UDK had already secured their victory in the game.
However, USN had not given up. They continued to defend tenaciously, looking for opportunities to score. Their speed was even faster than before.
Carlo’s pass to Ewin was intercepted by USN’s small forward. Nie Chuan rushed to block, but the ball was passed on before he arrived. USN’s teamwork shone through, and even with Nie Chuan’s speed, all he could do was give chase. He and Reese set up defense in the three-second area, repeatedly blocking USN’s attacks, but USN kept trying again.
This was a case of “one wave subsides, another rises.”
The pace of the game intensified. Robert commented, “Although USN doesn’t have standout scorers like Reese or Ewin, their team chemistry is high. Basketball isn’t a one-on-one duel, off-the-ball movement is very important.”
Nie Chuan drove toward USN’s interior, but their quick defense made it hard for him to find a good entry point. If he hesitated too long, he risked a violation for holding the ball too long, so he passed it to Reese. Reese dodged past two players and faced the opposing team’s power forward and center at the basket.
How would he get through? That was the question on every fan’s mind.
Under the watchful eyes of many, Reese leaped up, but USN’s power forward and center had a slight height advantage and good jumping ability. Reese, in mid-air, seemed to go for a hook shot.
The spectators tensed up, and the commentators awaited whether this shot would score.
But with a flick of his wrist, Reese sent the ball back to Nie Chuan. Everyone thought Nie Chuan would go for a layup, but instead, he stepped back to create a safe distance from the defenders. As another defender rushed over, Nie Chuan made a quick bounce pass to Black Mountain, who was waiting under the basket.
Black Mountain caught the ball and, instead of trying to move inside, he jumped up and shot from where he stood.
“Oh—Black Mountain with the shot!” Engri was surprised.
In his view, this center’s scoring was supposed to be under the basket, but Black Mountain scored confidently from a standstill.
He clenched his fist and let out a roar towards Nie Chuan.
After a moment of quiet, applause erupted again.
Nie Chuan, smiling, moved back into position. Everyone thought of Black Mountain only as a dominator under the basket, but Nie Chuan would never forget how seriously he took his shooting practice.
USN quickly regrouped; they did not switch to man-to-man defense against UDK but continued with a team-wide zone defense.
Facing such opponents filled Nie Chuan with respect; no matter how dire the situation, no matter how distant victory seemed, they kept trying their best every second. Nie Chuan and Reese together broke through their defense, maintaining high-quality scoring in the final minute of the game.
UDK smoothly advanced to the top 32.
Nie Chuan and the USN players shook hands in farewell.
A year of effort ended there; some of USN’s players bowed their heads, covering their eyes with their hands.
They had given their all. Nie Chuan stood at a respectful distance, not approaching to console them, but he felt a deep admiration for USN.
USN’s point guard came over, extending his hand: “Hey, man, you guys won against our team. Since you beat us, you have to win it all. Don’t let us down.”
“Of course.” Nie Chuan nodded seriously.
The three commentators also started to review and comment on the game.
“Honestly, this game was a surprise. It was USN’s solid defense that forced UDK to give their all, resulting in such an exciting match. But UDK’s next game will not be easy; they will face this tournament’s dark horse, UJT,” Espenson had already received the results of another match.
“We can set aside the next match for now and talk about this one first,” Engri coughed. “Robert, why not analyze today’s winners, UDK, from a professional standpoint?”
“There’s a lot to say. The wisest thing USN did as UDK’s opponents was not to adopt a one-on-one tactic. Some teams, when pushed to desperation, might opt for one-on-one offense and defense, but it’s clear that UDK’s players all perform at a first-rate league level. Reese Reddington can sharply penetrate their core, and their point guard, the black-haired kid named ‘Nie Chuan,’ also has the ability to break through multiple people. USN’s defense line was easily torn apart. However, USN concentrated their defensive focus inside the three-second area, enhancing their defense strength. Unfortunately, such passive defense couldn’t withstand UDK’s active attacks. UDK’s point guard linked the entire area from under the basket to the three-point line, with the offensive formation constantly changing, no fixed angles for cuts. Reese Reddington’s strong scoring ability, Ewin’s long-range shooting, and Carlo and Black Mountain’s control under the basket were all too much for USN to handle. USN did well; it’s just a pity they met UDK in their first game.”
“Let’s wait and see if UDK is indeed the awakened king.”
The game ended, and Nie Chuan followed the team back to the bus.
Along the way were cheering fans; wherever Nie Chuan went, he could hear the sound of camera shutters. Nie Chuan wasn’t sure if they were photographing him or the entire team.
As he sat down, his knees were still shaking.
“Reese… this was my first finals game… We won, right?” Nie Chuan asked uncertainly.
“Yes, we won. And you played a huge part,” Reese reassured him, pulling Nie Chuan’s head to rest on his shoulder.
Nie Chuan closed his eyes and smiled.
“It’s so strange, I was super nervous before going on. Once the game started, I wasn’t nervous anymore. But now that it’s over, why am I suddenly nervous again?”
“Because you know the opponents will only get stronger. Next time, it won’t be so easy to win,” Reese explained.
Nie Chuan exhaled. “So that’s how it is!”
Despite the pressure, deep inside, he began to look forward to it unknowingly.
Returning to school, from the moment the basketball team’s bus entered the campus, they were met with enthusiastic fans.
Nie Chuan looked out the window and immediately saw a girl with her arms wide open, her chest emblazoned with the words in Chinese: “I love you, Nie Chuan!”
Nie Chuan was stunned; he had never imagined that one day he would have such passionate fans!
A hand came over, blocking his view.
“Get off the bus.”
Nie Chuan realized that his behavior of staring at the girl had annoyed Reese. Coach Gordon started the post-game review, revisiting the match that had just concluded.
“We’ve beaten USN, which isn’t surprising because that’s the level we’re at. They’re not a seed team. But as we go further, our opponents will only get stronger. It’s a process of climbing to the top of the pyramid. Everyone wants that spot, but most will be pushed out,” Coach Gordon said, looking towards Nie Chuan.
Nie Chuan held his gaze steadily. He knew Coach Gordon’s concerns; among the five main players, he was the only one participating in the league finals for the first time.
“Against USN, we were flawless. But our next game will be against UJT. Their head coach, nicknamed ‘Old Sparrow,’ is an old rival of mine. Last year, he was the head coach for the CBU team that made it to the semifinals. This year, he’s with UJT, and I believe there must be some very talented players in this school’s team that attracted him. UJT didn’t even make it to the top 64 last year. But seeing how UJT has performed in the regular season this year, I’m really worried for our team, DK.”
As soon as Coach Gordon finished speaking, the joy of advancing to the top 32 quickly faded among the team members.
The assistant coaches played footage of UJT’s last regular season game. Within the first minute, they controlled the pace of the game with their speed, overpowering their opponent.
Nie Chuan frowned; from UJT getting the ball to scoring, it only took four to five seconds. Their defense was also incredibly fast.
Of course, speed was just one of their advantages, and Nie Chuan didn’t feel he couldn’t break through their defense.
He noticed their power forward, Manning, who was not only tall but also as agile as Carlo. During the game, a well-known shooter in the regional league was tightly guarded by Manning and managed only five points. A shooter shut down like that was a significant blow.
“Reese, you should be quite familiar with Manning, right?” Coach Gordon’s gaze shifted to Reese. “I remember he went to the same high school as you.”
“Yes. He used to be a hurdler. Great explosiveness and speed, discovered by the coach back then and recruited into our high school basketball team. He’s very quick to react, and defense is his strength,” Reese replied.
Nie Chuan reassessed Manning’s capabilities. If Reese said he had “great explosiveness and speed,” then Manning was probably even better than “great.”
Carlo elbowed Ewin playfully, saying with a bit of schadenfreude, “It’s over for you, Ewin. With his defense, can you score more than five points?”
Ewin’s mood was already a bit down, but he elbowed Carlo back hard, “What if I score fifteen points?”
“I’ll clean your shoes,” Carlo responded.
“Forget cleaning, just lick my shoes,” Ewin pointed to his shoe tips.
Everyone laughed, but it wasn’t really funny.
Nie Chuan knew Ewin was actually very nervous. He gently tapped Ewin’s shoulder with his fist, and Ewin turned his face to mouth at Nie Chuan: Don’t worry, I’ll score fifteen points.
Fifteen points—that’s five three-pointers. Ewin was really bold.
Nie Chuan touched his nose.
“Besides power forward Manning, there’s also their small forward Jonathan. His cutting ability is on par with Reese, and he’s the soul of UJT’s speed. Nie Chuan, I need you to control his speed to create scoring opportunities for Reese and Ewin. Also, Nie Chuan, I must remind you, in the game against UJT, the paint is not your domain.”
Nie Chuan was stunned; this was the first time Coach Gordon had explicitly told him not to do something.
Coach Gordon turned around, fast-forwarded the game footage. UJT’s guard passed the ball to their forward, who then passed it to their center. The passing was tightly coordinated and difficult to intercept. The center, a very tall guy, jumped up and dunked with both hands, two opponents leaped to block but were forcefully dunked on, one stumbled on landing and the other sat straight down on the floor.
The rim shook violently as if it were about to break.
Not just Nie Chuan, but other teammates also frowned as if the dunk had been on their own heads.
The referee didn’t blow the whistle; it was a fair collision.
Nie Chuan could imagine if he went under the basket to block that guy, he’d probably be knocked flying… His whole body ached just thinking about it.
“That’s UJT’s center, Cook. Heimont, I need you to be very careful with this guy,” Coach Gordon’s finger pointed towards Heimont.
Heimont nodded vigorously.
“And Carlo, even though you made a bet with Ewin, I still have a very important task for you. If UJT’s power forward Manning really comes to guard Ewin one-on-one, I need you to support Ewin well. We absolutely cannot let that power forward Manning defeat our perimeter scoring ability!” Coach Gordon’s finger jabbed the air, making no sound yet feeling very forceful.
Carlo’s expression turned serious.
“Coach, even if you hadn’t said this to me, I wouldn’t let Ewin fight alone,” Carlo glanced sideways at Ewin.
“Hmph!” Ewin crossed his arms and turned his head away.
They continued to watch the entire game.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Nie Chuan was stirred by UJT’s outstanding performance; he really wanted to jump into the game and compete against them.
UJT was a combination of speed and strength.
When Nie Chuan and Reese returned to the dorm, Nie Chuan couldn’t wait to open his computer and search for previous game footage of UJT. They had been impressive in the regular season, cutting down many former finalists.
Indeed, they were the dark horse.
