SOD | Chapter 113

The move was so quick, no one saw it coming. Nie Chuan gasped; was the hard-earned score about to slip away again?

Reese took a step back, then suddenly turned and sprinted. The commentators thought Reese couldn’t stop the ball, but his speed was incredible. In a blink, he was beside Owen, jumping with the force of a blade piercing the sky!

Owen felt the pressure and switched from a layup to a dunk, but Reese’s momentum was unstoppable, blocking him mercilessly!

The crowd gasped, and even Nie Chuan let out a breath.

It was like the first time Nie Chuan saw Reese—decisive and sharp, nothing could stop him from achieving his goal.

Nie Chuan’s eyes burned. He rubbed them and opened them again, still seeing Reese’s figure.

Clear and real.

After two seconds of silence, the commentators burst into applause.

“That was amazing! I’m so glad I never faced this kid when I was in the NBA!” Robert exclaimed.

“I still can’t figure out how he caught up to Owen! It was like a time tunnel, a gap between one second and the next!” Engel praised.

In the audience, Ben said, “Sethston, isn’t Reese’s speed too fast? Doesn’t he need time to react?”

Sethston’s gaze darkened, making Ben feel pressured: “It’s not that he doesn’t need reaction time; he anticipated Owen’s move. He let Owen go for the layup just to block him.”

“What? Why would he do that? What if Owen scored?” Ben asked, puzzled.

“Because Owen is CBU’s scoring core,” Sethston smiled coolly. “Blocking a shot everyone thought would score can shake CBU’s morale and ease Nie Chuan’s scoring pressure.”

“So Reese did it for Nie Chuan?”

“For DK,” Sethston knocked Ben on the head.

Just as Sethston predicted, Nie Chuan was focused on Reese until Carlo shouted, “Nie Chuan, what are you doing!”

Nie Chuan snapped back, seeing Wright nearly intercept Carlo’s pass. He sped up, intercepting before Wright, faked, spun around him, and charged towards the basket.

His focus was intense. When Reese blocked Owen, Nie Chuan realized that with Reese, anything was possible!

He sped into the three-second zone. Kristen and Thomas rushed to defend. With two top defenders, the audience was anxious for Nie Chuan.

How would he get through?

Ewin was nearby, and Carlo came to assist. With Nie Chuan’s passing skills, he could pass the ball. But unexpectedly, Nie Chuan feigned left, stuck close to Kristen, and moved towards Thomas to avoid a steal. Thomas lowered his center of gravity, reaching to intercept.

Many in the audience held their breath, even shouting.

In that critical moment, Nie Chuan suddenly stopped, retreated without warning, causing Thomas to crash into Kristen like magic.

Amidst the audience’s gasps, Nie Chuan broke through, charged into CBU’s basket, and jumped to score. CBU’s center reacted, and even Owen and Reese rushed in. Owen jumped, closer to the basket than Reese.

But Nie Chuan’s shot missed the basket, avoiding CBU’s center. Owen’s fingertips brushed it but couldn’t catch it.

Reese, beside Owen, jumped, caught the ball with his right hand, switched to his left, and dunked it!

The audience erupted.

“Really… amazing!” Ben’s eyes widened. “This was Nie Chuan’s response to Reese’s earlier play, right?”

“What response?” Sethston asked, amused.

“Nie Chuan knew Owen was coming, so he set a trap to draw Owen’s fire, letting Reese score!”

“You’re getting smarter?” Sethston laughed.

Ben frowned, “It’s not that I’m smarter, but after watching so many games… I understand the trust between Reese and Nie Chuan. Every time I doubt it, they prove how well they know each other. I really want to know how Owen plans to break their connection.”

“He can’t,” Sethston shook his head. “Owen is alone unless he finds his ‘Nie Chuan.'”

Owen glanced coolly at Nie Chuan, who wiped sweat from his chin indifferently.

At this point, CBU’s coach called a timeout.

Nie Chuan followed Reese back to the court.

Coach Gordon clapped, “Well done, kids! I predict CBU will adjust their tactics.”

“Whatever they adjust, Reese has already pinned Owen down,” Carlo said, patting Reese’s shoulder.

Though smiling, he couldn’t hide his unease.

CBU’s head coach, experienced and renowned, called a timeout at this critical moment for a reason.

Nie Chuan turned to see CBU’s players gathered around their coach. Though serious, his body language was calm, and the players nodded frequently.

“If I’m right, they’ll use full-court man-to-man defense.”

“Full-court man-to-man? One-on-one?” Carlo blinked. Using this tactic in the finals?

CBU’s head coach is confident in his players!

“And I suspect he’ll continue using Owen to contain Reese,” Coach Gordon looked at Nie Chuan. “And Nie Chuan, you’ll face Kristen, not Wright.”

Nie Chuan frowned, “Owen and Kristen are scoring powerhouses. This will lower CBU’s scoring ability!”

“It also lowers DK’s scoring ability,” Coach Gordon replied.

“No worries, we still have Ewin! I and Heishan will guard the basket, and Ewin can shoot!” Carlo patted Ewin’s shoulder, but Ewin frowned.

“If so, they’ll send Wright against me,” Ewin said.

Yes, Wright, agile and skilled at steals, would leave Ewin with no shot opportunities.

“Heishan and Carlo, you must strengthen your scoring under the basket. If Kristen defends you, Nie Chuan, what will you do?” Coach Gordon asked.

“I’ll draw Kristen away from the basket, and Reese needs to block Owen. I can fast break with Heishan and Carlo, reducing passes and increasing pass distance. This increases interception risk, so Heishan and Carlo must watch their positioning.”

“Good,” Coach Gordon nodded. “Adapt as needed.”

Nie Chuan looked at Reese, not believing Kristen and Owen could completely disrupt their teamwork.

The game resumed. On the court, seeing Kristen ready in front of him, Nie Chuan knew Coach Gordon’s prediction was right.

He smiled, “Alright, Kristen, let’s see if you can guard me.”

Wright dribbled, lightning-fast past Ewin, but Ewin didn’t give up, staying close.

In DK, Ewin had the most stamina. When Wright passed to Thomas, Ewin suddenly appeared, surprising Wright. In his hesitation, Ewin boldly intercepted, but Wright dodged and passed to Thomas.

Ewin’s interference gave Carlo time. He quickly moved to Thomas’s side, intercepting Wright’s pass and charging towards CBU’s basket.

Kristen and Owen abandoned their marks, pressuring Carlo.

Reese came behind Carlo, took the ball, and dashed towards the basket. Owen followed, a contest of speed and explosiveness.

As Reese jumped to dunk, Owen blocked him, but Reese pulled the ball back, faked at his chest, and passed to the approaching Nie Chuan.

Kristen intercepted, but couldn’t fathom Nie Chuan’s footwork, almost losing balance. Nie Chuan lifted for a graceful layup.

As the audience anticipated the basket, Owen jumped again, but Nie Chuan twisted mid-air, forcing a shot, spinning the ball around Owen’s arm.

The ball hit the rim, and as the audience sighed, Owen saw Nie Chuan’s slight smile.

A loud dunk echoed—Reese had jumped, caught the rebound, and slammed it in!

The crowd cheered.

It was seamless, making you want to replay it.

Reese’s left hand hung on the rim. As he let go and landed, he high-fived the approaching Nie Chuan.