Slam Dunk

Kevin Lin

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Words Checked: 5830

Words in Oxford 3000: 95%

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Slam Dunk

If there is one shot, one opportunity,

will you capture it or just let it slip over

behind?

My name is Ken.

I love basketball, but I never thought I was

good at it.

There was a basketball team trial on the

next day. Should I take this chance to prove

myself, or should I listen to Dad’s words about

focusing on studying like a good student.

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Contents Chapter 1. “Hey, you tall guy”------------ p.5 Chapter 2. The basketball team trial ----- p.10 Chapter 3. Accidentally in team ---------- p.14 Chapter 4. Made the decision ------------- p.21 Chapter 5. Lessons from Jack------------- p.30 Chapter 6. Before the game --------------- p.35 Chapter 7. The big game ------------------ p.40 Chapter 8. The last seconds --------------- p.45 Chapter 9. Victory -------------------------- p.52

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Chapter 1. “Hey, you tall guy”

If there is one shot, one opportunity, will you

capture it or just let it slip behind?

It was an afternoon, after school, there were

boys playing basketball on the basketball court.

They were the basketball team members of my

school, Paul College. They were shouting,

sweating, running and making great shots

scoring points. I was sitting by the side of the

court, watching those boys practicing playing

basketball imaging I was one of them playing

happily on the court. “Hi, Ken.” It was my

friend Ophelia. I looked up at her and said “Oh,

hi, Ophelia.” “What are you doing here?”

asked Ophelia. “Nothing, I’m just watching

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them and fooling around,” I replied. “Why

don’t you just go on there and play with them?”

asked Ophelia. I shook my head and said

nothing.

I was sitting by the side of the court,

watching those boys practicing playing

basketball

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My name is Ken. I was a 2nd year student

in Paul College, 188cm tall, not strong, with dark

color skin. Basketball is my favorite sport.

There are no words can able to describe my

enthusiasm for this sport. I have played

basketball since I was seven.

It was my dad who taught me to play. I

asked my dad to play with me every weekend

since I fell in love with this great sport. I could

not beat my dad until I was twelve. I can still

remember that day clearly in my mind. I beat

my dad with the score 6:4. I was excited and

could not sleep that night. The victory meant I

had surpassed my first teacher in this sport.

However, I still did not think I was very

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good. I always thought of losing before the ball

game ended. I was not confident with myself at

all. Actually, I did not have confidence with

myself on anything.

One day after school, I went to the

basketball court hanging around as usual. I

stepped on the court, but there was no one on the

court. There was a basketball one the ground.

I picked it up, ran toward the basket and made a

shot. “Woosh” a clear sound that meant I made

a nice shot. I made shot after shot, and I could

not help myself to listen to the great sound made

by the ball and the net.

I loved basketball in this way, and I played it

every weekend, practiced shooting, lay-ups and

some basketball tricks. However, I never

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played with a basketball team members at school

because I thought I would be embarrassed if I

challenged them.

Later on, when I was still shooting the ball

on the court, many people suddenly appeared in.

There were basketball team members and new

students in the college. They were holding a

trial for new members to join the school team.

The trial had tested running, and the high jump

on the playground. They were going to use the

court for testing basketball skills. I picked up

my bag and got ready to leave the court. “Hey,

you tall guy, wait a second.” I turned back, and

I found that the captain of the basketball team

was talking to me. I remembered his name was

Jack. He was only about 170cm tall, but he was

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strong and quick, he could make a beautiful

lay-up and pass the ball fast. “You see, we are

having a trial for the school basketball team.

Would you like to come over and have a try,

maybe some shots?” asked Jack. “I don’t

know,” I replied. “Come on, just a few shots

won’t cost you much time.” said Jack. I nodded

my head finally and followed him to the table

next to the door.

Chapter 2. The basketball team trial

I signed my name, my department, class and

my phone number on the paper that had every

student’s background.

In a minute, when the selection was about to

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begin, Jack gathered all the new comers and

explained the process. “Everyone has to do

three shots, at the left corner, right corner and the

middle. Then do the lay-ups, from left, right

and the middle, too. Finally, make a creative,

special, show-off play which you’re good at.”

The selection began. I sat and watched

other students trying. Some people did well,

and some people did badly. They all seemed

nervous. I waited for a long time. Finally,

Jack called my name, “Ken, it’s your turn.” I

stood up, took a ball and walked toward the

three- pointer line. I tried my shots in three

different positions. I missed the shot at the

right corner because I had shot it too strong. I

also missed the shot at the left corner because I

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had shot it too soft. Thankfully, I did well at

the middle. I jumped up high, my upper body

faced upward and lay back, and then the

“Woosh” sound came out after I made the last

shot. That was the shot, which I practiced

every weekend, which I was good at. Then I

did my lay-up. The one from the right was the

easiest for right-hand. I laid the ball in the net

easily. I missed my lay-up from the left

because I put the ball up too hard. I did the last

lay-up from the middle. I ran toward the basket

and jumped, the ball was on my right hand at

first, but I moved it to my left hand and threw the

ball into the net when I started to fall down.

That was difficult, but had made it.

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Jack gathered up all the new comers again

after the trial was finished. “The result of the

trial will be posted on the Student Affairs bulletin

board in a few days. I will announce the time

of the next meeting with those whom I have

selected.” I was thinking how I did on the

selection while I was walking home. I heard

the voice coming from my mind,” You are not

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good enough. Stop dreaming. You won’t

make the school basketball team.” I met Jack at

the entrance of our school. “You did pretty well

today,” said Jack. “Well, I'm not that good,” I

replied. “I hope you will be on our team,” said

Jack. I did not know what to say, so I waved

my hand and said goodbye to him. “There’s no

chance you would make the team, stop

dreaming!” the voice in my mind said.

Chapter 3. Accidentally on team

I did not care about the trial results after I

came home, and I did not pay attention to it the

following days.

The second day after the trial, Ophelia met

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me in the corridor. “How did you do at the trial?

Are you on the team?” asked Ophelia. I looked

at her with surprise and asked, “How did you

know I went to the trial? Has the results been

posted already?” Ophelia laughed. “One of

my classmates went to the trial. He told me you

went to the trial, too,” she said, “And you seem

care about the results a lot.” “No, don’t. I

don’t. I know I won’t make the team,” I replied

with an indeterminate voice. “Ok, but you

should at least have a check on the bulletin board,

see if it shows that you are good at the sport,”

suggested Ophelia. “Alright. I will check it

someday. I have to go, I have meeting with a

teacher. See you later.” I thought about the

trial while I was walking. I thought to myself

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again, “No need to check it, you’ll feel

disappointed if you check it.”

Then few days later, I had totally forgotten

about the trial. On the morning I was going to

hand in my report to a teacher, I passed the

bulletin board accidentally. There was a paper

on the board. I did not know whether I should

have a look at the paper or if I should just ignore

it and pass away, but then, I could not help the

curiosity. I stopped and looked at the paper, full

of names. My eyes scanned the paper fast. At

almost the end of the paper, there was a name on

it, “E2B Ken”.

My eyes opened widely, and I wanted to see

if I was daydreaming. I got the answer clearly,

after have I looked at the name for two minutes.

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I felt happy and excited at that moment because

others approved on me, my favorite sport.

When I kept walking and thinking about it, I saw

Jack walking toward me. “Hi, you are Ken,

right? I saw your name on the list, are you

going to join our team?” asked Jack. “Uh, I’m

still not sure about it, maybe I will,” I replied.

“If you’re ready to join the team, you’re

welcome to connect with me, anytime,” said Jack.

My mind turned from happy into confusion after

Jack’s request. “Should I really join the

basketball team?” I asked myself.

I planned not to tell my parents first, because

I was afraid that I might not get support from

them. After I came home and had dinner, I

talked about the trial only. “Dad, you know,

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there was a basketball team trial a couple of days

ago. Some of my classmates went.” I said.

“Did you go, too?” asked Dad. “No, I didn’t,” I

replied. “I think you should focus on your

studying at school as a student. I don’t know

why your classmates’ parents allowing them to

play basketball instead of study hard.” Dad said

without any emotion on his face. I kept silence

until the end of my meal. I lay on my bed

thinking about Dad’s words after dinner. Dad

was important to me, especially when I had to

decide whether I should spend more time on my

favorite sport or not. It was Dad who taught me

to play. Therefore, I really needed the support

from him in order to get confidence in myself.

The confusion was still there bothering me

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the next day. I felt annoyed all day, and I could

not concentrate in class. I decided to ask for

some advises from Ophelia, who encouraged me

to go to the trial.

I went to find her in the afternoon. “Hey,

Ophelia, may I talk to you?” I asked. “Sure.

What’s wrong?” she replied. “Nothing, it’s just

a question bothering me, and I’d like to get some

advises from you,” I said. “What question?”

asked Ophelia. “You know, I’m on the school

basketball team list,” I said. “Wow, that’s great.

See, I told you that you could do it,” said Ophelia.

“Ok, let me finish first.” I said. “Sorry to

interrupt you, I was just happy for you,” she

replied. I continued telling her about my

question if I should listen to my father, or if I

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should join the basketball team. She listened to

me quietly and asked when I finished, “Do you

love this sport? Do you love basketball?” “Of

course I love this sport, otherwise I wouldn’t

have gone to the trial,” I replied. “Then the

answer is clear, isn’t it? You are already

eighteen, you should do what you like to do, and

be responsible for it. Spend your time on what

you love when you are still young. I think you

should join the team, or you will regret it when

you are older,” said Ophelia seriously. “You

sound like my Mom,” I said. “Shut up, I’m

serious,” she said plus hitting me. “Ok, I’ll

make my decision soon. Thank you for telling

me that, I will let you know,” I said. I thought

there was an answer in my mind while I was

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walking home. I had made my decision finally.

Chapter 4. Decision

The next day, I went to see Jack at the break

time. “Hi, Jack. I am Ken, from E2B,” I said.

“Yes, I remember you. What’s the matter?”

asked Jack. “I’m ready to join the basketball

team,” I said with a confirmed voice. Jack said,

“Sure, you are welcome. We need tall guys like

you on our team. Our team practices every

Monday and Thursday, and we have training at

the gym on Wednesday. We will meet this

Wednesday before our training begin,” said Jack.

Jack told me all the information I needed to

know, and then he shook my hand, which meant

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welcome.

“I’m ready to join the basketball team,” I said

with a confirmed voice.

On Wednesday, Jack gathered all the

members on the basketball team together and

announced, “Our practice will begin this

afternoon after school. We will meet at the

school gym at 4:30, please be on time.” I had

noticed that there were only a few people who

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were new-comers, and there was only one person

who was taller than me. His name was Pedro.

He was about 192cm tall, and he was stronger

than I was, but his weakness was that he could

not move very quickly.

That afternoon, I went to the basketball court

right away after school. Jack was already there,

and he saw me and said, “Hi, Ken. It is good to

see you are on time on the first day. You can go

jogging to warm up while we are waiting for the

others to arrive.” “How many loops should I

run?” I asked. “How about ten loops around the

playground? Let’s not be so strict for

beginning,” said Jack with a strange smile on his

face.

I was exhausted when I finished my loops.

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Jack asked if I was ok, and he said, “There are

going to be more exciting training. I hope you

can make it and keep on going. Take a short

rest, our teammates are here now.” Everyone

went jogging, and they even ran more loops than

I had. However, after they finished jogging,

they did not look tired or exhausted. I guess it

was time for me to exercise more. That day we

did not have any activities with basketball at all,

we were just jogging, and we went to the gym

training ourselves with the equipments.

When I got home, I was really tired. I

thought that we had to practice the next day, so I

went to sleep early after I had dinner. That

night, I slept well and I had a dream. I dreamt

that I was on the basketball court, and there was

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a game. I sat on the bench next to the court. I

saw Jack, and I asked if I could play in the game.

Jack waved at me, wanting me to go on the court.

He gave me an opportunity to play, to show what

I could do. The game was about to end, there

were only ten seconds left, and our team was one

point behind. I thought Jack was going to

throw the last shot, but unexpectedly, he passed

the ball to me. I was not ready to throw the last

shot, and I was only a rookie on the team, and I

was nervous and afraid, afraid that I might fail.

I did not shot the last shots well, and the ball

bounced out of the basket at the end of the game.

I was the person who made our team lose, and

Jack was disappointed in me. I woke up

suddenly, and I was sweating. I thought to

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myself, I could never make this situation happen

to me.

The next day after school, I went to the court,

ready to play basketball. Jack told us an

important lesson that day. “This is real

basketball, which is played with ten people on

the court. It is not like three on three basketball,

and it is much more complicating. Moreover, it

is not the game for your personal show, you have

to work with your teammates in order to win the

game.” We practiced lay-ups, dribbled the ball

and passed the ball with teammates that day.

When the practice was over, the sun was about to

go down, and the sky went dark. I thought of

how I did all day when I was riding my bike

home. I said to myself, “There are many people

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on our team. I must try really hard to prove

myself, and then I can have the chance to play on

the court in front of the audience.”

After I got home, Dad had already finished

the dinner. He saw me, and he asked, “Why are

you home so late? Where have you been after

school?” “I had to finish my report with my

classmates at school, and it was a lot of work,” I

answered without looking at my dad. Hopefully,

Dad believed my story, and I went to take a

shower right away.

At the next practice, Jack taught us more

about basketball. He told us about the

strategies in basketball games, and taught us how

to use them to get points easily. In the

basketball game, the point guard is the player

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who gives teammates which tactics they are

going to use on defense and offense. Other

players should follow their lead and move or

cover others.

The point guard is the player who gives

teammates which tactics they are going to use on

defense and offense.

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I went to practice with the basketball team

every week, everyday. My basketball skills

became better, and I had gradually played

skillfully with my teammates on the court. One

day after practicing, Jack said, “We are going to

have a friendly game that separated the whole

team into two once a week starting from now on.

Try your best to show me what you have learned

these days. The high school competition is

coming. We have twenty-three people on our

team, and there are going to be only twelve

people playing in the competition. Show me

you are the powerful player I need.” Since then,

we had had many games after practice. I was

playing power forward in the game, and my jobs

were handling the rebounds and attacks in the

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closed zone. I should be confident with my

powerful skill, but every time my teammates

passed the ball to me, I felt afraid of my

opponents. I would miss my shots or pass the

ball back again, instead of attacking powerfully.

Chapter 5. Lesson from Jack

Jack had noticed my problem. One day

after the game, Jack asked me to stay for a

minute, and he wanted to talk to me. “Ken, I

have noticed there’s a problem when you play.

Why won’t you move forward and attack under

the basket when you get the ball? It’s easier to

get points under the basket,” said Jack. “I have

always known that, but every time I faced my

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opponent, I felt afraid, especially when they are

taller and stronger than me,” I answered. Jack

remained silent to think for a while, and then he

said, “You are important to our team, because

you are the tall power forward we need. Your

skills were good, but the problem is your fear.

You cannot play well if you are afraid of your

opponents before you try. Now I am planning

to have an extra training with you. I’ll do all I

can to help you to get over your problem.” I

did not know what to say to thank Jack at that

moment. I thought he was going to kick me out

of the team before he talked about this plan. I

planned the afternoon on Sunday with Jack for

our personal training.

At our personal training, Jack pretended he

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was my opponent. Jack was the defender, and I

needed to get closer to the net and make my shot.

Jack was stronger than I was, and I felt I could

not move when he was defending me. Jack

recognized that, he stopped and said to me, “You

are the power forward, you usually stay around

the close zone, and I will pass the ball to you.

Now you have to learn how to fight in the close

zone.” Jack then taught me how to lower my

body and get closer to the basket. “Even if your

opponent is stronger or taller than you, just

remember to use what you’re good at to beat

them. I have noticed that you can move fast

and flexibly pass the others. You should use

your speed to challenge your opponents,” said

Jack. “Ok, I will keep that in mind,” I replied.

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I thought of different ways of offense I could

use. I was not alone on the court. I could get

closer to the basket, and attract the attention of

more opponents in order to make chances for my

teammates to get a wide-open shot.

I discussed my tactics with Jack. Jack said,

“It’s good to be flexible on the court, you don’t

have to always attack by yourself.” We had

training together, and we became good friends

and good teammates on the court. We also

went jogging a lot together. “Physical strength

is very important. You have to stay yourself in

good condition for forty minute games,” said

Jack.

I spent much time on basketball, and I

needed to work on my studies. My lives

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became busier but meaningful. Before I joined

the basketball team, I spent my time on computer

games or watching TV besides studying. My

daily schedule had become regular. I slept early

and got up early. I felt healthy and energetic

everyday. Although I spent a lot of time outside,

Mom and Dad did not ask me what I had been

doing.

One day after basketball practice, Jack

gathered us up and said, “I have news for you.

The competition is coming, and our first game

will be next Saturday. We have only a week left.

We will have to practice harder from now on.”

Everyone was excited about the coming game,

but I had a miserable feeling in my mind. My

nightmare scared me when I thought of

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competition. I was scared that we would lose

the game.

I was scared that we would lose the game.

Chapter 6. Before the game

During the last week before the first game,

we practiced even harder. The practices would

not end before the sun went down. My mom

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always asked me why I came home so late, and

my response would always be, “The midterm is

coming, so I stayed in the library to study with

my classmates.”

The day before the first game, I still could

not overcome my fear in my nightmare. I

talked to Ophelia at lunchtime. “Ophelia, you

know the first game of the competition is

tomorrow, right?” I said. “Yes, you have told

me before. Are you nervous?” replied Ophelia.

“Of course I am nervous. I have never played

in a formal basketball game before. I had a

nightmare last week. I dreamt that I missed the

last shot and our team lost because of me. And

I am really worried and scared that it may

happen tomorrow,” I explained to Ophelia. “Oh,

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come on Ken, you have been on the team for

awhile. You have learned how to play, just

show us, and show the opponents what you have

gotten. Be confident, and then you will be

strong. If you do not feel confident, you will

not be able to have any success. It’s not that

hard, just trust yourself,” Ophelia pat my

shoulder and said, “I trust you, you will do well.”

I nodded to her as my response. “Cheer up, I

will go to see your game tomorrow,” said

Ophelia when we finished our meal.

In the afternoon, I went to the court to play

basketball myself after school. “Hey, Ken.”

Jack came to the court, too. “Let’s play

together. It is boring to play alone, isn’t it?” he

said. We talked about the game while we were

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playing. “Are you nervous about the game? I

mean, you are a freshman on the team, and you

must be excited about the game,” said Jack.

“Yeah, you bet. I am nervous about it although

I may not go on the court to play,” I replied.

Jack laughed. “Don’t worry about that. You

just try your best and don’t be afraid. You will

not be fighting alone, there will be teammates to

help you.” I felt much calm after I talked to

Ophelia and Jack that day and I went to bed early

that night in order to be well prepared for the big

game.

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.

“I am nervous about it although I may not go on

the court to play,” I replied.

The next morning, I went to the basketball

court early and warmed up myself before the

game. When I was at the court, Jack was

already there. I jogged a little with him, and at

about nine, the game was about to begin.

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Chapter 7. The Big game

Jack gathered up everyone and listed out our

lineup for this game. “Center, Pedro. Power

Forward, Ken. Small Forward, Ray. I will

play the shooting guard, and the point guard,

Davis. That is our lineup for today’s game,”

said Jack. As a new member of the team, I was

surprised that I was in the start lineup. I also

thanked Jack for giving me a chance to prove

myself. Our opponents were from Stevenson

College. They all looked tall and strong. Jack

gave us the last words before the game. “I

know that they are taller and stronger than us, but

don’t give up. We must use what we are good

at to beat them. They are stronger, heavier, so

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they run slower. We have to play a very fast

game.” After he finished, we gathered in a

circle and shouted together. “Let’s go Paul!” I

ran out on the court. I stood by number 17 of

their team waiting for the game to start. He was

also a Power Forward, but he was stronger than I

was. After everyone was ready, the referee

beeped his whistle and Pedro did the jump ball

with the center from Stevenson’s. Pedro

jumped too early, so the Stevenson got the ball.

However, when the center tried to pass the ball,

Jack quickly stole it and ran toward the basket

for a lay up. The crowd shouted and cheered

about Paul College getting the first two points.

We used what Jack told us to play the game,

speed. We moved quickly, ran quickly, passed

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the ball quickly. We played different tactics.

Once that Jack passed the ball to me, and I

passed it back quickly after I moved a little

forward to the basket. Jack suddenly went fast

toward the basket. The Stevenson’s players all

thought he was going to make this play himself,

and there were two players went to defend Jack.

Jack jumped up, and the two players jumped up

with him trying to block the ball. However,

Jack passed the ball fast back to me when he was

in the air. I was hiding myself already under

the basket. I got the ball and made an easy lay

up under the basket. “Good job,” said Jack. I

smiled. “Nice pass,” I replied. Jack was

pointing out a sign with his hand to show us

which tactic he was going to use, and then we

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cooperated with him to make the offense succeed.

Although we used the strategies to make many

nice plays, we had tried hard to defend Stevenson

players after all. They made many easy shots in

the close zone, and they had a great shooter. He

always stayed at the three-point line waiting to

attack. We were tired to defend at the close

zone and the shooter at the outer zone. I did not

notice that I always moved back when the

number 17 was going to throw a shot. I dared

not to challenge him, so I let him making many

easy shots. When the second corner ended, I

had a look at the scoreboard. “Stevenson 44:

Paul 35”.

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I got the ball and made an easy lay up under the

basket.

Jack told us to rest silently in order to fight

back in the second half. I did not feel tired, and

I was thinking about why I could not defend the

player. I felt upset, and I was disappointed with

myself. Jack suddenly said to me seriously.

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“You should not let your opponent make a shot

that easy. Do not be afraid of them because of

their strong body. You need to get closer to

defend them, or I think we will lose the game.”

I nodded back to him in a serious way, too.

“Just stick close to him, and raise your hand up.

Remember don’t jump before he jumped,” said

Jack. “Ok, I will try,” I replied. “Try hard,”

said Jack patting my shoulder. He stood up

gathering everyone before the second half

started.

Chapter 8. The last seconds

“We have the chance to win this game, if we

focus well on our defense. First, Ken, I want

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you to make a strong defense on number 17.

Give him as much pressure as you can, and do

not let him get any points in the next half. I

will watch their three-point shooter. Cheer up,

gentlemen. This game belongs to us,” said Jack.

I had stayed close around number 17 since the

second half started. Although he still got some

points above me, he did not have good

opportunities to make shot. He had decided to

pass the ball to his teammates after I blocked him

several times. Besides defense, we offend

actively, too. Jack threw in several three

pointers in the second half, and I was responsible

for helping him with rebounds.

In the last ten minutes, both team tried hard

to win the game. We played a tight game.

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Stevenson struck back strongly, and attacked us

hard. Their strong bodies were unstoppable for

some of our teammates. In addition, they got

many points by foul shots. “Beep!” the judge

sounded the whistle again. “Paul College,

number 6, fourth foul.” He was calling a foul

on me again. I laid my hands open to show my

confusion about this foul toward the judge.

However, it did not work. The judge gave them

two foul shots. I had been nervous after I got

my fourth foul. According to the basketball

rules, a player will be sent off the court if he gets

five fouls in a game. I had paid too much

attention to my fouls, so I played carefully but

powerlessly afterward. Number 17 took the

great chance to attack. He moved inside toward

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the basket, but I dared not to stop him because of

my fouls. He made the shot easily and smiled

at me after he shot two key points.

Jack asked for a time out after Stevenson

shot the key points. We were only one point

behind them, but there were only fifteen minutes

left. “Gentleman, we have only fifteen seconds

left, and the worst thing is that they had the ball.

The only thing we can do now is defend. No

more points for them, and then we will have a

chance to win this game. The last thing, no

matter which of us gets the ball, the others just

run as fast as you can toward their basket. And

Ken, don’t be afraid to make foul, don’t be afraid

of them,” said Jack seriously. “Roger that,

captain,” I replied. We shouted loudly cheering

- 48 -

for ourselves, for our last opportunity. “Let’s

go Paul.”

We all stayed up tight with the Stevenson’s

players in order to get the ball back. They

didn’t plan to make any shot at that time. They

planned to win by one point. However, Jack

was the very person who wanted to change that

result. Jack moved quickly to steal the ball

from them when one of their players was going

to pass the ball to another. I started to run as

fast as I could toward their basket after I saw

Jack steeling the ball. Jack threw the ball hard

to me and shouted, “Run, Ken!”

I dashed after hard as if I could not run

anymore in the rest of my life. I could feel the

others were running behind me, but I could not

- 49 -

identify if they were teammates or opponents. I

decided it was time for me to throw the last shot.

I ran to their basket and jumped. It seemed that

everything stopped at that moment, and everyone

was focusing on my movement. I jumped so

high that seemed I was flying in the air. I had

never jumped so high before, and the basket was

nearby me where I could easily reach. Then I

slammed the ball into the net, hard and

powerfully.

- 50 -

Then I slammed the ball into the net, hard and

powerfully.

- 51 -

Chapter 9. Victory

That play was the first slam-dunk in my life!

I could still hear my own heart bouncing after

my feet touched the ground. The referee

beeped his whistle as soon as I finished my play.

“Eighty-eight to eight-seven. Paul College

wins the game,” he shouted. My mind was still

blank until Jack hit me from behind. He

shouted at me, “You did it. We won this game.”

I didn’t know what to say, I could only give him

a smile as my response. “That was really a

beautiful play, and I’m sure that it will definitely

make you famous,” said Jack. We hugged each

other. Later on, Ophelia came toward me and

talked to me with great happiness. “I can’t

- 52 -

believe you made a slam dunk! That was so

cool.” “Thanks.” I could only reply to her with

this single word, and smile. Whenever I think

about that game, I will remember that smile. I

knew that I would not have won the game

without my teammates, my friends. That smile

means a lot to me. It means glory, honor and

most important, confidence.

I sit on the bench on the court, thinking of

my first game, which I played ten years ago.

The game between my team and the LA Lakers

will start in minutes. I stand up and walk on the

court with the noise of the crowd and smile.

- 53 -

I sit on the bench on the court, thinking of my

first game, which I played ten years ago.

- 54 -

- 55 -

Slam Dunk

If there is one shot, one opportunity,

will you capture it or just let it slip over

behind?

My name is Ken.

I love basketball, but I never thought I was

good at it.

There was a basketball team trial on the

next day. Should I take this chance to prove

myself, or should I listen to Dad’s words about

focusing on studying like a good student.