69novels Chapter 184
Chapter 184
On the White Team's side, Liu Yang was in superb form today, scoring twelve points in a single quarter.
He completely dominated the Red Team's small forward, scoring with turnaround jumpers, layups, and three-pointers—he was effective no matter what he did.
Sun Hao dominated the paint, forcing the Red Team's center to accumulate four fouls early.
In the fourth quarter, the Red Team trailed by eight points.
Coach Li called a timeout. "Lin Feng, you go guard Liu Yang."
Lin Feng looked at Coach Li to make sure he hadn't misheard. He had spent the entire afternoon guarding Ma Chao, and now he was suddenly being asked to guard Liu Yang—the 1.98-meter-tall scoring champion.
"You defended him from behind in the first half, and it worked alright. Now go defend him, with the same intensity you had earlier. Stick close to him and don't let him receive the ball easily." Coach Li's voice was very calm, as if he were giving instructions on something perfectly ordinary.
Lin Feng nodded.
Liu Yang positioned himself in the right low post this time. He is most threatening when receiving the ball in the low post—he can back down, turn, and shoot, making him almost unstoppable.
Lin Feng positioned himself in front of Liu Yang, bracing his waist with one hand while extending the other to interfere with the passing lane.
The white team's point guard lobbed the ball high—Liu Yang jumped to catch it, and Lin Feng also jumped, but the two jumped at vastly different heights, like a sapling and an oak tree rising from the ground at the same time.
Liu Yang caught the ball and landed. Lin Feng immediately closed in, not giving him any space to turn around. Liu Yang pushed towards the basket, forcing Lin Feng to retreat step by step. The wooden floorboards creaked under his feet, and each step felt like he was falling backward.
Liu Yang turned around, jumped, and shot.
Lin Feng jumped up to block the shot, reaching his hand towards Liu Yang's face—his fingertips were taut, not daring to touch his eyes, but trying his best to block his view.
The ball flew past Lin Feng's fingers, hit the rim, bounced twice, and didn't go in.
Sun Hao grabbed the offensive rebound and scored on the putback, but Liu Yang's one-on-one attempt failed to find the net.
In the next possession, Liu Yang called for the ball in the low post again. Lin Feng continued to circle around him and reached out. This time, the white team passed the ball to the other side, but Liu Yang missed it.
In the next possession, Liu Yang changed his strategy—receiving the ball in the middle and driving to the basket. Lin Feng was half a step ahead by Liu Yang's explosive first step, but he didn't give up. He took quick steps to catch up and reached out to block the shot the instant Liu Yang jumped. The ball was interfered with, bounced off the front of the rim, and was deflected.
Lin Feng turned around, blocked Liu Yang, and grabbed the rebound.
As Zhang Lei ran past, he tossed out a curt "Awesome!"
Liu Yang glanced at Lin Feng. His gaze lingered on Lin Feng's face for two seconds—two seconds is a long time, enough for Lin Feng to read that there was neither contempt nor anger in that look, only a cold scrutiny, as if he were reassessing the opponent in front of him who was a full seventeen centimeters shorter than him.
The game is over. The Red Team lost by two points—72 to 70. However, in the four possessions Lin Feng defended against Liu Yang in the fourth quarter, Liu Yang only scored two points, both from the free-throw line.
In his summary, Coach Li said, "Lin Feng, you've improved on the defensive end. Keep working on your strength and increase the intensity of your physical contact."
Lin Feng wiped his sweat and nodded.
6:30 PM, in the cafeteria.
Lin Feng sat down with his tray, Gao Yuan sat opposite him, and Chen Hao sat beside him. Dinner was braised pork belly, stir-fried bean sprouts, cucumber salad, and seaweed soup. The braised pork belly was perfectly caramelized, glistening with oil, each piece a perfect balance of lean and fat, trembling and steaming hot.
Gao Yuan picked up a piece of braised pork with his chopsticks, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed until his mouth was glistening with oil.