章 77: Ritian
Guys there is already content on patreon, if anyone wants to become a chunin or jonnin.
patreon.com/Chuga320 (More 50 chapters)
—————————————————————————————————————————————
This time, Hansbrough, anxious after earlier plays, quickly switched defense with Danny Green, leaving the interior open. Facing the tense Hansbrough, Curry smiled confidently. Without much hesitation, he dribbled and suddenly leaned forward. Hansbrough instinctively took a step back, and Curry shot a three-pointer!
Hansbrough frantically reached out to contest the shot, feeling his fingers graze the basketball. Yet, it wasn't enough to stop the ball.
"Curry made a simple dribble, no hesitation, just a quick shot right in front of Hansbrough. That wasn't a great shot choice... Wait, it's in! I can't believe it. That was definitely not a good decision, but it worked!" exclaimed Jim Nantz, surprised.
The score: 39-42.
Not just Jim, but the entire crowd of North Carolina fans went silent. Hansbrough stared at Curry, questioning his own understanding of basketball.
Was this for real?
Facing a big center, Curry hadn't even faked a move. Hansbrough had dealt with plenty of guards before, but none like this. To make matters worse, Curry's shot went in. Hansbrough was left wondering what went wrong. This wasn't how basketball was supposed to work!
Returning to the frontcourt, Hansbrough raised his hand to request the ball. Ty Lawson quickly passed it to him. Hansbrough, backing down Drew in the low post, was double-teamed by Butler again. Despite this, he stubbornly played one-on-two and managed to get a difficult fadeaway shot into the basket.
The score: 39-44.
After scoring, Hansbrough pounded his chest in frustration, as if to say, This is how basketball should be played!
"Hansbrough's tough finish under the basket stabilizes North Carolina! He's scored twice in a row against double teams—truly the heart of this team!" Nantz praised.
Roy Williams, the North Carolina coach, let out a sigh of relief. Hansbrough was still dependable, but his relief didn't last long.
The Bulldogs launched another attack.
Curry called Drew for a screen, but Danny Green, anticipating the play, moved quickly to block Curry's path and prevent him from getting a one-on-one opportunity with Hansbrough. However, Curry, instead of using Drew's screen, dribbled back, sidestepped to his right, completely shook off Danny Green, and shot another three-pointer.
Swish!
The ball arced beautifully and landed in the net. The score narrowed: 42-44.
"Another one! Curry sinks a quick three-pointer, and this attack only took six seconds! He's unstoppable!" shouted Nantz.
Hansbrough's heart sank.
He had worked hard to score two points, yet Curry made it look easy, casually draining three-pointers. Hansbrough was beginning to wonder whether all his hard work meant anything.
On the sideline, Roy Williams paced nervously, contemplating whether to call a timeout. With only two left and so much time remaining, he hesitated. Should he use one so early?
While he deliberated, North Carolina launched another attack. Hansbrough tried to maintain his focus, believing that his efforts were still worthwhile. He had led North Carolina to victory before and today should be no different!
Ty Lawson passed the ball to Hansbrough again, and he faced off against Drew. As Butler double-teamed him, Hansbrough struggled to find space. Despite this, he didn't pass to Wayne Ellington, choosing to trust himself instead. However, with no room to operate, Hansbrough finally had to kick the ball out to Ellington. But Julian Beko was already there, covering the space and preventing the shot.
Ellington passed to Ty Lawson, but Butler intercepted the ball! Dell's key player was starting to make a difference.
Curry quickly received the pass and raced down the court, but Danny Green blocked his path, forcing Curry to speed up. Green kept pace, and they arrived at the frontcourt, neck and neck.
Then, three steps away from the three-point line, Curry used his momentum to bump against Danny Green, quickly stopping to launch a deep three-pointer. Danny Green was knocked back, unable to contest the shot as the ball soared over his head.
Swish! The Bulldogs took the lead: 45-44.
"It was a long three-pointer from Curry! Beyond everyone's expectations... It's in again! Curry didn't even seem to aim, yet he hit it! This is the first time the Bulldogs have overtaken North Carolina. Unbelievable!" Nantz's voice brimmed with awe.
Danny Green could only watch as Curry celebrated with his teammates. He felt Hansbrough's despair growing inside him.
How was this even possible?
Danny trained diligently, playing carefully, even when wide open. But Curry made the game seem effortless, casually draining ultra-long three-pointers. Green felt his belief in basketball collapsing.
The North Carolina coach, Roy Williams, finally snapped out of his indecision and called a timeout.
In five minutes, Curry had scored 18 points. If the game had continued, no one knew what more he could have done. Williams hoped the timeout would cool Curry's hot hand.
On the Bulldogs' bench, laughter erupted. Players high-fived and fist-bumped Curry.
Curry approached Liam Gonzalez, the coach, with a smile:
"Coach, I did it!"
"Well done. They'll double-team you now, Stephen. Ben, you'll sub in for Julian and take over when Stephen's double-teamed... Stephen, you have the green light. Take any shot you think is a good one. Let's try to finish them off in one go!" Liam encouraged.
Curry nodded confidently:
"I know what to do!"
Meanwhile, the mood on the North Carolina bench was grim. In those five short minutes, everything seemed to fall apart. No one could figure out what had gone wrong. Despite Hansbrough's impressive double-teamed plays, Curry had managed six three-pointers.
Roy Williams noticed the change in his players' morale. He banged on the tactical board and shouted:
"Come on, we're only down by one! Curry won't stay hot forever. Get your heads back in the game!"
The players nodded, trying to rally. But each time they looked at Curry, a chill ran down their spines. No one wanted to guard him alone.
As the game resumed, Curry quickly found himself facing a relentless double-team. Danny Green and Marcus swarmed him, forcing him to the sidelines. But before they could snatch the ball, Curry, barely straightened up, launched another deep three-pointer.
The crowd fell silent.
Liam Gonzalez raised his arms before the ball even landed.
Nantz, almost in disbelief, muttered:
"Curry picked it up, glanced at the basket... and shot it! He made another one! A very, very long three-pointer!"
The score: 48-44.
The Bulldog fans erupted in cheers. The North Carolina supporters were stunned, unable to even boo. They watched Curry, patting his chest and pointing skyward, and they knew their team was in deep trouble.
The players on the North Carolina team, especially Danny Green, felt the weight of Curry's brilliance. Green stared down at the three-point line. Curry had shot the ball from almost three meters behind it and still made it effortlessly.
His faith in basketball was shattered.
End of this chapter
Note: Hi if you really like NBA novels, you can support me either in this pg with stones, reviews etc, or in patreon since the niche of sports and specially NBA is very small is Webnovel since people prefer to read Naruto, Pokemon, comics etc
クリエイターの想い 
Chugamc
Chugamc Hi guys this is Chuga. If you read this far and liked it you can leave comments, stones and reviews which is very important for a new translator / author.
Love you.
patreon.com/Chuga320
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット