novelODS Chapter 8 [The God of Three Points] Makes a Dazzling Debut!
Chapter 8 [The God of Three Points] Makes a Dazzling Debut!
Let's wait a bit longer!
Ben Holland still did not choose to bring on Zeng Zhen!
Zeng Zhen was somewhat disappointed, but he didn't show it. He continued to cheer on his teammates.
Zeng Zhen could tell that Holland was still struggling with his decision.
Soon after, the second half of the game resumed. UCLA did not regain their touch after the halftime break. Their outside shots continued to miss many times. USC relentlessly compressed their defense, which made it even more difficult for Love. It was not so easy for him to get to the free-throw line.
After a series of missed shots, the UCLA players' shooting confidence continued to decline, with Westbrook even airballing a wide-open three-pointer from the top of the arc.
Meanwhile, OJ Mayo's shooting touch dipped a bit, but Taj Gibson dominated the paint, repeatedly grabbing offensive rebounds and scoring.
Taj Gibson proved his tough-guy nature with his actions.
Eight minutes into the second half, the score was 53-43!
UCLA's deficit has fallen to 10 points.
In a 30-second offensive round, this kind of deficit is quite significant.
No one expected that UCLA, the number one seed in the Western Conference, would run into trouble in their first game.
The neutral fans and USC fans kept shouting, hoping to see the mighty UCLA get suppressed!
With 11 minutes and 33 seconds remaining, Ben Holland called a timeout!
[Haha, March Madness is crazy enough, are we going to witness the first upset today?]
[How can UCLA be so useless? This game alone will probably beat 99% of those who predicted their teams to win.]
[Haha, aren't Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love supposed to be lottery picks? How come they played so badly?]
OJ Mayo should have been the number one draft pick; he's so well-rounded and has great leadership qualities.
Does UCLA not have a single shooter? They're all missing wide-open shots.
Inside the stadium, fans were discussing the situation on the field.
"UCLA is facing its toughest moment tonight. Let's see what adjustments Coach Ben Holland will make." The commentator, microphone in hand, kept his eyes glued to the sidelines: "At the end of the bench, that Chinese guy stood up."
The commentator, holding up detailed data, said, "Number 10, Zeng Zhen, 2.01 meters tall, 2.16-meter wingspan, averaging 4 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds per game this season. His three-point shooting percentage is only 30%. He's a player at the end of UCLA's bench. Is Ben Holland someone who has no other options?"
On the sidelines, Coach Ben Holland didn't hesitate any longer. He waved to Zeng Zhen and said in a deep voice, "Zeng, you go up there! Make that damn open shot!!"
Ben Holland couldn't stand Westbrook and Collison wasting open looks time and time again.
Upon hearing the coach's instructions, Zeng nodded solemnly!
He had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. He threw the towel onto the bench and strode to the scorer's table.
Zeng Zhen's appearance surprised many UCLA fans, as they did not consider him a player in the rotation.
However, Zeng Zhen's handsome appearance attracted the excited shouts of the female fans!
However, fans familiar with UCLA were somewhat pessimistic, believing that this was a move Ben Holland had no other choice but to make.
[Sigh, what's the point of replacing him with Zeng? This guy might not even be able to keep up with the pace.]
[Chinese people are only suited to playing table tennis, not basketball!]
[Hoping Zeng Lai can make a three-pointer? Ben Holland has no way to do it.]
UCLA fans were not happy with the substitution and criticized Ben Holland's tactical adjustments.
On the field, Zeng Zhen came onto the field, closed his eyes, and felt the noise around him!
This was the opportunity he desperately wanted to take the stage.
He wants to prove to everyone that he is different now than before.
"Clang! Host's emotions are fluctuating violently. [God of Three Kingdoms] activated!"
Upon hearing the system notification, Zeng Zhen rubbed his hands together in anticipation!
Zeng Zhen replaced Luc Mbah a Moute, who plays the small forward position.
Westbrook, with a serious expression, walked over to Zeng Zhen and bumped shoulders with him, saying, "Zeng, I'll try my best to break down their defense, then you can look for opportunities to shoot threes!!"
Westbrook was panting heavily. He knew better than anyone how good his roommate was. He had suggested to Ben Holland several times that Zeng Zhen should be brought on earlier, but his suggestions had not been taken into account.
"Okay, watch my positioning." Zeng Zhen nodded.
Zeng Zhen doesn't have a ball-handling tactic right now. If he plays recklessly, Ben Holland is very likely to substitute him after just one possession.
OJ Mayo didn't care about Zeng Zhen's appearance; in his eyes, this guy was just an unknown player who wouldn't affect their defense.
Many players dream of becoming superheroes, but that dream is destined to belong only to the chosen ones.
After speaking with Westbrook, Zeng Zhen went to find Love.
"Kevin, you set a screen for me at a 45-degree angle to the right. I'll run to the right corner!"
Zeng Zhen had a good relationship with Le Fu, so he immediately sought his help.
"Okay, I got it." Love nodded. The team was in trouble and needed someone to make that damn three-pointer.
After speaking with Love, Zeng Zhen gestured for his teammates to come over: "Guys, the game isn't over yet, get on defense!!"
"We will win!!"
"Definitely!"
Although Zeng Zhen was not of high rank, his tone of voice was full of confidence, which made the other players look at him with slight disapproval.
"OK, take them down!!"
"Kill them!!"
The crowd gathered in the middle and shouted.
Seeing that Zeng Zhen integrated into the team without any sense of incongruity, Ben Holland felt that it might be much better to arrange for Zeng Zhen to come on earlier!
UCLA fans are very worried. Westbrook and Collison have not stepped up to save the team. Instead, the opposing team is dominating. Are they counting on this rookie now?
In the first possession after the timeout, UCLA's play didn't reach Zeng Zhen. Instead, Collison launched an attack on the right side, opting for a pull-up mid-range jumper, which missed. Gibson grabbed the rebound, and Mayo scored on a fast break layup.
55:43.
The point difference widened further to 12 points.
After completing the fast break, Mayo basked in the cheers of the USC fans.
[Brown Bears, you guys are just as clumsy as brown bears!]
[OJ, well done! Keep playing like that.]
Strip them of their arrogance, shatter their hearts!
USC fans were aggressively provoking UCLA fans.
"Darren, pass the ball to Russell!!" Coach Holland shouted angrily, this was not part of his tactical plan.
Collison looked grim; he hadn't become a hero.
Zeng Zhen signaled to his teammates to calm down and not rush.
UCLA resumed their offensive play, and Westbrook dribbled the ball up the court.
As the score gap widened, Westbrook and Collison were both getting increasingly impatient.
Westbrook desperately wanted to save the team himself, but reason told him that he should play according to the tactics that had just been laid out.
The defense provided by USC is very intense, with every player actively guarding their defender.
Westbrook calls for a screen from the power forward, preparing to drive with a crossover!
Almost simultaneously, Love positioned himself at a 45-degree angle to the right.
The player chasing Zeng Zhen was a small forward named Paul Williams, who wasn't as fast as Zeng Zhen.
Zeng Zhenxian was positioned to the left of the free-throw line, feigning a move towards the left corner, but then turned and made a reverse run to shake off Paul Williams, heading towards Love!
Love then set a screen for Zeng Zhen to block the pursuer, while Westbrook broke into the paint.
OJ Mayo chased after the ball, but Westbrook passed it to him in time!
Westbrook has excellent passing awareness, especially in creating assist opportunities.
The USC center tried to help defend Zeng Zhen, but Love blocked his position.
Zeng Zhen found himself completely open in the right corner, and the ball arrived perfectly with him.
Westbrook's pass was powerful and easy to receive. Zeng Zhen was already prepared to catch the ball, caught it steadily with both hands, and without any adjustment, jumped up with his feet together and shot!
This is Stephen Curry's signature "catch and shoot" move.
The basketball was pushed out in rhythm, and the fingertips lightly flicked the ball.
"Whoosh!"
The basketball spins rapidly, cutting through the air.
Zeng Zhen maintained his posture, his eyes fixed on the basketball.
"Whoosh!"
As expected!!
That three-pointer went straight into the net.
The title "God of Three-Pointers" is no joke.
Zeng Zhen patted his chest, then pointed at Westbrook, indicating that the pass was excellent!
55:46.
Zeng Zhenyi's three-pointer opened the scoring frenzy for him in March Madness!