Nie Chuan suddenly realized that with him wearing the weights during the practice match, it was very easy for his teammates to misunderstand him as being too arrogant and looking down on their strength.
Just when he was hesitating about how he should explain, Reece spoke up from beside him, “This was Coach Gordon’s idea for honing his endurance and explosiveness.”
Reece’s words had a sense of authority, others had no way to refute after hearing them.
Nie Chuan could finally enjoy the assistant coach’s relaxing massage.
They would have approximately four hours of practice time under the guidance of the coach every day and whenever Coach Gordon arranged team matches, Nie Chuan and Reece would always be opponents.
Whenever Nie Chuan quickly dribbled into the opponent’s defensive area, the first person he faced was Reece.
Compared to when he first joined the team, Nie Chuan’s feints were now more natural and his rhythm when changing directions was more abrupt and rapid. Facing Reece, he didn’t feel the slightest fear and played extremely patiently.
The assistant coaches watching the game on the side would also discuss the performance of each player with Coach Gordon.
“I was originally worried that Connor’s departure would greatly reduce the team’s overall strength. I didn’t expect Allen to be able to completely replace Connor!”
“Replace? I think Allen has already attained a level that Connor didn’t have the time to reach, or may even have been unable to reach.” Coach Gordon smiled and stroked his chin.
“To what extent do you mean?” The assistant coach asked in puzzlement.
“Among the team’s current main lineups, who do you think has the highest probability of scoring against Reece in a one-on-one?”
Several assistant coaches pondered for a while.
“Although Ewing’s long range scoring ability is the strongest in the team, Reece is actually also really good, he just cuts directly into the three-point zone most of the time. Judging from the training these days, Ewing’s ball-control has strengthened a lot which can make him a strong contender for this year’s best scorer. But…… when facing Reece, based on the statistics from this week’s practice matches, the probability of him making shots is only 12%. It’s too low.”
Another assistant coach began to analyze Montenegro. “Montenegro’s basketball defense and rebound control is top-notch on this team, and his low-post singles ability is nothing to scoff at, but if it’s Reece…… Reece’s explosiveness is also top-notch and he would often make unexpected moves in his offense. Teamwork aside, it’d be too difficult for Montenegro to block Reece.”
“Then among them, Carlo would be the most average one overall in terms of both offense and defense. In the last quarter of his game against Reece, Carlo scored 12 points and Reece scored 15. Reece performed slightly better; however, this is only the data from 20 minutes. If the time had been extended, the gap between the two may have been even greater.”
“Then what about Reece and Allen?” Coach Gordon asked.
“There aren’t any numbers for the time being but Allen’s play style leans towards assists…… To stop Reece, you need to be sharp.”
“Then let’s count it.” Coach Gordon clapped his hands with a smile then said loudly, “Time out! We’ll be adjusting the lineup on both sides!”
“Huh? Again?” Carlo was very dissatisfied, because Nie Chuan had just passed the ball to him and he was even going to break through Montenegro’s defense soon and score!
“Be patient, Carlo, give other members some more opportunities to practice,” Coach Gordon said with a smile.
Carlo glanced at the assistant coach beside him who was holding an iPad and videotaping, and the corners of his mouth twitched, “What kind of data are you gathering this time?”
“In addition to hard work, it’s important for each of you to develop a scientific understanding.” Coach Gordon turned and called a few names, among which included Zack and Peter, then substituted Carlo and Ewing who had been in the same group as Nie Chuan.
As Carlo’s face wrinkled, Ewing pushed Carlo from behind. “Idiot, go.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Where am I an idiot? Am I like a certain idiot who chews gum every day?”
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Peter and Zack took Carlo and Ewing’s place as Nie Chuan’s teammates. As far as one could tell, apart from Nie Chuan on the white team and Reece on red, there wasn’t anyone else from the main force.
“Concentrate! Be attentive! And go all out!” Coach Gordon’s voice was very resounding and deterrent as he clapped his hands vigorously, “Let the match resume!”
When Zack received Peter’s pass, he was about to make a long shot when Nie Chuan, who had come to provide support, shouted, “Careful!”
There was a “bang——” sound as Reece leaped up and fiercely slapped the ball down.
In less than a second, Reece brought the ball past two defenders with Nie Chuan following behind.
Reece glanced at Nie Chuan from the corner of his eye then suddenly increased his speed. Nie Chuan also accelerated.
Nie Chuan knew that with Reece’s speed this fast, he would definitely make an abrupt stop to throw him off.
Sure enough, as Nie Chuan expected, when Reece was about to reach the three-point line, he abruptly stopped before immediately changing direction, his basketball shoes making a sharp squeak on the floor. Just when everyone thought that Reece would throw Nie Chuan off, Nie Chuan instantly lowered his center of gravity and also came to a quick halt before running in the same direction as Reece, blocking in front of him again.
The assistant coach was stunned.
“This…… it’s like a mirror image……”
At that moment, Nie Chuan had all his attention on the court. He didn’t care about anyone’s evaluation, his sole conviction was to never let Reece pass.
His gaze was chilly and carried some oppression.
Reece, who had been watching him, narrowed his eyes and quickened speed with the ball. A change to the same direction was immediately preceded by two or three feints that were too fast for the eyes to follow. Just when it seemed as if he would lose Nie Chuan, Nie Chuan took a huge stride forward and blocked in front of Reece.
In that split moment when Reece raised his hand to dribble, Nie Chuan slapped the ball forcefully and shouted, “Peter——”
Peter rushed to respond, took the ball when it bounced, and transported it to the red defensive area.
After a few seconds of silence, the spectators outside the court suddenly fired up.
“Go! Make the shot!”
“You must make this!”
The brilliance of Nie Chuan’s interception just moments ago was beyond the expectation of anyone on the court. Practically everyone there had experienced getting intercepted by Reece. That feeling of being unable to resist, as if all future paths had been broken off, seemed to have been revived by Nie Chuan.
Reece quickly returned to defense and Nie Chuan followed him closely. Reece’s explosiveness exceeded that of Nie Chuan’s and he had already caught up behind Peter.
“Peter——” Nie Chuan reminded aloud, but he was a step too late.
Reece rose into the air. Peter was about to make the shot, but he had already been blocked. The ball was in Reece’s hands once again. As soon as his speed goes up, resisting would also become difficult!
Nie Chuan gritted his teeth and went all-out to reach Reece. The moment Reece turned with the ball, he lowered his body to take the ball away.
The time between the movement of his hand and going on offense was simply too short. Several assistant coaches were left speechless, their mouths slightly open.
After Nie Chuan got the ball, he quickly increased his distance from Reece and started to make for a layup.
Red team’s center and power forward jumped to intercept while Reece had rushed up behind Nie Chuan.
No one expected Nie Chuan to be able to shoot and score under a practically all-around siege, and his passes could also get cut off by Reece. However, in that moment when he reached the apex of his jump, Nie Chuan turned his waist and tossed the ball into the basket from under his opponent’s arm.
“Oh——” Off the court, Carlo also stared blankly.
When Nie Chuan landed, he plopped down due to an unstable center of gravity. Reece grabbed his wrist and picked him up.
“Nice one.” Reece dropped that sentence then turned and ran.
Carlo shook Ewing’s shoulder forcefully and exclaimed, “Did you see that! Did you see that! He changed his posture midair! And it was even a three-person defense! Even if I was the one defending him, I probably wouldn’t be able to stop that shot either!”
“I saw, I saw……” Ewing pushed Carlo’s hand away.
Coach Gordon, with his hands in his pockets, smirked, “Did any of you anticipate that shot just now?”
“No…… it’s difficulty is no less than a floater. This kid, he’s more than we expected……”
“And his speed and strength when on offense is like a replica of Reece……”
At this time, Nie Chuan was already driving white team’s next round of offense. The players who came to defend him simply couldn’t react at all.
“My god, Allen’s stop and go’s have already reached such a perverted degree? What are his knees and ankles made of?” Carlo sighed.
When facing Reece, Nie Chuan’s reaction wasn’t at all like that of a rookie in his first year on the team. He rushed at Reece and quickly cut to his left before immediately swiveling. Everyone thought he was going to utilize his superb control of his center of gravity and even Reece had moved in the other direction when Nie Chuan turned again and abruptly passed Reece.
The team members off the court cheered again.
“Allen is so good!”
“You got this, Allen!”
It must be made known that they had been sec-killed by Reece countless times. Today, not only did Nie Chuan wipe away the shame in their place, the most important thing was that Nie Chuan had even passed Reece twice! It was simply record-breaking!
Nie Chuan’s state of mind was still tense, he knew that the distance he had closed between himself and Reece wasn’t enough! It was far from enough!
Nie Chuan came to the basket and rose up with one bound. He was about to send the ball into the basket when Reece also took off suddenly, his speed when soaring was simply astonishing. His face was expressionless but the coldness of his eyes made the oppression Nie Chuan feel double.
I won’t let you stop me! Especially after reaching this point!
Nie Chuan gritted his teeth and maintained his balance in midair. When his eyes collided with Reece’s, it was as if his body would also get pushed out by Reece’s imposing aura.
At the last moment, Nie Chuan’s wrist turned and he retrieved the ball. He was about to pass the ball sideways to Peter who had just arrived but in that instant, Reece arched his body and slapped the ball out of Nie Chuan’s hand.
After the ball was acquired by a player from the red team, Reece immediately sped up after landing, rushing into white team’s defensive area once he received the ball.
His speed was even faster than before. It could be said that he blew past like the wind.
Nie Chuan took a deep breath and was about to catch up to Reece with great difficulty when Reece suddenly jumped. At his height, time seemed to stand still. He seemed to take a step in midair as if walking. When the ball was dunked into the basket, Nie Chuan’s heart seemed to burst.
Reece didn’t hang on the rim for too long. He landed and glanced at Nie Chuan indifferently.
But for Nie Chuan, it was like going back in time, back to when he first met him.
“Hey, let’s go.” After running a couple steps, Reece turned back and raised his chin at Nie Chuan.
Carlo tugged at Ewing’s sleeve, “Since we’ve been substituted, doesn’t it feel like other people’s sense of existence has become really low and that Reece and Allen are controlling the whole scene?”
“Yeah,” Ewing watched Nie Chuan and Reece’s figures attentively. “Allen’s actually really low-key. He doesn’t care whether he can score or not but as soon as we told him that he’s DK’s point guard, he performed his role very effectively. It may be because of the sense of responsibility that Connor gave him. But Reece’s presence is like alcohol, which can let Allen burn brighter and become even sharper.”
The transition between offense and defense and the change in rhythm in this matchup made those watching feel overwhelmed.
Nie Chuan passed Reece on more than one occasion, Reece also cut Nie Chuan’s scoring opportunities at the last minute more than once.
It was as if they were having hand-to-hand combat on the basketball court.
When they were in the last minute, Reece drove the ball for a layup and Peter jumped to intercept. Even though his timing was clearly a step behind, Nie Chuan still jumped from behind Reece.
“Ah——” With this jump, he gave his all, so much so that the veins on his forehead could be seen bulging.
It was clearly already too late, but he had jumped until he had practically reached the height of the ball. Nonetheless, Reece still dunked the ball into the basket with absolute strength.
With a loud “bang——,” the basket shook violently.
The two landed at almost the same time. Nie Chuan staggered backwards a few steps, staring at Reece unwaveringly.
He was unreconciled ah, really not reconciled!
He’d clearly touched the ball, but his strength was far inferior and his stability in midair also wasn’t as good as Reece’s.
What if this was a real game? What if Reece wasn’t his teammate but an opponent?
Feeling unreconciled, Nie Chuan raised his hand and rubbed his eyes.
At this time, Coach Gordon clapped his hand. “Good, very good! This is the kind of match I want to see! Treat every practice match as if it was the last and you’ll be invincible in the real games!”
Drea: NC really be breaking limits this chapter, he gave me Dragon Ball Z vibes xD
MadMadamMims: DBZ >< my mind is so far in the gutter that even during intense basketball matches I’m just thinking about all the sexual tension 🤭
Ahhhh, he’s really improved a lot!!! I’m so proud >u<
Thanks for the chapter! 🙂
He really has! Now if only his EQ would catch up… 😂 Thanks for reading Phantom!
Thanks for the chapter!!!
Thanks for reading!
Nie Chuan really makes you proud 😆
Agreed!
NC getting so impressive these days (๑>◡<๑) thank you for the update
Our baby is no longer a chick! xD Thanks for reading!
Whoa! Good job with the translations for this chapter! The action scenes were so exciting. I was so tense holding my phone. Sorry, Nie Chuan. Not quite one year of intense basketball practice isn’t enough to beat Reece. Yet. It’s already incredible how quickly and how much he’s improved. Reece should be proud of his coaching. Thank you!
Thanks for reading!