Champion, please stay!

Chapter 68, Section 66: We are the champions! (3rd update, please subscribe!)

Once Yi Shui decided to play center forward, he had no regrets. If they lost, he would take responsibility himself.

He is certain that he will defend against Bade and Omocarno better.

We were also prepared for the possibility that we might not be able to defend against it.

He might be able to defend well at first by relying on the help defense methods he saw from Thabeet, but if any one of the three absolute strong points, Collison, Westbrook, and Love, attacks in succession, then his defensive success rate will definitely drop quickly.

He is confident that he has the talent to become a top rim protector, but his current height and weight are what they are.

Who would have thought that these three brothers would be sent away one by one, like the Calabash Brothers saving their grandfather...

After successfully protecting the rim for three consecutive rounds, Yi Shui could feel that his teammates' confidence had returned!

Just as Yi Shui had predicted, although his teammates believed he was the best player in the country, they had no doubt about his ability to play center... Now, they had no doubt at all!

Hearing the fans chanting "BIG" wildly, the teammates felt incredibly proud. Their genius, Brook, was a genius who could do anything!

The seven NBA general managers on the sidelines were also deeply impressed, especially Steve Jobs and Larry Bird, who stood up immediately. They were thinking of the same person, even though their playing styles were completely different...

The Bruins continued their attack, and Love, who seemed to be questioning his life choices, stopped asking for the ball to go one-on-one. Collison passed the ball to Westbrook, who was actively asking for it.

Westbrook once again blew past Froststowski and drove into the paint. It's worth noting that Johnson Bird's usual help defense on Abuja's receiving line was ineffective, as Westbrook's straight-line sprint speed was superior to Collison's.

After Westbrook drove into the paint, he didn't foolishly go straight for the basket. Instead, after Yi Shui moved into position, he grabbed the ball, braced himself against the resistance, and drove deeper into the paint before forcefully pulling up for a layup... "Smack!"... Blocked!
This time it wasn't Yi Shui, but Ya De who rushed in to help with the defense!

Yad didn't think too much, he just rushed in to help. When he saw Westbrook break in, he rushed over. When he saw Yi Shui blocking Westbrook, he pounced on him... and he blocked him!

So, when it comes to defense, you may lack skill, but you can't lack attitude. Hard work really does bring good luck!
The Bruins weren't so lucky this time; the ball hit the backboard and bounced back, and Yi Shui reached out and scooped it up.

The fast break didn't materialize. The Bruins retreated in time, but in the ensuing positional battle, the Huskies scored!

Yad moved towards the free-throw line, Love didn't come out to help, Yad received the ball and attracted Westbrook to help defend, Johnson Bird then set a screen for Yi Shui around the top of the key.

Yi Shui ran to the right 45-degree angle to receive the pass from Ya De at the free-throw line and hit a three-pointer!
With the score at 50-34, the Bruins called a timeout!
Heland was frustrated, regretting not calling a timeout sooner. He had scored 18 points in the last 5 minutes of the first half to narrow the gap, but then gave it all back at the start of the second half.

To make matters worse, they failed to score a single point during this period and were hit with a 7-0 run by the opponent!

But who would have thought that Yi Shui, a player who had always played defense on the back line, could actually play center forward?
Watching the players walk back to the bench looking dejected, even Westbrook, a player who always seemed full of confidence, looked bewildered after being blocked twice in the first three possessions of the second half.

Holland: We're doomed!
...

All the fans, both at the stadium and watching on television, felt like they had ridden a rollercoaster.

Fans of the Bruins feel like they need to bring nitroglycerin pills to the game! At first, it seemed like a sure win, but then the situation suddenly took a dramatic turn, and the Bruins look like they're about to pull off a comeback!

Just when they were in despair and thought they were about to be overturned, Yi Shui moved to the center position and scored 3 points, 1 rebound and 2 blocks in 3 possessions, leading the team to widen the gap again. In just over a minute, he destroyed the Bruins' efforts in the first half!

After the timeout, the Bruins lost the "stubborn" spirit they had in the first half.

Westbrook used to drive recklessly against Thabeet, but now, facing Yi Shui guarding the basket, he stops short of the basket and takes a quick pull-up jumper.

Because when he was 'carving the mountain' before, he was prepared not to score, so he thought he would hit Thabeet hard and knock him down; but when he played against Yishui, he was absolutely sure that he could score... but he was repeatedly beaten.

The Bruins appear to be a team with Love as the absolute core and Collison as the dominant ball handler, but the true leader this season has always been Westbrook!

It was his unwavering drive that propelled the team forward. His lack of confidence, coupled with the team's comeback from a 16-point deficit to a 9-point deficit only to be overtaken by Yi Shui and pushed back to a 16-point deficit...

The Bruins have repeated the mistakes of two years ago and have collapsed!

Throughout the second half, Yi Shui focused solely on the players with the ball attacking the inside, ignoring everyone else. They didn't care if the opponent scored on a cut, as they didn't want to give the opponent any chance to regain momentum.

If the other players on the opposing team score, they can simply respond with their own offense. He and Johnson Bird initiate the offense with high pick-and-rolls, which is equivalent to the entire team spreading out, making it difficult for the opposing team to defend.

During this time, the fans at the scene experienced two more waves of excitement.

At 6 minutes and 22 seconds, Love made a low-post drive down the middle, facing Yi Shui's strong attack, but was blocked by Yi Shui who jumped up from the spot. Yi Shui's block count increased to 6, surpassing Olajuwon and setting a new single-game block record in the NCAA National Basketball Championship final.

At 10 minutes and 37 seconds, Collison's three-point attempt missed, Shipp grabbed the offensive rebound and scored on a second-chance opportunity, only to be swatted away by Yi Shui who turned and pounced on him... 7 blocks, setting a new record for blocks in a single game in the finals! With more than 14 minutes left, Robinson, who had been substituted in, received a pass from Johnson Bird at the high post and hit a three-pointer, bringing the score to 76-54, with the difference widening to more than 20 points.

Holland called a timeout, substituted the starters with players who hadn't played tonight, giving them a record of appearing in the NCAA Finals... He surrendered!

Calhoun also substituted all his starting players... no, he brought on a player who hadn't played for half the game.

The combination of Spencer, Dyson, Johnson-Bird, Edwards, and Thabeet was substituted in to play garbage time and accumulate some stats.

Thabeet was feeling conflicted: What happened to saving my last foul for the very end?

By the time I went on stage at the last minute, you had already won the game!
But there are still more than 5 minutes left... a new block record may not be broken, but here I come for Hakeem Olajuwon's old record!

...

At 9:55 p.m. on April 5, 2008, at Conseco Arena, amid cheers of "Beat LA" and "Great Again" from the fans, all the speakers sounded a long whistle.

The 2007-2008 NCAA basketball season officially came to an end at this moment.

易水打了34分钟，17投9中，其中三分球7中3，加上5中4的罚球，拿到25分13板4助攻2抢断7盖帽。

Thabeet played 19 minutes, shooting 2-for-4 from the field and 1-for-3 from the free-throw line, scoring 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 6 blocks... In the last few minutes, he managed to rack up two blocks, almost achieving a new record with Yi Shui, but he also surpassed Olajuwon, ranking second on the single-game blocks list in the finals.

加上亚德的15分9板3助攻2盖帽、普莱斯的10分10助攻、罗宾逊的13分……

The Huskies thrashed the Bruins 83-59, winning the national championship again after 3 years, their third title in 10 years!
After the final whistle blew, Yi Shui and his teammates and coaches hugged and celebrated.

Nearly 4 people were also celebrating wildly at the scene.

Thousands of Bruins fans who had traveled from afar to watch the game were plunged into despair, their second runner-up finish in three years! But no one cared whether they cried or stood strong, just as no one cared when Collison buried his head in Westbrook's arms and cried after losing the final for the second time.

The cameraman, carrying his camera, followed the reporter through the crowd and found Yi Shui.

Yi Shui was yelling and shouting with his teammates when he saw the reporter. He immediately straightened up and adjusted his jersey.

Wei Ping-Bryant, whose hair isn't completely white yet! So, it's highly likely he's on CCTV's cameras; his parents, former teachers, classmates, and neighbors are probably watching!
Zhang Weiping greeted, "Hello, Yishui, long time no see."

"Have you seen him before?" Yi Shui wondered, as memories from four years ago surfaced in his mind.

At that time, he was two months shy of turning 17. After leading his school team to win the Zhejiang Provincial High School Championship, he was recommended by the province to participate in the "China-US Campus Basketball Exchange and Training Camp". The Chinese team leader was this "first person in Chinese basketball history" before Yao Ming. However, I had only met him at that time and I don't think we ever greeted each other.

But face is something everyone gives each other, so Yi Shui warmly replied, "Hello Coach Zhang, it's a pleasure to see you again. You've been around for so many years, but you're still as charming as ever."

Wow, this young man is surprisingly eloquent! Zhang Weiping's face crinkled with laughter as he said, "You're different. You're even more dazzling than when I first met you..."

As they were exchanging pleasantries, Zhang Weiping was nudged by the cameraman next to him, and only then did he remember that he was there to do a post-game interview. He said, "BIG-YI, congratulations on leading the Huskies to the NCAA championship and becoming the big winner of March Madness. Can you tell me how you feel right now?"

In the post-game interview, it will probably be translated by the TV station in America... Yi Shui replied: "Winning the NCAA championship was my dream when I entered college, and now my dream has come true. I am very lucky to have such a good coaching staff, such great teammates, and such great fans. Without their help and support, I would not have made it this far. This is the collective glory of the entire Husky Army."

"Good official... Zhang Weiping, who had a good impression of the young man in front of him, hoped that Yi Shui could introduce himself to the domestic audience and asked: "I know that you were not favored before the start of the season. It is especially difficult for you to have come all the way to win the championship. Can you tell the domestic audience about the obstacles you encountered on the road to the championship and how you overcame the difficulties?"

This question really hit Yi Shui right.

Looking back six months ago, he was still a guard... I digress. Back then, they were playing preseason games, and all they could see were the team's various weaknesses. At that time, he, his teammates, and the coach didn't actually have high expectations for the new season. They just wanted to do better than the previous season. His personal goal was simply to reach a 50% win rate and aim for the third-best seed in the division...

But the fundamental reason why it's 'not easy' is something Yi Shui finds hard to talk about!

Others may be fine, but your parents, relatives, teachers, and neighbors are probably all watching on TV!
Dad, teacher...a dad who's a Chinese language teacher! Got it!
Yi Shui silently apologized to Brother Ji in the canyon and replied, "We have stood atop the mountain peak and also fallen into the valley. Both have benefited me greatly. Our ability to climb back to the highest peak is inseparable from the training brought to us by those difficulties and setbacks; the criticism we received has become a spur to our progress; the disdainful looks we received have become the driving force to stride forward..."

Zhang Weiping was dumbfounded. Was this young man going to take the postgraduate entrance exam?
Oh, by the way, this young man's parents are both teachers, and he's a rare athlete with excellent academic performance... He might actually be a graduate student!

Yi Shui paused, glanced at his teammates and coaches surrounding him, and continued, "I don't want to talk about the hardships of the past anymore. Now I just want to say one thing... We are champions!"

Yi Shui's teammates and coaches couldn't understand what he had said before, but they understood the last English phrase he shouted when he raised his arm, and they shouted back, "We are the champions!"

(End of this chapter)