Inside the Virtual Space.
Link was having his final round of one-on-one with a low-Stamina Kyle Korver.
98 to 98, the score was tied.
But what was worse, Kyle Korver still had possession.
However, there was no trace of panic in Link's eyes; he stared intently at the basketball in Kyle Korver's hands.
Korver, whose Stamina was almost exhausted, dribbled with his butt sticking out to avoid a Steal.
After reaching the top of the arc, Korver suddenly exploded the ball, accelerating to the left. His Speed wasn't fast, and Link used a slide step to block his Driving Layup path in advance. Korver paused, performing a float shot.
"Hold it!"
"You must hold it!"
"Don't jump!"
Having been fooled by this move several times, Link forcefully suppressed the urge to jump and block. The next instant, just as Link expected, Korver immediately pulled up for a shot.
Link immediately stepped forward half a pace, his large hand blocking Korver's vision—the so-called "eye-shading defense." With his vision obscured, Korver's long two-pointer clanked off the rim with a "clank!"
Link didn't immediately retreat to the basket. Instead, he first performed a back-to-the-basket box-out, blocking Korver, who wanted to crash the boards, before going for the rebound under the basket.
Under the guidance of Green, Peak Green, Josh Hart, and Korver over these days, Link had gotten rid of many "bad habits."
Such as not jumping unnecessarily and boxing out immediately.
New round of offense and defense, Link's possession.
Link steadily advanced to the Three-Point Shot line at the top of the arc.
Korver bent over, lowering his center of gravity, constantly panting heavily.
"Thump!"
Link first made a few slow crossover dribbles, then suddenly, with a "whoosh!" he stomped his right foot hard and drove forcefully to Korver's right. Although Korver's lateral movement wasn't fast enough, his defensive awareness and positioning were truly excellent.
"Bang!" Their bodies made contact. Link, whose breakthrough was impeded, moved another step to the right. Korver immediately stuck to him again. Link instantly performed a crossover dribble and changed direction, breaking through to the left, getting half a defensive body length past Korver.
"Beep! 4 seconds remaining until Virtual Space closes!" Just then, the system's voice sounded.
According to the system's introduction, if the mission is not completed before the training duration ends, the mission will be forfeited.
Who knows how long it would take to get another All-Star (Kyle Korver) sparring partner card? With only 4 seconds left, Link needed to act quickly.
With a "thump!" Link, having created separation, suddenly gathered the ball in the middle, pushing off the ground forcefully with both feet. He jumped over and penetrated Korver's defense, and at the same time, Link quickly shot a layup.
3!
2!
The basketball swished through the net with 2 seconds remaining until the Virtual Space closed.
"Roar!" After scoring, Link roared up to the sky.
At the same time, the system's voice sounded again.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for defeating All-Star (Kyle Korver 14-15 season) and winning a three-star reward."
"Ding! Congratulations, Host... for winning a four-star reward."
"Ding! Congratulations, Host... for winning a five-star reward."
Since scoring 60 points, 80 points, and defeating Korver were all accomplished in this round, the rewards were issued together.
Before Link could check what the rewards were, the system forcibly ejected him from the "Virtual Space."
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Back in reality, the first thing Link did was check his rewards.
To see what he had obtained.
Three-star reward: Off-Ball Movement (Bronze)
Off-Ball Movement (Bronze) Function Introduction:
1. When moving Off-Ball, Speed base attribute +2, Explosive Acceleration base attribute +2, slightly enhancing the player's ability to get open when Off-Ball.
2. To upgrade to the next stage (Silver), you need to complete 30 effective Off-Ball Movements in official games.
Four-star reward: Corner Specialist (Bronze) and Difficult Shots (Bronze)
Corner Specialist (Bronze) Function Introduction:
1. When shooting a Three-Point Shot from the corner, Three-Point Shot base attribute +2.
2. To upgrade to the next stage (Silver), you need to make 30 corner Three-Point Shots in official games.
Difficult Shots (Bronze) Function Introduction:
1. Slightly improves shooting resistance to interference.
2. To upgrade to the next stage (Silver), you need to make 30 contested shots in official games.
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The three-star and four-star rewards made Link happy.
Link's biggest drawback currently was his slow Speed and poor explosiveness. If he encountered a team with strong defensive rotations, it would be difficult for him to get open. Fortunately, the teams in the training camp were temporarily formed, and the coaches weren't very professional, which made Link's Off-Ball Movement seem very powerful.
Off-Ball Movement could slightly help Link cover up his lack of Speed.
Corner Specialist could be used as a corner spot-up shooter when tired.
Difficult Shots is very useful for ball handlers, especially in pick-and-roll shooting. You need to use a teammate's screen to shoot, and opportunities to shoot without any interference are rare. Moreover, Link's accuracy in off-the-dribble shooting was a notch lower than his catch-and-shoot accuracy.
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"Three-star and four-star are already this strong."
"Wouldn't five-star be out of this world...?"
That's right.
Just as Link thought.
The five-star reward was indeed quite impressive.
Link obtained his first player Dominance Moment.
Moment of Dominance: Sharpshooter Lv1:
1. After entering Dominance Moment, Three-Point Shot base attribute +1%.
2. Shooting badges are temporarily upgraded by one stage.
For example, "Corner Specialist," "Difficult Shots," and "Off-Ball Movement" will be temporarily promoted from [Bronze] to [Silver].
3. The player's Dominance Moment can be activated freely, lasting 2 minutes each time, with a cooldown of 23 hours and 58 minutes.
4. To upgrade the player's Dominance Moment level, it needs to merge with a Dominance Moment of the same level and type.
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If slow Speed and poor explosiveness were Link's biggest flaws.
Then Three-Point Shot was a minor weakness for Link.
Link's Three-Point Shot base attribute was only 49, which meant he had a decent shot but it was unstable. If he activated Moment of Dominance: Sharpshooter Lv1, not only would his Three-Point Shot attribute increase by 1 point, but his badges would also temporarily advance to the next stage, and his accuracy would undoubtedly skyrocket.
Holy crap!
Wouldn't that mean he's entering the zone?
Uh... of course, this effect can't compare to the zone, but calling it a "poor man's pseudo-zone" isn't an exaggeration, right?
However, upgrading the player's Dominance Moment level is not an easy task; it requires obtaining a Dominance Moment of the same type and level.
In other words, to upgrade Moment of Dominance: Sharpshooter to Lv2, he needs to obtain another Moment of Dominance: Sharpshooter Lv1.
On another note.
This All-Star (Kyle Korver) sparring partner card, in addition to giving Link 3 shooting badges and Moment of Dominance: Sharpshooter Lv1, also...
In the Hundred-Point Battle with Korver, several attributes received permanent improvements.
Three-Point Shot base attribute +1, increased to 50 (73);
Driving Layup base attribute +1, increased to 60 (78);
Ball Handling base attribute +1, increased to 59 (74);
Steal base attribute +1, increased to 63 (63);
Perimeter Defense base attribute +1, increased to 60 (73);