Champion, please stay!

Chapter 29. The Core of Offense and Defense!

After swatting the ball out of bounds with one hand, Yi Shui high-fived his teammates who had worked together to complete the defense. This block was so satisfying.

So this is what a successful team defense looks like!
It wasn't about him relying solely on his running and jumping ability and awareness to rush in and block shots, nor was it about him and Thabeet protecting the rim and cleaning up after their forward teammates... Rather, it was about the team's coordinated efforts, using a constant stream of help defense to create layers of obstacles for the opponent. He only needed to manage his weak-side passing and receiving, and block shots when the opponent's finishing point reached his help defense area.

He initially thought their zone defense wasn't strong enough, that their individual defensive abilities weren't as good as the Louisville Cardinals, and that their teamwork and chemistry weren't as good as the Davidson Wildcats', so they couldn't stop their opponents and could only wear them down... No, that's not right! The attrition-style defense in the first few rounds was also part of the reason they executed this successful zone defense!

No wonder the coaching staff is so focused on implementing zone defense; it's really effective and greatly mitigates the weakness of insufficient one-on-one defense on the perimeter!

However, Yi Shui thought about it and realized that if Robinson or Yad had been in his position, they probably would have foolishly blocked the three-second zone when the opponent rushed in, leaving the opponent's left-side pitcher completely exposed... Fortunately, he was aware of this and had the ability to disrupt the shot.

The Golden Eagles have possession in the frontcourt, and in college games where each possession lasts a long time, they have the opportunity to launch a complete attack.

The Husky team played even harder on defense. Their successful defensive play just now not only surprised Yi Shui, but also greatly excited everyone else.

The Golden Eagles' perimeter trio's ball movement was indeed impressive. Matthews made a long pass to Fitzgerald, who had spread out to the left corner, but unfortunately, the power forward, whose three-point shooting wasn't consistent, failed to capitalize on the open opportunity, and the shot went wide!

Switching to defend close range, Yi Shui overpowered Barrow to secure the defensive rebound. On the other end, Price and Yad executed a pick-and-roll, with Yad receiving the ball and attempting a layup… unfortunately, it missed. But! Yi Shui circled around to Barrow and grabbed the rebound again! He then passed it to the outside!
The Golden Eagles all crowded into the paint, and Robinson was open on the right sideline. He received the ball and hit a three-pointer... and it went in!
With the Huskies leading 12-5, the Golden Eagles called a timeout!

Tom Collin (Golden Eagles Head Coach): No, nobody told me the Huskies would play zone defense!
He watched the replays of both of the Huskies' games last week. After the Eastern Star showed his shot-blocking talent, the Huskies' rim protection did improve, but their perimeter defense was still poor. They were completely overwhelmed by Harlan Goddick and the Wildcats' perimeter players. Like their Golden Eagles, they are a team with strong defensive skills but are very specialized and lack overall defensive strength.

Therefore, he felt this game wouldn't be too difficult, because they, like the Wildcats, have an excellent perimeter lineup.

Tonight, the opponent actually played a complete zone defense! Although the intensity wasn't enough, the zone defense had all the necessary effects, a qualitative leap compared to last week!

They couldn't out-defend against their opponents, which is understandable, but it's not like their opponents' defense was that strong either. However, they also didn't gain the upper hand in their offensive battles.

When Klin watched the video, he thought that Yi Shui, who had the strongest scoring ability on the other side and averaged 19.25 points per game, was slightly weaker in offense than McNeil, who was also around 20 points per game. However, McNeil was more versatile, had solid fundamentals, and high basketball IQ. He could shoot from any position, while Yi Shui only had a few simple moves. At most, the two would just trade baskets, and McNeil might even have the upper hand.

However, the actual match was very different from what he had expected. The opponent played a zone defense, which limited McNeil to some extent, and Matthews' one-on-one defense against Yi Shui was even worse than he had imagined.

Moreover, he quickly reviewed the first few rounds and discovered that Yi Shui was actually the core link in the Husky team's zone defense!
And that's not all! In the play before the timeout, Yi Shui dominated Barrow on both ends of the court, grabbing two consecutive rebounds!
That was their Golden Eagles' best rebounder. Despite lacking physical strength and having average jumping ability, he was a rebounding genius who could average 10 rebounds per game by relying on his ability to predict the landing point of the rebound and his mobility. Yet, Yi Shui managed to steal two rebounds from him right in the face!

He can score, orchestrate the defense, rebound, and pass the ball! 3 assists in the first 3 minutes!
Watching Yi Shui enjoying the cheers of the fans, Klin was incredibly envious! What luck that old man on the other side had! He went to China to earn some extra money and managed to pick up such a genius. This genius wasted a year, but after waking up and turning back, he's actually become even stronger!
On the other side, Calhoun was also exclaiming: I'm just lucky!

Actually, he didn't expect the zone defense to adjust so quickly. The others were fine. Thabeet and Price were on solid defense. After the three and four positions stopped taking on the task of connecting the defense, what they needed to do was simple: if there were any exposed opponents nearby, they just had to fill in.

The key was when Yi Shui could adapt to his new defensive role; he thought it would take time... but he didn't expect the kid to be able to do it so quickly!
As for why Klin couldn't understand Yi Shui repeatedly grabbing rebounds over Barrow, Calhoun saw it simply as Yi Shui trying to steal the rebounds that Barrow was about to secure...

...

This timeout did not improve the situation for the Golden Eagles.

After the timeout, the Huskies defended much better, mainly in terms of more decisive help defense. Previously, when executing zone defense, Huskies players were somewhat concerned about what to do if their assigned defender was open, sometimes hesitating and missing opportunities to help.

Now, they have completely put 'individual' thinking behind them and are fully committed to team defense on the defensive end!

The Golden Eagles' three star perimeter players had a very difficult time.

The "Little Iverson" drive-and-kick + Matthews long-range support + McNeil's receiving play was worn down by the opponent's zone defense;
McNeil also struggles in one-on-one situations. Robinson's defense is poor, but he's tall! Lacking explosiveness and jumping ability, he finds it difficult to shoot from the outside due to the 6-centimeter height difference, and when he drives in, he faces the opponent's zone defense.

And they've lost their offensive rebounding security!

Fitzgerald, who relies on conventional rebounding, struggled to secure offensive rebounds against Thabeet. Barrow, who averaged 3.5 offensive rebounds per game in the first four games and relied primarily on anticipation, was surprisingly contained by the opposing guards…

Not only were they frustrated and inefficient on offense, but they also couldn't defend.

Matthews was guarding Yi Shui, and Yi Shui suddenly broke through. Matthews stepped back a little, and Yi Shui pulled up and threw the ball. The key was that he was quite accurate!
Matthews cursed Yi Shui's mindless attack countless times in his heart, but he couldn't stop their mindless tactics from being effective.

When Yi Shui needed to slow down and sit back and do nothing on the offensive end, Price and Yad carried the offense.

It wasn't exactly great, but Price's steady shooting and Yad's desperate effort against their rivals allowed them to barely withstand the counterattack from the Golden Eagles' three star perimeter players, whose offense was limited. This gave Yi Shui peace of mind.

However, despite such an unfavorable situation, the Golden Eagles did not give up; instead, they played even harder.

The opponent's starting lineup countered them, which was indeed unexpected, and they didn't have a good countermeasure. But they still had another advantage - their second lineup!
With the first half halfway through, the Golden Eagles' three star players relied on their individual abilities to keep the score close and prevent the opponent from pulling away completely, trailing the Husky team by 8 points at 16-24 before the timeout.

However, after both sides substituted their lineups, the Golden Eagles, whose substitutes were more capable, did not quickly turn the score around as they had hoped.

Dyson, the Husky's sixth man, is on fire!

After more than ten games, Dyson has accepted his role as a substitute, but that doesn't mean he's given up. He still wants to reclaim his starting position.

If Yi Shui plays well tonight, he must play even better!
The Golden Eagles' main strategy is single-player defense, which just happens to be the target of Dyson's one-on-one shooting!
The Golden Eagles' second unit did have a strength advantage, but Dyson managed to drag the game out until two minutes into the first half before narrowing the gap to within 5 points, bringing the score to 37-41 and forcing the Husky to call a timeout.

But the Golden Eagles' joy didn't last long. After the timeout, Yi Shui, who had returned to the court, received the ball at the right 45-degree angle. Facing Matthews, who had taken a step back to defend, he pulled up and decisively took a three-pointer over the onrushing Matthews...

hit!

This goal not only thwarted the Golden Eagles' ambition to overtake the score and enter halftime, but also shattered most of the Golden Eagles players' pent-up energy.

They worked hard for 8 minutes and scored 21 points, narrowing the gap to just two goals, but as soon as the other team came back, they widened the gap again!
Requesting monthly votes! Requesting recommendation votes!


(End of this chapter)