Nie Chuan and his teammates returned to Coach Gordon.
“Well done, everyone,” Coach Gordon clapped his hands. “In the next quarter, Carlo, you need to keep holding off Raven to ensure Nie Chuan has enough time to cut in.”
“Yes, I understand!” Carlo nodded vigorously, though deep down he felt he hadn’t done that well.
Raven had repeatedly broken through Carlo’s defense, making Carlo think that if he could react a bit faster and defend a bit tighter, the score might not have reached double digits.
“Ewin, you’ve spent a lot of effort on ball-handling practice recently. I hope you can show that advantage. You’re not just a mechanical shooter from the three-point line. Get your legs moving!”
“Yes, Coach!” Ewin replied.
“And Heishan, their center is very strong. I need you to pin him down! Can you do it?”
“Of course!”
Chuck, however, lowered his head, feeling like the most invisible person on the court.
Coach Gordon placed his hands on Chuck’s shoulders and said seriously, “Chuck, I need you to look up and meet my eyes!”
Chuck swallowed, lifted his head, and struggled to meet Coach Gordon’s gaze. “Coach…”
“Nie Chuan trusts you, and like me, believes you’re the most capable of playing point guard. Your performance in the last quarter was indeed impressive.”
“Coach… I…” Chuck’s voice trembled.
“Your off-the-ball movement is excellent. If you hadn’t successfully intercepted their point guard and shooting guard, DK wouldn’t have scored so many points. When the next half starts, I want you to keep up this momentum and block their point guard.”
Chuck clenched his fist. “I understand!”
KSU’s point guard is top-notch in the league, and Chuck has done remarkably well to reach this level. His movement is active, and his defense is tight. Nie Chuan has expended a lot of energy in his battles with Raven and Ashley, but Chuck has held on until now.
“Reese, do you have anything to say to Nie Chuan?” Coach Gordon glanced at Reese.
Nie Chuan’s heart seemed to be tugged. He had always hoped Reese would say something to him.
But he was clearly a bit inferior to Raven, and Nie Chuan suddenly didn’t know how to face Reese.
Reese merely extended his hand slightly towards Nie Chuan.
Nie Chuan, as if drawn by an invisible force, walked over and touched Reese’s palm. Reese’s fingers slowly interlaced with Nie Chuan’s, his gaze focused, as if nothing else existed in the world but Nie Chuan.
“Xiao Chuan, if you forget your style, you’ll really be conquered by Raven.”
It was like an ice shard falling into boiling water.
“My style…” Nie Chuan furrowed his brows.
“Speed and explosiveness are indeed key in battles under the basket, but your strengths are something many small forwards don’t have.”
“You mean ball-handling?” Nie Chuan tilted his head.
“I mean the rhythm that belongs to Nie Chuan.” Reese tapped Nie Chuan’s forehead with his finger. “Speed doesn’t decide everything, but being able to accelerate faster than anyone and stop quicker than anyone is your strong point.”
Nie Chuan closed his eyes, replaying the first half’s game scenes in his mind.
Including how Raven and Ashley formed a line to restrict his movements.
Everything became clear.
Raven’s steps, even his stride and dunking distance, appeared frame by frame in Nie Chuan’s mind.
Meanwhile, at the top of the stands, Ben was getting restless. “Ah, I really hope Nie Chuan can give Raven a hard time! I don’t know why, but watching Raven block Nie Chuan three times in a row just makes me feel annoyed!”
“Is it because last season, Raven blocked three of your three-pointers?” Sethston asked with amusement.
“Hmph!” Ben turned his face away. “He only blocked three of my three-pointers, but I scored twenty-seven points in that game!”
“Wasn’t it because I gave you the opportunity?”
“Tch!”
“Right now, Nie Chuan’s scoring ability has been limited by Raven and Ashley’s cooperation. Ashley is responsible for obstructing Nie Chuan’s cuts, while Raven is a mountain blocking the basket. It’s a cage. Trying to forcefully break through will only be counterproductive and consume a lot of energy,” Sethston said.
“So, you have to slip through the cracks of the cage?” Ben winked.
“No, it’s about not letting yourself get trapped in the cage at all.”
The halftime break was almost over, and Reese let go of Nie Chuan’s hand.
“Go on, whether you’re running or stopping, whether you’re scoring with a layup or shooting from afar, I’ll be watching you.”
Reese tilted his head slightly, and Nie Chuan finally understood what Reese meant by “having an army in his eyes.”
Nie Chuan didn’t say “I’m off” or anything like that; he just turned around.
The players took to the court, and the game resumed.
KSU’s point guard charged at Chuck, thinking he could easily shake him off, but Chuck’s defense was patient, slowing him down.
“Pass the ball—” Ashley passed by a teammate, and the point guard passed the ball under Chuck’s arm, catching everyone off guard.
But Nie Chuan intercepted it, suddenly turning and speeding towards KSU’s basket.
The audience craned their necks, surprised that Nie Chuan, who had failed three consecutive layups in the last quarter, seemed unfazed and even calmer than before.
Raven accelerated, running parallel to Nie Chuan. Nie Chuan suddenly sped up, with Raven following closely, not giving him a chance to break through. The tense scene held the audience’s breath.
At the moment Nie Chuan broke through, he suddenly lowered his knee, stopped, and changed direction on the same side, breaking through Raven.
The entire process happened in the blink of an eye.
As Raven turned, Nie Chuan jumped and shot, his release quick but steady.
Raven’s jump was a moment too late, and Nie Chuan had already narrowed the score gap to single digits.
“It seems he’s finally found his rhythm,” Larvin, who had been worried about Nie Chuan, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
This shot boosted DK’s morale, and Raven was determined to suppress this momentum.
He personally took the ball, intending to break through Carlo’s defense, moving at high speed, but Carlo rushed up, blocking Raven’s left side. To maintain speed, Raven passed the ball to Ashley on the right, who was tightly guarded by Nie Chuan, unable to find a scoring opportunity.
To avoid Nie Chuan’s steal, Ashley passed the ball to the point guard, who skillfully dodged Ewin and charged towards the basket, about to score, but Chuck suddenly leaped up, blocking him with unexpected power.
As the ball bounced, Ashley and Nie Chuan both went for it. Ashley got it first, but as he turned, Nie Chuan knocked it out from below.
Carlo caught the ball and passed it to Ewin, who faced the opponent’s point guard and shooting guard’s double defense.
Ewin jumped, the point guard raised a hand to block, Ewin pulled the ball back, stepped back, and then made a shooting motion again. As both the point guard and shooting guard moved to block him, Ewin suddenly sped up, faked a shoulder move, passed through the shooting guard’s other side, and passed the ball to Chuck.
Everyone thought Chuck would pass to Heishan, who had reached the basket, but Chuck passed back to Ewin. At this point, KSU’s point guard and shooting guard had their backs to Ewin, who scored directly.
“It seems DK’s cooperation is getting into the groove! Ewin’s two fake moves just now left a deep impression on me!” Robert applauded.
“Indeed, my impression of Ewin has always been that of a three-point shooting machine. Machines seem accurate, but the court is ever-changing, with too many factors interfering with accuracy. Today, I saw Ewin’s mobility!”
Raven’s gaze turned cold. Just as Chuck was about to launch the next attack, Raven snatched the ball, and DK retreated to defend.
But Raven was determined to score, charging into the basket like a force of nature, leaping up.
Carlo and Heishan jumped to block, almost sealing all gaps.
At that moment, Raven pulled the ball back, sending it out again between Carlo and Heishan’s arms, his body transitioning from tense to relaxed, exuding a pleasing sense of power.
As everyone was immersed in the power of this layup, a figure jumped from behind Carlo and Heishan, arriving later but acting first, blocking the ball just as it was about to be dunked!
Gasps echoed through the basketball arena.
Raven realized it was Nie Chuan who had blocked him.
As Chuck took the ball away, with Ewin’s cover, bypassing Ashley, Nie Chuan finally reacted: Oh my gosh! I actually blocked Raven Harvey!
Reese’s eyebrows slowly lifted, a slight curve forming on his lips.
“Rare to see you smile,” Coach Gordon said.
“Once he finds his rhythm, who can stop him?” Reese retorted.
Coach Gordon chuckled.
At that moment, KSU’s coach used a timeout.
Commentator Engel understood the timeout well: “If I were KSU’s coach, I’d have to adjust the team’s state before DK fully takes control.”
“DK’s cooperation is getting better, and Nie Chuan actually blocked Raven’s layup. Do you think it’s a coincidence or skill?” Espenson asked curiously.
“There are no coincidences on the court. Without enough jumping ability and speed, even if God gave him more chances, he couldn’t have blocked that shot,” Robert said with a smile.
