As everyone stepped onto the court, the thunderous applause from all directions made Nie Chuan realize there was no turning back—they had to give it their all. He looked up and met Owen Weshaw’s gaze. Owen smiled at him casually.
The star commentator, Robert, clapped his hands, “With Reese Reddington back for DK, I believe this will be the most exciting match from start to finish!”
“Haha, and there’s CBU’s Nie Chuan. Today, he’s back in the point guard position, but I believe this black-haired young man will also cut into CBU’s basket like a small forward, delivering deadly blows!” Engel was excited, eagerly awaiting the match to start.
“But don’t forget CBU; their overall strength is formidable. A nimble and quick point guard, a power forward with both skill and explosiveness, a daring small forward with excellent judgment, a top-tier rebounder, and a versatile player like Owen Weshaw who can shoot from afar or attack up close!”
Online discussions were buzzing about who would win this match. Various technical analysis posts were shared, many of which were quite professional and familiar with both teams.
What surprised the audience even more was that the main players and coaches from Sethston Lind’s AZU and Larvin’s UFR were present at the scene.
“Sethston, I thought you’d just scoff and say this match wasn’t worth your attention,” Ben said, popping fries into his mouth and glancing at Sethston.
Sethston just smiled and turned Ben’s face towards the coach, “The coach is about to get mad.”
“Mad? Why?” Ben looked clueless.
“Because that’s your third box of fries today. You junk food king.”
“Uh…” Ben quickly put down the empty fry box.
UFR was seated just a row below AZU.
Ben warmly greeted Larvin, “Hey Larvin, who do you think will win this match?”
“Both teams are evenly matched. Whoever can go beyond expectations will win,” Larvin smiled, but his gaze cooled when it passed over Sethston.
“Oh, beyond expectations?” Sethston smiled meaningfully, “Ben, didn’t you say your intuition is the best? Any feelings now?”
“No,” Ben shook his head.
He looked towards Nie Chuan, grinning widely, “But I really like Nie Chuan! He’s so cool!”
“That kid cool? How?” The small forward sitting on Ben’s other side couldn’t help but ask, “If you said Reese Reddington was cool, I might accept that.”
“Because, like me, he doesn’t stand out among so many excellent people. But once the game is over, no one can forget him, and each time they look forward to his performance even more,” Ben said with envy, “But I’m different… Everyone knows Sethston Lind, but few remember Ben Robbins.”
Sethston ruffled Ben’s hair, “Who doesn’t know that underestimating AZU’s Ben Robbins is a sure way to lose?”
Not far away, Raven Harvey sat with his teammates.
Larvin couldn’t help but tease, “Hey, Raven, you’re here too? Waiting for Owen Weshaw to teach Nie Chuan a lesson for you?”
Many people looked over, including the audience.
Raven snorted, “Anyone who sees Nie Chuan as just Reese’s sidekick will be in for a rude awakening. And as for a lesson, whether Owen Weshaw can last till the end is still a question. Don’t forget, last year’s final five minutes, Reese swept CBU. This year, with Nie Chuan…”
The discussions among AZU and UFR suddenly fell silent.
The anticipation for this match was unprecedented.
The game countdown began, and all players and referees took their positions.
Heishan bent down, looking up with full concentration. He was determined to win this ball.
The entire court held its breath, watching the referee toss the ball high.
Heishan leaped up, gritting his teeth, his fingers just a bit longer than the opposing center’s.
Nie Chuan cheered internally: Heishan! Good job!
The audience gasped in surprise.
With a loud “bang,” the ball bounced towards Nie Chuan. He moved quickly, extending his right hand to take the ball, ready to launch DK’s fast break!
But Nie Chuan’s hand missed, as a figure flashed by, taking the ball in the opposite direction.
It was Owen Weshaw!
Oh no!
Nie Chuan turned and sprinted after Owen.
CBU’s small forward was on Owen’s other side. Nie Chuan knew Owen might pass the ball at any moment; he had to find a chance to intercept it!
Nie Chuan squinted, focusing on Owen’s dribbling. At a certain moment, he suddenly lowered himself, reaching out just as the ball bounced back to Owen’s hand.
But Owen abruptly stopped and turned, blocking Nie Chuan’s “steal” and smoothly passing the ball to CBU’s small forward.
As Nie Chuan regretted his miss, Reese had already reached the opponent, stopping suddenly. It was like a race car encountering an obstacle, startling CBU’s small forward, but he stopped steadily without crashing into Reese.
He attempted a single-side dribble to accelerate past Reese, but Reese’s retreat was so fast that he directly stole the ball.
“Nie Chuan!”
Reese shouted, and Nie Chuan, startled, dashed past Owen, quickly following Reese.
Their running speed was like two meteors heading for CBU’s basket!
Gasps filled the air.
Owen followed behind Nie Chuan, surprised at how fast Nie Chuan had become.
Watching his match with Raven Harvey, Owen noticed Nie Chuan’s speed had improved, but he knew such speed couldn’t last the whole game. Was it because Reese was back that Nie Chuan didn’t care if he exhausted himself in the second half?
Expecting Reese to pass to Nie Chuan, CBU’s power forward Thomas and point guard Wright rushed to defend them.
But unexpectedly, Reese passed to Ewin.
Ewin caught the ball, unguarded, as Owen charged towards him, seemingly ready to knock him over.
Ewin felt fear, briefly considering passing to Carlo, but quickly suppressed it.
He jumped, from preparation to execution, extending his arm in a short time. Owen leaped, high enough to block Ewin, but Ewin had already released the ball, and Owen was a step too late.
As he landed, Ewin closed his eyes.
Under the basket, Heishan and the opposing center fought for the rebound. Ewin’s quick shot, influenced by Owen’s pressure, seemed unlikely to score.
But it went in smoothly.
Ewin exhaled, then looked directly at Owen.
Though both were shooting guards, Ewin’s ability was clearly inferior to Owen’s, but it didn’t mean he’d always fear him. Given the chance, he could score too.
He remembered Nie Chuan’s last game. Few believed Nie Chuan could beat Raven, including Ewin, who was anxious without Reese.
But every time Nie Chuan broke through and scored, his jumping height and dunking power amazed Ewin.
So much so that at night, closing his eyes, Ewin saw Nie Chuan breaking through multiple defenses.
He repeatedly asked himself, if Nie Chuan could always break his limits, where were his own?
Owen was slightly stunned. It wasn’t his first time facing Ewin. As a shooting guard, Ewin was called a “three-point machine,” not as a compliment, but to mock his robotic shooting. Any interference or pressure affected his accuracy, lacking adaptability.
But Ewin’s quick shot under pressure was different this time.
Owen wasn’t a rookie; he sensed something changing in Ewin.
“Nice job!” Nie Chuan high-fived Ewin.
Ewin smiled, whispering, “Just like with Raven Harvey, let’s show Owen Weshaw what we’ve got.”
Nie Chuan nodded, looking towards Reese.
CBU’s second offensive round began, with point guard Wright quickly passing Ewin’s defense. His footwork and rhythm were exceptional. Nie Chuan calculated internally, and as Wright charged towards him, Nie Chuan suddenly sidestepped, seemingly avoiding Wright, but somehow circled behind him, stripping the ball with an outstretched hand.
Wright’s mouth dropped open, but Nie Chuan had already run far.
He wouldn’t sprint alone like before because this was DK’s game, not his personal show. Seeing Owen about to catch up, Nie Chuan didn’t waste energy on a one-on-one but passed the ball to Carlo. Carlo, facing Thomas’s defense, sidestepped and handed the ball to Reese.
“Wow, not bad. DK seems to have adopted all their opponents’ strengths, like UJT’s strategy of making the opponents run all over the court,” commentator Engel praised DK.
