score maniac

Chapter 29: A Rookie’s Worries

“The second half of the first quarter was amazing!” In the media section of the arena, right next to Yu Chenyi, quite a few reporters were raving about the first quarter. Most of the time, Summer League games aren’t that entertaining. Since neither team is overly concerned with winning or losing, players are generally focused on making themselves stand out. Plus, they’ve usually only had a short time to practice together, so there aren’t many flashy plays, and the game tends to be relatively disjointed. When a basketball game loses its competitive edge, it becomes much harder to make it exciting. However, “The Timberwolves started off so strong, but by halfway through the quarter, they’d already lost their drive to win. The Kings were the same—though in their case, it was because they were trailing by so much that nobody was thinking about winning anymore.” A veteran reporter analyzed, “But things are different now. Just look at those Kings rookies—Cousins, Jeter, and most importantly, that guy with the slicked-back hair! My goodness, these guys aren’t just going through the motions or trying to show off just because it’s the Summer League—they genuinely want to win!” After he finished speaking, the reporters nodded in agreement. If there’s one spirit on the competitive field that can be called the “golden spirit,” it’s undoubtedly a fierce competitive drive! The Kings’ rookies possess exactly that kind of competitive spirit. It’s easy to imagine that, given the personalities of troublemakers like Gu Yu and Cousins, even if they were playing an exhibition game against a group of toddlers, they’d still give it their all to win—without holding back one bit. That’s the true competitive spirit! “Beep! The second quarter… begins!” Amid the chatter, the second quarter began, with the Timberwolves on offense first. Even after making substitutions, the Timberwolves didn’t let up on their aggressive offense, continuing to bombard the Kings’ weak defense. After a brilliant little give-and-go, Ellington cut to the basket and scored with a reverse layup to open the scoring. “Offense! On the Kings’ side, Jeter—who had played the entire first quarter—was subbed out, and the big point guard Tyreke Evans, who had just won the Rookie of the Year award last season, took the court. With the Rookie of the Year on the court, the Kings’ offense shifted tactics. Cousins and Gu Yu, who had been shining earlier, temporarily took a backseat, clearing the space on the left side of the court—Evans’ favorite area—to give the team’s star perimeter player room to work one-on-one. As rookies, Gu Yu and Cousins had no say in this arrangement, but as soon as he saw what was happening, Ellington—who had just scored—immediately grinned. “Whoa~” On defense, he remained glued to Gu Yu, but Ellington’s eyes drifted to the left side of the court, and with a mocking smile on his lips, he said, “What’s going on here, team ace? Why did you give up the left-side space—where you excel—to someone else? How are you supposed to score now? Huh~??” “…Go to hell!” Gu Yu refused to back down, snapping back with a curse—his manners were truly something else. But deep down, he was puzzled. Damn it…! Watching Evans go to town on his one-on-one moves on the left side of the court, Gu Yu couldn’t bring himself to feel happy. “Beep, beep, beep.” The green ring remained in its original spot. No matter how hard Gu Yu tried to control it, the ring seemed rooted to the ground, showing absolutely no sign of moving. What the hell is going on?! Gu Yu really wanted to curse. Wasn’t there supposed to be a reward? Wasn’t it supposed to let him move the 100% shooting spot freely anywhere inside the half-court three-point line? Why isn’t this working at all?!! “Whoosh!” “Yes!” Over there, Evans executed a sharp, juggling-like crossover that left the Timberwolves’ point guard completely disoriented, then scored an easy layup with a single step. “Great play, great play! He really lives up to his Rookie of the Year title!!” The fans were also thrilled by Evans’ spectacular performance, clapping and cheering nonstop. “Phew… that slick-haired guy’s scoring streak is finally over…!!” As for the Timberwolves, the players on the bench all breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if they’d narrowly escaped disaster. After all, starting in the latter half of the first quarter, Gu Yu had been hitting shot after shot; all 13 of the Kings’ final points came from him, and his explosive scoring was nothing short of terrifying. Even if Gu Yu’s true ability didn’t quite reach that level, this terrifying sustained firepower was the most fearsome thing a shooter could display. His ability to sink one terrifying shot after another proved that his shooting touch was on fire. If he scored again at the start of the second quarter, the Timberwolves would have no chance of containing him for the rest of the game. He seems to lurk in the shadows, but in reality, he’s always biding his time—and whenever an opportunity arises, his shot never misses. This assassin-like killer instinct is the ultimate goal every shooter strives to achieve. When a shooter goes on a tear, the score either narrows or widens rapidly—or, no matter how hard the opponent tries, the shooter simply steps out from a screen and scores with ease. This kind of situation deals a fatal blow to the opponent’s confidence. Although Evans was scoring now, anyone with eyes could see that he was simply showing off his individual skills, completely disconnected from the team’s tactics. In the latter half of the first quarter, the Kings’ “iron triangle”—with Jeter running the show, Cousins drawing defenders, and Gu Yu scoring—had also fallen apart. The Timberwolves players were relieved because, in their view, with Evans occupying Gu Yu’s sweet spot, Gu Yu had effectively lost his tactical value. “Swish!” Conversely, the Timberwolves continued to score on offense. As they rotated back on defense, head coach Lambis clapped repeatedly from the sidelines, shouting encouragement: “Way to go, way to go! Keep disrupting their offense—don’t let their shooters get into a rhythm!” “Yes—!!” The Timberwolves, united as one, shouted in unison. On the defensive end, they once again opened up the left side, allowing Evans to go one-on-one. Oh no…! “Clang!” Evans’s drive and crossover layup missed, and the Timberwolves seized the opportunity to grab the rebound and launch a fast break, scoring again. Over on the Kings’ side, things were starting to get tense. “Tyrese, work with your teammates! Play more with your teammates!!” Veteran coach Westphal, growing impatient, frowned and shouted the instructions. But Evans paid no attention to any of it. He simply shrugged, said nothing, and went off on another solo drive with the ball. “Tyrese Evans… he doesn’t even think about playing as a team, does he?” A reporter shook his head slightly and said, “Maybe in his eyes, the other players on the court are just a bunch of amateurs—not a single one can match his skill level. Since the outcome of the game doesn’t really matter to him, he’s playing more and more recklessly. If this keeps up… the Kings’ momentum in closing the gap will be cut short, and things will get really tough!” The reporter hit the nail on the head. In the minutes that followed, Evans continued to show off his one-on-one moves, scoring sporadically. The other Kings players were practically watching a show; even when they occasionally cut to open spots, Evans wouldn’t pass the ball, stubbornly driving to the basket on his own. The Timberwolves, on the other hand, had a clear strategy: as soon as Evans missed a shot, they’d launch a fast break. Exploiting Gu Yu’s defensive weaknesses, Ellington had virtually free rein, scoring at will with a variety of drives to the basket that left Gu Yu completely helpless. “This…” Should he call a timeout? Westphal was a bit undecided. Evans was the team’s leader and future cornerstone; if he didn’t get to play to his heart’s content in the Summer League, it would lead to a lot of trouble down the road. But if this continued, it would affect the morale of the other players—what should he do? “Bang, bang, bang!” On the court, Evans continued his drive down the left wing, stringing together a series of between-the-legs dribbles followed by a spin move. Just as he was about to force his way through the defense— when a figure suddenly appeared right in front of him. “Forget about one-on-one—give me the ball!” “Smack!” Gu Yu “stole” the ball right out of Evans’ hands… Sigh… What do you guys think—do the Spurs still have a chance to catch up to the Warriors’ record this season??