Chapter 0001: The Ball Has Shrunk

Liu Mang regained his focus and found himself surrounded by a group of "black coals." Some of those looking at him expressed sympathy, while others showed mockery. Ah, and there was that kind-hearted one who had just woken him up, a black coal leader... It seemed his name was Muhammad, a "black coal" with a Middle Eastern name, who appeared to be worried about him.

However, Liu Mang underestimated the psychological endurance of his coach, and the coach with the large forehead did not change his previous decision, continuing to send him onto the field

Uncertain why his mind was filled with such a jumble of memories, Liu Mang stood on the court, anxiously awaiting the referee's whistle to signal the end of the timeout. Suddenly, he realized something quite strange: when he had previously heard the name "Jason," the thought that popped into his head was, "I have to partner with that detestable little guy again, what bad luck."

Upon hearing the name "Ace," Liu Mang immediately realized it was directed at him, as if it were a reflex of his body. Then, upon hearing "Dean," his eyes instinctively sought out Dean Grove, who had a face resembling that of an older man, one of the teammates who had previously looked at him with sympathy.

However, Liu Mang is quite knowledgeable about the information of some well-known players. Although Jason Terry was quite a loudmouth towards the end of his career, and that was all he was, he was still very impressive in his youth. Standing at 1.88 meters, he is considered short among shooting guards in the NBA, but compared to the average person, he is definitely tall!

Upon seeing Muhammad, Liu Mang's mind immediately recalled his profile. He was the last pick in the first round of 1998, with decent skills. This year, he is playing as the third center for the Hawks. His career's most glorious moment was probably when he was used as one of the trade chips by the 76ers in exchange for Mutombo. Although he has a fierce appearance, he is actually a kind-hearted good person. Just last summer, he signed a lucrative six-year contract worth 30 million and treated all his teammates to a meal. It was during that time that Liu Mang got to know this seemingly fierce but kind-hearted good person.

Upon hearing the name Jason, Liu Mang instinctively turned his gaze towards the short and arrogant shooting guard Jason Terry, one of his teammates who had previously looked at him with a mocking expression

"Give me the ball!" Jason Terry said with a haughty expression.

Jason Terry, a representative of chaos on the court, won the championship with the Mavericks in 2011, and then there was nothing more to follow. Subsequently, the news about him has mostly been about his big mouth spewing nonsense everywhere. How is it that he seems to have become younger? Is this the Hawks? What about Coach Budenholzer's Mediterranean? ... Coach Bud isn't that big-headed, is he?

The current moment marks the opening game, and the Hawks have an excellent lineup. Last season, they achieved 47 wins and are regarded as a strong contender among the top four teams in the Eastern Conference this year. Their opponent is the Rockets, a team predicted to potentially finish at the bottom of the league this season. If they lose, the fans are likely to be furious

From the current scene and the somewhat clearer part of the chaotic memories in his mind, Liu Mang knew that he was a fringe player for the Eagles.

The second is the key forward of the Bulls dynasty, Toni Kukoc, a Croatian, who has now joined the Hawks for retirement, signing a 3-year contract worth 24 million. His strength lies in playmaking, and now he can only facilitate plays.

Liu Mang is still in a daze. In his relatively clear memory, Terry had long since retired! And who is this Dean Grove? He has no idea! This Hawks team is completely different from what he remembers, but another memory tells him that Dean Grove is the team's starting point guard, responsible for bringing the ball up the court and passing it to the team's two top-tier perimeter players. His memories are intertwined and chaotic, and he is thus sent onto the court in a state of confusion. This Hawks team is completely different from what he remembers, but another memory tells him that Dean Grove is the team's starting point guard, responsible for bringing the ball up the court and passing it to the team's two top-tier perimeter players. His memories are intertwined and chaotic, and he is thus sent onto the court in a state of confusion.

Liu Mang was unable to contain his astonishment, and he followed the team in a daze as they ran back and forth.

"Ace, you replace Dean, use your three-point shot to create space for Jason. After receiving the pass from Jason, just make the shot. Jason, you need to be mindful of your foul issues..."

At this moment, Liu Mang finally sensed that something was amiss; it seemed as though the world had shrunk! The basketball appeared smaller, the court seemed to have diminished in size, and the hoop had lowered. Jason Terry, who stood at 1.88 meters, no longer seemed tall in front of him! In other words, he had grown taller! He realized that he seemed to have gained a significant height increase!

Wake up, hurry up and wake up... You have finally woken up, right? You can even sleep during the competition, truly hopeless!

Liu Mang's previous concern about not knowing what to do after getting the ball was completely unfounded. Jason Terry is a black hole for ball possession; once the ball is in his hands, even Raheem, the only superstar of the team, cannot expect to get it back. During the two minutes he was on the court, it was all about running back and forth. Until the end of the first half, there was no mention of what Coach Da Tou had said about receiving the ball and making the shot, because it was simply impossible to receive the ball.

The referee blew the whistle and passed the ball to Rahim, who then passed it to Liu Mang. Liu Mang noticed that this basketball... ? ... is it a children's basketball? Why is it so small?

The feeling of annoyance naturally arose in my heart upon hearing this sound, and my hands instinctively passed the ball out.

Liu Mang suddenly jolted awake, as if he had remembered that he was currently in a match. Since he was merely a water cooler attendant, the coach had no intention of calling him to play, and thus he had fallen asleep.

Liu Mang confirmed that this was not a dream, as dreams can be easily distinguished from reality. Moreover, a person in a dream is absolutely incapable of engaging in the thought process of questioning whether they are dreaming, because once the mind is clear enough to entertain such thoughts, it is essentially on the verge of waking up.

Liu Mang was still puzzled when a voice that he found utterly detestable came through

Although the memories are chaotic, as long as there are guiding elements, such as a name or an event, Liu Mang can somewhat vaguely recall that segment of memory. At the very least, a person's name and appearance can be immediately matched.

In addition to Jason Terry, there were three other individuals who took the court with Liu Mang, one of whom was the good-natured Mr. Nazir Muhammad, who woke Liu Mang up.

It seems that he was just about to be substituted onto the court by the coach. To be honest, Liu Mang hopes that the coach with the large forehead will not let him play because he just fell asleep. He is completely confused about the current situation, having suddenly been awakened from his sleep, only to find himself in a basketball game, and it happens to be the NBA season opener. This is really too hasty!

The last one is Sheriff Rahim, who has a face resembling that of a bandit but is surprisingly quiet. He was the third overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, a small forward with explosive physical attributes and exceptional talent. In his rookie year, he averaged 18 points and 6 rebounds per game, and in his second year, he achieved averages of 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Last season, he averaged 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. He is strong on both ends of the court and, based solely on his abilities, is undoubtedly a superstar. However, his personality is too gentle and quiet; to put it bluntly, he lacks competitive spirit. After playing for the Vancouver Grizzlies for 5 years, he was traded to the Hawks.

Liu Mang is not particularly short, but he is only 1.75 meters tall, which is an average height for a person. Compared to Jason Terry, he is much shorter. However, how could there be an illusion that Jason Terry is short?

Liu Mang suddenly felt a huge black carbon head speaking to him in a deep voice, and then he was directly pulled up and pushed out.

The gaze of others is of no importance; from Liu Mang's perception of the positions of the people, it is clear that the most significant individual among this group is not those surrounding him, but rather the middle-aged white man with a "Su Xiaomei-style large forehead" surrounded by a group of "black coals".