Chapter 58.1 - Applause

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Mr. Lyndon had already taken out a camera and was in the process of setting it up.

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In the audience, several students started to discuss.

“Why were Reece and Ewing substituted? If they’re benched, is there even anything worth watching in this match?”

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“Yeah! EFU’s main lineup is playing in the second half!”

“There was no other way, who would want this to be just a practice match? They have to let the mains sit it out so that the other players can have a chance to experience what it’s like in the league.”

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Sitting across the basketball court, Old Bush stroked his chin. “It seems like in the second half, it’ll be our turn to be the grindstone. We can look at the strength of DK’s reserve.”

At the sound of the whistle, EFU’s small forward received the ball and quickly broke through Zack’s defense to face Peter’s.

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He was about to pass the ball up ahead to a teammate on the right when the ball was abruptly cut off and taken away, giving him no time to react.

“Defense—— defense——” EFU’s players on the sidelines shouted.

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At this moment, Nie Chuan had already brought the ball within the opponent’s three-point line.

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“The one with the black hair……so fast!”

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Nie Chuan was about to make the layup when he faced the opposing center. This guy was so much taller than Nie Chuan that if he rashly shot, Nie Chuan had a high probability of getting blocked.

But Nie Chuan’s posture when jumping really wasn’t for shooting; rather, it was for passing the ball diagonally to the rear. Carlo caught the ball and made the shot.

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“Oh——” Carlo turned around and hung on Nie Chuan’s shoulders, “This is the first time you passed to me this game! This is worth commemorating!”

Nie Chuan shrugged him off, “Carlo, you’re too heavy.”

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After speaking, he ran back.

As he ran, he considered the situation on the court. It seemed that his speed really was fast and would be an advantage when launching a quick attack but without any preparation, the only one who could keep up with his speed would be Carlo. Montenegro was focused on defending under the basket and while Peter’s level wasn’t bad, there wasn’t enough tacit understanding between them. Although Zack’s scoring ability at the three-point line also wasn’t bad, he’s always been overshadowed by Ewing’s edge; he must create opportunities for him to score and spur his self-confidence.

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Old Bush furrowed his brows. “This rear guard is quite fast……”

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He looked to the side in Reece’s direction.

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Reece and Mr. Lyndon were sitting side by side when Mr. Lyndon asked, “Do you think that the person the other team sent can hold Allen?”

“No,” Reece replied without any hesitation.

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“So who do you think they should send to defend against Allen, or what tactics would be relatively effective against him?”

“If it’s one-on-one then I’m the only one who can defend against him here.”

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Mr. Lyndon smiled. “Do you have too much confidence in yourself or do you just have blind faith in Allen?”

Reece didn’t answer. He only raised his chin, his meaning was obvious: You’ll know once you watch.

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Peter dribbled the ball but was intercepted by two defenders and passed the ball to Zack. As soon as Zack brought the ball into the opponent’s area, he was faced with the opposing small forward. In a moment of panic, Zack passed the ball to the side, but the one waiting wasn’t a teammate but EFU’s point guard.

“Oh…… how could such a low-level mistake happen!”

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“This guy won’t do, hurry up and change him!”

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EFU’s point guard quickly drove the counterattack and the entire front line drew closer to DK.

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At that moment, Nie Chuan turned around and ran to the left. The center defending him chased after him to obstruct him when he suddenly stopped and ran in another direction. When EFU’s center reacted and wanted to chase again, Nie Chuan had already thrown him off and was running parallel to the opposing point guard.

Peter also caught up to him. Nie Chuan glanced at him and made a clenching gesture with his hand but he wasn’t sure whether Peter took the hint or not.

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Nie Chuan defended the opposing point guard from beginning to end, their speed and rhythm identical. Even with several successive fakes, the opposing team couldn’t get rid of Nie Chuan.

He (the opponent) grew anxious. He turned to the side only to find that the teammate who came to provide support was being guarded by Peter. The moment he turned again with the ball, his hands were empty. The ball had already been intercepted by Nie Chuan.

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“Oh——” a collective exclamation of surprise rose from the audience.

Because Nie Chuan moved so fast and his opponent had been distracted in that moment, he was able to grasp the opportunity at the perfect timing.

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Nie Chuan was about to speed up but the opposing small forward and power forward rushed over to defend against him. Nie Chuan suddenly shouted, “Zack—— chance!”

Zack looked to the side, his position was practically unguarded.

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But he was so far away from Nie Chuan……

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Just when everyone thought it was just a way for Nie Chuan to divert the opponent’s attention, Nie Chuan passed the ball. It quickly passed between the two players and was firmly caught by Zack.

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There was another sound of “Oh——” from the audience.

Even Mr. Lyndon, who was holding the camera, was stunned.

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Zack took off. His posture in the air was very steady and he scored the point without any suspense.

Nie Chuan ran over and hugged Zack’s shoulders from behind. “Haha! Zack, you’re amazing!”

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Zack carried Nie Chuan on his back and smiled shyly. “I…… I didn’t think there wouldn’t be anyone to defend against me!”

On the bench, Ewing, who was chewing gum, elbowed Reece. “Hey, Allen has really grown up, he knows how to build his teammates self-confidence now.”

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Only then did Mr. Lyndon realized that just now Nie Chuan had deliberately attracted the opponent’s attention to himself in order to create enough room for Zack.

“The angle of his pass was very accurate and you can’t predict how fast he will pass. In terms of the point guard’s ability to control the ball, he’s already outstanding. But if a good point guard doesn’t have teammates with quick reactions, he won’t be able to fully use his dispatch ability,” Coach Gordon suddenly spoke.

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Mr. Lyndon lowered his head and looked at the footage recorded just now. He found that not only was that pass fast, it was also at a height that made it difficult for the opponents to react to.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Not only that, this three-pointer also doubled Zack’s confidence. Afterwards, he scored two more consecutive three-pointers.

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Even though there was still a lack of scorers inside and outside the three-point line like Reece and Ewing, DK kept the score gap with EFU in the double digits from beginning to end.

Old Bush’s eyes darkened as he watched Nie Chuan’s figure. “Then he’ll just have to think of a way.”

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Nie Chuan exhaled. Zack’s not the only one beside him. Peter’s abilities were well balanced in all aspects while Carlo’s explosiveness under the basket and Montenegro’s ability to secure rebounds have yet to be displayed.

At this time, EFU’s off-field players were shouting together, “Come on! Come on! EFU!”

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Their momentum wasn’t any weaker than that of DK’s cheerleading team.

Old Bush stretched his hand out at EFU’s center and made a pushing motion which everyone on the team understood.

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As the game progressed, Nie Chuan soon discovered that EFU began to mark them using one-on-one tactics. The center who originally was guarding against Nie Chuan also left and returned to the basket to compete with Montenegro.

EFU’s point guard belonged to the keen type but it wasn’t difficult for Nie Chuan to break through his defense. His two consecutive fakes that were so natural that it made people want to beat him, broke through his defense and entered the opponent’s area with ease.

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But Zack’s receiving position was being guarded while Peter wasn’t in an advantageous position either.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Montenegro and Carlo were boxing out under the basket while the opposing point guard had already caught up to Nie Chuan from behind.

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Nie Chuan rushed to the basket without hesitation and positioned himself as if preparing to shoot.

The opposing point guard and scorers all rushed up, but Nie Chuan still took off without hesitation.

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“This kid is insane——”

The height Nie Chuan reached surpassed the opponent’s imagination, but there was still no guarantee that he wouldn’t make a mistake when making his shot.

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EFU’s power forward and center were already in position to receive the rebound, but Nie Chuan retracted the ball in midair and, like a pendulum, the ball flew to his side.

With a “peng——”sound, the ball passed by the waist of the opposing center forward and was caught by Montenegro.

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Montenegro roared and dunked. The opposing center turned to block but it was already too late.

A tremor ran through the audience before it was immediately followed by cheers.

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Nie Chuan came over to the basket and high-fived Montenegro.

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“Montenegro, how did you know that wasn’t a rebound?”

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If it was a rebound, Montenegro wasn’t in a favorable position but when the opposing center had Montenegro blocked behind him with his head raised, ready to fight for the rebound, Montenegro positioned him towards the outside, leaving room for Nie Chuan’s pass.

“Because I understood you. Faced with two defenders, you still chose to shoot. Taking this kind of risk is meaningless so your shot must be a fake not only for fooling the opponents but also for attracting attention from under the basket.”

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Nie Chuan rubbed his nose. It turned out that Montenegro may seem big in size but his thoughts were actually very delicate. Moreover, he had always been observing himself.

He suddenly felt that it was a fortunate thing for the team to have a low-key but attentive and reliable teammate like Montenegro.

Drea: NC’s basketball skills is evolving! ^o^ If only his EQ and flirting skills could evolve as fast… PHQfds

MadMadamMims: NC being the glue that binds this team as well as their eyes and ears, my heart TT kick ass baby!