Owen was warming up his wrists as he walked to the center of the court. He turned to Nie Chuan and said, “Today, I’m playing the role of Ben Robbins, and Larvin will try to mimic Sethston Lind’s offensive and ball-handling style. Of course, I’m confident in my long-range shooting, but how much of Sethston’s ability Larvin can show is another story.”
Larvin gave a wry smile and punched Owen’s shoulder lightly: “The level of understanding between us is also a problem! Just don’t go too solo, or with Nie Chuan and Reese’s synergy, they’ll crush us.”
Owen glanced at Reese, half-jokingly, “Reese, you’re really lucky. If it weren’t for Nie Chuan joining, I never thought you’d have a chance against Sethston.”
Reese lifted his chin, “Not everyone can partner with Nie Chuan.”
Larvin, speechless, put an arm around Nie Chuan’s shoulder, “Nie Chuan, don’t you think they seem like they’re about to fight?”
Nie Chuan nodded, equally speechless, “The weird part is… I have no idea why!”
A few seconds later, Owen bent down, picked up the basketball, and nodded at Larvin: “Let’s start!”
Owen passed the ball to Larvin, who quickly charged at Nie Chuan with a serious expression. The moment their eyes met, Nie Chuan felt immense pressure.
In that instant, Larvin leaned to Nie Chuan’s left, intending to break through.
Nie Chuan quickly adjusted his footing to block Larvin’s path, but Larvin swiftly shifted his weight, changing direction, with the ball moving opposite to Nie Chuan. This was Sethston’s signature dribbling style, where the dribble direction was opposite to the drive, seemingly slowing the attack but appearing natural due to the player’s high coordination, creating a blind spot for the defender.
Larvin spun past Nie Chuan, only to be intercepted by Reese during the layup. Reese’s hands moved quickly, and Larvin shielded the ball, passing it to the approaching Owen.
Owen took the ball, and Nie Chuan rushed to defend, but with no other teammates to interfere, Owen jumped and scored effortlessly!
Nie Chuan exhaled. A top-level point guard paired with a shooting guard who could shoot from midcourt without preparation was a nightmare.
Nie Chuan was constantly on the move, not because he couldn’t stop Larvin. In a one-on-one, it was anyone’s game. But with Owen in the mix, once the ball was passed, it was basically Owen’s score! Until Reese and Nie Chuan double-teamed Larvin, they finally curbed the situation.
But Nie Chuan knew well that AZU wasn’t just Sethston and Ben. Their small forward Bracey, power forward Edgar, and center The Rock were formidable opponents. If both he and Reese had to double-team Sethston to suppress him, DK would be in trouble.
At that moment, Owen suddenly raised his hand and called “timeout.”
“What’s up?” Nie Chuan asked.
“We’re not here to show off, but to expose potential issues you’ll face against AZU. The first problem is already clear,” Owen said, looking seriously at Reese. “I think you have something to say to Nie Chuan too?”
Nie Chuan looked at Reese, aware of his own confusion, but Reese remained calm.
“Nie Chuan, although you have speed comparable to Sethston, you’re wasting it,” Reese said without any blame, yet Nie Chuan felt the pressure.
“What?”
“When you’re on offense, your target is undoubtedly the ball. But when you’re on defense, do you know what your target is? Is it the ball or the player?”
Reese’s words enlightened Nie Chuan.
He had been chasing the ball, and whenever Larvin passed to Owen, he switched to defending Owen, but too many variables occurred in that time. Owen could pass back to Larvin or shoot quickly. In either case, Nie Chuan was a step behind.
“Hey, got it?” Larvin stepped up, patting Nie Chuan’s shoulder. “To deal with Sethston and Ben’s combo, you need to be targeted. Focus on one, leave the rest to Reese and the team. Your positioning and judgment are far more meaningful than blindly chasing the ball and wasting energy.”
Nie Chuan nodded, realizing he was too focused on shadowing Larvin as Sethston, falling into a trap.
“Alright, let’s continue! Nie Chuan, you showed more than this against CBU,” Owen clapped.
The practice resumed, with Larvin driving to the basket, facing Reese and Nie Chuan’s defense.
Larvin constantly changed direction and used feints, but Nie Chuan and Reese locked him down.
Time ticked away, nearing the shot clock. Reese lowered his stance, and Nie Chuan forced Larvin towards Reese. Reese successfully stole the ball, turned, and jumped to score, with Owen rushing to contest. Nie Chuan blocked Larvin from the advantageous area, and Reese’s reverse dunk secured a point.
Their teamwork earned praise from Owen and Larvin.
But it wasn’t enough.
Nie Chuan struggled to stop Owen’s shots multiple times, leading Owen to call another timeout.
Owen glanced at Reese, “I know Nie Chuan’s your little treasure…”
“Huh? Who’s whose little treasure?” Larvin interrupted.
“I’m not Reese’s… ‘little treasure’…” Nie Chuan chimed in, his voice trailing off.
Owen continued unfazed, “But I need to explain this to Nie Chuan myself.”
Reese nodded.
Owen grabbed Nie Chuan by the back of his shirt, “When you faced CBU, when I shot, Carlo or Reese would also interfere, and I couldn’t easily reach the best shooting position, so my release wasn’t as fast as now. But Ben Robbins excels at positioning, his ball-handling isn’t weak, and Sethston skillfully draws away Ben’s defenders.”
Recalling the UFR vs. AZU game, Nie Chuan realized Owen was right.
“Once Ben Robbins raises the ball above his head, trying to defend him is almost pointless. You must stop him before he shoots. By ‘before,’ I mean before Ben Robbins jumps to shoot! That’s the last line, understand, Nie Chuan?”
Looking into Owen’s eyes, Nie Chuan realized that despite Owen’s many jokes, he was serious and direct this time.
“I understand.”
“Good.”
They practiced all day, with Owen and Larvin simulating various scenarios for Nie Chuan and Reese. Though Nie Chuan adapted, he felt deep concern.
Firstly, Ben Robbins and Sethston’s synergy was higher, and Ben was more agile. Secondly, in a real match, they wouldn’t give Nie Chuan time to adapt.
That evening, Reese and Nie Chuan treated Larvin and Owen to a feast at the hotpot place Nie Chuan often visited with Zhou Bin. Larvin’s mouth turned red from the spice, but he didn’t stop eating. Owen raised his cola to Nie Chuan, making him feel flattered.
“Hey, kid, if Reese wasn’t around, would you come to CBU if I invited you?” Owen asked, resting his chin on his hand, the hotpot steam making him look soft.
It reminded Nie Chuan of the first time he met Owen.
His smile was gentle, but his gaze carried a hunter’s pressure, making Nie Chuan instinctively want to keep his distance.
Just as Nie Chuan opened his mouth to speak, Reese scooped a meatball into Nie Chuan’s bowl.
For some reason, Nie Chuan felt Reese was warning him about something.
“Huh? Go to CBU? I’m afraid I wouldn’t pass the interview!” Nie Chuan scratched his head. “And if I went to CBU and took Wright’s spot, he’d kill me, right?”
Owen laughed and continued, “What if after graduation, you join the NBA? Want to be my teammate?”
Nie Chuan was stunned, suddenly imagining a team with Reese as small forward, Larvin as power forward, and Owen as shooting guard. No matter how strong AZU was, they’d be crushed, right?
Owen noticed Nie Chuan spacing out, amused, he put down his cola and tapped the table, “What are you thinking?”
“I’m imagining the perfect lineup,” Nie Chuan smiled, squinting.
“What kind?” Larvin asked curiously, putting down a half-eaten meatball.
Nie Chuan pointed at the three of them at the table, “Enough to give Sethston a hard time, right?”
Owen laughed, pointing at Nie Chuan through the air, “You have to include yourself.”
“Me?”
“Yes. In this year’s finals, as a point guard, you’re the only one who can rival Sethston. Without you, how can we crush AZU?” Owen’s lips curved, as if the “best lineup” truly existed.
Nie Chuan knew Owen wouldn’t exaggerate someone’s abilities just to encourage them. He genuinely believed Nie Chuan had the skills to match Sethston, hence the high praise.
“Thank you.” Nie Chuan clinked his cola can with Owen’s, both smiling at each other.
“Hey! Hey!” Larvin blinked, “You don’t need to make it look like a love-at-first-sight toast…”
“Eat your meatball,” Owen glanced at Larvin.
