17 Time to End This

"Hey Isaac, can I make the plays for a few tries? I'll let you handle ''til the end if I play badly." I requested Isaac as the players are entering the court to start the second half.

"You sure? It's not that I mind, I already know you'd be a great point guard too. It's fine if you make mistakes a few times, we trust your abilities." Isaac smiled at me as he agreed to my selfish request.

We did not decide this with the coach but I don't think he'll mind also. I just want to try out a few things.

The ball is in our possession at the start of the second half, and I took control as I dribbled at the top of the post. I think I'm 26 ft from the basket and my defender is a few steps ahead not really paying any mind to defend me too high up.

I stopped my dribble and gathered the ball in my hand followed by a smooth shooting motion ending with a high release of the ball from my hands.

Everybody was staring with gaping mouths as they can't understand my choice of shot. Even my defender just stood there not believing I could make that shot, but I did.

40-34

It took a few seconds before the cheers were getting louder and louder. Even my teammates were greatly surprised by my shooting ability. They already thought I was a terrific shooter at any range, now they probably think they underestimated my abilities.

'Alright, that's enough playing around, I'll end this here.' I said to myself as I decided to finish this game early by making the play from now on. I just thought that it's not challenging anymore, my defender only has a height advantage but really doesn't know how to properly defend.

After the Damien players regained their composure, they began their attack. Bradley advanced the ball like always, but this time I was the one defending him.

I got into a defensive stance not allowing him to make easy plays.

Bradley was a little surprised so he needed time to sink it all in, that's why he was looking around for a teammate to pass the ball to. He looked to the right and was about to pass the ball but I quickly poked the ball and it got loose so I chased it immediately and plan a fastbreak.

Bradley quickly recovered and wanted to redeem his mistake by chasing after me. He thought I was gonna do a layup or a dunk so he anticipated me going to the paint.

But I actually stopped at the 3-point line and made a quick jump shot and released the ball which found its way inside the basket.

43-34

And just like that, the lead increased to 9 points. But I did not stop there.

Nate wanted to quickly inbound the ball to Bradley so I sneaked from behind and made a steal. I was already beneath the basket when I stole the ball so I made an easy dunk.

45-34

The crowd went wild and cheered for my name echoing inside the gym.

At the corner of the gym, Barry and Fran were standing there with shock clearly written on their faces.

"This kid's the real deal," Fran commented to break the silence.

"I've never seen anyone shoot the ball as well as he does. If he improves his game and does this in the NBA, I'm pretty sure the whole world will have a different view of playing basketball." Fran boldly claimed that I could make it big in the NBA in the near future.

"Hmm... I may have to strongly consider his application for the summer camp. I agree, this kid could really make it big as long as he is shown the right path." Barry also had the same thoughts as Fran, obviously giving high praise to my abilities.

"Now I'm really looking forward to what this kid can achieve in the future." Barry smiled as he said that and Fran nodded.

They watched the game continue after I made my dunk from the steal.

What happened next was a 3-point barrage by yours truly. In the 3rd quarter alone, I made 4 more additional 3-pointers and missed one only, making my 3-point FG to 9/11. A monster performance by me and I decided it was the end of the game as the lead is so large already, so I sat in the fourth quarter to let my teammates have a chance of performing.

The final score was 82-68

I myself made 43 points in only 24 minutes of playing.16/21 shooting from the field and 9/11 from three. This is the best performance I made yet. Of course, my teammates also did an amazing job, but their performance was clearly overshadowed by mine so nobody bothered to notice.

The game ended and we shook hands with Damien High to show sportsmanly conduct. And not to disrespect, but they are a really good team, they're the best I've played against so far but tough luck for them that they met me.

They may be a State Championship contending team but our goal is far beyond that. We want to win the Nationals, so we didn't let this win get over our heads as we clearly still have a lot of work to do.

Although I like taking over games and going crazy scoring a lot of points, to make sure, I want my teammates to also be at a level where I can be confident in letting them dictate the game if we are in a comfortable situation. I can't do it all by myself and I never intended to do so but I still want to be the type of player who can be the guy that they wall depend on in clutch situations.

Just like Michael Jordan, whenever the Bulls needed to score, they give the ball to him and if he doesn't feel like making the points, he can still make the correct decision of passing it to the right guy. That is how he won 7 titles and multiple MVPs in the regular season and in the NBA Finals.

Such a player is something every basketball player looks up to. I wouldn't mind playing with him now even if I lose. It's a pity I can't as I was born a generation ahead of him, but that doesn't stop my dream of surpassing him.

I will win more Championships than him, more individual accolades than him, and better numbers in my name than him.

Another reason I wanted to surpass Michael Jordan is to go against those arrogant basketball analysts that claim to use facts in defaming the great players.

A good example would be Skip Bayless, who is a famous sports media host on ESPN but switched to FOX Sports. Skip won't let a single opportunity off when it comes to ridiculing and disrespecting LeBron James. And although he is just doing his job, there has to be a limit to his speaking authority that goes beyond facts and only makes presumptions.

I don't know what is Skip's deal with LeBron James, but if he ever crosses with me, I won't show mercy.