“Actually, it’s quite interesting to look at this kind of thing once in a while, so why do you care so much?” Reece said in a calm tone.
“Interesting?”
Nie Chuan almost couldn’t control his inner rage. If the one whose rear was done seven or eight times a night and still got told “Too tight, are you trying to break me” was you, let’s see if you can still say “interesting” so lightly!
As if sensing Nie Chuan’s resentment, Reece came over and knelt on one knee in front of Nie Chuan with his head raised.
That position was too dream-like, Nie Chuan didn’t dare look.
“Then when afternoon practice is over, how about I do it for you?”
“Really?”
Even though he couldn’t enjoy Reece’s ass, Nie Chuan was deeply comforted.
“Really. We’ll use that method from ‘The Devil’s Wood.’”
“I don’t want it! Do it to yourself ba!”
The corner of Reece’s lips curved and his smile couldn’t have been worse.
The regular season was still ongoing and this Tuesday’s match was on DK’s home ground. The opponent was UMN from the league’s quarterfinals. Last year, their best had been top 16. According to Coach Gordon, UMN was their strongest opponent so far in the regular season. Although he said they were the strongest, Coach Gordon sent out Zack instead of Nie Chuan.
Even though Coach Gordon was the team’s authoritative figure and commander and DK could testify that his judgment had never lapsed, the players were still worried. Even Montenegro, who had never expressed objections, spoke, “Gordon Coach, UMN isn’t just any opponent. I understand that you wish for the entire team to have a chance to develop, but our ultimate goal is to make it to March Madness, not to become a bystander.”
Carlo also spoke, “Yeah, UMN has always been tenacious. If we don’t pull enough points at the beginning, the game will only get harder! We need Allen’s speed and play-making!”
Coach Gordon laughed. “In terms of speed, Reece wouldn’t be inferior in any aspects. In terms of plays, are you able to cooperate amongst each other without Allen? Let me see how far you can go without Allen!”
At this moment, DK’s gymnasium was already boiling.
The fans and students were spontaneously shouting their cheers to the rhythm while in their ears was the cadence of the music. The cheerleading team’s performance had also already begun. Lily was still the most specialized dancer. After a particularly elaborate throw, warm applause rang from the audience.
Lily looked towards Nie Chuan and made a fist. It was Lily cheering for him.
“Thank you,” Nie Chuan mouthed to the other.
At this time, someone threw their sports jacket into his arms, almost hitting him in the face.
Nie Chuan was just about to complain about who was so bored to do that when he met Reece’s chilly gaze. Perhaps he didn’t understand before but if he still didn’t understand now then he’d be foolish! Reece was still upset because of the matter between him and Lily at the Waterfront Hotel on Halloween so now whenever he interacted with Lily with a calm attitude, it probably looked like flirting in Reece’s eyes!
Currently, Coach Gordon was doing the lineup while the UMN members were on the opposite side. Nie Chuan noticed that the UMN members weren’t as astonishingly tall as the UKB team they had faced before. Apart from the fact that their center could match Montenegro in height, the height of rest didn’t feel too oppressive.
Nie Chuan also noted that in the opponent’s main lineup was a freckled boy with curly brown hair and a blue headband. When his eyes met with Nie Chuan’s, he gave a generous smile. Sensing that he was distracted, his coach scolded him fiercely and he immediately revealed a somewhat aggrieved expression.
The game was about to start and the players from both sides entered the field. Nie Chuan sat on the bench with his other teammates.
“Do you see that young man with the brown curly hair who’s about the same height as you?” Coach Gordon leaned towards Nie Chuan slightly and asked.
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.
“P rff. Lf’r jiwbra atf rjwf tfluta jr wf. Pr tf FZR’r qblca uejgv?” Rlf Jtejc xcfk Jbjmt Xbgvbc kbeivc’a tjnf tlw ajxf cbaf bo jc lggfifnjca qfgrbc.
“Lf lr. P cbalmfv tlw lc atf tlut rmtbbi ifjuef ijra sfjg jcv kjcafv ab gfmgela tlw ab GB yea yfmjerf Jbccbg kjr atfgf, atja xlv wjvf la mifjg atja tf vlvc’a kjca ab rqfcv tlr alwf bc atf yfcmt jcv vlgfmais gfpfmafv wf. P vlvc’a fzqfma tlw ab mtbbrf FZR.”
“So……” The only point Nie Chuan could grasp was that this guy was strong.
“So if he was in DK, the position of the point guard might not necessarily be yours. But since he’s our enemy now, please teach this kid well.”
He didn’t know if it was an illusion but Nie Chuan seemed to feel a profound “sorrow” after being rejected from Coach Gordon’s words?
“You were too conspicuous in the previous matches. Our opponents will definitely study you and come up with a plan to deal with you. You don’t have enough experience, so I don’t think you’ll be able to handle it. Making you stay here to watch the game is to let you understand his style of play at close range. You’re like a sponge and have the ability to learn on the spot so you’ll learn faster here than sitting in front of a video recorder.”
“I understand.” Nie Chuan suddenly felt the coach’s confidence in him.
“Also, if you do play, I hope you can strike with one blow. Seydou was quite well-known in high school. This kind of child who hasn’t experienced a big defeat is much more vulnerable than outsiders see. I want you to ruthlessly hit his self-esteem. You must not let his self-confidence remain in the top 64.”
Nie Chuan’s eyes widened as he looked at the coach. He never thought he’d one day assume this kind of role. More importantly, he was a newcomer just like Seydou!
Nie Chuan suddenly thought of the practice match between DK and CBU. Owen had an obvious intent to suppress him, did he have to do that too?
Meanwhile, Seydou, with his hands on his waist, raised his eyebrows in Nie Chuan’s direction and frowned.
He seemed very dissatisfied that Nie Chuan was actually benched. It seemed that Seydou really regarded him as an opponent.
The game formally started and the strive for the ball began.
There weren’t many centers in the league with explosiveness comparable to Montenegro. After Montenegro successfully slapped the ball away, Carlo received it and quickly brought the ball into the opponent’s area, the point of DK’s spear quickly cutting into UMN’s interior.
But when he reached the three-point line, Nie Chuan yelled, “Be careful!”
But Seydou’s hand had reached from Carlo’s side and smoothly intercepted the ball, it was too late.
DK returned to defense and the only ones who caught up with Seydou were Carlo and Reece.
Seydou dribbled the ball at the back of Carlo’s heel which made Carlo unable to intercept. When UMN’s shooting guard received the ball and went for a layup, Ewing struggled to jump.
From the height of his jump, Nie Chuan could see that Ewing’s recent training had played an obvious role, but he had taken off too late. He had hoped to put a little pressure on his opponent and let him make mistakes but the other wasn’t affected in the slightest and scored successfully.
UMN scored the first goal of the game on DK’s home ground which put great pressure on them.
The sounds of people cheering DK on rang out in the surroundings like a wave.
Seydou turned and glanced at Nie Chuan. This was his challenge to Nie Chuan.
DK fans have also begun to discuss.
“Why aren’t they letting Allen play? Are they going to wait until UMN takes the first half?”
“The previous opponent wasn’t strong so they’re letting Allen rest until the second half begins. This we can understand but UMN was in the quarterfinals last year!”
Seydou’s style of play is very clever, but Reece also displayed a defensive ability in front of him that was astounding.
Seydou changed directions with a turn of his shoulders then swiveled again, his feints so realistic that Nie Chuan doubted whether he could defend against this guy. However, Reece just backed away sharply from his losing position under unfavorable circumstances, pulling his center of gravity back amidst exclamations from the crowd. When Seydou found an opportunity and was about to shoot, Nie Chuan’s teammates on the bench all closed their eyes. It was a three-pointer!
But Nie Chuan stubbornly kept his eyes wide open, because he knew that Seydou was toast!
Sure enough, Reece’s feet barely touched the floor again before he abruptly jumped.
This height made Seydou completely stunned. If an average person jumped, it would be impossible to block him yet Reece still had enough room to do so.
“Bang——” There was a loud bang, followed by a burst of cheers.
Reece immediately dribbled the ball towards UMN’s basket, passing two defenders before taking off from their three-point line. As their center rushed forward, he quickly shot. His movements weren’t the slightest bit off as it steadily entered the basket.
After scoring the goal, Reece turned and glanced at Nie Chuan, then stretched out his palm and made a downward motion.
Nie Chuan immediately understood his meaning.
Reece was telling him to rest assured, that he will defend against Seydou well, all Nie Chuan had to do was to watch carefully from off the court.
Seydou made UMN’s offense unpredictable and the rhythm of the game seemed to always be in UMN’s hands. Furthermore, when Seydou realized that Reece’s strong defensive ability could limit his plays beyond the three-point line, he didn’t feel dejected at all because he had also curbed Reece’s scoring ability.
Even so, DK’s score still bit at UMN’s heel and the reason was simple. As soon as Reece successfully intercepted the ball from Seydou, he’d pass to other teammates.
Within five minutes, Ewing scored two three-pointers and Montenegro also scored four points.
But even if Reece could suppress Seydou, UMN still had another troublesome player. It was precisely their shooting guard Morris.
Morris had a lot of fans. With large aqua-blue eyes and a slender figure, it was hard for Nie Chuan to imagine that girls wouldn’t like him. His fan group kept competing with DK’s cheerleading team, so much so that even Lily, who had always been good-tempered, had an expression of “You guys are too noisy”.
Morris’s three-pointers were very accurate, he could even extend his distance to beyond the three-point line which made defending him very troublesome.
Carlo flew over to cover several times but Morris still scored.
Seydou also adopted an evasive style. Whenever he was about to face Reece, he would pass the ball ahead of time while he went to defend in front of Reece. Although Reece could always break through his defense, UMN’s power forward wasn’t slow. By the time Reece caught up, he might have already scored.
“Letting Reece square off against Seydou is like stuffing a sword into the scabbard!”
“Reece is still more suitable for offensive scoring! Even though he stopped Seydou and finally taught that kid a lesson, it always feels as if……”
“The gains aren’t worth the loss?”
“Yeah! The gains aren’t worth the loss!”
The first quarter of the game ended in this way with DK behind UMN by four points. Four points weren’t too much, but if DK still couldn’t grasp the rhythm of the game then the next quarter would be very arduous.
Carlo couldn’t bear it anymore. “Coach, hurry let Allen go up! We can’t let that Seydou be so unbridled!”
“Of course not.” Coach Gordon leaned towards Nie Chuan, “Did you see it?”
Nie Chuan closed his eyes and replayed every one of Seydou’s extraordinary moments in his mind. “I saw.”
“Very good. Just know that when you sit here studying him, that kid may have also sat in front of a screen and studied your previous game hundreds or even thousands of times.”
“Would it really be that many?”
“Of course. In the league, the key to victory isn’t just talent and hard work but a complete understanding of your opponent.”
“I understand, Coach. Since he ‘understands’ me so much then I can’t let him down.” Nie Chuan nodded.
“Then I’ll wait and see.”
Coach Gordon stood up and clapped his hands. “Listen up, even though UMN is in the top eight in our district, we’re definitely the number one. So have some confidence.”
A revision of tactics began as Coach Gordon emphasized defending under the basket as well as barring the opponent’s offense on both sides. But the purpose of these defenses was for a more effective offense.
When Nie Chuan followed his teammates on to the court, DK was boiling.
He looked up and happened to see Zhou Bin and Mao Xian holding the sign “聶川你最帥” in the stands. This almost made Nie Chuan laugh out loud. He was participating in a match, not in the draft. What “most handsome” la, they should use “most powerful”!
(tn: the sign reads “Nie Chuan, you’re the most handsome” lol. I left it in Chinese because I felt that was in character of them)
When Seydou looked at Nie Chuan, the expression on his face sank. He turned and made a shooting gesture at Nie Chuan.
His real target was finally on the court.
The match resumed. Seydou rushed towards DK at a faster speed than before while Nie Chuan followed from the left, sealing his passes on that side. Seydou repeated his old trick, passing by making the ball hit the ground on the side of Nie Chuan’s foot.
But Nie Chuan had already anticipated it before he made his move. At the same time Seydou passed, Nie Chuan took half a step back, making just enough room to intercept the ball sideways.
“Oh——” cheers came from the audience.
Carlo almost rushed up to hug Nie Chuan. That was exactly how he got played by Seydou in the last quarter! And now Nie Chuan finally helped recover his honor!
Nie Chuan dribbled the ball, passing the opposing power and small forwards before sending the ball towards the basket where Reece received it and faced opposition from the opposing center. With a jab step, he nimbly broke through. Just when everyone thought he was going to make a layup, he turned and passed the ball to Ewing beyond the three-point line.
At the moment, Ewing was unguarded, his three-pointer in the bag without any suspense.
“Oh yeah!” Ewing clenched his fists.
Seydou frowned and stared at Nie Chuan.
Nie Chuan pretended not to see as he flexed his wrist.
Kid, watching a video isn’t the same as experiencing it in person!
Drea: Our baby has grown up :’)
MadMadamMims: NC is too powerful!
NC badass ..😂 finally he got someone to call a kid In the matches..
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
I feel like a proud mother 😂 thank you for the chapter ❤
NCCCCC….boy you’ve grown up 😂
Yo…. I started playing Basketball because of this…. I still suck but hey at least I’m trying LOL
I really wanna read the smexy scene
Really, 7 or 8 times
Amazing
Thx for the chappy
Nie Chuan’s learning ability is really too high. He watches a quarter of a game, and he’s already got Seydou all figured out. I’m sure Seydou has some tricks up his sleeves that he hasn’t revealed yet or Coach Gordon wouldn’t have been so worried. But good job by Nie Chuan! Also, seeing Reece being a vinegar pot is always entertaining. Thanks for the update!
Nie Chuan, Nie Chuan, can you lend me your learning ability? I need to be a sponge like you!
The “聶川你最帥” was really cute btw
Thanks for the chapter!
Really amazing! Hope the translator is okay…
Really enjoying this story. 🌸
Nie Chuan!!! you’ve become a thicc thigh everyone wants to hug😍🤗
AHHH our baby is continuously getting better and better, what i really like the most abt sport themed novel is just that we can see our MC is growing stronger each chapter. And the reader will be like a proud mom watching her son over 😤😤
Thank you for ur superb translation!! Muah~