ctnovel Chapter 30: Zeng, you played point guard!
Chapter 30: Zeng, you played point guard!
"Zeng, everything is in your hands now," Ben Holland said encouragingly, patting Zeng Zhen on the shoulder.
Ben Holland is a coach who is very willing to give new players opportunities, which is one of the reasons why Zeng Zhen was able to quickly become a UCLA starter. If it were a more stubborn head coach, even if Zeng Zhen was excellent, he might have stayed on the bench for a longer time.
After the timeout, UCLA retained their starting lineup, while Memphis's lineup consisted of: Rose, Roberts, Antonio Anderson, Robert Dozier, and Joey Doshi.
Both sides have their key players on the field.
"Derrick displayed NBA-level offensive and defensive skills today; even Russell Westbrook couldn't keep up with his first step."
"It's normal that we can't stop Derrick's outbursts. The problem is that UCLA's own tactical execution is a mess; they made too many mistakes."
"Ben Holland made tactical adjustments and started receiving the ball in his own half."
ESPN's McBreen and Mark Jackson are discussing the game situation.
During UCLA's offensive play, Rose chose to press Zeng Zhen in the backcourt.
"I'll tell you why I'm number one." Rose isn't a player who likes to show off.
Before this game, Zeng Zhen repeatedly claimed in the media that he could dominate all his opponents, which made Rose very uncomfortable.
Zeng Zhen ignored Ross.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Zeng Zhen used his body to withstand Rose's challenge, then leaned against him, turned and sprinted forward, accelerating to dribble the ball past midfield.
Are you kidding me? With Kyrie Irving's dribbling skills, how could we possibly not get past half-court?
Rose chased after him, trying to steal the ball, but Zeng Zhen dribbled between his legs and switched hands to avoid the steal. The basketball seemed to be an extension of Zeng Zhen's body; Rose just couldn't get it.
*Smack!*
"Beep beep!!"
Rose committed a foul by hitting the hand.
After being called for a foul, Rose's gaze towards Zeng Zhen changed; Zeng Zhen's ball-handling skills were clearly superior to Westbrook's.
Wow, Zeng's dribbling fundamentals are really solid!
[Great job!]
[Fight like this.]
UCLA fans cheered for Zeng Zhen.
The game restarted, and Love passed the ball to Zeng Zhen, who then called for Westbrook to receive the handoff.
"I'll go to the bottom corner, you drive and pass!"
Zeng Zhen quickly gave Westbrook instructions, and after the tactical arrangements were completed, Zeng Zhen began to make runs.
Westbrook wanted to do it himself, but he remembered Zeng Zhen's tactical arrangements.
Westbrook initiated a pick-and-roll with Love, but Memphis University was prepared for Westbrook's attack. The moment Westbrook drove with the ball, Roberts and Anderson simultaneously double-teamed him.
Without hesitation, Westbrook dribbled past Zeng Zhen, who had made a run to the right corner.
Zeng Zhen received the ball, feinted, and pretended to pass it to Collison on the top line.
Anderson, who was chasing Zeng Zhen, was caught off guard and shifted his center of gravity slightly to slow down.
Zeng Zhen decisively took a three-pointer.
Zeng Zhen's rhythm adjustment was very smooth, and his jump shot was textbook perfect.
The basketball was deftly flicked away.
As soon as he made the shot, Zeng Zhen knew the ball was in the bag.
"Whoosh!"
The basketball pierced the net.
25:15.
"Good shot, keep playing like that!" Ben Holland on the sidelines excitedly pumped his fist in celebration.
"Well done." Zeng Zhen gave Westbrook a thumbs up.
"That was a really good shot," Westbrook nodded.
Zeng Zhen has now become a reliable ally for Westbrook.
...
On the field, the University of Memphis is on offense.
"I'll guard him." Zeng Zhen proactively chose to switch with Westbrook, and he would target Rose.
Rose dribbled the ball up the court, where Zeng Zhenling was on defense.
"The reason I dare to say I'll beat you is because I'm stronger than you," Zeng Zhen earnestly explained to Ross.
This time, Ross ignored Zeng Zhen.
Zeng Zhen's defensive style is different from Westbrook's. Westbrook's defense is a kind of "mad dog" style, which is very risky and makes it easy for Rose to get past him. Zeng Zhen, on the other hand, chooses to leave Rose's shooting space and focuses on defending Rose's breakthroughs.
Rose frowned slightly when he saw Zeng Zhen's slightly retreating defensive stance; he didn't like shooting three-pointers.
Rose passed the ball to Roberts, who, after being closely guarded by Westbrook for a while without a good opportunity, passed the ball back to Rose.
Faced with Zeng Zhenfang's shot defense, Rose finally couldn't resist taking a step to the right of the free-throw line and pulling up for a mid-range jumper.
Zeng Zhen's defense, while seemingly allowing for shots, wasn't entirely relaxed; his long arms still had some impact on Rose.
"box!"
Rose's shot hit the rim, and Love secured the rebound.
Love passed the ball to Zeng Zhen.
Zeng Zhen dribbled the ball quickly across half-court, with Rose closely marking him on defense.
Zeng Zhen moved to the left 45-degree three-point line to observe the situation.
The University of Memphis's defensive system has no obvious weaknesses; whenever Zeng Zhen breaks through, he will be double-teamed.
Just when everyone thought Zeng Zhen was going to organize the attack a little.
But Zeng Zhen faced Rose with a low, sharp crossover, paused and hovered the ball, then quickly dribbled it to the right. Rose was fooled, Zeng Zhen dribbled over, stopped abruptly, and quickly jumped to shoot a three-pointer.
Rose's defense wasn't completely shaken off; there was some interference.
But the impact is not significant.
"Whoosh!!"
The basketball went straight in!
25:18.
Zeng Zhen was very clear that if he wanted to organize an attack, he needed to pose a threat himself.
If he can generate his individual offensive threat, then Memphis's defensive system will change.
"Zeng Zhen's incredible three-pointer!!"
"Well done, you made that three-pointer right over Derrick Rose."
"UCLA rallied to score 6 straight points."
McBreen shouted excitedly.
Wow, Zeng!
No wonder he dared to say he'd crush everyone.
Those two three-pointers were really solid.
Fans gave Zeng Zhen's two three-pointers very high praise.
"Great job." Love came up and gave Zeng Zhen a high five.
Love was just thinking about whether to set a screen, but Zeng Zhen drove in one-on-one.
"Defense!!"
Zeng Zhen led the team to begin intensive training against the University of Memphis.
Rose dribbled forward, and Zeng Zhen went over to defend him. He continued to focus on limiting Rose's penetration and encouraging him to shoot.
Rose frowned as he watched Zeng Zhen continue to defend. Zeng Zhen was tall and had a long reach, strong physical strength, and most importantly, he seemed to know his own strengths very well.
Rose lacked confidence in his shooting, so he passed the ball to Roberts.
Roberts is an all-around shooting guard who can drive and shoot, but Westbrook's mad dog-like defense is effective against him.
Roberts, with the ball in hand, directed a screen, and Dorsey came up to block Westbrook.
Roberts moved to the right and then made a low dribble to break into the left side.
Just as Roberts was about to take a layup, a figure rushed over from behind him.
Roberts is a pure scorer; his first thought is to finish, not to pass. Therefore, Zeng Zhen decisively abandoned Rose and came back to help defend.
The moment Roberts releases his layup.
"Bang!!"
Zeng Zhen pinned the basketball to the backboard.
Zeng Zhen completed the nail-studded hat!
The rebound fell to Zeng Zhen, who controlled it. At this moment, Westbrook made a fast break.
Zeng Zhen delivered a powerful, cannonball-like pass to Westbrook with both hands.
"Whoosh!!"
The basketball pierced through the Memphis University defense and landed in Westbrook's hands.
Westbrook showcased his talent, dribbling two steps to the frontcourt before unleashing a signature tomahawk dunk.
"box!!"
"ah!!!!"
After completing a powerful dunk, Westbrook looked up to the sky and roared, venting his frustration.
25:20.
In just one minute.
UCLA unleashed an 8-0 run.
Now it was the University of Memphis's turn to call a halt to the game.
With Zeng Zhencheng becoming the primary ball handler, UCLA's offense and defense completely took off!