Sports Medicine Master System

Chapter 643: Chapter 569: Owen Isn’t Playing Anymore

The crowd who came to watch the game today was excited.

It wasn’t just because a show was being filmed, giving them a chance to appear on one of America’s hottest TV programs, but also because an NBA star was in attendance.

The reigning "King Bee" of the NBA, winner of the 2003–04 All-Star Skills Challenge, the regular season’s steals leader, and an All-Star level point guard: Baron Davis.

He was good friends with Dino Smiley and would occasionally make an appearance at the Drew League during the offseason.

The players on both teams were just as excited.

No one expected to get on TV and be scouted by a professional team for their performance, but who wouldn’t want to seize the opportunity to show what they’ve got?

So from the very start, the game was high-intensity.

The tall and lanky Nick Young drove from the wing, stopped on a dime, pulled the ball back, did a half-spin, then exploded forward again, getting past Durant for a reverse layup.

The whole sequence was so slick it made your scalp tingle, and Durant cursed him under his breath.

It was no wonder Nick Young, three years his senior, was ranked the seventh-best high school player in the nation. He was the real deal.

The key was his flashiness; his moves were wild and imaginative, like he was playing in a streetball game.

But while Nick Young was putting on a show, someone else was, too.

Owen.

Owen received the inbounds pass, and his defender picked him up full-court.

Facing a guy a good 20 centimeters taller than him, Owen wasn’t the least bit intimidated. In fact, he started provoking his opponent with flashy dribble moves.

The ball seemed glued to his hand as he executed a series of crossovers, finally shaking his defender with a humiliating nutmeg.

He flew down the court, ignoring Durant who was calling for the ball, and drove straight to the basket.

A 12-year-old kid was actually attempting a difficult floater, contorting his body and hanging in the air.

But under pressure from the taller defender, his body was already off-balance, and the ball naturally bounced off the rim.

Durant couldn’t help but yell at Owen to pass the ball.

The kid had been quiet before the game, but once he was on the court, he was such a ball hog that even Durant wanted to curse him out.

He was a complete black hole on the court. Once the ball went into his hands, it was never coming out.

If he could actually score, it would be one thing. But Owen’s height and age were huge disadvantages. His dribbling was outstanding and his drives were sharp, but his ability to finish through contact was too poor. He could never complete the play.

He didn’t care, though. He just kept his head down and attacked.

If it weren’t for the cameras on the sideline, Durant really wanted to go over and punch him a couple of times.

Fortunately, Joey, on the bench, noticed this and immediately subbed Owen out.

Durant started to take over the offense.

There were no extra flashy moves, just pure fundamentals.

With an 11-3 run, Durant led the team in closing the gap.

But as soon as Owen came back on the court, everything went back to how it was.

He was still an incredible ball hog.

However, there was a slight change.

He started to work with his teammates and pass the ball.

He just wouldn’t pass it to Durant.

And his offense became more sensible. His drive-and-kick, in particular, always managed to get the ball to an open man.

’He actually has some playmaking ability.’

But winning still wasn’t going to be that easy.

At halftime, the Guardians were trailing 39 to 44, down by 5 points.

Durant had 14 points!

Meanwhile, Nick Young on the opposing team had exploded for 21 points.

Durant was still having some trouble guarding him.

Besides, Drew League teams rarely had standard lineups. The center wasn’t really a center; it was more like five guards playing together.

This resulted in a lot of mismatches, and Nick Young’s skill level was head and shoulders above the rest.

As the players headed off the court, Durant couldn’t resist grabbing Owen and whispering, "Do you want to win or not? Do you want to meet Kobe or not? If you want to win, then play properly."

Owen shook off Durant’s hand without a second glance, infuriating Durant so much his teeth ached.

But Joey, being a kind-hearted community basketball coach, seemed to have a way with rebellious kids like Owen. During halftime, he pulled Owen aside and had a good long talk with him.

In any case, when Owen came back from the chat, his expression was much calmer.

"Get the ball to Kevin more. He can bring us the win," Joey said, clapping his hands and instructing the team.

He was well aware of who the star of the show was today.

But the other players on the team clearly had some ideas about stealing the spotlight.

Just before going back on the court, Owen walked up to Durant and said in a low voice, "Watch for my passes. If you can keep up, that is."

He was still talking big and asking for a beating, but at least he was willing to pass now.

And right at the start of the second half, he threw a great pass to Durant.

Owen had the ball at the high post, toying with his defender with a series of between-the-legs dribbles. He casually made eye contact with Durant, and as if by telepathy, Durant suddenly spun and accelerated toward the paint.

He leaped high, and just as he expected, the ball came flying over.

The pass was perfect, too.

Stretching out his long arms, Durant threw down an alley-oop dunk, igniting the entire gym.

After landing, Durant hesitated for a moment before shouting a word of praise to Owen.

’This kid’s passing is actually pretty good.’ he thought.

And that was just the beginning.

Somehow, in the moments that followed, the two of them suddenly found their rhythm.

Returning the favor, Durant backed down Nick Young, then instinctively flipped the ball behind him.

Owen galloped in, and just before losing his balance, he tossed up a reverse shot.

And one!

Durant quickly went over and pulled Owen to his feet.

The 12-year-old Owen was completely fired up, yelling excitedly at Durant.

And their coordination became more and more fluid.

Owen suddenly lunged, poking the ball away on a pass, and then took off like a flash of lightning.

Speed was his greatest advantage.

He sprinted ahead and, without looking back, threw the ball up toward the sky.

A figure appeared in the air.

Durant grabbed the basketball with both hands and slammed it through the hoop.

He hadn’t forgotten what Owen said before the half: to keep up with his rhythm.

On the sidelines, even Baron Davis couldn’t help but go find the follow-along director to ask about Owen.

He noticed the kid was playing well.

His speed, and especially his ball-handling—his ability to be one with the ball—was far beyond that of his peers.

And his drive-and-kick was a major threat.

"They must have known each other for a long time, played together for ages, right?" Davis asked curiously.

Without a long time to build chemistry, it felt impossible to pull off such spectacular plays.

But when the follow-along director told him they had only known each other for two days, Davis was stunned. He said without hesitation, "Then they were born to play together."

to 75. A three-point difference. Durant had led his team to victory.

"Kevin, nice job."

After the game, Nick Young came over and hugged Durant, offering a word of encouragement.

Durant opened his mouth, but in the end, just said, "Thanks."

Actually, MHP had held a small lead until the very end of the game.

But Nick Young suddenly lost his touch, missing three shots in a row, which allowed Durant to seize the opportunity and take the lead.

Durant had a faint feeling that Nick Young had gone easy on them.

The guy had been shooting like he was possessed by Jordan today. He was 7-for-7 in the third quarter and exploded for 43 points in the game. He was completely on fire.

With a hot hand like that, how could he suddenly miss three in a row?

One of those shots was practically wide open.

Nick Young chuckled and pointed at Owen not far away. "Your little buddy is too young. Tomorrow’s game, I’m afraid you won’t have such an easy time winning."

Tomorrow, Durant had another game, facing a team led by Nick Young’s good friend, Jordon Farmar.

"He’s really good, maybe even better than me. And most importantly, he’s a point guard!"

Today, Durant had been able to use his height to limit Nick Young to some extent.

But against Farmar tomorrow, with Owen’s age and height, it would be absolutely impossible to contain him.

No one on the entire Guardians team could do it.

Farmar would be able to score at will.

Durant understood. He turned to look at Owen and said with a smile, "Actually, he’s pretty amazing himself."

After playing a full game, Durant realized Owen wasn’t as bad as he’d first thought.

When he wasn’t being a ball hog and actually tried to work with his teammates, he could still be a huge help, even at his young age.

"So tomorrow’s game... we’ll definitely win."

Durant was full of confidence.

He felt like he and Owen had found their chemistry in the second half.

’If we can maintain this chemistry, tomorrow’s game should be no problem.’

Most importantly, Durant wouldn’t allow himself to lose the game and fail the challenge.

Winning the game was a happy occasion for everyone, and the team was going out for a celebratory dinner.

Just a moment ago, Durant had been wondering if he should use his activity fund again to treat Owen to a nice meal.

It would be a reward for his performance today.

But with the whole team going out to eat, Durant thought about it and decided against it.

There were several people. Treating them to steaks that cost a few hundred dollars a piece... he couldn’t quite bring himself to do it.

Then Durant remembered how Owen had mentioned wanting to go to the Staples Center earlier that day.

’Forget the nice meal. How about after the game tomorrow, I’ll just stay in Los Angeles one more day and take Owen to the Staples Center and Hollywood for a look around.’

’I’ve never been either.’

That night, Durant slept especially soundly. He even dreamed that he bought his mother a beautiful house with five whole bedrooms, and the whole family gathered for a celebratory dinner.

The only thing that felt awkward to Durant was that the person sitting at the head of the table wasn’t his own father, but Old Owen.

It just felt very strange.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already broad daylight.

The game was at night, so with nothing to do during the day, Durant arranged with the follow-along director to stay an extra day in Los Angeles tomorrow.

He didn’t see Owen, though.

It wasn’t until lunchtime that Durant asked where Owen was.

The follow-along director said Owen had gone back to his room after breakfast and hadn’t come out since.

He sent an assistant to go get Owen.

Unexpectedly, the assistant only returned half an hour later, whispering a few frantic words in his ear.

"What? He’s gone?!"

The follow-along director’s eyes bulged out like a goldfish’s.

The assistant handed him a note. The director glanced at it, and his face changed drastically.

Durant was dumbfounded, too.

"Kevin."

The follow-along director handed the note to Durant.

Durant took it dazedly. After reading it, his mind went completely blank.

"Kevin Durant, you bastard, don’t think I’ll be grateful just because you bought me shoes!"

"I’m gone. You won’t find me. And I’m not playing for you anymore. Your challenge can go to hell!"

In an instant, Durant’s hands and feet turned to ice.

Owen was gone. He wasn’t playing!

’Then what about tonight’s game? What about my challenge? What about the one hundred thousand US dollars? What about my mother’s house?’

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