Champion, please stay!

Chapter 50. Crushing America's Number One High School Student, Sweet Top 50!
How to defend against Mayo was a key focus for Yi Shui in preparing for this match.

He recalled the only playoff game he remembered Mayo from, the second round of 2011, when the Thunder faced the Grizzlies who had just pulled off a upset and were down 1-2. In Game 4, the Thunder were playing away and trailed the Grizzlies 16-28 in the first quarter, looking like they were about to be swept away... Tony Allen was in foul trouble, so the Grizzlies had no choice but to put Mayo on the court.

On the defensive end, the Grizzlies' overall defense did not collapse thanks to the presence of Battier and Conley. However, on the offensive end, Mayo was unable to defend Harden and was held to only 3 of 12 shots by Durant. This further exacerbated the Grizzlies' already poor offense, and they ultimately lost to the Thunder after three overtimes, tying the series and suffering a 3-4 series defeat.

Yi Shui watched Mayo's performance in that series once and couldn't forget it... He played an average of 24 minutes per game and took 11 shots per game with a 27.3% field goal percentage. What other top high school player in the United States could play like that?

Yi Shui didn't remember exactly how Durant defended Mayo, but he still had a deep impression of Durant's defensive style during the middle of his career when his defense was mature and his physical abilities were at their peak. He tried to imitate it... and it worked really well!
On the other side, Mayo saw that Yi Shui, who had retreated to defend, didn't even glance at him. The little bit of composure he had just gained from being blocked was immediately overwhelmed by anger.

He went straight for the ball from point guard Hackett, who was running back, and aggressively pushed forward, ignoring his teammates' positioning and going straight for Yi Shui's defense.

The other Trojan players were used to this and quickly adjusted their positions to maintain support... but their efforts were in vain.

Facing Yi Shui's imitation of Durant's sticky defense of "providing contact but not continuous pressure, covering the top but not jumping easily," Mayo was completely unable to shake off the defender.

His teammates had already created a tactical play for Mayo to pass the ball out, then run along the sideline to the high post to receive the ball and shoot, but he was unwilling to 'back down' and wanted to dominate Yi Shui head-on. He stopped abruptly and stepped back, facing Yi Shui who was pressing forward after he stopped the ball, and then took a fadeaway jump shot... The familiar Los Angeles sound rang out again.

Thabeet positioned himself well, and Yad secured the defensive rebound.

Mayo aggressively moved in front of the defense to receive the ball, but Yad opted for a more conservative approach and passed the ball to Price.

Yi Shui lost the opportunity to launch a counterattack immediately, but they were not in a hurry. They maintained their formation with their teammates, pushed forward as a group, and spread out to the flanks after reaching the frontcourt. Price saw this and waved to Yad to set a screen, thus launching a team attack.

Seeing that Yi Shui did not continue to play one-on-one, the Husky fans in the arena were a little disappointed... but the disappointment did not last long. A few seconds later, Yi Shui drove straight to the basket, received a lob pass from Price, and slammed it home with one hand for an alley-oop dunk, scoring two more points!

Yi Shui was originally standing on the wing with his hands on his hips, ready to move up and create space for Price, Yad, and Thabeet to set a screen and receive a pass. But before the Price-Yad duo could even start the screen, he noticed that Mayo was very impatient. When Price used the screen to drive, Mayo blocked him! Guessing that this might be the situation, he immediately cut down, bypassing the crowd on the right side of the free throw line, and cut towards the basket... easily getting a pass and receiving opportunity.

He seized the opportunity himself, but Price's overall vision and excellent passing were also very important.

Seeing Yi Shui celebrate with Price by bumping chests, the Husky fans cheered and screamed wildly once again!

The Trojan fans who had traveled all the way to Springfield to watch the game were somewhat dumbfounded, and their boos were sparse.

Why did this match turn out so differently from what they expected?
0-6 at the start!

The opponent scored 3 goals. The first was because Mayo couldn't stop the ball head-on. The second was because Mayo missed a shot and the opponent launched a counterattack. The third was also due to Mayo's problem. He only focused on the ball and completely left his defensive target unattended. And all the goals were scored by Yi Shui!

Not only were Mayo's supporters at the stadium stunned, but fans watching on TV were also surprised by how things unfolded. In fact, they were even more taken aback because the commentator kept talking about how great Mayo was and mentioned the nickname "Super Jordan" more than once. Not only Trojan fans and casual fans, but even Husky fans were worried about Yi Shui, who was matched up against Mayo, because of the commentator's guidance. After all, Mayo had already shown his talent in the 9th grade and his fame was no less than that of Oden.

But the reality was completely different from what they imagined. Mayo acted like a headless fly in front of Yi Shui!
After only three rounds, the commentator's voice became softer. Although he was still stubbornly insisting that "it was just an accident," his confidence was clearly waning.

However, it wasn't just the onlookers who were surprised; both sides in the battle were also taken aback.

Thabeet, who had retreated to the backcourt, spoke up for once: "Brook, you promised to help you guard Mayo, right? I've been waiting so long I'm almost asleep!"

Mayo, who had originally wanted to take a break and calm down, immediately ran towards the top of the arc to ask for the ball after hearing this.

Yi Shui mentally gave Thabeet a thumbs up and followed Mayo closely. Although he didn't expect the defense to be so effective, the fact that one person could hold the line gave him even more motivation to defend!

...

A few minutes later, the game was paused.

The Trojans called a timeout, and Tim Floyd, no longer caring about Mayo's potential tantrums, immediately substituted him. Five minutes into the game, the score was 4-15, a deficit of 11 points!

Mayo took 5 shots and only made 1. That shot wasn't a one-on-one play, but rather a pass after being double-teamed in the elbow area. Yi Shui went to the other side to help Lewis cut in, and Mayo finally got the chance to get around Yad and enter the paint to receive the ball and make a layup.

Most importantly, while Mayo became increasingly impatient as the game progressed, Yi Shui, who were known as the "strongest three players," became more and more patient. They did not make any more aggressive moves if they could defend well, and did not give Mayo any opportunity to find a weakness.

Furthermore, when Yi Shui encountered tighter double-teaming on the offensive end, he did not confront them head-on, but instead actively moved to create space and made good use of Mayo's tendency to follow the ball, attracting a wider range of defensive attention and creating better offensive conditions for his teammates.

The comparison was too stark; even though Mayo was one of their own players, Floyd felt that Yi Shui was far superior.

However, this time Mayo did not jump around and express his dissatisfaction as he had before. After returning to the bench, he sat down in a chair with a blank expression, which surprised Floyd, who was prepared to give him a good scolding.

But he didn't have time to think about it in detail or comfort the team. He gathered the team together and made tactical adjustments.

After the timeout, Trojan's overall performance improved significantly!

Taj Gibson, the former offensive and defensive linchpin of the Trojans, scored big points tonight!

In fact, Gibson performed very well in the 06-07 season. As a freshman, he averaged 12.2 points and 8 rebounds per game, won the PAC-10 Rookie of the Year award, and barely made the All-NBA First Team. At that time, the Trojans were already developing him as the absolute core of their future team.

But even USC itself didn't expect that Mayo wouldn't choose strong teams like the Bruins, Wildcats, Sun Demons, or Cardinals next door, but instead came to 'save' them... Yes, Mayo used the word 'save' at the press conference when he joined USC.

In terms of skill and leadership, sophomore Gibson was indeed no match for freshman Mayo, becoming a supporting player with fewer shot attempts and his scoring average dropping to single digits. Before the third major, he averaged 9.1 points per game, but his rebounds rose to 9.5, assists to 2.7, and he also set new highs in steals and blocks per game, becoming a pillar of interior defense and passing.

Gibson, who was called upon to lead the team tonight, showcased his outstanding team offensive talent. He performed well in executing pick-and-rolls, setting off-ball screens on the wings, cutting to the basket and compressing the defense, and passing the ball from the elbow. Under his leadership, the Trojans launched a wave of attacks against the Huskies, narrowing the gap to 7 points at one point!
However, the Erha Legion, which had already gained momentum and established a clear lead, did not become careless or impatient. Despite appearing to be suppressed, they remained steady and cautious under Yi Shui's leadership.

After the Trojans' offensive slowed down, the huskies' fangs reappeared. Yi Shui made a one-on-one pass, and Robinson cut to the corner to receive the ball and hit a three-pointer.

Then Yi Shui collapsed the defense and forced Hackett to the baseline. Thabeet blocked Hackett's attack with a big block. Yi Shui grabbed the ball and passed it to substitute Dyson, who went straight to the frontcourt and made a layup, forcing the Trojans to call another timeout!

Gibson finally led his team on an 11-7 run, but after a brief respite, they were hit with a 5-0 run, widening the gap by one point compared to before the timeout!
It's proven that the Trojans are indeed no match for Mayo. The Los Angeles media wasn't wrong about one thing: Mayo single-handedly transformed the Trojans into a Madness 3-level powerhouse. But even Mayo couldn't do it tonight...

After the timeout, Floyd brought Mayo back on after he had been on the bench for about 10 minutes, hoping that his calmer protégé could lead the team to a comeback.

Mayo fans at the stadium and those watching on television, as well as Trojan fans, were filled with anticipation, and the television commentators chanted "The King is back!"

Then, what they saw was Mayo hiding from Yi Shui.

To put it nicely, they played more "composedly," actively seeking screens and making decisive passes.

But this time, his teammates couldn't figure it out. They were counting on Mayo to carry them forward with his individual skills and "rescue" them from their slump, instead of cooperating with them!
What's the difference between Mayo's playing style and that of backup shooting guard Davin Philson?
This side of Mayo was something his teammates and coaches had never seen before. Floyd didn't know how to adjust, and his teammates could only do their best.

At halftime, the score was 50-33, with the Huskies extending their lead to 17 points!
After halftime, the Trojans' performance did not improve. Mayo's 'steady' style of play allowed him to score and assist, but it was not good for his teammates who could only catch and shoot quickly and clean up his mess on the defensive end. Moreover, the pick-and-roll passing and cutting style of play that revolved around Gibson, which he played as the ball-handler, could no longer be implemented.

At 8:50 p.m., the match that surprised everyone came to an end.

易水15投8中，其中三分球5中2，加上5中4的罚球，拿到22分8板5助攻3抢断2盖帽，碾压16投6中拿到15分6助攻的梅奥。

The Huskies defeated the Trojans 90-67 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen!
While Mayo was getting thoroughly thrashed by Yi Shui, Rose's draft stock skyrocketed as he battled the Miami Hurricanes!

(End of this chapter)