Tian had defended three straight shots!

Stopping one could have been because Foster was cold or underestimating the opponent, but two in a row was another matter entirely.

Foster's third shot.

He did not rush to attack after getting the ball. Instead, he took a deep breath and watched Tang Tian's movements.

Watching the defender's movements was what his college coach had told him most often.

But after watching for a while, Tang Tian had not moved at all.

It seemed his college coach could not help him now.

But since Tang Tian was not moving...

He suddenly rose and fired.

A surprise shot from the three-point line!

His idea was good, but he had misjudged the distance between himself and Tang Tian. Before he even got off the ground, Tang Tian had already closed in front of him. As Foster rose, Tang Tian stretched out with all his strength.

Smack!

With one slap, Tang Tian blocked Foster outright!

The players on the sideline were stunned.

The block was clean and decisive—one could even call it a straight-up swat to the face.

Foster was looking pretty miserable now!

"That yellow race guy has won," the Professor declared after seeing that.

It was not just the Professor. After seeing that block, the other streetball players also knew it was impossible for Foster to score under Tang Tian's defense.

"It's not over yet!" Seeing the reaction from the sideline, Foster picked up the ball himself and threw it to Tang Tian.

He still had two shots left.

Tang Tian returned the ball to Foster.

After catching it, Foster chose to drive, then suddenly stopped and stepped back while moving.

That move would become James Harden's signature move in the future, but Foster had not grasped its essence at all. Before stepping back, he had not created enough distance from Tang Tian.

Tang Tian took one quick step, jumped, and sealed off his vision again.

Bang!

Foster's fourth shot was still no good!

He panted heavily after landing.

This player who had appeared out of nowhere had defense that was almost too good...

He even felt that Tang Tian could establish himself in the NBA based on this defensive ability alone.

Damn it, who was this guy? Why had he appeared at a New Haven streetball court, and why was he here to earn 500 dollars?

"Fifth shot." Tang Tian tossed the ball to Foster as a reminder.

Defending four shots was within his expectations, but it had been even easier than he had anticipated. It seemed his stamina had improved again over this period of time.

Foster caught the ball, but he did not launch an attack immediately. He even looked somewhat at a loss.

From the first shot until now, he had only used a handful of moves, but he had a feeling that no matter which one he used, he would never get past Tang Tian's defense.