Chapter 43: I Am Also One of the Four Young Masters!
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On the other side of the technical table, Curry was slumped in a chair. The team's trainer was taking the time to massage his leg muscles. The others sat quietly in their chairs.
Liam had already arranged the tactics and called a timeout to let Curry rest for a while.
"Do you need me to call another one?"
Curry waved his hand.
"It's okay, Boss. I'm much better now. We only have one timeout left, right? Let's save it for later."
Liam hesitated but decided to agree.
There weren't enough timeouts in the NCAA. Otherwise, with Liam's abilities, Coach Lu would never have been able to cover it up. At least two timeouts would have been called.
Fortunately, Donovan's use of timeouts had been effective.
After two consecutive timeouts, Curry regained some physical strength and, more importantly, recovered from the brink of collapse.
After the second timeout, the Florida players did not act rashly. Brewer quietly asked Taurean Green beside him:
"Butler seems to have another timeout, right?"
"It should be, but it seems to be useless..."
"Let's wait..."
Everyone waited, and after seeing the Bulldogs return to the field one by one, they felt relieved and followed them back.
The long pause ended, and the game resumed.
Noah passed the ball to Taurean Green from the baseline, who dribbled steadily to the frontcourt and directed his teammates to move.
Horford came to the edge of the restricted area on the left side of the basket, leaned on Julian Beko, and raised his hand to ask for the ball.
Taurean Green passed the ball, and the other players of Florida University created space, allowing Horford to play one-on-one with his back to the basket.
Everything seemed to follow the previous round's pattern. However, after Horford hit the ball back twice, Mike Green, who was outside the strong side three-point line, suddenly left Brewer open to double-team Horford!
"Al!" Brewer shouted loudly.
Horford saw Mike Green closing in from the corner of his eye. He raised the ball high, avoided the pressure from both players, and passed it to Brewer.
After receiving the ball, Brewer hesitated but did not take a three-pointer. Instead, he dribbled directly into the inside.
He preferred attacking the basket rather than shooting.
Of course, his three-point shooting percentage was a bit low, only 31.2%. He generally avoided taking three-pointers if possible.
Brewer's first step was extremely fast. Although Mike Green actively returned to his position, he was still passed by Brewer in one step. Drew hurriedly came up to help defend.
Brewer was not deterred. He rushed towards Drew, jumped high, folded twice in the air, twisted his body, and then avoided Drew's block to make a layup.
71:72, the Bulldogs were only 1 point behind.
Drew waved his hand in frustration, then quickly suppressed his self-blame and served the ball from the baseline.
Liam sighed softly, feeling somewhat helpless.
The double-team tactics he arranged had worked, allowing Brewer to receive the ball in a less favorable area, but he did not expect Brewer to use his individual skills to dribble past two defenders and score.
It seems the team is still lacking a defender who excels in one-on-one situations...
Liam seemed to be deep in thought.
While he considered the team's lineup, Curry had already dribbled to the frontcourt, with Brewer waiting in front of him.
The St. Louis Arena fell into silence, and everyone watched the two players nervously.
The Bulldogs were still leading by one point. Liam stood up and walked to the edge of the court, pressing his hands down to signal Curry to manage the clock.
Curry saw Liam's instructions and did not rush to attack, but dribbled the ball at the top of the arc.
The offensive time passed slowly as Curry kept an eye on the timer. With 10 seconds left, he began his move.
He frequently changed direction, trying to shift Brewer's center of gravity. But Brewer, experienced in defense, remained firm.
Curry dribbled between his legs and passed the ball to his right hand. His right shoulder shook, and Brewer, reacting instinctively, slid. Curry then dribbled the ball behind his back and stepped to the left. Brewer, caught off guard, couldn't keep up, leaving Curry with an open shot.
Curry took the ball and quickly shot a three-pointer. In a split second, Brewer could only watch as the basketball flew over his head.
He couldn't tell if it was just his imagination, but the flight of the ball seemed unusually slow, as if suspended in mid-air.
Swish!
The ball didn't go as Brewer hoped.
Curry panted heavily, wiped the sweat from his brow, and clenched his fist.
71:75.
The Bulldogs were leading by four points, and Florida University's situation was becoming precarious!
Some Butler fans, including Curry's parents in the front row, had started celebrating. They had attended every championship game of the Bulldogs.
With 1 minute and 3 seconds left, the 4-point lead almost ensured Butler's victory.
Donovan sighed, waved his hand, and instructed the players to attack quickly.
He needed to save the timeout until the end. Using it now and failing to score would leave no chance for an effective play after a foul.
His players did not disappoint him.
Strong teams have extraordinary resilience.
Faced with a desperate situation, the Florida players did not collapse. Horford shouted:
"Alligators, win!"
The Florida University players, who were moving to the front, stopped when they heard this. They turned to look at Horford and nodded firmly, a flame of determination burning in their eyes.
They had stayed in school for a year not to lose in the round of 16 but to win another championship. They had to win this game!
Taurean Green took Horford's serve and quickly advanced to the frontcourt.
He didn't pass the ball back to Horford but changed direction, easily breaking through the exhausted Curry and driving into the inside.
Drew rushed over to assist in defense, and Taurean Green faked a pass to Noah behind him, causing Drew to hesitate momentarily. But Taurean Green then made a quick stop jump shot, despite Drew's interference!
73:75.
After the ball went in, Taurean Green, who had been silent throughout the game, tugged at his jersey and yelled, releasing all his pent-up emotions.
I am also one of the "Four Young Masters"!
Liam frowned slightly, but he had anticipated this after setting up the small lineup. He pressed his hands down, signaling Curry to control the tempo.
With only 50 seconds left in the game, Curry wasted time at the top of the arc.
Curry didn't call for a screen, as Liam had arranged.
In his previous life, he had seen too many times where Curry called for a pick-and-roll, only to be double-teamed.
Back then, he often scolded Cole for being stubborn, but he wouldn't make that mistake again.
When the clock reached 20 seconds, Curry began dribbling the ball. He took small steps forward, with Brewer slowly retreating.
When he was one step away from the three-point line, Curry passed the ball to his right hand and pretended to break through. As Brewer retreated, Curry suddenly pulled the ball back with his backhand and took a big step back with his right foot!
But as Curry received the ball, he suddenly felt his feet weaken, and the distance he retreated was shorter than expected. His physical strength had finally reached its limit.
Although there wasn't enough space to shoot, the arrow was on the string, and he had to shoot. Curry had no choice but to take a three-pointer despite Brewer's interference.
He dodged slightly and avoided Brewer's block, but the trajectory of the basketball altered. After gliding through the air, it bounced out of the basket.
End of this chapter
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