Chương 19: We Need Li!
Li Zhen carefully studied Brooks' game.
He knew that Brooks was a lightning-fast player with decent shooting skills. However, there was a pattern in his drives - he tended to drive to the right, initiating attacks from the right side. Even if he initially faked left, he would eventually end up on the right side of the basket.
So, Li Zhen's defense became more focused on countering this tendency.
But... all of this was just theoretical in his mind; it was all talk on paper. When Brooks suddenly changed direction and charged aggressively, Li Zhen immediately felt his body move instinctively, despite anticipating it. However, his lateral movement was still slightly slow, allowing Brooks to slip past his defense by half a step.
Li Zhen quickly turned around and chased closely, but in the moment just before he caught up, Brooks abruptly halted. At the moment when Li Zhen's body was tilting forward uncontrollably, Brooks executed a fadeaway jump shot... Swish!
The basketball swished through the net.
This basket made Li Zhen fully realize the gap in natural athleticism. Although the speed difference wasn't significant, the coordination, explosive power, and body control... were all far from comparable.
This resulted in Li Zhen's inability to swiftly move laterally for defense, or to brake quickly and interfere with a rapid pursuit.
These subtle differences determined the failure of this defense.
"The player who made this basket is Aaron Brooks, he's like the Allen Iverson of the University of Oregon. I believe he has a chance to become a lottery pick, despite his short stature. He possesses skillful ball-handling, lightning-quick footwork, and the ability to shoot effortlessly from anywhere on the court," exclaimed Watson on the TV.
However, Kareem pursed his lips and commented, "Actually, just now he had at least two teammates in better offensive positions during his drive. But he chose to attack, and this kind of footage isn't favorable for his NBA prospects."
Uh...
Watson was about to go crazy. Why are you speaking such blatant truths now, Mr. Kareem?
Soon, Kareem let out a sigh of admiration. Because his Bruce Li, in the frontcourt, made a beautiful bounce pass to his teammate Thompson, who was in an open spot outside the three-point line. Thompson made the shot.
"Bruce made excellent use of the gap provided by his teammates for himself. He quickly penetrated into the paint, attracting a switch, but instead of immediately passing or attacking, he continued to move inside. It was only when the opponents attempted to double-team that he quickly passed, leading his teammate to complete the attack. This is the natural potential of a point guard," Kareem stated candidly.
While his candidness made some people uncomfortable, most of the audience agreed with his theory. After all, he was the legendary superstar ranked first in the NBA's all-time scoring list. (T/N: Nice try hahahaha)
His endorsement would bring an unparalleled influence to Li Zhen.
This made Jonny Watson feel very frustrated. They invited him here to endorse Oregon, but how did it turn into support for Stanford's number 10 player?
The game continued, and the pace of both teams' offenses was very rapid.
The University of Oregon relied on their trident of Aaron Brooks, Maarty Leunen, and Malik Hairston to lead their charge, with Brooks as the main playmaker, Leunen and Hairston as wings, and an inside finisher.
They somewhat resembled a version of Nash, a budget version of Marion, and a budget version of Diaw in offense. (T/N: Author likes using this term idk why)
On the other hand, Stanford also played a fast-paced game, but they were a budget version of Nash (Li Zhen) combined with a budget version of Stoudemire (Scott), plus a group of shooters.
Although Brooks emphasized before the game that they would easily handle Stanford in the first half, by the end of the first half, they hadn't resolved Stanford. Instead, they were trailing by 4 points, 41-45.
"The most threatening player for Stanford is the number 10 player. Their entire offensive system revolves around him. In the first half, he already got 11 assists, which is a huge defensive mistake on our part. We're helpless against his pick-and-rolls with Johnny Scott or Frank Benson. He freely enters our paint like it's his own backyard, and then distributes the basketball to shooters or Scott for the finish," criticized by coach Dana Altman during halftime.
"Maarty, you claimed to be the toughest defender in the Pacific Division, but that skinny guy repeatedly penetrated into our paint under your nose, creating assists."
"Aaron, didn't you proudly claim to be the Allen Iverson before? Iverson never let any nameless player act so wantonly in front of him."
"I'll say it again, this is a game we cannot afford to lose. If we lose, all our efforts to enter the championship through a comeback will be in vain, and we'll become the laughingstock of everyone. Boys, you're facing a bum team without a core player or head coach right now!"
Coach Altman was passionate, and his voice was even heard by the Stanford players on the bench.
In contrast, Coach Jamie Lin was calm and gentle, explaining to the players what mistakes they made in the first half and what adjustments they needed to make.
And he decided to have Li Zhen rest on the bench for at least five minutes.
"You played the entire first half, so you must rest for a while now. I'm well aware of your physical condition. You can't play a full game at this fast-paced tempo," Jamie Lin emphasized Li Zhen's physical well-being.
Because it was related to his health. Many injuries occurred when players were fatigued and their movements became awkward.
Although Li Zhen wanted to explain that his physical condition had improved a lot, under Jamie Lin's determined gaze, he could only choose to obey.
After Li Zhen left the court, Jamie Lin sent in a confident and eager Chris Pat.
Since losing in a one-on-one matchup against Brooks, he had been plotting to make a big impact.
He couldn't wait to prove that he was stronger than Li Zhen.
Tonight, he finally got his chance, as Jamie Lin sent him onto the court.
He was full of confidence and believed he was more than capable of beating the similarly short Aaron Brooks.
However... he hadn't been on the court for three minutes when the fans in the arena couldn't bear it any longer and shouted in unison: "We need Li!!"
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực