Champion, please stay!

Chapter 61, Question 60: The outcome hinges on a single goal.

Regarding Yi Shui's 51 points against the Wildcats, the Songying team's coach and players believe that Yi Shui was only able to score 50+ points because the opponent was the Wildcats. Of course, it was indeed impressive, but not to the point that it made them fearful.

When one player shines too brightly, it can overshadow the other players on the team.

Curry exploded after the Elite Eight, scoring 40+ points twice in a single game; after the final game, his season average points per game was capped at 26.6 points per game in 35 games, making him the scoring champion in the first division; he broke the three-point record set in the first four rounds, and even nearly broke the all-time record for the third round; he made 160 three-pointers in a single season, breaking the single-season three-point record held by the legendary Kyrend Clark…

Looking at the other Wildcats players, only Richards averaged double figures, with 12.6 points and 7.2 assists. The others scored less than 9 points. Richards only had two ways to score: fast break layups and long-range shots after receiving a pass from Curry in half-court sets. That was it. Nearly half of his assists came from passes to Curry, who then made the layups.

Judging from the game where Yi Shui and Curry went head-to-head, it seemed like the Davidson Wildcats had nothing else but Curry's shooting offense as their only strength.

The arrogance of a top league powerhouse, the attention the Songying team paid to the Wildcats, a 'minor league upstart', and the conclusion drawn from that one game that Yishui's 51 points were at least a dozen points 'inflated'.

However, the reality is that the Wildcats have a very mature offensive and defensive system. Although their defense is not strong enough, their zone defense is absolutely in place. Michael Beasley, another super scorer in college basketball who mainly relies on driving to score, was forced to give up on the game by the Wildcats' zone defense and just floated around on the outside to shoot instead of driving to score.

Yi Shui scored 51 points by tearing apart the Wildcats' zone defense!
In terms of defense alone, the Pine Eagles players have stronger individual defensive abilities, but in terms of zone defense, they really can't match the Wildcats' senior players who only know how to coordinate.

After halftime, the two teams switched halves and resumed play.

Whether the Songying team realized they had underestimated Yishui is no longer important; they don't have the energy to think about that now, as the opposing players are playing like their lives depend on it!
Yi Shui, who played the full first half, did not start in the second half. Calhoun fielded a combination of Price, Dyson, Frostowski, Yad, and Thabeet.

Price, Yad, and Thabeet didn't want to waste the advantage that Yi Shui had fought so hard for; they could only and had to fight even harder than Yi Shui!
Dyson and Frostowski, who didn't get along with Yi Shui, were thinking—that guy's gained the upper hand, if we drag him down we'll be laughed at! Let's beat him! And this is the semifinals! The next battle is the finals, the halfway to the championship, let's give it our all!

Price and Yad's pick-and-roll is the Husky's most consistent and strongest regular offensive tactic besides Yi Shui's one-on-one play, and they played it even better at this moment than in the first half of the first half.

Senior Frostowski's performance in receiving passes was no worse than Robinson's 11 points in the first half, including three three-pointers and one long two-pointer.

Dyson showcased his strength—his ability to throw the ball under any circumstances. When the ball is thrown to him, he never lets the offense stop. Moreover, inspired by Yi Shui's performance tonight, he maintained a fairly good shooting percentage.

And most importantly—a husky version of the African mountain!

Thabeet delivered 3 blocks in 8 minutes, creating a no-fly zone under the basket single-handedly and forcing the Pine Eagles to shoot from the outside!

Despite the Pine Eagles' skillful and coordinated offensive play, timely adjustments to their offensive tactics, and consistently strong mid-to-long-range shooting, their overall firepower was still limited.

With 8 minutes and 18 seconds left in the second half, the Pine Eagles called a timeout.

Without the opponent's 23-point halftime "bug" gone, they not only failed to regain the lead, but also fell behind by 3 points!
8分多钟时间，哈士奇队球员们拼出了19比16的比分，73比68，领先优势扩大到5分！
After the timeout, Yi Shui and Robinson, who had had plenty of rest, were substituted in, along with Price, Yad, and Thabeet, making the strongest combination of the "Two Huskies" team back on the field!
On the other side, the Phoenix head coach Bill Self also brought on his strongest starting lineup: Chalmers, Brandon Rush, Darrell Jackson, Darrell Arthur, and Cole Aldridge.

Every player in the Predakings' starting lineup has NBA potential and is almost certain to be selected if they enter the draft.

But at this moment, these players are no longer filled with confidence, but with pressure!

The Pine Eagles were on offense, and Darrell Jackson received the ball close to the baseline and made a jump shot, bringing the score to 70-73. They began their comeback.

But on this play, Self on the sidelines frowned. Thabeet had already moved close to the free-throw line, and Yi Shui was still in the mid-range on the other side, yet Darrell Jackson chose to shoot from outside the three-second zone.

This distance isn't within the shooting range that this 3D small forward excels at! During the transition, Yi Shui encountered Brandon Rush's fronting defense outside the three-point line at the right 45-degree angle. The opponent was very aggressive in positioning himself, already extending beyond the three-point line. Yi Shui simply turned around to get past Brandon Rush and rushed into the paint!
Darrell Jackson on the right sideline and Darrell Arthur on the left side of the free-throw line had no time to block him. Price passed the ball to Yi Shui, who received it and jumped!

Amid the gasps of tens of thousands of fans at the scene, Yi Shui slammed the ball into the basket over Cole Aldridge, who was rushing over from the left sideline of the three-second zone with his hands raised!
The referee blew his whistle just in time, Cole Aldridge committed a blocking foul!
The center's impact caused Yi Shui to lose his footing upon landing, slamming onto the ground and sliding back about half a meter. However, he immediately sprang to his feet and shouted towards Chalmers, who was standing at the free-throw line:
"Top three players? There are only the strongest players here!"

Aside from the fans near the baseline, 99% of the fans in the stadium couldn't hear what Yi Shui was shouting, unlike the viewers in front of their TVs who could hear the stadium sounds through the radio... But that didn't matter. The sight of Yi Shui trash-talking the 'top candidate for the MOP in the prediction of the semi-finals' kept the fans in the stadium boiling and cheering wildly!
Yi Shui slowly walked to the free throw line, and with the referee urging him on, he took the free throw... and made it!
76 to 70, the score difference came to 6 points!
When the Predakings attacked, the eyes of the fans in the stadium, and even the players from both teams on the field, were focused on Chalmers.

I just got trash-talked by Yi Shui... and right now Yi Shui is guarding the top arc!
Fans want to see Chalmers respond, and his teammates need their captain to step up and boost their confidence.

Chalmers was not afraid. He went straight to Yi Shui and stepped forward to take on the responsibility he was supposed to bear.

But when the two faced each other, the scene was... Other players on the Pine Eagles team: Captain, should we call it quits?
The two-meter-tall Brook is more than a whole size bigger than the 183cm Super Mario! His teammates in the paint can't even see Chalmers!
Chalmers was cursing inwardly. He knew Yi Shui was tall, but Yi Shui had previously been matched up against players at positions 2-4. Against Brandon Rush, he had a height advantage, but it wasn't significant, and against two Darrells, he was even shorter... Now, facing him head-on, the visual experience was completely different!

But at this critical moment, it wouldn't be right not to fight back, so he launched an attack, using the standard small-on-big style of play, relying on speed to break through... He didn't even get past the three-point line before hitting a 'wall'!
Chalmers is only a little over 1.8 meters tall, so his speed is definitely not slow, but he is definitely not a speedster. He is not as fast as Rose, let alone Mayo or Curry.

His unskilled straight-line acceleration caused him to crash headfirst into Yi Shui's arms, causing him to stumble!
Yi Shui seized the opportunity and reached out... to poke the ball that Chalmers had swatted away and bounced back towards the frontcourt!
Chalmers quickly turned to grab the ball, but was forcefully pushed aside by Yi Shui!

Yi Shui retrieves the ball and launches a fast attack!
Chalmers fought back... The gap widened, and he stopped beyond the three-point line, watching Yi Shui make a flying dunk for two points. Hearing the wild cheers of the fans in the arena, he calmed down.

be cheated!
This guy was just trying to provoke him into a one-on-one fight! And he actually blindly jumped into the opponent's trap!

Chalmers received the serve from Brandon Rush who had run back, and advanced into the attacking third. Sure enough, that guy had gone back to the wing!

He felt a strange sense of joy at having found a 'confidant,' and the other person seemed to believe that he could quickly regain his composure.

But more than anything, there was anger, and... panic.

Eight points! We have to give it our all!
Led by Chalmers, the Pine Eagles resumed their fierce team offense.

The Pine Eagles' team offense is considered by the Huskies to be the best in the nation, given their ability to hold their own against the Tigers' formidable presence despite being unable to defend Rose.

The Songying team went into a do-or-die mode, and the Husky team couldn't stop them. Yishui team went all out again, but they could only barely keep up and slow down the rate at which the score difference was narrowing.

But the Pine Eagles' offensive onslaught lacked something – balanced scoring.

In the first 28 minutes, the Pine Eagles scored evenly, with about 40% of their points coming from the paint, 20% from mid-range shots, and 40% from three-pointers. During this offensive surge, they only made one basket around the rim, with the vast majority of their points coming from beyond the arc!
The image of Thabeet blocking shots like swatting flies was incredibly intimidating.

With the addition of Yi Shui, the shot-blocking champion of this year's 3rd Madness, their dominance in the paint defense is off the charts!
The strongest defensive twin towers!
This gave the Pine Eagles an absolute advantage on the field and almost completely dominated the Huskies, but they still couldn't convert it into a scoring surge!

In matches like these, sometimes a single goal can determine the outcome of the entire game.

After the Pine Eagles went on a 16-10 run, they were still trailing the Huskies by two points, 86-88!

They still couldn't turn the disadvantage into an advantage! It was all because of Chalmers' irrational one-on-one play that allowed Yi Shui to intercept and score on the counterattack!
When the Pine Eagles' offensive cooled down, the huskies, who had been on the defensive for several minutes, opened their mouths and revealed their ferocious fangs!
(End of this chapter)