CBU’s offense started aggressively. Small forward Christen received a pass from point guard Wright and charged towards DK. Nie Chuan suddenly appeared in front of him, causing Christen to hesitate and pass to Owen on the other side.
The distance between them was just three steps, but before Owen could touch the ball, someone intercepted it right in front of him.
It was Reese.
Reese, having just gotten the ball, suddenly stopped and reversed direction towards CBU’s basket. The crowd’s excitement surged as Nie Chuan followed Reese’s run.
Owen was right on Reese’s other side, constantly applying pressure. Reese suddenly halted, and Owen, lowering his center of gravity, stopped too, but in that split second, Reese passed the ball to Nie Chuan.
Owen gritted his teeth. If Reese hadn’t been blocking him, he would have caught up to Nie Chuan and blocked his shot from the side!
Christen also noticed Owen being tightly marked by Reese, which made him anxious.
He dribbled faster than before, facing Ewin’s defense. In his mind, Ewin wasn’t known for defense, but this time Ewin stuck to him tightly. As Christen tried to accelerate and force a breakthrough on Ewin’s other side, the ball didn’t bounce back because Nie Chuan had taken it away.
“Damn it—” Christen cursed under his breath.
“Ewin’s defense was great, giving Nie Chuan the chance to steal,” commentator Robert remarked, impressed by Ewin’s performance.
“I noticed Ewin using a step-back move, giving him enough time to react to Christen’s direction changes. But this defensive style seems to be Nie Chuan’s specialty,” Engel commented.
“Sounds like Nie Chuan joining DK has changed a lot for them!” Espenson laughed.
Nie Chuan charged towards CBU’s basket, with CBU’s power forward Thomas and center coming up to meet him. Nie Chuan quickly passed to Carlo.
Carlo drove into the basket, but at that moment, Owen, who had been sprinting back, also reached the basket.
As Carlo was about to dunk, CBU’s center jumped up. Carlo forcibly changed direction, but Owen blocked Carlo’s shot from the other side.
Before anyone could react, Owen quickly dribbled towards DK.
“Defense!” Reese shouted, and Nie Chuan followed closely.
Owen’s speed was incredible. With a jab step and behind-the-back pass, he not only dodged Ewin but also avoided Reese.
He charged into DK’s basket from the other side, leaping high!
The height of his jump was awe-inspiring, making it seem like no one could stop him.
Nie Chuan’s heart raced as he jumped, clearly starting later than Owen but almost reaching his height.
After a moment of surprise, Owen smoothly switched hands mid-air, moving so fast it was hard to follow, about to hook the ball into the basket with his left hand.
But at that moment, another figure swept past Owen’s left side, with explosive jumping power and perfect timing, as if to shatter the arena, blocking Owen’s shot.
It was Reese.
In that instant, Nie Chuan sprinted out, and Reese made a swift pass, the wind from it almost slicing through the air.
The high-speed pass flew past Wright and Thomas, landing securely in Nie Chuan’s hands.
The audience collectively shuddered, then erupted in cheers!
“Amazing! Incredible! I thought Owen’s hand switch in the air was unstoppable!”
“Reese is definitely Owen’s nemesis!”
In the stands, Ben couldn’t help but exclaim, “Reese is incredible! He did it on purpose, right? Even though he could have intercepted Owen faster than Nie Chuan, he waited for Nie Chuan to jump and pressure Owen first. He knew Owen would switch hands and was waiting for that moment!”
“That requires a lot of confidence in Nie Chuan. If Nie Chuan’s jump wasn’t high enough, Owen could have dunked without switching hands,” Sethston replied.
“And Reese’s pass to Nie Chuan… I bet no one else could have caught it with that speed and reaction. It’s like Reese knows exactly how Nie Chuan will run and what angle he needs,” Ben frowned, looking at Sethston, “Suddenly, they seem really intimidating.”
Nie Chuan’s speed was astonishing, as if nothing could stop him.
“Block him, Christen!” Owen shouted, trying to break past Reese, but Reese agilely blocked his path.
Christen chased at full speed, but Nie Chuan suddenly stopped, causing Christen to overshoot. Wright came to defend, but Nie Chuan faked a shot, causing Wright to jump and miss. Nie Chuan slipped past his side, spun beautifully with a behind-the-back dribble around power forward Thomas, and jumped quickly.
Christen caught up, jumping with all his might.
But the crowd went wild as Nie Chuan’s height surpassed Christen’s, like a slingshot, dazzling everyone.
Nie Chuan switched hands mid-air without hesitation, perfectly replicating Owen’s earlier move, then slammed the ball down as Christen’s height decreased, making it seem like he dunked over his head.
The visual impact made the audience wave their cheering sticks and shout loudly.
Nie Chuan clenched his fist, thrilled he hadn’t wasted the opportunity Reese created for him.
Owen glared coldly at Reese, as if wanting to crush him.
“How long do you think you can keep up with me?”
“At least until this game ends,” Reese replied.
Owen snorted.
Point guard Wright and power forward Thomas exchanged glances. If Owen was restricted by Reese, they had to shut down Nie Chuan and stop him from scoring.
As Wright brought the ball past half-court, he immediately passed to Christen. As Nie Chuan moved forward, Wright and Thomas blocked his path.
Nie Chuan, skilled at getting past defenders, used convincing fakes. After a shoulder fake and sudden stop, he slipped between Wright and Thomas.
But he was a step too late; Christen had already driven into the basket.
Heishan jumped, directly blocking Christen’s shot. Christen hadn’t expected such speed and power from Heishan, and his wrist hurt when the ball was blocked.
Carlo rushed to catch the ball, but Wright snatched it away.
He passed back to Christen under the basket. Christen jumped again, faking a layup, then switched to a dunk as Heishan rose.
But Carlo blocked Christen’s dunk again.
Owen suddenly accelerated, with Reese closely following. Both went for the blocked ball, but Owen was faster.
Without any preparation, Owen went for a fadeaway jump shot!
“Oh—” The audience clenched their fists.
Everyone knew Owen’s shooting ability, but as they thought the ball would surely go in, Reese jumped high.
The height was astonishing, his hair and T-shirt hem lifting, revealing his taut waistline.
But even with incredible jumping ability, Reese was human. The shot’s arc was high, and Reese’s fingertips barely touched it.
Owen’s eyes widened, never expecting Reese to reach this level. Deep down, he thought the shot was a sure thing.
Owen landed before Reese, rushing forward. The ball bounced off the rim, and as it rose, Heishan and Carlo jumped, battling CBU’s center and Thomas for the rebound, creating chaos under the basket.
Heishan’s fingertips touched the ball, but Thomas swatted it away. Carlo then touched it, but CBU’s center knocked it aside.
As the ball bounced up, Owen caught it mid-air and dunked it in.
The audience erupted in applause.
But Owen exhaled deeply, knowing how much effort that dunk took.
DK’s defense under the basket was strong. Even without Reese’s marking, Owen knew he couldn’t underestimate Heishan and Carlo.
The game’s pace remained fast. After being blocked twice, Christen received Wright’s pass and faced Carlo calmly. His two jab steps didn’t fool Carlo, so he switched to a behind-the-back dribble. Sensing Nie Chuan’s approach, he quickly pulled back and passed to Owen.
Owen, after receiving the ball, used three consecutive shoulder fakes, quick and convincing. Though Reese stayed on him, Owen created enough space between them.
Owen jumped for a shot again.
“Don’t even think about it!” Carlo jumped behind Owen, ready to block, but Owen switched from a shot to a bounce pass.
The ball landed by Reese’s accelerating right foot.
Owen darted past Reese, caught the ball, and went for a layup.
