NBA M3 - Chapter 524: Screw the Basketball Dream (Part 2) (Patreon)

His first basket had looked so smooth, so perfect.

But what followed was a merciless beatdown.

Even though Blake had already scored all three baskets and Dark Arrow had been eliminated for a while, he was still standing there in a daze.

It took him a moment to finally snap out of it.

Only then did he fully appreciate just how incredible Blake was.

He walked over, shook Blake’s hand, then politely left the court.

“I lost way too fast.”

After coming off the court, Dark Arrow complained to his friends.

One of them laughed.

“You did great already.

“That’s this year’s Finals MVP.

“You hit a three right over him while he was seriously defending you. That alone is impressive. You were awesome!”

“Really?!”

“Really. You can brag about that shot for an entire year!”

After hearing his friends praise him, Dark Arrow finally started feeling better.

Thinking about it again, managing to score even once against Blake really wasn’t bad at all.

On the court, Blake’s three straight pull-up threes against Dark Arrow had the crowd cheering wildly.

Of course, they weren’t cheering because beating Dark Arrow was some incredible accomplishment.

They were cheering because getting to watch Blake play from this close was a treat in itself.

The games continued.

The next fan to step onto the court was also fairly well-known in his own circle.

He stood 213 centimeters tall and played center.

Despite being a center, he had an extremely reliable mid-range jumper, steady as a rock, which had earned him the nickname “Pillar.”

More importantly, he could also attack off the dribble from the perimeter.

Among the people who knew him, many considered Pillar a budget version of Blake.

Facing Blake...

On his very first possession, Pillar immediately attacked from the perimeter despite being a center.

He pulled up for a three from the left side above the arc.

Would it go in?

“Swish!”

It did.

And Blake had been guarding him.

“Wow! That was a beautiful three from Pillar!”

“Damn, Pillar already had that mid-range shot, and now he’s added a three too? He even hit it right over Blake!

“Man, Pillar has gotten really good!”

“Pillar is killing it!”

His friends erupted in excitement.

On his second possession, Pillar decided to attack Blake straight off the dribble.

He wanted to use his versatile offensive game to score on Blake again.

But the instant he made contact with Blake, it felt as though he had run straight into a mountain.

He couldn’t move Blake at all.

He couldn’t create any separation either.

Still staring down Blake, Pillar forced his way toward the right side of the paint and threw up a contested shot.

“Clang!”

Way off.

“That first three was pretty nice, but... now it’s my turn. Better be careful.”

Blake smiled.

At the top of the key, facing Pillar, Blake didn’t bother with anything flashy.

He paused for an instant, then exploded toward the right side.

One step.

“Whoosh!”

He blew right past Pillar and casually finished with a layup.

Next possession...

“Whoosh!”

The same burst.

The same single step.

He left Pillar behind again and finished another easy layup.

On the final possession...

“Whoosh!”

The same drive once again.

Pure speed.

Blake blew past him effortlessly, then rose up and hammered home a one-handed dunk.

“Th-That’s so fast...”

“With Blake’s speed, even the best guards at our school wouldn’t be able to keep up with him, right?!”

Pillar was stunned.

They were almost the same height, yet those three possessions had shown him just how terrifying Blake’s speed really was.

“So this is NBA-level athleticism?!”

“That’s incredible!”

Pillar couldn’t stop marveling at Blake’s ability.

Still, he took the loss well.

As soon as the game ended, he walked over, shook Blake’s hand, and hugged him.

He was genuinely happy.

After all, he had still managed to hit a three while Blake was guarding him.

As far as he was concerned, he had played pretty well.

After Pillar left the court, Blake called up another fan.

This one stood only 184 centimeters tall, making him the shortest participant so far.

He played shooting guard and had a strong build.

He specialized in physical drives and played extremely aggressive defense.

His nickname was “Viper.”

On his first possession, Viper didn’t shoot a three.

Instead, he attacked the basket and deliberately sought contact with Blake, muscling his way through.

He got into the paint and finished with a layup.

“Whoa... Viper just drove straight through Blake and scored! That was tough!”

Even his friends were shocked.

But on the next possession, when Viper tried to break through Blake’s defense again and pulled up for a jumper...

“Smack!”

Blake plucked the ball straight out of the air.

With a 31-centimeter height advantage, it was almost effortless.

Now it was Blake’s turn to attack.

The instant Blake received the ball, Viper immediately crowded him and stuck to him relentlessly.

His defensive intensity was every bit as fierce as Patrick Beverley’s.

Blake accelerated toward the left side of the paint.

Viper managed to stay with him.

But Blake simply gathered the ball and rose into the air.

With Viper directly in front of him...

“BOOM!”

Blake threw down a one-handed dunk right over him.

On the next possession, Blake accelerated from the right wing, stopped abruptly, then exploded forward again.

Viper was left behind.

“BOOM!”

Another one-handed slam.

Final possession.

Blake used a jab step.

Viper instinctively retreated several steps.

Blake immediately rose for three.

“Swish!”

Nothing but net.

Game over.

“S-So strong...”

Viper looked completely shaken.

He had defended Blake with everything he had, yet it still hadn’t made any difference.

“Blake, c-can I hug you?”

Viper asked quietly.

His defense had been extremely physical, so he had been worried Blake might be annoyed.

Instead, Blake smiled and hugged him without a trace of irritation.

After all, any player willing to defend that seriously deserved respect.

“Damn... Blake makes scoring look way too easy.”

“Seriously. Dark Arrow, Pillar, and Viper are all really strong players at their schools. They’re basically aces in their own circles.

“But ‘The Emperor’ Blake is an ace at the NBA level.

“The difference is just way too big.”

“True, but those three still managed to score on Blake with their signature moves.

“That alone is pretty impressive.

“They can brag about it for an entire year.”

“Exactly.”

In the stands, the fans marveled at Blake’s dominance while also giving credit to the players who had managed to score against him.

But as the one-on-one games continued, people gradually began noticing something.

Every single fan managed to score their first basket against Blake.

“Wait. Why does everyone score so easily on their first possession, then get completely shut down afterward?!”

“Hahaha, isn’t it obvious? Blake is letting them score.”

Dark Arrow froze.

“So if he hadn’t let me score... not only would he still have hit those three pull-up threes over me, I wouldn’t have scored even once?!”

Pillar sighed.

“So it wasn’t because I was that good. Blake was just going easy on me.”

Viper looked devastated.

“What the hell? I actually thought I was really good and had tons of potential.

“Turns out he just shut me down however he wanted.

“This is brutal!”

Only now, after getting that brief taste of success, did they truly understand the gap between “The Emperor” Blake and ordinary players like themselves.

They could only look at one another helplessly.

Screw the basketball dream!!!