American Football: King of the Bay Area

Chapter 378: Chapter 375: Sparks of Chemistry

“How about a little competition? We’ll both stand behind the three-point line and shoot. What do you say? We can see who’s more accurate.”

“Sure. But a simple competition like that is too boring. It lacks a certain… flair.”

“Flair? What kind of flair could there be? I’m a basketball player, you’re a football player. They’re two completely different sports. It’s not like I can challenge you to a one-on-one.”

“Why not? How about this: we still shoot for the three-point hoop, but I’ll use a basketball, and you’ll use a football. We swap equipment. How does that sound? We’re both unfamiliar with the other’s sport, so we can try to get a feel for it and see who has better control.”

“That… I don’t think so… A football is an irregular shape, while a basketball is a perfect sphere.”

“And I could complain that the basketball is a boring old sphere. The fun part is challenging ourselves with something we’re not familiar with. Let’s do this: ten three-point attempts each. We’ll count how many we make. That’s completely fair.”

“Are you serious?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

The photoshoot was still an ordeal, a long one with no end in sight. As exhaustion peaked, their facial expressions began to stiffen, their smiles looking worse than pained grimaces. An afternoon of shooting was even more grueling than playing a full game, but with the work unfinished, they could only grit their teeth and persevere.

In their daze, Lu Ke and Curry started brainstorming ideas to break free from the rigid structure of the photoshoot, hoping to rekindle their energy and inject some life into the studio. Clearly, when it came to creative pranks, Lu Ke had the upper hand.

And so, Lu Ke and Curry began a unique on-the-spot competition. The two players would each use the equipment from the other’s main sport to shoot three-pointers.

The two young men were laughing constantly throughout the competition. At first, Curry was focused on figuring out the throwing axis of a football, but after five throws, he realized something was wrong and quickly stopped Lu Ke, who was about to shoot.

“Wait, wait, something’s not right. A basketball’s arc is consistent; you can control it. But I’m not familiar with a football’s spin axis at all, I can’t control it. Your chances of making a three-pointer are naturally much higher.” Curry seemed to have figured out the truth, because in the last five shots, Lu Ke had actually made three of them, while Curry’s score was still a goose egg.

Lu Ke held up his hands. “I just think you’re not skilled enough. Tell you what, let me take a shot with the football, and you can see for yourself.”

“Fine, you give it a shot.” Curry immediately nodded in agreement.

Although passing accuracy is a quarterback’s bread and butter, the arc of a football pass is completely different from that of a basketball shot. In football practice, the target net must be angled at forty-five degrees to the sky, whereas in a basketball game, the hoop is parallel to the ground. The difference in angle leads to a different arc, so the techniques are naturally different.

Taking the football, Lu Ke familiarly patted the leather surface, reacquainting his fingertips with its feel. He then adjusted his stance and, without hesitation, raised his right hand and lofted the ball into the air. With a SWISH and a crisp snap of the net, he not only sank the three-pointer but did so without touching the rim.

In reality, the techniques for football and basketball are indeed completely different, as are the ball’s axis and rotation in the air.

The only reason Lu Ke could sink three-pointers while Curry couldn’t was that Lu Ke was more familiar with shooting a basketball than Curry was with throwing a football. Once Curry got used to a football’s trajectory, their success rates would likely be another matter entirely, and the winner would be impossible to predict.

Right now, it looked like Lu Ke had made three out of five, but it was all for show. In terms of real basketball skill, Lu Ke was only at an amateur level.

Simply put, Curry had walked right into Lu Ke’s trap from the very beginning. The reason for only ten shots was the same—to prevent Curry from having more opportunities to get used to the feel of throwing the football.

Watching wide-eyed as Lu Ke sank the football into the hoop, Curry was stunned. He felt like something wasn’t quite right, but Lu Ke gave him no time to think, pressing on, “See? Your technique is definitely lacking. You should practice your threes more. I think you’ve got potential, you could become the little Prince of three-pointers. Of course, you’ll still be a little worse than me.”

Flustered, Curry had no choice but to push on and continue shooting.

In the blink of an eye, the ten attempts were over. The final result: Curry made three out of ten, while Lu Ke made six out of ten. The latter won.

“The bet! What was our bet again? Dance on the spot, no music. Quick!” Lu Ke immediately started hyping it up, raising his hands high and calling for the on-set staff to join in the fun. “Curry! Curry! Curry!”

Before he knew it, Curry found himself in a predicament. All the staff on set were clapping and cheering, waiting for his awkward dance. At this point, Curry finally came to his senses. He narrowed his eyes, studying Lu Ke closely and grinding his teeth. “Wait a minute. You’ve played basketball before, haven’t you? I’m right, aren’t I? You played basketball before, and then you switched to football?”

“A bet’s a bet. You can’t back out now.” Lu Ke dodged the question, trying to change the subject.

But this time, Curry refused to be fooled again. He slammed the football in his hand onto the ground, deliberately feigning anger, but the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but creep upwards. He tried to hold it in but failed, breaking character and chuckling. “Do-over. I don’t care, we’re doing it over. Or, I’ll honor the bet this time, I’ll dance, and then you have to play another round with me. I’ll shoot the basketball, you shoot the football. Still three-pointers, ten shots, same stakes.”

“You sure?” Lu Ke’s simple question was enough to make Curry choke—

Thinking back, Lu Ke had sunk the three-pointer with the football on his first try. He was clearly not someone to be trifled with. Now, Curry was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Seeing Curry standing there with a blank, innocent look on his face, Lu Ke burst out laughing. He walked over and gave Curry an apologetic hug. “How about this, I’ll do it with you. We’ll dance with no music. How’s that?” Before he even finished speaking, all the staff started cheering and hooting, and someone even whistled to encourage Lu Ke’s bravery.

Curry rolled his eyes, shook his head helplessly, and then without another word, started to awkwardly dance on the spot.

Without any music, Lu Ke and Curry started dancing wildly as if they were in a nightclub, letting loose completely. It was as if they had swept away the entire afternoon’s fatigue and were truly starting to party and enjoy themselves. The atmosphere in the studio truly came alive.

Throughout the entire process, the photographer kept his camera shouldered, continuously shooting and recording from the side without a single break. Fortunately, the chemistry and spark between Lu Ke and Curry made the shoot simple and smooth, producing unexpected results that were far better than the originally conceived plan.

The shoot, which they thought would take at least another hour, was declared complete in less than twenty minutes. Indeed, the unpredictable nature of artistic creation was once again on full display.

Finally, the photographer announced, “OK,” signing Lu Ke and Curry’s declaration of liberation and ending the long, arduous photoshoot. Lu Ke’s first-ever advertising sponsorship shoot was finally over.

Panting as they stood there, Lu Ke and Curry exchanged a look and both burst out laughing. They simultaneously raised their right hands for a celebratory high-five, then both let out a breath, the pressure and burden lifted. They started walking toward the rest area together.

“Are you like this on the team, too? With you around, the locker room atmosphere must be amazing,” Curry said with a laugh as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

For professional athletes, photoshoots are always tough and grueling, and today was no exception. But at least today’s shoot was filled with a pleasant atmosphere that made it enjoyable.

Lu Ke shrugged. “Did you forget? This is my first year. If I acted this smug in the locker room, I’d probably pay for it on the practice field.”

Curry was a third-year player, and the lessons from his rookie season were still vivid in his memory. After Lu Ke’s reminder, he immediately understood and couldn’t help but chuckle. “I forgot. The first year is always tough.”

“Back then, after every practice, we had to stay behind and pick up the towels and jerseys. Some of the older players would deliberately soak their towels in dirty water and throw them in the locker room for us to clean up. God, those memories are still so vivid.” Speaking of his rookie season, Curry was no exception; team pranks were an unavoidable part of it. “Are there any new tricks on football teams?”

“Honestly, these tricks have been passed down all the way from high school and college. I don’t think there’s much difference between football and basketball. Although I always think their pranks are too old-fashioned,” Lu Ke even added a complaint, which made Curry laugh cheerfully.

A flash of inspiration hit Curry, and only then did he realize, “And you’re the first player of Chinese Descent in the NFL, right? If it were the NBA, the situation would be a bit better since Yao from the Rockets has already proven himself, but you still have to face so much doubt and so many challenges—let alone in football.”

“I’m not the first,” Lu Ke said, shaking his head with a smile. “But at the quarterback position, I am.”

Curry held up his hands. “I can’t imagine the pressure you face.”

“I can’t imagine it either.” Lu Ke’s answer made Curry pause, not understanding what he meant. Lu Ke couldn’t help but explain, “The best way to handle pressure is to have the right mindset and ignore it.”

“If even I start to have doubts, questioning whether I can handle the starting position, questioning whether I can do the job of a quarterback, and then start putting pressure on myself, then who else in this world would be able to believe in me?” As he spoke, Lu Ke pursed his lips, then changed his tone. “Well, my parents might be the exception. But my point is, only with enough self-confidence can you face everything calmly.”