Nie Chuan clenched his fist.
Because of Raven’s dunk, KSU’s momentum surged. Their small forward, Ashley, quickly dribbled into DK’s area, with Raven already charging under the basket. His positioning was so strong that he pushed Heishan to the outer circle.
Nie Chuan quickly followed on defense. Ashley’s footwork was deceptive, his body swaying so much that the audience could hardly follow his direction.
But despite such unpredictable steps, Nie Chuan stuck close.
Ashley had the illusion that Nie Chuan was somehow tethered to him, no matter how he tried to shake him off.
Just as he attempted a forced breakthrough, the audience only saw Nie Chuan’s wrist flick, and Ashley’s ball was already intercepted by Nie Chuan’s sharp turn, reversing the situation abruptly.
Nie Chuan’s speed was incredible, and the audience’s emotions rose with him, but Nie Chuan felt nothing. He only knew he had to make a layup as fast as possible, or Raven would soon overtake him with his speed.
“His stealing ability and speed are his weapons as a small forward!” Robert, a veteran of the NBA, exclaimed.
The steal just now was so brilliant that many people only felt Nie Chuan’s moves were too smooth, but they didn’t see how he did it.
However, Raven, with unmatched speed, caught up, from DK’s area to inside KSU’s three-point line, like a cheetah determined to catch its prey.
Nie Chuan finally reached the basket, raising his hand to dunk.
“Watch out—” Carlo’s shout came.
Nie Chuan could keenly feel the air vibrating behind him. He gritted his teeth, forcibly turning his body, catching a glimpse of Raven’s figure.
This guy was just too fast!
Just as Nie Chuan was about to retract his hand for the layup, Ewin had already come to assist. At the moment when Nie Chuan’s body was almost turned away from Raven, Raven used his other hand to slam the ball down hard.
“Whoa—” The audience gasped.
Nie Chuan’s heart felt like it was splitting; he had lost the ball.
Raven landed, hooked the ball with his long arm, and counterattacked with his formidable speed.
Nie Chuan had no time to hesitate and chased after him, running desperately, but was intercepted outside the three-second area by small forward Ashley again, only able to watch Raven break through Ewin and Chuck’s defense and clash with Carlo.
Nie Chuan faked a shoulder shake and accelerated, but Ashley remained in front of him. After a sudden stop and a probing step, he finally broke through Ashley with a bold shoulder shake.
Carlo, using his sharp movements, joined Heishan to block Raven’s path to the basket, but Raven was no ordinary player. Before Nie Chuan could arrive, he used a fake move that almost made Heishan collide with Carlo, then circled to the other side.
Nie Chuan caught up, thinking Raven would go straight for the basket, but Raven shot directly!
Nie Chuan jumped with all his might to intercept, and Heishan and Carlo also rushed up, but it was too late. The ball hit the rim and bounced up.
Raven, as if knowing his shot wouldn’t go in, had already leaped up before Heishan and Carlo, slamming the rebounded ball into the basket in one fluid motion.
The audience erupted in wild cheers.
Nie Chuan frowned. If Raven kept up this speed, Nie Chuan wondered how many could keep up.
In the stands, Owen squinted his eyes: “Raven Harvey is wary of Nie Chuan.”
“Wary of Nie Chuan? Really? This is Nie Chuan’s first time in an offensive role,” teammate Thomas asked, puzzled.
“Because he knows Nie Chuan’s speed and defensive ability, if he went straight to the basket, Nie Chuan might steal the ball during the process. So he shot directly. If he scores, great. If not, he draws Heishan and Carlo away from the basket, allowing him to catch the rebound and dunk,” Owen analyzed.
“So that’s it…” Thomas nodded, “But even if he’s wary of Nie Chuan, Raven needs strong skills to execute that aerial dunk.”
“Mm-hmm.” Owen nodded.
Leaning against the railing, Ben elbowed Sethston: “Still think this game is boring?”
Sethston tilted his head and smiled: “That black-haired kid is more capable than I thought. But it’s still tough for DK to beat KSU.”
“Why?”
“To keep up with Raven’s speed, you need the same stamina and endurance. That kid’s still a bit lacking.”
The game, only ten minutes in, had already turned into a fierce battle, with Nie Chuan’s nerves stretched to the breaking point.
KSU’s shooting guard got the ball, and Ewin quickly shot, disrupting the opponent’s shot. Heishan fought for the rebound with the opponent’s center, snatching it and passing long to Chuck, intending to launch a fast break.
But before the ball reached Chuck, Raven intercepted it.
The audience let out a cry, and Nie Chuan had to chase Raven while shaking off Ashley’s defense, the dual pressure multiplying his fatigue.
If Reese were on the court, I could just focus on controlling the ball…
Nie Chuan instinctively looked toward Reese on the sidelines.
At that moment, it was as if Reese saw through his thoughts, an invisible force crushing Nie Chuan’s heart, making him feel ashamed.
How can I keep relying on Reese?
This isn’t just Nie Chuan’s game; it’s his and Reese’s game. If they can’t break through, there’s no future!
Nie Chuan flexed his wrist, and the game continued. Carlo tightly marked Raven, causing him great pressure. Nie Chuan, slipping through Ashley’s gap, received Chuck’s pass, accelerated again, and smoothly broke through the opponent’s point guard and shooting guard, ready to attack KSU’s basket.
I have to be faster, faster than before, or Raven will catch up!
Nie Chuan gritted his teeth, sprinting at full speed. Carlo tried to block Raven for Nie Chuan, but Raven deftly spun away from Carlo.
Nie Chuan reached the basket, and as he went for the layup, the opponent’s center jumped to block.
His height was much greater than Nie Chuan’s, creating immense pressure.
But Nie Chuan remained calm, his shooting motion unwavering. He sidestepped, avoiding the opponent’s arm, aiming to send the ball through the opponent’s neck into the basket.
As Robert marveled at Nie Chuan’s hang time, a “bang—” was heard, and the ball was slapped away by the leaping Raven.
“Oh… my god…” Larvin in the stands covered his face.
This shot, despite Nie Chuan’s speed and skill being at their peak, couldn’t get past Raven.
Carlo, not far away, also showed a regretful expression and quickly returned to defense.
“Raven’s speed is too fast. Although Nie Chuan wants to avoid clashing with him under the basket, the area from the three-second zone to the basket remains Raven’s blocking territory,” Coach Gordon pursed his lips. “Small forward Ashley’s presence is indeed a stumbling block for Nie Chuan. And Raven has been controlling the game’s rhythm… I’m wondering if we should let Peter play small forward and have Nie Chuan return to point guard…”
“No need,” Reese said calmly.
“Are you sure?” Coach Gordon raised an eyebrow. “Nie Chuan has been blocked by Raven twice. If he’s blocked a third time, it will put immense mental pressure on him. I think that’s Raven’s goal. Shouldn’t we avoid such a result?”
“Avoiding doesn’t change reality,” Reese’s eyes never left Nie Chuan. “And the more pressure he gets, the greater his rebound.”
At that moment, Nie Chuan drove into KSU’s basket, stirring the audience’s emotions.
Commentator Engel excitedly said, “I wonder if he can score this time?”
Nie Chuan made a jump shot pose, very realistic, a standard shooting preparation. Ashley reached out to intercept, but Nie Chuan suddenly pulled the ball back, ducking past him, facing Raven. This time he passed to Carlo, but Raven didn’t go to guard Carlo; he kept his eyes on Nie Chuan.
With Raven in front and Ashley behind, Nie Chuan felt an urge to forcefully knock them over.
Carlo passed to Ewin, who was heavily guarded and passed to Heishan. Heishan, ready to dunk, was almost blocked by the opponent’s center.
In that instant, Nie Chuan made a quick fake move, unexpectedly passing Raven. Heishan retrieved the ball and passed to Nie Chuan, who jumped to shoot!
I must score!
Raven indeed came to intercept, his jumping ability astonishing. Nie Chuan turned his body, changing the angle of his wrist, and just as the ball was about to be pushed into the basket, Raven knocked it away at the last moment.
The audience let out disappointed sighs.
At that moment, Nie Chuan’s tears almost fell.
He landed unsteadily, nearly sitting on the ground.
Ashley caught the ball and quickly headed to DK’s area, passing to his shooting guard, who made a shot, widening the score gap to double digits!
The quarter finally ended.
Nie Chuan was breathing heavily.
His fatigue felt like he had finished the entire game, not just one quarter.
“Even though DK is trailing KSU by eleven points, for some reason, this game feels high quality,” Espenson commented.
“Nie Chuan’s performance as a small forward is also excellent. If KSU didn’t have Raven, I have no doubt he would have scored at least fifteen points in the first half.”
