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Paul and I were on our school basketball team, The Lions. My favourite player was LeBron James. Paul’s favourite player was Tyrone Bogues, a guy 【小题1】 played for the Charlotte Hornets, although we actually agree that they are both champions.
Bogues was only 1.6 metres tall, which made him the shortest ever player in the NBA. And guess what? Paul was only 1.6 metres tall, too! Paul knew that 【小题2】 (be) shorter than other players meant that he had to practise more. During all those hours of doing jump shots on his own, he used Bogues as his inspiration, Paul once said, “if Bogues could make it, why not me?”
Our coach was not so sure. Paul had to try out many times just for making the team. He was still usually on the bench, being just a replacement, 【小题3】 was really tough on him. Everyone knew Paul had real skills, and was someone who worked really hard and had a strong desire to play for the team. However, Paul didn’t get a chance.
This week, The Lions were playing our main competitors, The Bears, a team 【小题4】 record this season had been perfect. They hadn’t lost a single game. It would be a tough one. Paul didn’t know he’d soon get the chance that he’d been waiting 【小题5】.