บท 298: Chapter 297: Shattering the Backboard
Dong's thoughts weren't that complicated.
He simply wanted to dunk without gaining any skill points.
Not only in dunking, but also in the All-Star Game, Slam Dunk Contest, Skills Challenge, and Three-Point Contest, Dong didn't gain any skill points.
Dunking was subjective.
Some might find a dunk impressive, while others might think it's average. It was challenging to determine a clear winner unless there was a dominant performance, but Dong could easily dominate Little Black.
There were indeed some talented dunkers in the M Country's streetball scene, some even rivaling NBA players, but Little Black wasn't one of them.
Since that was the case, Dong saw no need to waste his time and energy on Little Black.
...
The score alone indicated a massacre.
As the second half began, Dong made another three-pointer.
"Boo!"
The crowd booed, which surprised Dong.
"Why are they booing?" he wondered.
"Dunk!"
"Dunk!"
"Dunk!"
The crowd chanted in unison.
Dong's flashy moves in the first half weren't enough to satisfy the streetballers. They wanted to see the Dunk King in action.
Dong and Carter were among the top five dunkers in NBA history, but in the first half, only Carter had dunked, while Dong had been shooting threes from outside the arc. He hadn't even scored inside the three-point line.
This left the spectators feeling unfulfilled.
Before Dong's arrival, many streetballers idolized him because he had once performed a 'double dunk' in the All-Star Game, although it was ruled invalid.
Some streetballers even considered Dong as the new streetball leader, succeeding 'Goat.' When Dong swatted Little Black and sent him flying, the crowd immediately switched their allegiance.
"Dunk?"
Dong smiled.
He had been invited by Iverson, and he didn't want to steal Iverson and Carter's spotlight. But since the crowd was asking for it, he decided to oblige.
Iverson dribbled and drove towards the basket, then bounced the ball off the floor to pass it to Dong.
Dong caught the ball, took a step forward, and jumped, while Little Black, Little Stick, and another player whose name Dong didn't know all jumped simultaneously to block Dong's dunk.
"Bang!"
There was a loud collision.
Apart from Little Stick, Little Black, and the other player all seemed more muscular than Dong, but they were all knocked to the ground.
"Bang!"
Dong slammed the ball into the hoop, followed by a shattering sound.
"Wow!"
The crowd rushed onto the court.
The game had to be stopped, as the backboard had been shattered.
Dong had shattered the backboard with his dunk. It wasn't an insult to the streetball holy ground but a conquest of it.
After the game, Iverson invited Carter and Dong to a nightclub, but Dong declined.
...
In the end, Iverson respected Dong's decision, and the three of them found a quieter club to hang out. They didn't hire any 'garlic girls' but simply drank and chatted.
Carter had a lingering regret.
He had briefly played for the Suns but was waived in 2011. He then joined the Mavericks and missed the Suns' rise to prominence in 2012.
Carter's three-year, $3 million contract with the Mavericks would expire in 2014. Carter, who had once been hailed as 'half-man, half-amazing' when he entered the league in 1998, was now on a veteran contract, which was a pity.
"Clink!"
Carter opened a bottle of red wine, intending to pour a glass for Dong, but Dong stopped him.
"I don't drink this..." Dong shook his head.
"Is it because the alcohol content is too low? We can switch to whiskey or brandy if you prefer," Carter offered.
"It's not that," Dong smiled. "Do you have Huaxia baijiu? I cough when I drink other alcohol."
"Oh, oh..."
Carter realized his mistake and asked the waiter to replace the red wine with Maotai.
"Ahh..."
Iverson was fine, but Carter struggled with the baijiu. Still, after a couple of sips, he praised, "This drink is good; it has strength."
This was the first time Dong had interacted with Carter.
The previous season, the Suns and Mavericks had played four games against each other, but Dong hadn't spoken to Carter. In those games, Dong had dominated, and there weren't many opportunities for the two to face each other on the court.
Halfway through the drinks, Dong took the initiative to ask Carter, "Have you ever thought of joining the Suns?"
"Yes!"
Carter replied, "Some people say that joining the Suns is like having one hand on the championship trophy."
"That's so true," Dong laughed. "Who said that?"
"I did..."
Iverson chimed in.
"The league has never been this crazy," Carter continued. "LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul all on the same team, and then Kevin Durant joins the Suns... I feel like this level of craziness can only happen in the next two seasons. The league will surely put a stop to it after that."
Durant's situation was different, as the Suns had the salary cap space to sign him. However, Paul and Anthony had voluntarily taken pay cuts to join the Heat, solely to challenge the Suns for the championship.
"I want to experience that kind of glory too!" Carter said.
In other words, with the Mavericks' current roster, they were still a team fighting for the playoffs, and Carter needed to find a better team to win a championship.
"Hmm..."
Dong took a sip of his drink.
Carter's contract with the Mavericks would expire next year, so if the Suns wanted him, they would have to trade for him. The Suns had several players who could be traded for Carter, but Dong was reluctant to part ways with any of them.
Seeing Dong's hesitation, Carter said, "I was just saying it casually, but it would be a pleasure to be your teammate. As you saw this morning at Rucker Park, I can still fly."
The last sentence was directed at Dong, as Carter and Dong had completed several alley-oops during the morning's game.
"How about trading Middleton for Carter..." Dong muttered.
The Suns' current lineup was already strong offensively, and Middleton and Carter's positions overlapped. However, Carter had more experience.
The Mavericks needed some promising players, and the Suns needed Carter's experience. If the Suns proposed this trade, the Mavericks wouldn't refuse.
In fact, trading Middleton would be a slight disadvantage for the Suns.
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