Physical attributes: speed 90, strength 73, vertical 93, agility 96, stamina 90...

Shooting: three-point 47, mid-range 84, layup 84...

Skills: ball handling 54, passing 43, catch-and-shoot 85...

"Mid-range ability 84..."

Another bottleneck! But in just 8 days, his mid-range went from 79 to 84—this speed is just insane! Now, in his mid-range training, out of every 50 shots, he can very steadily make over 40, and when he's really feeling it, he can even hit all 50. This feeling is just too good!

Moreover, his strength, layup, and even three-point have all improved a bit. Henry Bolton feels that once his mid-range reaches the limit of this growth card, which is a 90 mid-range rating, his strength and layup will definitely improve further!

Over on the Bulls, Jordan, who just returned for less than half a season, is showing a completely different style from his previous three-peat days—his mid-range is absolutely masterful! Although you can tell that after more than a year away from the NBA, Jordan's form is still unstable, that unstoppable mid-range has already been displayed.

In this era, having an outstanding mid-range will definitely become more and more valued as Jordan puts on god-level performances over the next three seasons. Henry Bolton's goal is to raise his mid-range to a top-tier 90 before the Adidas training camp. Even if it's just barely top-tier, top-tier is still top-tier!

...

...

"Why are there so many people?" Henry Bolton looked at the school team teammates and classmates packed into a bus, feeling puzzled.

"Of course! Our school has a player going to the dunk contest, so a lot of people want to watch. That's the Great Western Forum! This year the McDonald's All-American is being held at the Lakers' home court, it's awesome! One day I'll lead the Lakers back to glory! And if I can beat the Celtics in the Finals, that would be even better..."

Hearing Pierce's words, Henry Bolton thought, in a decade or so, if nothing unexpected happens, isn't it this guy, always saying "our Lakers," who single-handedly turned the Kobe + three towers era Lakers' three-peat into just two in a row?

"Paul, have you ever thought about how unpredictable life is?"

"What do you mean? I don't get it."

"..."Henry Bolton thought he should stop playing with English idioms, and just said directly, "Have you ever thought that one day you might play for the Celtics? Maybe you'll even beat the Lakers in the Finals..."

"No way! Even if I get stabbed to death, I would never become a Celtics player. Me, helping the Celtics beat the Lakers in the Finals? Only if both World Trade Center towers collapse!"

"..."

This time Henry Bolton was speechless too, not even sure where to start with a comeback...

The group took the bus to the Great Western Forum, which is very close to Inglewood High School. The Lakers' current home court is in the city of Inglewood, Los Angeles County... In the US, this city is really just a bigger town. In China, it would be about the size of a district, and not even a particularly big one. But because the LA economy is so developed, it's long been closely connected with the surrounding counties and cities. Inglewood's urban area is completely joined with the edge of LA's urban area, and the economy here is great. Inglewood High School has also developed into one of the top high schools in California because of this. In the end, whether a school is good or not is directly related to whether it has money.

The richer it is, the better it gets; the better it gets, the richer it becomes...

Having loved hanging around outside the Great Western Forum since he was a kid, Pierce naturally became a Lakers fan.

It's the hometown team—when you grow up, of course you have to go all out against them.

The classmates and teammates mainly came to visit. Today is the Great Western Forum's open day, but of course, only those with invitations can come. Inglewood High's basketball team naturally got one, since they're this year's state high school league champions. The team is led by head coach Scott Collins.

The Lakers' Great Western Forum isn't just their game arena; it has many other functions—concerts, auctions, and so on.

This time, McDonald's rented the Great Western Forum, which is owned by Disney. This doesn't interfere with the Lakers, who are preparing for the playoffs starting on the 27th. Although the Lakers' owner isn't considered rich in the NBA, he's always willing to spend, because the Lakers are very profitable. They have their own training facility, the Verizon Center, and it's rumored that Toyota of Japan is negotiating with the Lakers to invest in building a new training center for them—a real arena with 5,000 seats, comparable to NCAA Division I college arenas.

After entering the Great Western Forum, Scott Collins and the school team teammates and classmates went to tour the court, locker rooms, training facilities, and so on. Pierce and Henry Bolton were taken by staff to register, fill out information, and receive their hotel room cards.

There were also reporters present. As the most famous high school basketball prodigy in California this year, Pierce was invited for an interview as soon as he got his room card. As for Henry Bolton, he was completely ignored.

To this, Henry Bolton felt it was totally normal. After winning the championship, the local TV station did do interviews, but he, Henry Bolton, just showed his face with the team—no interviews for him.