SOD | Chapter 94

In the final minute before the end of the first quarter, Reese suddenly unleashed his extraordinary speed and breakthrough ability, tearing through Jonathan’s defense. His sudden acceleration and abrupt stop-and-change direction left the crowd in awe.

At the same time, Nie Chuan had finally managed to steal the ball from UJT’s shooting guard, but Manning immediately locked onto him with intense man-to-man defense. Nie Chuan had to be extra careful to maintain a safe distance—once he entered Manning’s defensive range, it would take him far more effort than usual to break free.

Reese knew exactly how Nie Chuan preferred to pass. He moved to Nie Chuan’s right front side and called out loudly:

“Nie Chuan—!”

Jonathan and UJT’s shooting guard rushed in together to defend against Reese.

But Nie Chuan’s bounce pass was textbook perfect—it landed exactly where Manning’s left hand couldn’t reach. The ball shot up, skimming past the waist of UJT’s shooting guard. His arm swung for the ball, but he was a step too late—Reese snatched it away and charged into UJT’s defensive zone.

His speed was terrifying, his hair flowing as he weaved past two defenders, heading straight for the basket.

Nie Chuan shook off Manning with a sharp movement and sprinted after Reese at full speed.

The game, which had been controlled by UJT until now, was suddenly broken wide open.

Cook rushed back to defend, meeting Reese mid-air.

Reese’s expression was icy cold as he stared at Cook, whose hand was nearly above his head.

“At this height, there’s no way he can shoot!”

Sure enough, Reese’s body twisted mid-air—he side-shifted and passed the ball to Nie Chuan!

Nie Chuan was still being tightly marked by Manning. Just then, Heishan appeared beside him.

“Nie Chuan—pass it!”

Nie Chuan’s peripheral vision caught sight of Jonathan rushing in from the side. But still, he sent the ball toward Heishan.

Manning’s knee shifted as he lunged toward the pass’s trajectory.

But Nie Chuan suddenly dribbled behind his back, avoiding Manning’s reach. Then, he stepped back beyond the three-point line.

Only then did Manning realize what Nie Chuan was trying to do. He lunged forward, stretching his arms to block Nie Chuan.

At that moment, Ewin also moved near Nie Chuan’s position.

“Nie Chuan—!”

In the stands, Owen raised an eyebrow.

Are you going to pass it to Ewin, or are you planning to fake him out, shake off Manning, and make your move?

But Nie Chuan did something completely unexpected.

He went for a fadeaway shot.

This ball had been passed to him after Reese broke through UJT’s defense and pulled Cook into the paint—there was no way Nie Chuan could waste it.

At that moment, his mind was crystal clear. The world felt vast, yet all that existed in his focus was the hoop.

Owen leaned forward slightly in his seat. He had a gut feeling—this shot was going in.

Just as Owen predicted, as the ball left Nie Chuan’s fingertips, it followed a beautifully high arc. The audience stretched their necks, their eyes locked on the ball.

Swish!

The sound of the ball sinking into the net rang out—crisp and perfect.

For a brief second, the arena fell silent.

Then—the crowd exploded into cheers!

Nie Chuan landed, stumbling back slightly, but Ewin quickly steadied him with a hand on his back.

“Holy shit! When did you even learn that?” Ewin exclaimed.

Nie Chuan grinned and turned toward Reese.

Reese was still standing under the basket, the corners of his lips curved into a faint smile.

“Can someone tell me—was that shot pure luck, or pure skill?” Engel let out a sigh of admiration.

“But this young black-haired point guard clearly read the court correctly. The Heishan who ran in to assist him was blocked by Jonathan, and if Ewin had received the pass, he would’ve been immediately shut down by UJT’s shooting guard—there would’ve been no way for him to shoot,” Robert nodded as he analyzed.

“Nie Chuan’s shot looked risky, but from his body control in mid-air, it’s obvious he was already mentally prepared for it.” Robert continued nodding. “I can’t help but wonder—if Nie Chuan, who’s always been controlling DK’s pace, suddenly started cutting into the paint and scoring like Reese Reddington, what kind of team would DK become?”

“That’s true—calm passing, calm judgment, and calm scoring. This kid’s performance doesn’t look like it’s his first time in the finals.”

In the stands, Wright blinked and nudged Thomas with his elbow.

“Hey, Thomas… That had to be a fluke, right? Back when we practiced with DK… Allen—he didn’t have this move, did he?”

Thomas wasn’t too sure either. “If it was just luck, then why did that shot look so effortless?”

“It wasn’t luck.” Owen spoke coolly.

“Huh?”

“Fadeaway shots are Reese Reddington’s specialty.” Owen’s voice was unwavering. “He doesn’t use them often, but whenever he does, he never misses. And since he’s been training his little pet, I’d say he’s probably put a lot of effort into it.”

Wright sighed. “Owen, I’m telling you—stop calling Allen ‘little pet’. If he hears you, he’s gonna chuck a basketball at your face.”

Back on the court, DK had wrestled back control of the game from UJT.

Nie Chuan took possession of the ball.

With just ten seconds left in the quarter, he raced toward UJT’s basket.

His speed was terrifying, and DK’s players rushed up alongside him.

UJT scrambled to position themselves, trying to predict Nie Chuan’s next move.

This time, Manning and UJT’s shooting guard closed in from the left and right, pressing toward Nie Chuan.

But at that exact moment, Nie Chuan dropped his knee, stopped abruptly, and the two defenders shot past him, completely missing their mark.

Nie Chuan curled his lips into a smirk and flicked the ball toward his right rear side.

Ewin caught it, took two steps back, and landed himself at the three-point line.

UJT’s center, Cook, rushed up to block, but Carlo positioned himself firmly in front of him, refusing to give an inch.

Ewin jumped, releasing the shot much faster than before.

Just as the audience was about to comment on how Ewin didn’t need to rush the shot, the ball smoothly swished through the net.

Ewin turned to Carlo, raising his chin slightly. His lips formed the words: Thanks.

With that, the quarter ended.

DK had successfully broken free from UJT’s control and was now leading by four points.

Everyone returned to their seats.

Nie Chuan tilted his head back, gulping down water. He glanced sideways at Reese, who remained calm and composed.

Thinking about Reese’s earlier breakthroughs and drives, Nie Chuan felt like this guy was just unbelievably cool.

Nie Chuan chuckled, but just as he did, Reese reached out and messed up his hair.

“Don’t laugh while drinking water. You’ll choke.”

“I won’t—” Nie Chuan barely got the words out before he actually choked, breaking into a coughing fit.

“Hahaha! Nie Chuan, should we prepare a baby bottle for you next time?” Carlo cackled heartlessly.

“Do you have a screw loose?” Ewin frowned.

Carlo instinctively shielded the back of his head, expecting a smack, but Ewin didn’t hit him. Instead, he simply said coolly,

“You’re already dumb enough. If I hit you again, you might turn completely brain-dead.”

Meanwhile, the commentators were engaged in heated discussion.

Robert was thoroughly impressed by the game.

“So far, both teams have played at an exceptionally high level. UJT’s defense versus DK’s breakthroughs—this is truly a battle between spear and shield.”

“DK currently leads UJT by four points,” Espenson commented. “While this kind of lead can provide a psychological advantage, we all know that in basketball, nothing is certain until the final moment.”

Espenson turned to Engel.

“Engel, what are your thoughts?”

“I’m wondering how ‘Old Sparrow’ is going to adjust UJT’s strategy in the next quarter,” Engel mused. “It’s obvious that relying solely on zone defense won’t be enough to stop DK’s offense. UJT needs to make some changes.”

Robert and Espenson both nodded in agreement.

The Second Half Begins

To Nie Chuan’s surprise, Manning was no longer guarding him.

Instead, he rushed straight toward the basket.

UJT’s small forward, Jonathan, charged into DK’s free-throw area, leaping up for a jump shot.

But Reese was already there.

No one even saw when he moved.

SMACK!

Reese swatted the ball away with an explosive block.

But this block didn’t slow down UJT’s offense.

Just as Carlo reached out to grab the ball, UJT’s point guard got there first, snatching it away.

“That was some damn good off-the-ball movement,” Owen murmured, resting his chin in his hand.

Nie Chuan rushed in to defend UJT’s point guard.

But before he could close in, the ball was already passed to UJT’s shooting guard.

The shooting guard jumped for a shot—Ewin lunged up to contest it, but he was just a fraction too late.

The ball sank cleanly into the net.

DK’s lead was down to just one point.

The flawless execution of UJT’s offense drew a round of applause.

“It looks like UJT is abandoning man-to-man defense and shifting to full-on offense,” one commentator noted.

“Obviously,” another replied. “What, were they gonna just sit around and wait for DK to hand them points?”

“Actually, don’t you think UJT’s conservative first-half strategy was intentional? They were slowing down DK, keeping the point gap small, so they could explode in the second half and decide the game here.”

Even Nie Chuan could feel it.

If not for Reese constantly disrupting UJT’s connections, cutting down their scoring opportunities, DK would have already fallen way behind by now.

Nie Chuan let out a deep breath and glanced at the scoreboard.

45-49.

Just three minutes into the quarter, and UJT had not only made up the deficit, they had even taken the lead.

He had to do something.

He couldn’t let UJT keep dictating the pace.

More than that, Reese was covering a lot of ground, burning through his stamina.

If possible, Nie Chuan wanted Reese to save his energy for the final three minutes, when they could completely crush UJT.

Of course, that was only possible if DK could maintain the lead until then.

Manning, Jonathan, and Cook were all exceptional players.

But in terms of individual strength, they weren’t on the level of Owen or Larvin.

So why was DK struggling so much against them?

Because of their movement.

Off-the-ball movement was crucial in basketball.

Every player knew this, but most focused more on individual skill rather than positioning for the best pass reception.

It wasn’t that DK was bad at it—it was just that today, they had run into a team that was even better at it.

What should I do?

Nie Chuan felt like he had no space to make a difference.

At that moment, Coach Gordon called a timeout.

The entire stadium was surprised.

Engel commented, “DK almost never calls timeouts mid-game.”

“They had no choice,” Robert responded. “Once UJT went into full offensive mode, DK completely lost control. If they don’t reset now, they won’t get another chance to turn things around.”

As soon as they stopped running, Nie Chuan suddenly felt exhausted.

He had never felt this way before—not even since entering the regular season.

It felt like no matter what he did, it wasn’t enough.

Engel turned to Robert.

“What do you think DK needs to do to regain control?”

Robert rubbed his chin.

“Reese Reddington has actually been in rhythm this whole time. He’s probably the only DK player who hasn’t been thrown off by UJT. So, I’m looking forward to seeing if he can lead DK out of this mess.”

“But if DK really wants to turn the game around, just having Reese won’t be enough,” he added. “Reese is great at cutting in and disrupting.

“But if UJT is an artist, then Reese is just a critic.

“He can react to UJT, but he can’t get ahead of them.

“DK needs someone to create a new rhythm for this game.”

Coach Gordon’s expression was serious.

He didn’t blame anyone.

He simply looked at Reese and said,

“You and Allen know each other best. I trust you know exactly what to say to make him realize what he needs to do.”

Nie Chuan froze.

Did I do something wrong?

Everyone turned to look at him.

The weight of their gazes felt overwhelming.

Reese walked up to him and pulled his head against his chest, his voice cool and steady.

“Don’t overthink it.”

“Coach Gordon isn’t saying you did anything wrong.

“He’s saying… you’re the key to victory.”

Nie Chuan closed his eyes, his hands naturally hanging by his sides. Yet, in that moment, he could clearly hear the strong, steady rhythm of Reese’s heartbeat.

“Xiao Chuan.”

“Mm?”

“Do you think your opponent is the ball, or the people?”

“Of course, it’s the people.”

“Then stop chasing the ball blindly.”

At that moment, all the sounds around him seemed to fade away.

Only Reese’s voice remained.

Just that one simple sentence, and Nie Chuan’s mind became unbelievably clear.

“I understand now.”

As the game restarted, Nie Chuan stepped away from Reese’s embrace and walked back onto the court.

“Whoa, did you see that? Reese was hugging Nie Chuan just now! It looked like he was comforting him?”

“I used to think DK’s Reese was completely cold and indifferent, but I guess even he knows how to comfort people!”

Nie Chuan let out a deep breath.

Because of that one embrace from Reese, he was now the center of attention.

UJT’s point guard brought the ball up again, initiating their attack.

Jonathan positioned himself at Nie Chuan’s left front, while Manning lurked at his right rear side.

But Nie Chuan didn’t charge forward to immediately stop the point guard.

Instead, he stepped back slightly, forming a front-and-back defensive formation with Reese.

He knew that if Jonathan received the ball at the left front, Reese was there to lock him down—there was no way Jonathan would get an easy drive to the basket.

All Nie Chuan had to do—was shut down UJT’s point guard.