"Team Blue, Rusty, Ricky, Jerry, Sean, William."
Rusty is Wake Forest's starting shooting guard, third in team scoring behind Duncan and Tony Kolarán.
Ricky is the starting power forward, Jerry the starting small forward, Sean the sixth man, and William the backup center.
This is Wake Forest University's strongest lineup besides Duncan and the injured Tony Kolarán!
"Team Red, Tim, Simon, Joseph, Antonio, Steven."
Joseph, Antonio, and Steven are non-core members of the second unit, with less than 10 minutes of playing time per game and less than 3 points per game.
Dave Odom's purpose in dividing the teams so clearly was to see if the new combination of Duncan and He Simon, with three non-core reserve players, could withstand the impact of the team's main lineup...
NCAA game rules are very similar to NBA rules, but there are slight differences in the specifics.
The most obvious difference is that NCAA games are divided into two 20-minute halves, and only the last two minutes of the second half and overtime are timed. In other periods, the clock does not stop after a basket.
He Simon had a general understanding of these NCAA rules during the summit, but he still needed to adapt in practice. The intra-team scrimmage was a good way to do this.
Dave Odom himself acted as the referee. Duncan and William stood at the center circle. Duncan, with his incredible leaping ability, easily tipped the ball to He Simon, and also gave He Simon a look that said "play well"!
He Simon pretended not to see the "threat" in Duncan's eyes and returned a bright, sunny smile! This made Duncan feel a little embarrassed...
After advancing past half-court, Sean, the sixth man, began to pressure He Simon, wanting to test his ball-handling skills.
It seemed that not only Duncan, but also his Wake Forest teammates, doubted the head coach's judgment and didn't believe He Simon could handle the responsibility of starting point guard...
He Simon played along, using a clumsy crossover dribble to lure Sean into attempting a steal. He Simon seized the opportunity, faked with a low left-handed dribble, flashed past his opponent, and drove into the Blue team's paint with his left hand!
Inside the paint, William and Ricky both collapsed to block He Simon. He Simon made a no-look pass on the move, threading it through both of them to Duncan, who was trailing on the left. Duncan was initially coming in to grab a rebound!
Because He Simon had never looked at him or given him any signal! But as an astute interior player, Duncan still followed the direction of the ball to where he should be. Even if He Simon hadn't passed, he would have tried his best to get the offensive rebound as soon as possible...
As a result, He Simon gave him a small surprise! Not only was the ball passed to him, but it was a perfect pass!
Duncan caught the ball and took off, without needing any adjustment. He jumped directly and easily slammed the ball home with both hands!
"Unbelievable!"
After landing, Duncan's eyes widened. He turned to look at He Simon, as if asking: How did you know I would be in that position?
He Simon didn't explain himself, just gave Duncan a brilliant smile.
Hmm, a sunny youth, harmless...
At the same time, head coach Dave Odom, who was refereeing on the court, saw He Simon and Duncan execute such a tacit play right after He Simon came on the court. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Beautiful!"
Turning back, the Blue team knew Duncan's dominance in the paint, so Rusty didn't drive inside but decisively chose to shoot from outside. However, the ball bounced off the rim, and Duncan secured the defensive rebound, handing it to He Simon to advance.
As soon as He Simon received the ball, he started to pick up speed, chasing the retreating Blue team's defense on a fast break!
Sean tried to turn and delay, but He Simon blew past him with a change of direction.
Rusty and Ricky tried to double-team He Simon, but He Simon broke through with a low-dribble followed by a quick acceleration.
At this moment, He Simon seemed to be one with the ball, possessing a bit of Iverson's rapid breakthrough style...
However, after breaking through, Iverson usually chose to score himself.
And He Simon, on this play, had essentially broken through the opponent's entire defense and could have easily laid it up or dunked. But He Simon glanced at the player trailing on the flank wearing jersey number 21...
It turned out that Duncan, worried about He Simon's lack of speed and unsteady layup, had followed closely, thinking he could help with a put-back if He Simon missed...
As a result, after spotting Duncan, He Simon immediately abandoned his own layup and opted for a bank pass instead...
Duncan, trailing behind, under He Simon's guidance, unconsciously leaped up, caught the bouncing ball, and once again slammed it home with both hands!
"Unbelievable!"
This time, even the other Wake Forest players couldn't help but exclaim!
Because the cooperation He Simon and Duncan displayed on that play was not something that rookies meeting for the first time could possess; it was more like veteran teammates who had played college basketball for four years.
"He really hasn't played with Tim before?"
"Of course not! I heard he only came to America a week ago. He was playing in China before, how could he have played with Tim?"
"But why is there no gap between them? If I remember correctly, Tony's coordination with Tim wasn't this smooth either."
Tony was Tony Kolarán, who was injured and had made way for He Simon's starting spot.
"Shhh~ Be careful~ After all, Tony is still recovering and will come back. There will likely be a showdown then..."
"I don't think so! If this newcomer can maintain this kind of chemistry with Tim, I don't think Tony can get his starting position back..."
As they were talking, He Simon sent another exquisite assist to Duncan.
He Simon controlled the ball at the high post, directing his teammate on the left to set a screen off the ball. Duncan executed a clever cut, shaking off William, and got an opportunity to drive directly to the basket. The ball arrived as he did; He Simon's pass was timely and accurate, delivered directly into Duncan's hands!
Duncan was too lazy to dunk this time. After catching the ball and taking off, he gently laid it up!
He Simon had scored zero points so far, but he had consecutively assisted Duncan three times, much to head coach Dave Odom's delight!
This was the point guard he had always dreamed of! He was a perfect match for the invincible interior player Tim Duncan...
Moreover, they hadn't even had proper practice together yet. Once they were more synchronized and their chemistry improved further...
He had a strong feeling that Wake Forest University might soar this year in the NCAA tournament...