ctnovel In Chapter 29, Zeng Zhen faces off against Memphis and is ridiculed.
In Chapter 29, Zeng Zhen faces off against Memphis and is ridiculed.
Late that night, Zeng Zhen, lying in bed, logged into the system after returning to his dormitory.
[New player quest completed, obtained "Large Injury Recovery Potion"]
[The ultimate beginner's mission is hereby announced!]
[Mission Objective: Successfully help UCLA win the national championship in the upcoming matches!]
[Mission Reward: One of the six superstar skills will be awarded.]
[Mission Failed: During a reporter interview, the participant shouted, "XXX, I want to drink your bathwater."]
[Claim or not?]
"yes!"
Zeng Zhen accepted the task without hesitation.
Even without a mission, his goal is to win the championship.
Moreover, the mission rewards are very attractive, and he is looking forward to seeing what skill it will be this time.
......
The next day at lunchtime, Zeng Zhen, Westbrook, and Love all wore hats and ate in a corner of the cafeteria. They dared not reveal their identities, fearing they would be surrounded by enthusiastic classmates and unable to leave.
The cafeteria TV was playing highlights of UCLA's games after March Madness, with Zeng Zhen as the absolute star.
"Zeng's performance has been truly surprising; he's becoming more and more like the leader of the Bruins."
"Yeah, scoring, assists, defense, I've discovered he can do everything, and there's definitely an NBA team that will draft him in the first round."
"I think he was way better than Derrick Rose from Memphis!"
"He should have been the top scholar in the imperial examination!"
Westbrook, a little envious of his classmates' comments, said, "Zeng, look, they're all talking about you now, not about me and Kevin at all."
Zeng Zhen responded, "Even if we discuss it further, I won't be as high a draft position as you two. Your salaries will be much higher than mine."
Westbrook chuckled, "That's true."
Love said, "That's not necessarily true. You're on a roll. If you play two more games like this, you'll probably be in the lottery very soon."
Zeng Zhen said, "It's not that easy. Not all general managers know their stuff."
Lottery picks often need to prioritize stability, as not many NBA teams dare to gamble their future on a player who only has a breakout season like March Madness.
After finishing their meal, the three went to the training hall to continue training.
........
2008 4 Month 7 Day.
Amos Dome in San Antonio!
This stadium can accommodate up to 65000 people, making it larger than an NBA arena.
As fans entered the stadium, Ben Holland led the UCLA Bruins players to finish warming up early.
In the locker room, Ben Holland gave his final tactical instructions.
"Derrick Rose is very fast. Russell, stay close to him the whole time and don't give him any space to start. When the game is in transition, you need to get back on defense immediately and not let him get into the transition. Also, don't let him easily break through and tear apart your defense. When he sets a pick and roll with the inside player, don't switch, use a squeeze or delay..."
"Zeng, you're in charge of guarding Roberts. Don't underestimate this guy; he's Memphis's leading scorer. You need to use physical contact to wear him down, prevent him from easily receiving the ball and shooting, and ideally, prevent him from receiving the ball altogether, forcing Memphis to shift their offensive focus to other players. In short, I don't care what the reason, if he scores, it's your problem..."
"Kevin, Joy Dorsey is yours..."
...
These tactics had been emphasized many times in the previous days, but Ben Holland still repeated them over and over again.
The University of Memphis Tigers have three players who have the potential to make it to the NBA.
They are Derrick Rose (point guard), Douglas Roberts (shooting guard), and Joey Dorsey (center).
The players at the University of Memphis are very similar to those at UCLA, with perimeter players being the dominant force.
Like Westbrook, Derrick Rose is an explosive point guard, but Westbrook is clearly not as mature as Derrick Rose now.
Like Collison, Roberts is a scoring player, and both are responsible for attacking one-on-one situations.
The other positions are mainly composed of defenders and shooters.
Memphis University's tactics this season mainly revolve around fast-paced transitions, Rose-led pick-and-roll drives, and efficient free throws, supplemented by tough interior defense and rebounding control.
They are adept at using defensive pressure to force opponents into mistakes and quickly transition into offense.
When set up, their offense is swift and decisive. They either initiate the breakthrough with Rose or have Roberts handle the ball on the wing for one-on-one plays, reducing ineffective passes and ensuring the efficiency of each offensive possession.
Their tactics are very similar to UCLA's; now it's a battle of who can execute them better.
Zeng Zhen's eyes were very serious.
He remembered that in his previous life, UCLA had lost to the University of Memphis, which meant that UCLA was destined to be a very tough opponent.
The match proved more difficult than Zeng Zhen had anticipated, especially at the very beginning of the semi-finals.
Rose repeatedly initiated screens with Joey Dorsey and Dozier, causing damage. Then Westbrook and Collison made several mistakes while in possession of the ball, which were directly stolen by Memphis University and launched fast breaks.
The University of Memphis team got into the game very quickly, while UCLA seemed out of sorts, allowing them to seize the initiative early in the game.
The University of Memphis devised a series of defensive tactics against Zeng Zhen, and Zeng Zhen often couldn't even receive the ball on the court, leaving his teammates to hastily handle the offense.
After 14 minutes of play in the first half, the score was 25-12, with the University of Memphis leading by 13 points.
"pause!!"
Ben Holland decisively called a timeout!!
The situation is not good.
UCLA's backcourt hasn't faced this level of defense in a long time. Westbrook and Collison were very sloppy in their ball handling, and their passing and ball control were clearly problematic.
Now we need to solve the problem.
What should I do?
What should I do?
Ben Holland's gaze swept across the group of youthful faces, finally settling on Zeng Zhen.
"Zeng, you handle the ball and play point guard! We need you to stabilize the situation." Ben Holland decided to continue betting on Zeng Zhen.
"Okay!" Zeng Zhen nodded firmly.
In this crucial semifinal, he finally got to play point guard.
Ben Holland is now helpless. With Westbrook and Collison being suppressed by the University of Memphis, he dares not play other point guards.
Westbrook and Collison were both panting heavily, and they hoped that Zeng Zhen could help relieve some of the pressure on the ball-handling end.
The University of Memphis is truly amazing, completely dominating UCLA!
The main problem is that UCLA's guards just can't play well when faced with players of similar talent.
Memphis University's tactical execution was stronger; UCLA is finished today.
Russell Westbrook appeared flustered against Derrick Rose.
No wonder Derrick Rose is now considered the number one draft pick.
[Where's Zeng? Didn't he say he was going to dominate all his opponents? Where is he? He's been nowhere to be seen lately.]
[He's just a second-round pick, how dare he be so arrogant towards Derrick Rose?]
If Derrick Rose were to guard him, he would definitely shut him down completely.
[He couldn't even catch the ball, haha, that cracked me up.]
The title of "best player" isn't self-proclaimed; it's something that's actively bestowed upon them by the outside world.
He was once a player who wanted to be the King, but he wasn't dominant enough.
...
More and more neutral fans are losing faith in UCLA.
Zeng Zhen, who had a breakout performance in the previous games, was even looked down upon and ridiculed.
Fans often tease him about his interview comments where he claimed to be the best player.
Zeng Zhen ignored the teasing; he couldn't wait to take complete control of the ball.