score maniac

Chapter 26: The Bizarre Pick-and-Roll

A way… to score?? Upon hearing Gu Yu’s words, Jett’s movements faltered for a moment, and he nearly had the ball stolen by the alert Johnny Flynn. After finally regaining control of the ball, Jeter hadn’t even had time to process what had happened when Gu Yu took a half-step forward, once again positioning himself beside Johnny Flynn, his eyes darting to one side. Pass it! Gu Yu’s eyes were conveying that message. Should I go over there…? Jeter looked around and saw that there were only 15 seconds left in the first quarter. If they were going to run a play, it was about time to start it. “Come on, come on!” Gu Yu’s eyes were still speaking volumes; Jett clenched his teeth and furrowed his brow. Let’s go! With a soft “thud,” Jett steeled himself and, using Gu Yu as a screen, sprinted to the right. “Ugh, this is completely pointless…!” Seeing this, the fans all shook their heads in unison. Pick-and-roll, pick-and-roll—after setting the screen, you’re supposed to roll away. The purpose is simple: to create a mismatch or a split-second opportunity to penetrate. Generally, the players executing a pick-and-roll are one perimeter player and one big man. The advantage of this is that after the big man sets a screen for the perimeter player, he draws the defender away from the smaller player, forcing the opposing big man to step up and switch onto the smaller player. From there, whether the smaller player takes on the bigger defender himself—scoring with his speed and shooting ability—or quickly passes the ball to the bigger player for a direct drive to the basket, the probability of scoring is very high. The two most iconic pick-and-roll combinations in history—the Nash-Stoudemire duo and the Malone-Stockton duo—both followed this exact pattern. It can be said that the essence of the pick-and-roll lies in the “roll” itself. Whether the big man’s cut can draw the defender away, whether the small guard’s individual attack can result in a precise pass, whether the two players are in perfect sync, and whether they can capitalize on the fleeting opportunity… Only when all these factors come together can a perfect pick-and-roll be executed. In modern basketball, pick-and-roll plays also occur between point guards and small forwards. Although both positions are on the perimeter, the goal remains the same: to “create a mismatch.” But right now, this pick-and-roll between Gu Yu and Jeter is utterly pointless. “A small guard setting a screen for another small guard—with both defenders also being small guards—it doesn’t really matter whether they switch or not. Since neither side is at a disadvantage in footwork, what’s the point of this pick-and-roll??” Standing next to Yu Chenyi, a reporter furrowed his brow and shook his head, clearly dismissive of Gu Yu and Jeter’s decision. Although Yu Chenyi felt a bit annoyed, she had to admit that the reporter had a point. Gu Yu… Yu Chenyi’s eyes were fixed intently on the court, her beautiful eyes slightly narrowed. What on earth are you thinking…?? “Thump, thump!” On the court, after cutting around his defender, Jeter took two lateral dribbles. He knew full well that Gu Yu would drive to the left—toward his sweet spot—so without a second thought, he cut to the right. But… “Gu…?!!” Jeter had only just cut out; the defense hadn’t even finished rotating yet. When he looked up, he didn’t see Johnny Flynn or Ellington—he saw Gu Yu! Is he out of his mind…?! If, up until that moment, some fans had still been secretly rooting for Gu Yu, thinking there must be some deeper meaning behind this seemingly nonsensical pick-and-roll, Well, with this move, Gu Yu had truly “lost the support of everyone.” “Where’s your brain…?!?” Even Westphal, who had been quietly rooting for Gu Yu from the sidelines, couldn’t sit still anymore. He abruptly stood up from his seat, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at the court. Where was Gu Yu’s brain?! Did he actually cut too deep?!! Who on earth runs toward the ball-handler after setting a screen?!! Awkward. It was absolutely, utterly embarrassing!! Quite a few people even slapped their foreheads hard, thinking they must have ended up in the wrong place. This isn’t the NBA Summer League—it’s a elementary school summer league, right?!! That’s a super—basic mistake!! “Gu… you…?!” Jeter was completely thrown off balance by Gu Yu’s sudden appearance; he stumbled and nearly lost control of the ball, just as he was about to yell. “Shh—!” Just as they brushed past each other, Gu Yu whispered “Shh—!” right into Jeter’s ear. Huh…?? Jett froze as Gu Yu’s gaze swept past him; a gleam flickered in his dark pupils. His eyes widened as they locked with Jett’s, and then… suddenly darted to the left! …I get it! In an instant, Jett fully grasped what Gu Yu meant. He pulled his foot back, came to a sudden stop, then sprang forward, dribbling in a wide stride to the right. Defense! The offensive player had shifted his position, but the defender hadn’t. Ellington, convinced that Gu Yu was bound to find his sweet spot, reflexively ran to the left side of the top of the key the moment the pick-and-roll ended. After taking a few steps and realizing Gu Yu wasn’t coming, Ellington was startled. He turned around and saw that Gu Yu and Jett had swapped positions; realizing he’d lost his mark, he immediately burst forward, darting over like a cheetah. In that split second, in the blink of an eye Gu Yu moved…! “Whoosh—!!” What…?! Just as Ellington’s body had shifted its center of gravity, Gu Yu burst into motion in that split second, sprinting back to the left. Even if Ellington had been wearing a pair of phase boots, he wouldn’t have had time to react—he could only watch helplessly as Gu Yu ran right past him. “Whoosh—!” Immediately afterward came a second whoosh. Before Ellington’s feet had even touched the ground, the basketball had already zoomed past him. Oh no, oh no…!! With a “thud,” Gu Yu caught the ball, and as his feet hit the floor, he landed steadily right on the rim. This guy is going to… “Phew… swish!” In, in, in, in, in!! “…Wow!!!” The cheers inside the arena were deafening! “W-w-w… what just happened? Did I just see a mirage?!!” One fan couldn’t believe his eyes; he rubbed them and looked more closely at the field. That’s right! There was only one player with slicked-back hair on the field—no doubt about it! But why… Why did it seem like there were two Gu Yu on the field for just that split second?! “…Beautiful!!” Westphal finally let out a sigh of relief. His eyes sparkling, he nodded emphatically: “Even though Gu clearly ran to the right, his presence on the left sweet spot earlier was so overwhelming that people still subconsciously assumed he’d go left!” “And it was precisely in that split second—even though everyone clearly saw him go right—that their subconscious minds projected a ‘Gu’ onto the left-side sweet spot. Ellington’s defensive mistake stemmed entirely from that subconscious bias!” “There’s still time—let’s make one more shot!!” The crowd on the sidelines buzzed with discussion, while on the court, the Timberwolves were still trying to mount one last attack in the final seconds. With a “whoosh,” the ball was passed. Just as Johnny Flynn turned to look at the players cutting toward the frontcourt, a dark shadow flashed past him. “Thud… Whoosh!!!” Eugene Jeter made the steal. Without even looking, he reached back and sent a behind-the-back pass. “Heh heh, that’s the right kind of instinct…!” Gu Yu stood rooted to the spot, waiting for Jeter’s pass. His eyes remained fixed on the basket as he raised his hand to shoot. “No, no way…?!?” “Beep—!!” The electronic beep signaling the end of the first quarter rang out over the court. The basketball soared through the air, drawing everyone’s gaze as it sank precisely into the hoop. Johnny Flynn knew he’d made a huge mistake; cold sweat poured down his forehead. When he looked up at the ball, it felt as if time had come to a standstill. Such a rushed shot—there’s no way it could go in… “Swish” It went in—it went in—it went in!!!