SOD | Chapter 114

“This kind of synergy is rare in the league! Their understanding of each other’s intentions, timing, and knowledge of their opponents make these two like perfectly meshed gears. Once they start moving, CBU can only follow, losing their formation completely!” Engel commented excitedly.

Espenson frowned, “Even so, the score gap between CBU and UDK isn’t large, and there’s still time left. CBU needs to free their shooting guard, Owen Whishaw. They can’t let this cheetah stay trapped in Reese’s cage.”

To close the gap, CBU launched a fierce counterattack, shortening pass distances to reduce errors. As the point guard, Wright increased his running range, pouring all his remaining energy into the final minutes. His fakes were decisive, making the ball’s direction unpredictable. He bypassed Ewin and Carlo, avoiding Nie Chuan’s steals, and passed to Owen.

Owen quickly retreated with the ball, with Reese naturally in pursuit.

But to Nie Chuan’s surprise, Kristen, who had been tightly guarding him, suddenly moved towards Reese. Nie Chuan instantly understood his intention and instead rushed towards Owen.

Sure enough, Kristen was there to block Reese, and Owen, freed, charged towards DK’s basket like a wild horse.

Owen’s fans cheered.

Owen’s expression was calm; he knew Nie Chuan was right behind him, and Carlo and Heishan were in front.

Owen leaped, knowing Carlo and Heishan’s jumping abilities, yet he forced a layup. The audience worried it might be blocked.

But Nie Chuan understood Owen’s goal. He rushed towards Owen’s left hand, and as expected, Owen switched the ball to his left, avoiding Carlo’s block, and was about to pass to the power forward, Thomas!

Nie Chuan jumped, ready to swat the ball from Owen’s hand.

Owen glanced sideways, catching a glimpse of Nie Chuan’s face, then lifted his left arm, tightened his core, and dunked at the last moment!

Bang—

The sound seemed to vibrate Nie Chuan’s nerves.

The commentators applauded.

“What a fantastic play! It showcased Owen Whishaw’s jumping ability and adaptability. A perfect blend of strength and skill!” Robert clapped.

Even Sethston in the stands applauded, “Impressive indeed.”

When Owen landed, he looked at Nie Chuan with a hint of mockery, as if saying, “Kid, you’re still too green.”

Nie Chuan glanced at the clock—just over two minutes left, and DK led CBU by only four points. That gap could be closed in less than thirty seconds.

If only he had blocked Kristen, Reese could have caught up to Owen! With Reese’s speed and explosiveness, he could have stopped Owen’s switch-handed dunk.

At that moment, Nie Chuan felt a light push on the back of his head.

“Focus, no daydreaming,” Reese’s cool voice cut through, bringing Nie Chuan’s scattered thoughts back together.

They needed to widen the score gap quickly.

Nie Chuan wiped the sweat from his face, seeing Coach Gordon with arms crossed, seemingly signaling something. But time was short, and Kristen and Owen were attacking DK’s zone again.

Reese swiftly intercepted Kristen’s ball, charging towards CBU’s basket, igniting DK’s momentum.

Carlo and Heishan followed.

But Owen’s speed was incredible. As Reese maneuvered past Wright and Thomas, reaching the basket, Owen caught up, jumping almost alongside him. Owen’s presence was overwhelming, so Reese passed to Heishan, who was ready to dunk. Kristen and Thomas blocked him, forcing Heishan to pass to Nie Chuan.

Nie Chuan caught the ball, poised to charge.

Everyone knew Nie Chuan’s jumping ability rivaled power forwards like Carlo and Thomas. The audience anticipated another showcase of his dunking prowess, but Wright was already intercepting.

Nie Chuan suddenly halted, frustrating Wright. Quick stops and passes were Nie Chuan’s specialties, always catching opponents off guard.

Wright couldn’t predict if Nie Chuan would shoot or fake him out.

If Nie Chuan shot, his accuracy was high.

If he drove, which side would he choose?

Owen turned to head towards Nie Chuan, but Reese slid in front of him.

Nie Chuan flicked the ball back, and Ewin caught it!

Wright quickly changed direction, but Nie Chuan blocked him firmly.

Ewin jumped, shooting the ball, his eyes following its path, telling himself: It will go in!

Though his ball-handling, speed, and explosiveness weren’t on par with Nie Chuan, he excelled in off-the-ball movement and shooting!

He didn’t have Reese’s synergy with Nie Chuan, but he always knew where Nie Chuan needed him!

The ball swished through the net, Ewin’s form graceful like unfolding feathers, and the world seemed to pause.

The ball hit the ground with a “thump,” and Ewin smiled, clenching his fist.

Great! Nie Chuan was thrilled: Two minutes left, and they led CBU by six points!

In that instant, a figure charged forward, Reese in pursuit.

“Nie Chuan—defense!”

Reese’s shout came as Owen seized the chance, driving towards DK!

Nie Chuan’s ankles moved swiftly, closing in on Owen.

Owen had Nie Chuan on his left and Reese on his right. He lifted the ball, his body swaying with his signature Eurostep.

No way! You’re not getting through!

Nie Chuan stuck to Owen, and Reese was about to steal the ball when Owen changed his stride, passing to Wright before losing balance.

Ewin stretched to intercept Wright’s pass, but Wright passed to Kristen!

Kristen, facing Heishan and Carlo’s defense, spun nearly 360 degrees for a dunk!

The score gap closed to four points, with a minute and twenty seconds left.

“CBU’s teamwork was brilliant! From Owen Whishaw’s sudden fast break, facing tight defense from Reese and Nie Chuan, to the under-basket coordination, and Kristen’s spinning dunk! Fantastic!”

“And compared to CBU’s steady comeback, DK feels more pressure, wanting to widen the gap quickly!”

Nie Chuan finally understood Coach Gordon’s message. When Reese focused on scoring, Nie Chuan had to defend Owen.

Their defensive roles could switch at any moment, not just defense but scoring roles too!

In DK, besides Reese, only Nie Chuan could match Owen’s ball-handling skills. This confidence assured Nie Chuan that in the final minute, he wouldn’t give Owen any room to shine!

Nie Chuan and Wright both lunged for the ball. Though Nie Chuan was further away, Ewin’s interference allowed him to grab it. As he turned, Thomas’s arm swept by, but Nie Chuan’s balance was excellent, preventing a steal.

Nie Chuan passed to Reese, who darted into CBU’s core like lightning, with Owen closely trailing.

Reese suddenly stopped, jumping from beyond the three-point line. Owen rose to intercept, fingertips grazing the ball.

“Rebound—” Owen shouted.

At that moment, he saw Reese’s slight smile.

A figure brushed past Owen, as if the air itself was swept away. Such speed—it was either Reese or Nie Chuan!

Heishan blocked CBU’s center outside, and Nie Chuan leaped high, catching the ball mid-air, ready to dunk. Kristen rushed in, but Nie Chuan cradled the ball, forming an arc with his body, narrowly avoiding Kristen, and slammed it in with a “bang—”!

“Whoa—” The crowd erupted in cheers.

In that instant, Nie Chuan was like a powerful bow, ready to strike, instantly lethal.

Heishan caught the falling ball, but Owen suddenly appeared, faking and taking it away, only for Nie Chuan to immediately defend.

He stared coldly at Owen, his footwork agile, his gaze seemingly penetrating Owen’s mind. Owen tried changing speeds twice but couldn’t get past Nie Chuan.

“Nie Chuan’s footwork defense is really impressive,” Ben remarked.

“It’s not just the footwork, but his control over his knees and ankles,” Sethston squinted at Nie Chuan’s figure. “This guy’s improvement is too fast.”

Owen suddenly made a powerful bounce pass, Nie Chuan stretched his arm but couldn’t intercept. Kristen caught it, and Owen finally broke through Nie Chuan’s defense, but when Kristen passed back to Owen, Reese intercepted.

Owen’s eyes widened as Reese, with two quick shoulder fakes, slipped past Wright, suddenly jumping. After a step in the air, CBU’s power forward Thomas and center leaped, but Reese’s height didn’t drop. In that moment, he folded twice, dunking the ball!

His arm lines were full of tension, his shoulders and back like rushing water, capturing Nie Chuan’s gaze. Even Owen could only look up in awe.

The crowd went wild!

With ten seconds left, DK led CBU by eight points! DK had secured the victory.