Several months later.
Having completed his first year of high school, Yuuto finally arrived in America, landing in Indianapolis.
In America, New York was considered the holy land of basketball.
Many of the NBA's major events, such as the annual draft, took place at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Thus, New York held a very important position in the basketball world.
However.
In America, Indiana's basketball atmosphere was even more intense than New York's.
It was called the heart of American basketball.
Indiana covered an area of 94,000 square kilometers with a population of about 6.6 million.
The population wasn't large, but the basketball culture was fervent.
Indianapolis, as the state capital, was Indiana's center.
The city was home to two famous college basketball programs.
Indiana University and Indiana State University.
These two schools had produced numerous NBA players and even All-Stars, including legends like Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas.
These two universities were where Indiana's young talents aspired to play.
The players at Covanord High School aimed to eventually play for Indiana State or Indiana University.
Covanord High School.
This was Yuuto's next destination.
American high school leagues were organized by state, with each state having its own athletic association.
To ensure fair competition, schools were divided into different levels based on size—Levels 1, 2, and 3.
Fortunately, Covanord was located in the state capital of Indianapolis, competing in the Level 3 league.
Unfortunately, their team's overall skill level ranked in the lower-middle tier.
"Damn Lena, she actually stood me up."
The dorm room door suddenly swung open.
A Black man about 6'5" walked in. From his appearance, he looked at least thirty, but he was definitely a high school student.
He was Yuuto's roommate.
"Yu, let's go. I'm taking you to the best spots in Indianapolis!"
Yu was the abbreviation of Yuuto's name.
They all found Yuuto's name too hard to pronounce, so they crudely shortened his initials.
This wasn't unusual in America.
Players like Durant, Garnett, and Anthony Davis all had abbreviations like KD, KG, and AD.
"You go ahead. I'm heading to practice."
Yuuto had already changed into his gear, ready to leave.
He'd been in Indiana for several months now but still wasn't fully adjusted to the local customs.
Believe it or not—
On his first day at Covanord, some girl came up to him, posing provocatively, boasting:
"You've definitely never seen an ass this big in Asia."
What the hell kind of society was this?
Who cares how big your ass is? You think I'm James Harden or something?
He, Yuuto, had two girlfriends, thank you very much.
His roommate Walker found out and was beside himself, begging Yuuto to help him get that big-assed girl's phone number—even calling him his brother.
Unbelievable.
Yuuto really couldn't appreciate the combination of super-poofy hair, massive ass, and chocolate-dark skin.
This wasn't racism—his aesthetic was simply Eastern.
Sora and Momoi—pale and soft—now that was his type!
"Yu, you're such a caveman."
Walker cursed, but had no choice except to change into his own gear and head out with Yuuto.
Along the way, Walker used his natural gift for gab to chatter endlessly about recent pop culture.
Iron Man, How to Train Your Dragon, Inception, The Expendables, and more.
Yuuto knew all of these. He'd lost count of how many times he'd watched Inception.
He was actually a Nolan fan. Starting from The Prestige, he'd followed almost every film.
During his free time lately, Yuuto had been catching movies, revisiting the classics.
Then—
Inevitably, their conversation turned to the NBA.
Last season, 2008-09, the Los Angeles Lakers had won the championship.
This was Kobe's first Larry O'Brien Trophy as the team's alpha after splitting with Shaq.
In the Finals, they defeated the Orlando Magic 4-1.
Still, Orlando fans remained hopeful. They believed that with a few more years of development, Dwight Howard could lead Orlando to glory and complete what that damn big fish never could.
Little did they know.
In this place where everything seemed to be put to a vote, they would soon lose their franchise centerpiece.
Because Howard preferred playing "happy basketball."
As they talked, Walker brought up the Pacers.
"You know what, Yu? I don't think we'll ever win a championship."
He was a native of Indianapolis and naturally hoped his hometown team could go all the way.
The truth was—
The Pacers hadn't been without their chances.
In 2004, they finished with a league-best 61 wins.
Their roster included franchise cornerstone Reggie Miller, Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, Al Harrington, and other talented players.
That was the closest the Pacers ever came to a championship, but they fell to that year's Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals, 2-4.
The so-called "underdog" Pistons then demolished the Lakers' F4 squad 4-1 in the Finals.
"If we'd beaten Detroit that year, we definitely would've won the O'Brien Trophy," Walker grumbled.
The Lakers' roster that year had been stacked.
Beyond the OK combo of Kobe and Shaq, they had two of the 75 greatest players ever—Karl Malone and Gary Payton. On paper, they were the strongest.
But their problems emerged as the series progressed.
What the Lakers produced on the court was far from what their roster promised.
Meanwhile, both Eastern Conference finalists—the Pacers and Pistons—were known for one thing: toughness in every aspect.
Walker's hypothetical wasn't unreasonable. Whether the Pacers or Pistons had made the Finals in '04, either team would have beaten those Lakers.
"Instead of dwelling on yesterday, why not focus on today?"
"You sound just like my mom, always lecturing me. We should be enjoying our precious high school years, enjoying our youth."
Walker, like many young people, didn't want to hear this. He was at that rebellious age.
Only when he grew older and looked back would he truly understand the value of today.
"Now isn't the time for enjoyment. Wait until we make the NBA and become millionaires—then I can enjoy everything the world has to offer."
"The NBA? You're still dreaming, just like Leo in Inception—haven't woken up yet."
...
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