Chapter 36: Bruce Li is Truly a Cunning Little Fox
Gibson was far from enjoying the scene where Bruce was basking in the cheers of the entire arena.
His purpose in coming today was to step on Li Zhen's position. He wanted to harvest all the glory of this miracle-making guard in the Pacific Division.
Having decided to participate in the NBA draft this summer, he wanted to gather more attention. He aimed to enter the first round, be selected in the lottery, and secure a four-year guaranteed contract.
He saw today's game as a very good opportunity: taking down Bruce Li was a low-risk high-reward investment. Because it didn't require much effort to easily defeat this skinny guard who had already gathered attention comparable to a super rookie.
So, when the offense transitioned, Gibson dribbled to the top of the three-point line in the frontcourt after two steps. He immediately reached out his hand in a provocative gesture: he wanted to have a one-on-one showdown with Bruce.
This street move made the San Diego basketball arena start to buzz and boil.
No matter when, no matter where, humans always love face-to-face confrontations.
However, most people were worried about Bruce. Their emotions were mostly projected onto Li Zhen. They hoped Li Zhen would win this duel provoked by Gibson, but deep down, they knew that Li Zhen's one-on-one ability was far behind Gibson's.
"Gibson and Bruce are similar in height. However, Gibson's physical strength is undoubtedly higher than Li Zhen's, and his individual offensive ability is also not to be underestimated. So, I do not recommend Bruce to respond to him..."
Draft expert Chad Ford listed various physical data and technical characteristics of the two players, but before he finished speaking, Li Zhen directly went up and stood in front of Gibson.
"Good job, little fox!"
Kenny Smith immediately cheered loudly.
At this moment, Gibson had already started his flashy performance. Under the NCAA rule that allows 30 seconds for a single offense, he had enough time to show off his fancy skills.
He wanted to create enough gimmicks for the audience in front of the TV, fans, scouts, and even the management of major NBA teams to see how he trampled on this miracle child.
He believed that his strength was enough to easily crush Bruce. Little did he know, in Bruce's eyes, his fancy dribbling was nothing special, and it was full of loopholes.
So, when Gibson performed four rapid crossovers in a row, Li Zhen didn't hesitate. He went straight up, and his left hand instantly blocked Gibson's dribbling trajectory. This disrupted Gibson's consecutive movements, and he quickly retreated, trying to stabilize his position.
At the same time, Li Zhen surged forward.
He didn't intend to steal the ball, just hoping that Gibson would pass the ball out in the midst of chaos.
However, when he surged forward, he found that Gibson's basketball was right in front of him. He instinctively reached out his hand, and his body followed his thoughts to twist to a certain extent... Snap!
The basketball was directly slapped down.
This took Bruce by surprise.
But he instinctively continued to step forward, smoothly took the basketball, and launched a lightning-fast assault.
As the wind rushed past his ears, the cheers in the entire arena boiled like boiling water.
Li Zhen felt extremely happy.
It turns out that increased flexibility, larger palm size, and improved speed can do so much. Before, he didn't dare to dream of taking the basketball from the best guard in the Pac-12, and now, it had actually become a reality.
And in the blink of an eye, he had entered the paint.
Whoosh!
Easily scored a layup.
The cheers in the San Diego basketball arena had reached its peak.
They had already liked Bruce, and now, Bruce was mercilessly handling the provocation from Gibson. They couldn't help but feel ecstatic.
"Just look at that amazing wingspan, palm width, and the terrifying flexibility. Our little fox is a natural defender, just like a water snake, he wraps poor Gibson up and effortlessly steals the ball!"
Kenny Smith was full of praise, "What are those NBA teams waiting for? It's time to send scouts to the Stanford campus."
However, Chad Ford still adhered to his judgment criteria. He still believed, "Being able to defend against Gibson doesn't mean he can defend against those physically strong guards in the NBA. Gibson's physicality is not outstanding even in the NCAA, and his left-hand dribbling has never been very good. He's just... a typical shooting guard."
Chad Ford always looked for excuses or advantages for Daniel Gibson.
This made the viewers in front of the TV somewhat resentful. Just based on the first two rounds, they preferred Bruce Li and believed that his performance completely overshadowed the deliberately provocative Daniel Gibson.
In fact, for the scouts in front of the TV and NBA executives, these two rounds were also points for Bruce Li and deductions for Daniel Gibson.
Gibson was clearly aware of this.
He was eager to regain face, so he once again sought a one-on-one with Li Zhen.
Li Zhen continued to defend forward, still entangling. Although this time, he didn't directly complete the steal. But his extremely flexible defense still prevented Gibson from making a shot. Gibson could only pass the ball to Aldridge.
Aldridge swayed at the free-throw line, deceiving Scott's defense just a bit, infiltrating the paint, and taking a jump shot... Swish!
The Longhorns finally scored with their top player.
Turning around, Gibson actively approached Li Zhen.
He wanted to steal Li Zhen's basketball in the same way.
However, it was a pity.
Bruce showed him what a truly magnificent ball-handling was. As Bruce brought the ball in front of him, he continuously changed direction, stretched, and feigned. Finally, with an extremely graceful move, he left his defender behind at the top of the three-point line. Then, he swiftly entered the three-point line. By this point, the cheers in the arena were about to flip the top of the San Diego basketball arena.
Bruce Li was like a magician playing with Gibson. Gibson's steps were completely manipulated and swayed. He was like a marionette, completely lacking any personal initiative!
And at this moment, Bruce had already invaded the free-throw line. This forced PJ Tucker to double-team, and as he did, Li Zhen had already tossed the ball into the air above the restricted area. Frank Benson leaped high, caught the ball with both hands, and fiercely stuffed it into the basket... Boom!
It was another beautiful aerial relay.
The Stanford players on the sidelines were already jumping with excitement, and the fans in the arena had turned the volume up to the max.
This was too exciting!
Bruce Li was simply a magical magician. He controlled all the defensive players, making them constantly make wrong choices.
"What a cunning little fox. Let's take a look at Bruce Li's skilled and cunning dribbling moves. Look, his starting move is a left-hand crossover to the right. How smooth and seamless it is. Although Gibson has an advantage in physical confrontation, he hasn't been able to utilize it. He can only follow the rapid changes. Then... the little fox makes another rightward swing, causing Gibson's center of gravity to shift right again. The next turn is the final blow that pushes his defense to the grave. In fact, at this point, he could have already broken through with a step. However, the cunning little fox delivered another heavy blow to Gibson's center of gravity with a beautiful feint. There was no possibility of tracking anymore... Gibson was completely played in the applause."
Kenny Smith summed it up, "He's just too inferior."
"If I were the general manager of an NBA team, I would definitely choose Bruce Li over Daniel Gibson. What do you think, Chad Ford?"
When Smith threw the question out.
At this moment, even Chatford didn't know what to say. After stammering for a while, he could only say, "Bruce does indeed have outstanding qualities. But if we follow the standard of selecting role players in the NBA, Gibson's strengths are more prominent."
"Why would Bruce want to go to the NBA to play like a role player? He completely plays the role of a controller. I think he can serve as the core point guard in a rotation lineup for a certain team. Here, I want to call out to Phoenix, listen, Steve Kerr, you definitely need him. He can seamlessly integrate into Phoenix's playstyle. Moreover, as Nash gets older, why not find a suitable backup?"
Kenny Smith suddenly started a sales pitch.
One can only wonder which aspect of Bruce he saw potential in.
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