Chapter 1: The Ball Got Smaller?

“Wake up, come on, wake up... You finally woke up, huh? You can even fall asleep during a game, you’re hopeless!”

Ethan Brooks vaguely felt a huge, dark-skinned guy with a booming voice saying something to him, then he was pulled up and pushed out.

Ethan Brooks’s head jolted, and he immediately snapped awake. He seemed to remember now—he was in the middle of a game. Since he was just a benchwarmer, the coach had no intention of putting him in, so he’d dozed off.

As Ethan Brooks’s vision cleared, he found himself surrounded by a group of “dark-skinned” players. Some looked at him with sympathy, some with ridicule, and the one who had kindly woken him up—the big dark-skinned guy—seemed to be called Mohammed, a “dark-skinned” guy with a Middle Eastern name, who seemed genuinely worried about him...

The other people’s gazes didn’t matter. From the way everyone was standing, Ethan Brooks could tell that the most important person in this group wasn’t any of those around him, but the “Su Xiaomei-style big-forehead” middle-aged white man surrounded by the “dark-skinned” players in front.

From the current scene, and the slightly clearer part of his otherwise jumbled memories, Ethan Brooks knew he was a fringe player for the Hawks.

It was the season opener. The Hawks had a great roster, coming off 47 wins last season, and were considered a strong contender for the top four in the East this year. Their opponent was the Rockets, a team predicted to finish near the bottom of the league. If they lost, the fans would be furious.

Apparently, he was about to be subbed in by the coach. Honestly, Ethan Brooks hoped that big-forehead coach would bench him for falling asleep earlier. He had no idea what was going on—how did he go from napping to suddenly being woken up and thrown into an NBA season opener? This was way too hasty!

Ethan Brooks was sure this wasn’t a dream. It’s actually pretty easy to tell if you’re dreaming, and in a dream, you can’t really think about whether you’re dreaming or not. If your mind is clear enough to have that thought, you’re basically on the verge of waking up.

But Ethan Brooks underestimated his coach’s mental fortitude. The big-forehead coach didn’t change his mind and still sent him onto the court.

“Ace, you’re in for Dean. Use your three-point shooting to give Jason some space. Just take the shot when you get the ball from Jason. Jason, watch your fouls...”

When Ethan Brooks heard the name “Ace,” he instinctively realized it was him—his body just reacted. Then, when he heard Dean, his eyes automatically found Dean Grove, the teammate with the uncle-like face who had looked at him sympathetically earlier.

When he heard Jason, Ethan Brooks’s body naturally turned to the cocky, short shooting guard Jason Terry, the teammate who had been looking at him with ridicule.

Although his memories were a mess, as long as there was something to guide him—like a name or an event—Ethan Brooks could vaguely recall that part of his memory. At the very least, he could immediately match names to faces.

Jason Terry, the king of chaos, won a championship with the Mavericks in 2011, and that was pretty much it. After that, all the news about him was just him running his mouth everywhere. Why did he seem younger now? And wasn’t this the Hawks? Where’s Coach Budenholzer’s Mediterranean hairline? Coach Bud didn’t have such a big forehead...

Ethan Brooks was still confused. In his clearer memories, Terry had already retired! And who was this Dean Grove? He had no idea! This Hawks team was completely different from what he remembered. But another set of memories told him that Dean Grove was the team’s starting point guard, just responsible for bringing the ball up and handing it off to the team’s two top-tier perimeter players. With his memories all jumbled, he was sent onto the court in a daze.

Along with Ethan Brooks, three others were subbed in, including the good guy who woke him up—Nazr Mohammed.

Seeing Mohammed, Ethan Brooks’s mind immediately recalled his profile: last pick of the first round in 1998, pretty solid player, currently the Hawks’ third big man. The highlight of his career was probably being part of the trade package for Mutombo to the 76ers. Though he looked fierce, he was actually a kind-hearted good guy. Just this past summer, he signed a fat six-year, $30 million contract and treated all his teammates to dinner. That’s when Ethan Brooks got to know this fierce-looking, good-natured guy.

The second was the Bulls dynasty’s main forward, Toni Kukoc, the Croatian, now with the Hawks for his twilight years, having signed a three-year, $24 million contract. His strength was playmaking, and that’s pretty much all he could do now.