Capítulo 42: Changing the Lineup
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At this moment, the University of Florida maintained their "Four Youngsters" lineup, complemented by Humphrey. This was their secret weapon and the foundation of their confidence in sweeping the NCAA tournament. However, since the start of the half, the Bulldogs had altered their strategy.
Liam decided to replace Campbell with Julian Beko.
Upon seeing this change and noticing that Curry remained on the court without resting, Donovan raised his eyebrows in surprise. He glanced over at Liam, who sat calmly on the sidelines, seemingly unfazed by Florida closing in on the score.
"How dare he remove a big man and put in a forward-guard swingman?" Donovan thought. "Butler can't defend Al and Joakim, so wouldn't the defense in the restricted area really become paper-mâché?"
Donovan couldn't understand Liam's approach. In his basketball philosophy, whoever controls the inside controls the game. He would never arrange the lineup like this.
After thinking for a while in confusion, Donovan suddenly shook his head and laughed. Why bother with these things? The opponent made a move he perceived as a mistake, so he should take advantage of it.
He made a gesture to the court. After seeing it, Taurean Green, who was always paying attention to the coach's movements, ran to Horford and whispered something in his ear.
In Florida University's next offense, Horford easily took the ball and beat Julian Beko at the power forward position, making a hook shot in the low post.
Donovan smiled slightly and said, "Since you've revealed your weakness, don't blame me for targeting you."
Basketball is essentially a sport of finding open positions or mismatches. Liam had taken the initiative to set up mismatched defense, and Donovan naturally didn't hold back.
50:49, Florida University surpassed the Bulldogs for the first time after trailing for most of the game!
Looking back, the Bulldogs attacked. Curry held the ball and played pick-and-roll, with Drew screening for him. Noah went directly to the three-point line, not giving Curry space to shoot.
Curry passed the ball to Drew, who turned to attack the basket. But Horford came up to assist at the right time, blocking Drew's position and making him extremely uncomfortable.
That's how Horford defends—being in the right place at the right time.
He doesn't have violent blocks or elusive steals, but he positions himself well and nips any threat to the basket in the bud.
Drew did not act recklessly. Without looking back, he passed the ball to the weak side at a 45-degree angle and rushed to the basket to grab the rebound.
Julian Beko waited outside the three-point line as Liam had instructed, received the pass from Drew, and took the shot.
Swish!
Drew squeezed Horford to the basket but had no chance to grab the rebound as the basketball went into the net.
50:52, the score rose alternately.
In the next round, Horford still backed up to Julian Beko in the low post. This shot didn't go in, but it caused Julian Beko to foul, and Horford made two free throws.
52:52, the two teams were tied for the first time since the start of the game.
The Bulldogs attacked. Curry broke through Brewer, went inside to attract help defense, and passed the ball to AJ Graves who was left open. The latter took the ball and shot a three-pointer, which bounced off the rim!
52:55.
In the subsequent plays, Horford took on the offensive burden for Florida University. He continued to single out Julian Beko in the low post without even being double-teamed, maintaining a high success rate.
On the Bulldogs' side, Curry's number of shots decreased. After attracting help defense, he passed the ball more to his teammates. As the game progressed, other Bulldogs players gradually regained their form and frequently made open shots.
With two minutes left in the game, the score was tied at 69:69.
"Ronan, I didn't expect that the small lineup would have such a miraculous effect. Donovan is really focused on Horford's singles!" Stevens looked up at the score on the big screen and said in surprise.
Liam smiled faintly and replied, "Donovan forgot that Horford's greatest value lies in his versatility—assists, shooting, defense, low post. He is a jack of all trades, not just a low post attacker. Julian is a small forward, but he is only 3 centimeters shorter than Horford. Although it's a bit difficult to defend him, it is not impossible. Old-school coaches are too naive. They can't wait to pounce on mismatched lineups... Height is not everything!"
As Liam finished speaking, Curry and Julian Beko set up a cross screen at the baseline and moved to the bottom corners on both sides. Horford and Taurean Green hesitated and chose to switch defenses.
But it was too late. Curry moved from the baseline to a 45-degree angle, and with the help of Mike Green's screen, he completely got rid of Horford. Receiving a pass from Drew, he made a three-pointer!
69:72.
After the shot went in, Curry gasped for breath as he returned to defense. His legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.
He hadn't rested for even a minute during the game.
Although his teammates had stepped up in the second half and shared some of the pressure, it was just a drop in the bucket. He still needed to handle the ball and attack to create opportunities, while his teammates were only responsible for finishing.
Now, he felt that his physical strength had reached a critical point. He had just shaken off Horford's pursuit by relying on willpower to drive his legs.
What he didn't know was that Horford was tired, too.
Horford hadn't rested in the second half. He kept playing one-on-one on the offensive end and chasing Julian Beko on the defensive end, without a chance to slack off.
As an inside player, his physical energy consumption was already high and was being consumed at an accelerated rate.
Fortunately, Donovan called a timeout at the right time.
With 1 minute and 32 seconds left in the game, and an offensive time of 35 seconds, Florida University still had two offensive opportunities. Donovan couldn't afford to hold a timeout. If he didn't use it now, it might be too late later.
"Al, can you hold on?" Donovan asked with concern.
"Huh... no problem, coach," Horford forced a smile.
Donovan patted him on the shoulder and picked up the tactical board.
"If the opponent still insists on single defense, give the ball to Al. The others will open up space and be ready to receive the shot. If the opponent collapses the inside line, Al, you withdraw from the restricted area and handle the ball in the high position. Corey and Lee are ready to cut at any time. If there's really no chance, you hold the ball and attack. Do you understand?"
Everyone nodded.
"Don't feel pressured; just go for it!" Donovan encouraged his players.
After the timeout, the Foda players were ready to return to the court with high morale.
"Beep——"
The referee blew the whistle again.
"???" The players looked at the referee in confusion.
The referee came over.
"The other team called a timeout."
"..." Everyone looked at each other, wanting to say something but finding themselves at a loss for words.
"Dammit!" Noah couldn't help but curse under his breath.
End of this chapter
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