Bab 66: Who Are We Fighting For?
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He needed someone to penetrate the Bulldogs' defense by running the ball and forcing the defense to change its shape. But unfortunately, the Hokies didn't have a player of that caliber on their roster. They could only rely on long shots that depended on touch and sporadic defensive mistakes by the Bulldogs to score.
In turn, the Hokies' double-team on Curry gave the rest of the Bulldogs many easy shots, many of which were wide open. Although Curry didn't score many points, he made 7 assists in the 15 minutes he was on the court and also had many assists where he passed the ball to his teammates and then assisted others.
He was quite unhappy with the situation, but he led his teammates through clever passes, making the team's offense flourish. By the end of the first half, the score was 45:29, with the Bulldogs leading the Hokies by 16 points and entering halftime with a substantial advantage.
Looking at Liam on the other side of the technical desk, Salingborg's eyes were full of envy. It was great to have a player like Curry who could attract most of the opponent's defensive attention when he was on the court.
"Seth, the Bulldogs' offense is very cohesive. Do you think we should try to defend Curry alone first?" suggested the assistant coach next to Salingborg. He really couldn't stand it anymore. The other players on the Bulldogs had good shooting abilities; if they were allowed to shoot again, the Hokies would simply surrender in the second half.
"No, we have to continue to double-team Curry!" Salingborg shook his head slowly, his voice very firm. He knew better than anyone that this game would be decided here, as the overall strength of the Hokies was far behind that of the Bulldogs.
But reaching the round of 16 was enough for him to accomplish his mission and to silence those on the board of directors. He could accept losing to Butler University, but he couldn't accept losing to Curry. By allowing others to score, it could be said that Butler University players were stronger overall. If Curry scored high and led the team to win the game, wouldn't that be a slap in his face?
In short, the game could be lost, but Curry must be stopped!
During the halftime break, Salingborg once again emphasized the importance of double-teaming Curry: "You must spare no effort to put pressure on Curry! You did a good job in the first half and limited his performance. Otherwise, we wouldn't be trailing by 16 points. Keep up the good work in the second half!"
The Hokies players nodded solemnly, especially Zabian and Harmon. In the past two days, some media had dug up that Curry was rejected by Virginia Tech because of them, which caused ridicule from Curry fans online, making both feel very aggrieved. We didn't even know who Stephen Curry was at the time, so what does that have to do with us? We must guard Curry!
In the home team's locker room, except for Curry, who was a little depressed, everyone else was chatting and laughing in a relaxed manner. This game was too easy for them. On the defensive end, they rotated according to the tactics in training, and on the offensive end, they ran according to the routine, which naturally led to opportunities for open shots. It was not much different from a training game.
No, there was still a difference. If you weren't on the same team with Curry and Butler in the training game, it would be difficult to win. From this perspective, this was still simpler than a training match.
Liam stood at the front of the crowd, looking at the tactical board in his hand but found that there was nothing to say. If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move either. Now the team has the advantage, and no changes are needed. Then let's drink some chicken soup as the last insurance for winning.
Clap, clap, clap! He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention, and said with a smile: "Do you know the significance of this game?"
"I know! As long as we win, we can break the best record in history!" Julian Beko shouted loudly. He also got a considerable amount of playing time in the first half, scoring 6 points on 2 shots and was in a good mood.
"Julian is right, but is that all?" Liam nodded approvingly and looked around the locker room. Everyone looked at each other hesitantly and shook their heads.
Liam pointed in the direction of Curry: "Look at Stephen's expression."
The players looked over and saw Curry slumped in a chair with a towel on his head like a turban, chewing on his braces dejectedly.
"Have you forgotten? We are playing in Charlotte, Stephen's hometown! The head coach of the Hodges team once shut Stephen out. This game is not only to break history but also to vent Stephen's anger! So... who are we fighting for?" Liam said.
"Fight for the Bulldogs!" Drew shouted subconsciously.
"Hmm?" Liam glanced at him.
"Fight for... for Stephen!" Drew quickly changed his words.
Liam smiled and said: "Very good. Since they didn't allow Stephen to have a chance to score, let's try another way to let them know what kind of player they missed..."
The 15-minute halftime break passed quickly, and the starting players from both sides returned to the field as the game continued.
The Bulldogs attacked, and as soon as Curry reached the frontcourt, he was double-teamed by Zabian and Harmon. He passed the ball to Graves, who took the ball and ignored Jeff Allen, who came over from the baseline to defend, and took a three-pointer!
The basketball almost brushed past Jeff Allen's fingertips, hit the front of the basket, bounced twice, and then fell into the basket.
Coming back, the Hokies' offense failed, the rebound was protected by Drew, and Curry took advantage of the situation to push for a fast break. But Zabian had been paying attention to his movements and immediately stopped him in front of him, preventing him from speeding up.
Curry caught a glimpse of Jeff Allen coming over to double-team him, so he dribbled the ball to the sideline, giving the two players a perfect opportunity to double-team him. He then jumped up and threw the ball to the middle.
Butler followed from behind to the frontcourt and took the basketball. At this time, Jeff Allen, who was supposed to defend Curry, double-teamed him. There was no one defending in front of him, so he could easily rush into the inside and dunk.
But Butler stopped immediately after receiving the ball and shot a three-pointer!
Swish! The basketball went into the net, and even the Bulldogs fans in the stadium were stunned for a moment before they reacted. Only a few people applauded. No one expected that Butler would take a three-pointer in an unguarded fast break.
Liam on the sidelines was not dissatisfied with Butler's shot at all. Instead, he gave him a thumbs up: "Jimmy, well done!" This was the tactic he arranged during the halftime break—everyone should try to shoot directly after receiving the pass from Curry and give Curry assists.
Liam turned to look at Salingborg and smiled coldly. Today, I will show you what the new era of organizing point guards is!
End of this chapter
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