Stephen Curry saw the UCLA players celebrating wildly, and the disappointment in his heart was hard to suppress.
How could that shot go in? They were only 15 seconds away from victory. Damn the toe on the line, otherwise they could have played overtime!
Curry draped a towel over his head, silent, his eyes a little red. After all, this was his last NCAA game, and he had wanted to lead his team further.
Kayce was drenched in sweat at this moment, and after much shouting and yelling, he finally crawled out of the pile of people.
First, he saluted the fans and his good brothers on the sidelines, thanking them for their support, and then he walked towards Davidson College's side; the opposing team truly played a great game!
"Hey, Bro, it seems luck was on our side today, but Steph, you guys were really amazing!" Kayce saw the dejected Curry and immediately embraced him in greeting.
"I can't imagine how you managed to make that shot, you couldn't even see the rim! I hope you guys win the championship, I know what it's like to be an underdog!"
Curry had already shaken off his frustration by this point. Regarding Kayce's last shot, he was completely speechless, only able to show respect.
The cameras of the media reporters on the court clicked and flashed, recording this historic moment.
In this game, Stephen Curry scored 36 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists, shooting 6-for-11 from three-point range. He earned everyone's respect by delivering such an efficient performance under UCLA's rotating perimeter defense.
Kayce scored 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists in the game. In the second half, he completely ignored passing and played aggressively, scoring 24 points in the second half and hitting the game-winning shot. This performance was simply incredible.
"Russell, is Kayce's shooting always that good? That last shot was incredible!" Durant asked Westbrook curiously, watching Kayce being interviewed.
"Kayce's shooting touch has always been very good, much better than mine anyway. We made it to the Final Four last year thanks to his perimeter firepower," Westbrook replied excitedly.
"We should have an early pick, and Presti might choose Kayce," Durant was already imagining the future.
Jeff Green indicated, "You guys talk, I'll just watch quietly without saying anything."
Inside the UCLA locker room, everyone was still celebrating. Finally, the Final Four! They successfully advanced, and with a buzzer-beater win, they had to be happy!
When Kayce walked in, his teammates immediately started a water fight. Kayce also joined in the craziness, dancing shirtless.
When everyone had had enough fun, Collison brought over the game ball and handed it to Kayce.
"Bro, you have to keep this. A game-winning shot, you led us to win the game, that's really cool!"
"No, no, no, the victory is everyone's credit, we are family. I want to give the ball to the coach. We will keep winning, we will win the championship!"
Kayce's inspiring speech made everyone excited, and even coach Ben's eyes turned red.
Finally, everyone signed the ball. Coach Ben held the ball, filled with mixed emotions. Last year, despite a strong lineup, the results were not ideal, and he also faced criticism.
But making it to the Elite Eight this year was beyond his expectations, and perhaps a championship truly could be imagined!
Back at the hotel, Kayce once again stopped Britney, who wanted to raid his room. His legs were soft now; Britney could beat him ten times over.
After a quick shower, Kayce prepared to rest. His physical energy had reached its limit in that game.
Fortunately, the B-grade functional drinks from the Dream Space Restaurant could replenish his energy, otherwise his condition would definitely be affected. After all, it's difficult to recover to optimal physical condition after a high-intensity game.
After midnight, Kayce arrived at the Dream Space. The badges in the Achievement Room were very helpful to him; these badges allowed him to perform at his physical best during games.
The Ankle Guard badge played a huge role when he defended Curry, allowing him to quickly adjust whenever his center of gravity was shaken.
The Ankle Breaker, Rhythm Shooter, Hot Zone Hunter, and Mismatch Expert badges, when combined, were flexible and powerful!
He was able to perform consistently on offense, thanks to these badges.
When Kayce arrived at the Achievement Room with anticipation, he saw four new bronze achievement badges, and a huge joy filled his heart. He quickly touched the badges to view their descriptions.
Achievement Badge [Off-ball Movement Killer]: 15/50
Enhances the player's ability to contest and interfere with off-ball attackers.
Achievement Badge [Defensive Expert]: 9/50
Enhances the player's ability to harass their matchup on defense.
Achievement Badge [Gap Hunter]: 10/50
Enhances the player's ability to create space against opposing defenses.
Achievement Badge [High Difficulty Shot King]: 1/50
Increases the shooting percentage of difficult shots after dribbling.
Kayce looked at the four new badges in front of him, instantly feeling incredibly satisfied. These were the fruits of victory! If they had lost, perhaps these badges wouldn't exist.
What Kayce wanted to know most now was whether losing a game would affect the badges. Although he had a preliminary guess from seeing the word "Achievement," he still needed facts to confirm.
The two defensive badges were generated from his one-on-one defense against Curry, and the two offensive badges should have been generated by his second-half performance and the game-winning shot.
Kayce had pretty much figured out the basic pattern: as long as there was a highlight play, there would be output. However, the major prerequisite for badge generation might be winning.
"Still need ball control, though. If I enter the NBA as a 3D player, the 'role player' style of play won't generate badges."
As Kayce thought about this, he couldn't help but worry a little, fearing both going to a weak team that tanks and going to a strong team as a role player.
Taking a deep breath, Kayce began his basic training in the Dream Space. After all, he already felt his body had adapted to the B-grade functional drinks. Now was the time to practice more and strive to unlock new drinks.
The next day, Kayce still woke up on time, went for a jog, and his physical energy had fully recovered. He was back to his optimal physical condition.
The impact of this NCAA game reached its peak in the morning. Kayce's and Curry's performances successfully attracted the media's attention, and they began to hype it up wildly.
All sorts of inspiring stories were endless, as outrageous as they could be. Even the ridiculous news that Curry's childhood was too tough, leading to his weak physique, came out.
One would think Old Curry had gone bankrupt, but Curry's physical qualities are actually excellent.
His running, jumping, speed, and strength are all outstanding. While his height and wingspan are average, Curry possesses an unparalleled shooter's instinct, that kind of excellent touch is very rare.
In the TNT studio, these basketball legends also started to get lively.
"Who will be chosen as the first overall pick in 2009?"