Champion, please stay!

Chapter 54. Award-winning, the all-around benchmark!

On the evening of the 27th, Yi Shui and several teammates watched the live broadcast on TV.

Today, apart from team practice, he didn't do any extra training, just so he wouldn't have to think about having to do extra training later and could focus on watching the game.

Of course, I also wanted to relieve some tension, since the competition is tomorrow and being too tense isn't good.

The Southern Conference Finals are being broadcast live, featuring the Tigers led by Derrick Rose and the Pine Eagles led by Mario Chalmers.

Rose's teammates were none of whom Yi Shui recognized in his 'past life'.

Of course, it's also related to his lack of focus on the NCAA. Top NCAA scorers like Roberts and top playmaking power forwards like Kiki Dorsey would most likely make it to the NBA.

But Yi Shui, who hadn't paid attention to the Pine Eagles team before, saw many familiar players among Chalmers' teammates—Darrell Arthur, Brandon Rush, Cole Aldridge, Sheron Collins… a bunch of players who would later enter the NBA.

Speaking of the number of top 100 high school players in the United States, the Pine Eagles are the only team Yi Shui has ever seen with more than their Husky team, with 13 players! That means there is at least one top 100 high school player in the United States on the reserve list.

Minor league teams treat a top-1 high school player like a treasure, and the Tigers are no exception. But the Pine Eagles treat them like free cabbages... It seems like the Huskies are the same way.

Compared to Chalmers, Yi Shui would certainly prefer to face Rose again. It's not that it doesn't matter if they face each other again in the NBA, but the same goes for the NBA. Opportunities to face each other are very rare, especially given Rose's high-speed movement and changes of direction that constantly damage his knees. There may not be many opportunities to face a healthy Rose.

However, there is indeed a gap in overall strength between the two teams, and the Pine Eagles seem to be... learning from the Husky team's method of dealing with the Tigers' Luo-Luo combination!

Instead of directly confronting Rose, he used pick-and-roll passing and cutting by Chalmers and Darrell Arthur, supplemented by Cole Aldridge's baseline support and Brandon Rush's long-range shooting from the wing, to launch a crazy team offense and go head-to-head with the Tigers, who were the most aggressive team at the start of the season.

This is clearly different from the Songying team's usual playing style as seen in the materials the team provided to Yishui!
As the saying goes, "one effort is enough, but a second effort is not enough," the Tigers seemed to have the initiative in the early stages, but failed to create an effective point difference. After the first round of lineup rotations, the Tigers lost their advantage and could only try their best to compete with the Pine Eagles. In the last 4 minutes of the first half, the Pine Eagles, who were trailing 35-36, went on an 8-2 run to take a 43-38 lead over the Tigers into halftime.

In the second half, the Pine Eagles started to extend their lead, and by the halfway point of the second half, they were leading the Tigers 64-51 by 13 points. Yi Shui thought that it was probably hopeless to face Rose again... But!
After the timeout, Rose, Roberts, and Antonio Anderson all erupted! Rose scored three consecutive layups, followed by a series of assists to his teammates, and his steals and fast breaks were phenomenal, leading the team to a 22-10 run in nine minutes. In the final moments, they narrowed the gap to 73-74, reducing the deficit to just one point. Rose also successfully disrupted Chalmers' pass, causing it to go out of bounds, giving the Tigers possession!

Just when the Tigers were about to turn the tide, Roberts messed up. He ran to receive the ball and was fouled by Darrell Arthur, who switched onto him for a three-pointer, giving him three free throws. But under pressure, he missed all three free throws!

Center Cole Aldridge, who was fouled by the Tigers, made both free throws.

As Rose's three-point attempt over Chalmers missed, the score remained 73-76...

After watching the game, Yi Shui wasn't as disappointed as he had imagined before the match... The Songying team is really strong!
Although luck played a part in their eventual victory, the Tigers held their own in head-to-head battles when they couldn't contain Rose. Among the Tigers' opponents this season, the Pinehawks seem to be unique!
Even the Cardinals, who have the Lopez brothers, tried to use their inside advantage to suppress the Tigers at the start, but they were beaten badly. They only narrowed the gap in the second half and ultimately failed to come back.

Yi Shui composed himself. There was no need to dwell on opponents who were already eliminated; the current opponent was the key!

The Pine Eagles team, with its exceptional individual skills and potentially the strongest team firepower... Yi Shui can't wait!

...

The regional finals, one game per day, March 28th, the second day of the competition, the focus of discussion among fans... Roberts held Rose back.

If Roberts had made even one of those three free throws, Rose would have had the opportunity to tie the game with his signature drive in the final seconds. The Tigers had built momentum in the latter part of the second half, but time was running out, and they might have been able to crush the Pine Eagles in overtime.

Despite the loss, Rose's draft stock continues to rise, with some media outlets suggesting he should be a top-five pick because his individual ability is clearly stronger than the six expected draft picks for the Hawks. During the Tigers' nine-minute scoring spree, he single-handedly dominated the opposing team.

Tonight's game didn't generate much buzz across the US, except perhaps in a few states around New York, where it surpassed the already completed Southern Conference Finals.

In North Carolina, fans are mostly talking about tomorrow's game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Louisville Cardinals.

While browsing the news, a player wearing number 30, who wished to remain anonymous, almost smashed the new phone his dad had given him after he made it to the Sweet Sixteen.

The New York Times' prediction for tonight's game: the least suspenseful game.

The loser, whoever it is, obviously can't be those huskies!
But he held the phone tightly, and even when he shook his hand, he didn't throw it away. Although his father was a former professional athlete and the Hornets' all-time leading scorer, he didn't earn much in those days. His 16-year professional career salary was less than that of Shaquille O'Neal in a year when he was retired. Moreover, his father spent money extravagantly in his early years, and now he has to support three children and has remarried after a divorce... The phone, which cost several hundred dollars, was the most expensive gift he had received since his father retired.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have joined Davidson College for a full scholarship. Even without the scholarship, he still had several prestigious universities to choose from, and his public profile wouldn't be so low.

At noon, the elementary school students broke down again.

NCAA官方公布了本赛季的第一个全美级别大奖。    赛区阶段场均22+8.8+4+1.5+3.6；全能锦标赛阶段场均25.3+8.3+3.6+1.7+3.8；疯三前3轮场均19.6+10.6+4.6+2.3+5……

Yi Shui beat out competitors such as Tyler Hansbrough, OJ Mayo, Blake Griffin, and Derrick Rose to win the Oscar Robertson Award, also known as the 'All-Round Benchmark Award'.

Yi Shui won an award, which greatly increased the attention and discussion surrounding the Central China Regional Finals.

But the elementary school students were not happy about it.

"Where is this guy's all-around game? He scores by driving and pulling up for jumpers, and his defense is very comprehensive... But when has being an all-around player been associated with defense? If we're talking about defense, shouldn't Duncan have won this award four years in a row?"

His outburst stemmed primarily from the fact that this was the only national-level award he had a chance of winning. He was averaging 26.2 points per game this season, leading the Division I league, along with 4.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.5 steals... but he didn't even make the final roster!

This is outrageous! Do minor league stars have absolutely no human rights?

...

As evening fell, at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Yi Shui and his teammates entered the court. As soon as he came out of the player tunnel, he felt a burning gaze upon him.

He walked to the technical table, and the elementary school student opposite him also walked over in unison.

Yi Shui was about to provoke the future Three Kingdoms King when, before he could even speak, the other party's astonished voice reached his ears first.

"How did you grow so tall!"

Curry remembered clearly that when they were matched up, Yi Shui was only slightly taller than him. Now, with this height difference, it felt like he was facing an inside player! This made him forget the tough words he originally wanted to say.

Yi Shui forgot to provoke him. He originally wanted to say that he was 1.91 meters tall, but it seemed a bit too much.

He chose to answer honestly: "You can think of me as a late bloomer, and I'm still growing. It's normal to have grown two or three inches in the last six months... But don't worry, I can still run as fast and jump as well as before. Tonight, I'll still be your opponent."

What do you mean by "growing up is normal"? He stopped growing when he was in 12th grade two or three years ago, and this guy is almost a year older than him and is still growing? And who's worried that you'll slow down and won't be able to jump anymore?
Curry had a million complaints he wanted to vent, but after opening his mouth several times, he finally decided to walk away.

It's impossible to have a conversation with this guy. He speaks with such a sincere and honest expression, yet he can be so infuriating!

Curry honestly felt he must have been blind to the fact that he had considered being teammates with this guy.

Yi Shui had just mustered his emotions and was about to provoke the other party when they simply left. He could only mutter to himself, "Why is this elementary school kid so easily angered? He has such a temper."

After completing the final preparations before the match, Yi Shui and his teammates stepped onto the court, feeling the rhythm... He mentally summoned the system.

"You step onto the field of elite players once again, and face a previously unknown but powerful team once more. Wash away the humiliation of the past! Mission: Charge towards the final arena to trigger."

Objective 1: Score more points than Stephen Curry. Reward: Long-range shooting talent +1.

Objective 2: Win the match and advance to the final four. Reward: Flexibility +1.

Once again? The humiliation of the past? Yi Shui remembered!

Previously, he and his six former teammates, who were drafted by the NBA in 2006, won the Big East League title, became a seeded team, and made it to the Elite Eight... In the end, they encountered a minor league team, the George Mason Patriots, the champions of the Colonial Rebel League.

The Patriots had no former top 100 high school players or any NBA draft prospect, so the Huskies completely underestimated their opponents and played casually. However, they still managed to take a 9-point lead at halftime. Just when they thought the game was in the bag, the opposing team erupted in the second half, raining down three-pointers to tie the score and force overtime.

In overtime, the Patriots hit four more three-pointers, outscoring the Huskies 12-10 in five minutes. As the favorites to win the championship, the Huskies were upset by the Patriots and stopped in the quarterfinals... In the end, Noah, Horford and Brewer did not encounter any decent opponents in the last two games, winning by more than 15 points in both games and easily winning the championship.

The Patriots excel at three-pointers, and the Wildcats in front of us also excel at three-pointers, and they have Curry, who is undoubtedly the best three-point shooter in the NCAA right now... What a coincidence!

However, unlike the Husky team that had eight or nine players with NBA potential back then, Yi Shui knew that he and his current teammates could not be as careless and underestimate their opponents as they were two years ago. After all, they had struggled to climb out of the lowest point, and they had played against the Wildcats in a warm-up game, so they knew that this opponent was not easy to deal with.

Yi Shui came to the center line and looked down to meet Curry's gaze, who was staring at him.

Another cat-and-dog war is about to break out!
(End of this chapter)