Unable to choose, Zhuji Middle School gave Liu Wei no options. Da Yao and Zhang Wenqi defended tightly, leaving Liu Wei to rely on his scoring ability to drive to the basket and go one-on-one with Zhang Zhenpeng on the fast break, or pass to Luo Xudong, left open at the right corner.
Liu Wei chose to drive himself, taking on Zhang Zhenpeng!
As Liu Wei took three steps to jump, he faked a pass, trying to disrupt Zhang Zhenpeng's judgment.
While Liu Wei's fake might fool others, it was difficult to deceive Zhang Zhenpeng.
During Zhuji Middle School's usual training, He Ximeng employed countless fakes, alternating between passes and drives, drives and passes. Through repeated drills, Zhang Zhenpeng had developed significant immunity to such deceptive moves.
"Don't trust your eyes, trust your judgment..."
In this play, Zhang Zhenpeng's judgment was that Liu Wei would take the shot himself!
Liu Wei faked a pass and drove, intending to shake Zhang Zhenpeng's balance and then score off the glass.
However, Zhang Zhenpeng didn't fall for the fake and correctly anticipated Liu Wei's driving rhythm. To avoid Zhang Zhenpeng's block, Liu Wei had to change his shot, attempting a scoop layup to get around the basket and score with his left hand. But the shot was too difficult and improvised. Liu Wei's spin on the ball was insufficient, and it rolled off the rim.
Yao Ming tried to push in for the rebound, but Yan Hui turned and posted him up, doing his best to keep him away from the basket. Feng Chen also rotated in from the left, helping Yan Hui block Yao Ming's path to the basket.
Zhang Zhenpeng seized the opportunity and leaped again to grab the rebound.
Beyond the three-point line, He Ximeng was driving down the right flank, with Wang Xian providing support on the left.
Without hesitation, Zhang Zhenpeng avoided Yao Ming and immediately whipped the ball to the streaking He Ximeng.
At this moment, Liu Wei had not caught up after his drive. The players pursuing He Ximeng were Zhang Wenqi and Luo Xudong. He Ximeng changed direction mid-drive, blowing past Luo Xudong and switching from the right to the middle. He feigned a shot from beyond the three-point line in the middle, drawing Zhang Wenqi forward to contest. Then, with a bounce pass, he found Wang Xian cutting to the left. Wang Xian caught the ball and easily scored two points with a layup.
From Zhang Zhenpeng's successful defense to He Ximeng's fast-break assist and Wang Xian's successful drive, Zhuji Middle School's fast break likely took less than 7 seconds.
"Wow~" A gasp went through the crowd.
Some spectators who had momentarily drifted off didn't even realize that Zhuji Middle School had already completed their fast break.
"What just happened?"
"Wasn't that Nanmo Middle School's possession?"
"How did Zhuji Middle School score?"
"Such a fast pace!"
"Such fluid offensive coordination!"
"They didn't give them a chance to set up!"
"This style of play... it's even more 'back to back' than Huipu Middle School..."
...
In the first offensive possession, Zhuji Middle School's defensive strategy was to decisively prevent Liu Wei from passing to Yao Ming, and to block Yao Ming from getting offensive rebounds. After a successful defense, they immediately launched a fast break, denying Yao Ming a chance to get into position. Another objective of this strategy was to exhaust Yao Ming's stamina. Such rapid changes of pace are most draining for big players.
On Nanmo Middle School's second possession, Liu Wei's first instinct was again to look for Yao Ming.
Blocked by Yan Hui's strong defense, Yao Ming couldn't get to the low post. He moved to the free-throw line to receive the pass from Liu Wei. After receiving the ball, Yao Ming attempted a post-up against Yan Hui, but Yan Hui was prepared and held Yao Ming's waist tightly. Yao Ming was forced to pass back to Zhang Wenqi beyond the three-point line and then complained to the referee about Yan Hui's suspected foul. However, the referee ignored him. Yan Hui's defense teetered on the edge of legality. When Yao Ming wasn't actively trying to back him down, Yan Hui's elbows stayed close to his body. Only when Yao Ming leaned in and prepared to drive from the post did Yan Hui extend his elbow, precisely hitting Yao Ming's waist due to the height difference. It felt like his vital spot had been seized.
With his appeal dismissed, Zhang Wenqi, holding the ball, moved to the top of the arc outside the three-point line, preparing to go one-on-one with He Ximeng, who was at the high post.
Zhang Wenqi was capable on the perimeter; before Yao Ming joined the team, he was Nanmo Middle School's primary scorer.
In this play, Zhang Wenqi tried to drive past He Ximeng with his dribbling skills. However, He Ximeng anticipated perfectly, nearly causing Zhang Wenqi to lose possession. After regaining control of the ball, Zhang Wenqi switched to a post-up, using his height advantage. After dribbling to the free-throw line, he executed a turnaround jump shot.
While the move wasn't particularly graceful, Zhang Wenqi's shot was accurate!
2-2. Zhang Wenqi scored Nanmo Middle School's first points, tying the game.
Yao Ming breathed a sigh of relief and retreated.
To prevent Zhuji Middle School's fast break, Liu Wei also signaled his teammates to retreat.
However, Zhuji Middle School's drive was even more ferocious than Liu Wei had imagined!
After Zhang Wenqi's shot, Yan Hui immediately went to the baseline to pass to He Ximeng, who was coming to receive the ball. Upon receiving it, He Ximeng turned and chased after Yao Ming's retreating figure.
Wang Xian and Zhang Zhenpeng had already crossed half-court on the left and right flanks.
He Ximeng accelerated, successfully driving past Yao Ming and Cai Liang. On Nanmo Middle School's end, Liu Wei was guarding the perimeter, while Luo Xudong and Zhang Wenqi were positioned on the left and right, respectively, guarding against cuts from Zhuji Middle School's players and ready to double-team He Ximeng as he drove into the paint.
As He Ximeng approached Liu Wei, he executed a high-difficulty 360-degree spin move in motion. Before Liu Wei could react, He Ximeng, like a slippery fish, spun past Liu Wei and into Nanmo Middle School's paint. Luo Xudong and Zhang Wenqi were too far to recover. He Ximeng gathered the ball, took off, appearing as if he might attempt a gliding one-handed dunk, but he opted for a delicate scoop layup in mid-air.
"That guy can jump so high..."
"He can probably dunk, right?"
"No way! If he could dunk, would he have held back on that play?"
"Exactly! He was just putting on a show..."
"But that layup was really beautiful, wasn't it?"
"It's still a far cry from a powerful one-handed dunk..."
The crowd speculated on whether He Ximeng could dunk.