Reese’s score fired up DK. Such an opening made everyone have higher expectations for the game. But Sethston immediately launched a fast break. His moves were so sharp that the defenders had no way to counter. Carlo tried to defend him closely, but with a “Sethston crossover,” Carlo almost fell.
Nie Chuan rushed in front of him, forcing Sethston to slow down, and Reese also came to Sethston’s passing side. This excited the commentators.
“Look! This is what I’ve been wanting to see, Reese and Nie Chuan double-teaming Sethston!” Robert slapped his thigh.
The audience held their breath. With Reese around, Nie Chuan’s confidence was more solid, his feet always following Sethston’s steps, whether moving forward, backward, or sideways.
Sethston’s dribbling was very agile, his change of pace always adjusted at will, making it hard for Nie Chuan, who was good at stealing, to succeed even with Reese’s cooperation.
“Isn’t Nie Chuan the point guard who sticks to Sethston the longest?” Larvin nudged Owen with his elbow.
“They need to be careful…”
Just as Owen finished speaking, Sethston suddenly faked a shoulder move, dribbling the ball to his left side. The basketball bounced up quickly, startling Nie Chuan. This was Sethston’s classic dribble move!
He had practiced countless times with Larvin just for this moment!
Nie Chuan quickly moved his body, knowing he had to intercept the bouncing ball before Sethston shifted his weight to that side!
But Sethston’s speed in adjusting his center of gravity was beyond Nie Chuan’s imagination, almost inhuman!
He extended his left arm to grab the ball, twisted his ankle, and changed direction in an instant, like drawing a bow and suddenly adjusting the aim, leaving people unable to react. Although Nie Chuan tried to stabilize himself, he still bumped into Reese.
Gasps came from above, and Sethston sped away. Reese reached out to steady Nie Chuan’s shoulder, while Sethston had already reached the basket.
Reese sprinted, his speed causing exclamations. Due to Heishan’s obstruction, Sethston had to go around him. As he jumped, Reese had already caught up. The audience’s hearts tightened. Sethston’s gaze coldly swept over Reese, and he passed the ball sideways to Ben Robbins!
Nie Chuan and Ewin rushed over, with Nie Chuan reaching Ben first. Ben took a big step back and quickly shot!
Nie Chuan had already jumped, but Ben had anticipated everything, using a fadeaway shot. With a “bang,” Nie Chuan widened his eyes, facing Ben Robbins directly, feeling what it meant to be “out of reach.”
“No wonder it’s Ben Robbins! His shot is too fast!” Robert praised.
The score was instantly tied!
Sethston and Ben high-fived, and Nie Chuan exhaled, telling himself: Azu is a team that made it to the finals; without this level, how could they dominate the NCAA for three years?
Quickly adapt to Sethston’s style, Nie Chuan!
Although Sethston’s change of direction was faster and more flexible than Larvin’s imitation, as long as he adapted to his rhythm, nothing was impossible!
DK launched a fast attack, Nie Chuan passed the ball to Ewin, who was about to shoot, but Ben appeared in front of him, attacking the ball in Ewin’s hands. Ewin steadily retreated to the side and back, and Azu’s small forward came to his side.
Facing a pincer attack, Ewin calmly faked a breakthrough and passed the ball to Carlo. Honestly, Ewin’s calm pass in such a tense environment exceeded everyone’s expectations, but the ball was intercepted by Sethston before Carlo could catch it.
Exclamations rose and fell.
Sethston turned and sprinted with the ball, Carlo following closely but being blocked by their power forward, Edgar.
Sethston had just crossed the midcourt when he felt someone catching up. He thought it was Reese, but it was Nie Chuan.
Sethston snorted softly, and Nie Chuan had already lowered his center of gravity, bending over to defend. Sethston knew Nie Chuan’s quick reactions. He faked left, and Nie Chuan slid, leaning towards Sethston’s dribbling side. Sethston’s peripheral vision caught Nie Chuan’s ankles, knowing Nie Chuan could change direction or accelerate to block his cut at any time.
Sethston suddenly pulled back his center of gravity. By then, Nie Chuan had prepared for the “Sethston crossover,” and when Sethston stretched his body to pull back the bouncing ball, Nie Chuan also stretched his body. The audience gasped; it was like a simultaneous mirror image.
Just as Nie Chuan felt he had caught up with Sethston’s rhythm, Sethston quickly tapped the ball, dribbled behind his back, and passed Nie Chuan.
That god-like speed was like a phantom in Nie Chuan’s mind.
And Nie Chuan thought he had made progress, only to find he had overestimated himself.
Sethston charged forward, with Ben on his side and small forward Bracey and power forward Edgar already under the basket.
Carlo intercepted Edgar, and the boulder and Heishan fiercely positioned under the basket. Reese shouted, “Nie Chuan—”
Nie Chuan suddenly snapped back to reality, quickly rushing to the basket, blocking Bracey.
Sethston and Reese faced off one-on-one. Sethston was about to pass the ball to Ben behind him, but Ewin quickly moved to Ben’s receiving position, forcing Sethston to change direction. Reese followed closely, almost intercepting the ball.
Sethston seemed about to fall but shifted his center of gravity back. Reese seemed to be shaken off but quickly adjusted his direction, blocking Sethston’s dribbling path again. The space for maneuvering under the basket was smaller, and their lateral movements seemed large but were actually limited.
“Although Sethston passed Nie Chuan’s defense, it was quite risky,” Larvin said.
“When experts face off, victory or defeat is in that moment. It’s just that Nie Chuan can’t grasp that moment yet,” Owen replied.
Nie Chuan rushed to the basket, and he and Reese double-teamed Sethston.
Hearing Nie Chuan’s approaching footsteps, Sethston’s lips curled into a smile, and he suddenly passed the ball to Nie Chuan.
Something flashed in Nie Chuan’s mind. The ball was fierce, and Nie Chuan instinctively dodged. The ball bounced up from his left foot, and someone caught it.
Nie Chuan turned his face and saw Ben! He had broken through Ewin’s defense to receive Sethston’s pass!
That ball was actually a bounce pass!
Nie Chuan rushed towards Ben, and Ewin gritted his teeth and followed. Ben leaped up, and Nie Chuan was about to swat the ball away, but Ben pushed the ball out instead; it wasn’t a shot but a pass!
Azu’s small forward Bracey caught the ball, took two steps, and scored.
Nie Chuan was filled with frustration.
“Although it’s only been five minutes since the start, the game is indeed exciting. But it feels like something’s missing…” Engel frowned.
“Because DK hasn’t let loose. They’re too focused on Sethston, centering their defense on him, and haven’t played to their own strengths,” Espenson commented.
Robert agreed: “DK needs to break free from their own shackles, not just guard against Sethston.”
At this moment, Azu was leading DK by six points.
Nie Chuan exhaled. Sethston was too fast. Nie Chuan thought he knew how to stop him, even simulating it countless times in his mind, but facing Sethston in reality, that speed made him realize he was far from fast enough!
Sethston looked in Nie Chuan’s direction, a playful smile on his lips.
Reese came to Nie Chuan’s side, lowering his voice: “Leave Sethston to me. Keep an eye on Ben Robbins and organize our offense.”
Reese’s words brought Nie Chuan back to his senses. This wasn’t a one-on-one; it was a game. If he couldn’t handle Sethston alone, he needed to leverage the team’s strength.
At this moment, Azu’s small forward Bracey dribbled to attack again, with power forward Edgar not far behind. Nie Chuan squinted, rushing between the two to disrupt their cooperation. Bracey was not to be underestimated. Just as Nie Chuan was about to intercept, Bracey decisively dribbled behind his back to avoid him, then used a fake move to confuse Nie Chuan. Nie Chuan followed his lateral movement, putting pressure on Bracey, who passed the ball to Edgar. The pass was high-quality, but Nie Chuan instantly changed direction and intercepted it.
Just as he turned, he felt someone pass by, and the ball was gone from his hands!
It was Sethston!
Nie Chuan didn’t even have time to gasp. When did this guy get so close? Wasn’t Reese watching him?
At this moment, Reese was already close to Sethston, constantly pressuring him. Reese’s fake moves were small but could adapt at any time, putting pressure on Sethston, who was good at changing direction. Sethston crossed over, his left leg clearly stepping to the right, looking like a spin cut, but he could instantly pull back. Just as he was about to break through Reese, Reese adjusted his center of gravity in an instant, blocking Sethston’s cut-in direction.
“It’s really amazing. Reese doesn’t seem to follow Sethston like Nie Chuan, not even moving much, yet he can defend Sethston…” Larvin frowned, thinking seriously.
“It’s like an artist and a critic. Critics are passive, only able to comment after seeing the artist’s work. But artists are different; they have their own initiative. Nie Chuan in front of Sethston is just a critic, while Reese and Sethston are a showdown between top artists,” Owen replied.
“Can you not make simple truths sound so profound?” Larvin said, dissatisfied.
Nie Chuan had already reached Sethston’s side. The scene of being tricked by Sethston and bumping into Reese was still vivid in his mind, making Nie Chuan more cautious.
His peripheral vision glanced at Sethston’s knee. Any change of direction, no matter how unpredictable the upper body movement, required leg strength for any directional breakthrough.
Sethston’s left knee pressed inward, indicating he was cutting to the right!
Nie Chuan moved sideways to Sethston’s right, reaching out to intercept his ball. At that moment, Nie Chuan saw the smile on Sethston’s lips. By the time Nie Chuan realized his intention, it was too late. Sethston slipped through between Nie Chuan and Reese, and Reese sped up to chase. Sethston didn’t even shift his gaze, passing the ball behind him to small forward Bracey.
Nie Chuan didn’t dwell on Sethston but chased Bracey instead.
They passed through numerous defenders to reach DK’s basket. Bracey jumped, with Heishan and Carlo blocking him. Just as Nie Chuan was about to steal the ball, Bracey turned sideways in mid-air, avoiding Nie Chuan. His arm passed between Heishan and Carlo, sending the ball into the basket.
The audience was thrilled, and even the commentators applauded.
“What a brilliant play! No wonder he’s Azu’s small forward!”
Nie Chuan knew he couldn’t block every ball, but Bracey’s shot widened Azu’s lead.
And that shot seemed to prove that as a small forward, Bracey’s strength was not inferior to Reese’s!
The game continued, Nie Chuan stole the ball from Edgar, and just as Sethston was about to come again, Reese blocked him. Nie Chuan made a defensive gamble, dribbling into the basket. He felt like he was regaining his original rhythm, smoothly passing Ben Robbins, raising his hand to push the ball into the basket with a side move.
Even a basket master like the boulder, even if he wanted to bump into Nie Chuan, was cleverly avoided by him. Nie Chuan gritted his teeth, telling himself he could finally score!
But his hand trembled, and the ball was blocked! But it wasn’t the boulder!
Nie Chuan widened his eyes, meeting the gaze of the opponent.
It was Sethston!
When did Sethston escape Reese’s defense?
As he landed, Nie Chuan realized it was Bracey who replaced Sethston’s position, allowing Sethston to break free.
As soon as Sethston landed, he tapped the ball away, and Nie Chuan chased after it. Sethston seemed to have eyes on his back, faking a move and passing the ball to Ben Robbins.
Nie Chuan clenched his fists, chasing desperately. Ben Robbins had already raised his hand to shoot, but it was swatted away.
It wasn’t anyone else; it was Reese!
Ben Robbins was startled by the block, stepping back. Reese passed the ball to Nie Chuan: “Focus!”
Nie Chuan felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, organizing the attack with the ball.
Bracey and Edgar followed on Nie Chuan’s left and right. Although Nie Chuan had shaken them off a bit, it meant he had no suitable opportunity to pass to his teammates.
Nie Chuan jumped, and the height made everyone gasp.
Bracey and Edgar were a step late, not to mention Nie Chuan’s hang time was long. In the air, he switched the ball from his right hand to his left, avoiding the closer Bracey, then was about to dunk with his left hand when someone rushed to the basket, blocking his dunk as he slightly descended!
Nie Chuan’s heart felt like it was being hammered. Sethston’s block was so powerful that Nie Chuan almost fell.
Sethston was about to turn with the ball, but Reese had somehow arrived at his side, taking the ball away.
The audience gasped.
Owen squinted: “Indeed, only Reese’s speed and reaction can match Sethston.”
“I don’t understand. Sethston’s movements are large and unpredictable, but Reese seems unshakable, always blocking Sethston. What’s going on?” Larvin was puzzled.
“It’s because of Reese’s rhythm. He matches Sethston in speed and strength, his rhythm at will, discarding all unnecessary movements, leaving only the most useful ones,” Owen replied.
“Yeah… When will Nie Chuan find his rhythm again…”
Reese had already quickly dribbled into Azu’s defensive range, with Edgar, Bracey, and the boulder defending. Reese deftly passed the ball to Nie Chuan.
Seeing Sethston coming to intercept, Nie Chuan thought of the previous confrontations and passed the ball to Ewin.
Ewin caught the ball, stabilizing himself. He took a deep breath; if this shot went in, it would narrow the gap between Azu and DK!
But in a moment of hesitation, Ben Robbins rushed over, his hand flicked, and Ewin, nervous, shot the ball, which hit the rim.
Heishan and the boulder jumped, the boulder powerfully grabbing the ball and passing it to small forward Bracey.
Bracey sprinted with the ball, while Nie Chuan was still immersed in the shock of Sethston’s block.
“Nie Chuan—stop him!” Carlo’s shout came.
Nie Chuan rushed to support Carlo, but Bracey used a Euro step. His Euro step was different from Owen Whishaw’s large movements, but it was fast. His elbow almost hit Carlo, but just almost, the threat made Carlo retreat, and Nie Chuan found an opportunity to intercept, but Bracey passed the ball to Edgar.
Edgar charged forward, with the boulder beside him, blocking Nie Chuan. As Nie Chuan sped around the boulder, Edgar had already passed the ball to Ben Robbins.
At this moment, Ewin reached Ben’s side. Everyone thought Ben would shoot immediately, but he lowered his center of gravity, a quick fake move tricking Ewin, shooting directly from Ewin’s side. Azu scored again, leading DK by ten points.
Larvin raised his hand to cover his eyes: “It’s double digits… Why do I feel like Sethston is targeting Nie Chuan? Even with Reese defending him, it feels like Sethston’s ability is limited, but he still goes out of his way to suppress Nie Chuan. Why?”
“Because he knows he must disrupt Nie Chuan’s self, make him forget his rhythm, and fall into his. You said that in terms of ball-handling ability, whether it’s changing direction or combining with the ball, Nie Chuan might not be inferior to Sethston. Sethston must make Nie Chuan lose his fighting spirit before he finds that right inspiration.”
Owen and Larvin looked down at Nie Chuan’s figure.
The rise and fall of his back as he breathed showed he was more tired than anyone else.
This fatigue wasn’t just from Sethston’s full-court running; Nie Chuan’s workload was greater than Ewin and Carlo’s, but more from the pressure in his heart.
“If this continues, Nie Chuan will collapse,” Owen said.
“Yeah…”
In the next five minutes, Sethston repeatedly passed Nie Chuan, even making him lose balance and fall.
If it weren’t for Reese constantly restraining Sethston, DK’s point gap would be even larger.
Nie Chuan turned, watching Sethston about to score, being blocked by Reese, then passing to Ben Robbins. Carlo tried to intercept but was blocked by Bracey, and Ben scored again!
The audience cheered, and Nie Chuan’s heart felt like it was being tightly squeezed, his whole body freezing.
He wasn’t a match for Sethston; he couldn’t grasp Sethston’s rhythm. The faster he ran, the quicker he reacted, the more off he seemed.
“Hey, Nie Chuan, are you okay?” Ewin came over, patting Nie Chuan’s shoulder.
“I’m fine…” Nie Chuan shook his head.
He wasn’t fine; he knew he wasn’t fine… because he was tired.
Chasing Sethston felt different from chasing Reese.
Because Reese would deliberately slow down and wait for him, but Sethston wouldn’t.
And Coach Gordon on the sidelines frowned.
“Nie Chuan is tired,” said Peter, watching from the sidelines.
“Yeah, I can see that. Because Sethston keeps making Nie Chuan run, his workload is too much. Azu’s overall speed is fast, and with Nie Chuan’s workload, he can’t last the whole game.”
At this moment, Sethston passed Nie Chuan again. Although Nie Chuan was tired, his attention was still focused. Sethston made another reverse breakthrough, breaking through Nie Chuan’s obstruction before Reese arrived, passing the ball to Ben Robbins again.
Reese seemed to have anticipated this, reaching Ben’s side and intercepting the ball!
DK’s fans breathed a sigh of relief.
Nie Chuan followed Reese closely. Although he and Reese’s pace had always been consistent, he found it very strenuous now.
Reese charged forward, breaking through Edgar and Bracey’s double defense, facing the boulder one-on-one under the basket, and fiercely dunked the ball as Sethston caught up.
Nie Chuan blinked, sweat dripping into his eyes.
At this moment, Coach Gordon called a timeout, replacing Nie Chuan with Peter.
The whole place was in an uproar. Even though Nie Chuan wasn’t a match for Sethston, it was clear he still played a role in DK’s fast attack organization. Once he was replaced, DK’s speed would decrease significantly, and with only three minutes left in the first quarter, why call a timeout now?
“Because if Nie Chuan isn’t replaced, Sethston will play him to death,” Owen snorted.
Hearing the news, Sethston turned, glancing at Nie Chuan, frowning.
Nie Chuan, panting, returned to Coach Gordon’s side. Chuck draped a towel over Nie Chuan’s head, and other teammates handed him water.
The heavy feeling weighed on his heart, and Nie Chuan couldn’t lift his head.
The cheers, the sound of sneakers rubbing against the floor, the sound of dunks felt like they came from another world.
“Are you afraid of Sethston?” Coach Gordon’s voice was calm, without any blame.
Nie Chuan’s sweat dripped down, unable to answer the coach’s question.
“Can you ride a bike, Nie Chuan?” Coach Gordon asked again.
“…Yeah.” Nie Chuan nodded.
“Beating Sethston is like riding a bike. You have enough strength to pedal, enough height to sit on the seat, but mastering balance isn’t something easily learned. It’s a feeling; once you succeed once, you’ll succeed a second and third time, and then you’ll ride faster and faster. Before finding the feeling of riding a bike, no matter how hard you try, it’s futile.” Coach Gordon patted Nie Chuan’s shoulder.
Nie Chuan’s fingers slowly clenched, and he looked up, watching Reese and Sethston fighting under the basket. Reese grabbed Sethston’s ball, but Sethston used his core strength to retrieve it, passing to Bracey.
Bracey went for a layup again, and the situation was critical.
“Ha—” But Carlo shouted, intercepting the ball and passing it to Reese.
Reese accelerated quickly, with Sethston chasing behind him.
“Nie Chuan, don’t avoid it. Watch how Reese does it,” Coach Gordon reminded.
Nie Chuan looked up, seeing Reese lower his center of gravity, pause, then suddenly cut left, pulling back to the right. His movements were decisive and not flashy, simple and clear, but that god-like pullback speed made even Sethston, who was good at adjusting his body, unable to stop him. Reese charged into the basket, powerfully dunking!
The crowd erupted.
“No wonder it’s Reese! This is his fourth breakthrough against Sethston’s defense!”
The commentators were also very excited.
Nie Chuan watched Reese’s figure, his eyes heating up again.
“Nie Chuan, remember, no matter what opponent you face, don’t forget who you are. To beat someone, you don’t become that person; you become a faster, better version of yourself. Where’s your rhythm?” Coach Gordon asked.
Nie Chuan was stunned.
Where was his rhythm? Where did his rhythm go?
His mind was full of the moments Sethston tricked him, those sudden changes in speed…
He suddenly didn’t know how to play basketball anymore.
“You can take on Raven Harvey, score continuously under Owen Whishaw’s block, kid… Their strength is comparable to Sethston’s. Even your partnership with Reese, I said to enjoy this game, are you enjoying it? You’ve forgotten who you are.”
Coach Gordon’s words hit Nie Chuan’s heart.
At this moment, Reese went for another layup, facing Sethston and the boulder’s double block. It was a match of strength and skill, and the audience widened their eyes, worried about what if the boulder injured Reese? What if Sethston blocked him?
But Reese calmly retrieved the ball under the basket, sidestepping the two, then reverse dunked!
Nie Chuan knew that in these three minutes, Reese had almost exhausted himself, consuming a lot of energy. He was like a madman. And such sharpness and madness ignited the audience’s enthusiasm to the extreme.
“Tch…” Sethston wiped his chin with his collar.
Reese turned back, coldly sweeping over the opponent.
Nie Chuan’s fists clenched tighter. He knew Reese was proving to him that Sethston wasn’t some unconquerable myth.
“Ah, Nie Chuan was subbed out, Reese is really angry!” Larvin nodded.
“Last year, Reese scored over twenty points in the last five minutes against us at CBU, but now it’s not even the last five minutes, and he’s already going all out… I’m worried if in the next quarter, Nie Chuan still can’t find his form, Reese will exhaust himself to stabilize the gap between DK and Azu.”
“Yeah…”
