Before the game officially started, as the DJ introduced the players, Carmeron Anthony received the loudest cheers... He was the biggest star in the NCAA.
The next player introduced, Su Xi, received cheers second only to Antonio. The Boston fans still vividly remembered his outstanding performance in the last game.
Head Coach Jim Boham's starting lineup for the night was: Su Xi, McNamara, Antonio, Hakeem, and Craig.
The starting lineup for the Oklahoma State University Cowboys was: Victor Williams, Tony Allen, Melvin Sanders, Ivan MacFarlane, and Richardson.
The whistle blew.
The Cowboys gained possession, and Victor brought the ball across half-court.
McNamara stepped up to defend him, just as they had planned before the game.
Su Xi went to cover Tony Allen, but Allen just spotted up in the corner of the three-point line, not moving around much. The entire Cowboys team was spreading the floor.
"This looks a bit like the 76ers' strategy," Larry Bird noted, taking in the court dynamics at a glance.
Sure enough, Victor went for the one-on-one. He isolated McNamara at the top of the arc. McNamara was nearly six inches taller than Victor, which should have been an advantage.
But Victor was too quick. His center of gravity was extremely low, and with a series of rapid cuts and crossovers, he soon used his Iverson-style Mystical Steps to shake the defender and pull up for a jumper... SWISH!
The "mini-Iverson" nickname was well-deserved.
His scoring method was a carbon copy of Iverson's. Unlike other super scorers who generally adhered to a 'shoot within three dribbles' principle, he used a flurry of hesitation dribbles to confuse the defense, then seized the slightest opening to unleash a sudden mid-range jumper.
Iverson's mid-range game was exceptionally accurate.
This went against the perception of most casual fans. Despite his height disadvantage, Iverson's mid-range jumper was virtually unstoppable—it was his primary method of punishing opponents.
Victor's playstyle was cut from the same cloth as Iverson's, though his mid-range shot wasn't as consistent. When he was hot, however, he could be the Iverson of the NCAA.
His first make delighted the Cowboys. Typically, if Victor hit his first shot, he was in for a good game.
That way, the other players on the Cowboys could also get their chances to shine.
Su Xi brought the ball past half-court. Tony Allen didn't come over to guard him; it was Sanders instead.
Sanders was 6'5" and played small forward for the Cowboys.
He was powerfully built and paid close attention to his physical conditioning. This focus on fitness would later lead him to play a year for the San Antonio Spurs, spend a few more years playing overseas to save up capital, and eventually open a nationally renowned training center. He would also become an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs.
He spread his arms wide in front of Su Xi. Su Xi didn't engage him directly, instead running a set play with Hakeem before passing the ball to Carmeron Anthony.
Antonio was being heavily harassed by Tony Allen. Tony Allen was draped all over Cameron, his hands everywhere, not letting Antonio get into a comfortable rhythm.
His tenacious defensive style impressed Larry Bird.
Harassed like this, Antonio's triple threat was thrown off-balance, and his shot was rushed... CLANG!
A brick.
The Cowboys' center grabbed the rebound and passed it to Victor.
Kobe frowned on the sidelines. He thought Antonio's move was unrefined. 'A top-tier scorer can't let a defender dictate the pace,' he thought. 'You have to make the defender react to *your* rhythm.'
Just then, as Su Xi crossed half-court and passed Antonio, he clapped his hands and yelled to him, "Make the defender guess! You've got the ability, Cameron!"
Few people would pay attention to such a detail.
But Larry Bird did.
A smile touched the corner of his lips. 'I didn't expect this Little Sheep Su Xi to have locker room leader potential,' he thought.
Su Xi stuck close to Tony Allen.
The current matchups were completely different from what Coach Jim Boham had predicted.
Su Xi frowned. 'We need to adjust our strategy,' he thought.
But Jim remained on the sideline, stroking his chin, showing no intention of making a change.
Victor once again shook McNamara, who was clearly not good at defending quick, agile guards... SWISH!
Victor hit another mid-range jumper.
Jim gestured from the sideline, telling Hakeem to be ready with help defense.
On the next possession, Su Xi had no intention of running the set play. He decided to attack the paint directly and power through Sanders' defense. 'Can't just keep being passive.'
However, McNamara ran to his designated spot in the play, so Su Xi passed him the ball.
McNamara had a mismatch advantage against Victor.
But his three-point attempt missed.
His shot was cold right now.
Su Xi glanced at the sideline. The Cowboys' head coach wore a brilliant smile. Clearly, his plan was working.
He was using a strategy of picking his battles, sacrificing one matchup to win another.
He wasn't playing by the book.
Victor blew past McNamara again. Hakeem rushed over to help, but just as he did, MacFarlane was left open. Victor passed him the ball, and MacFarlane drove straight for the paint. He leaped up, about to slam the ball into the hoop... but Su Xi charged in from the side, grabbing MacFarlane's shoulder and pulling both him and the ball down.
TWEET!
The referee blew his whistle.
Foul on Su Xi.
MacFarlane was awarded free throws.
It was a successful help defense rotation.
Larry Bird was impressed by Su Xi's anticipation. Su Xi had been the player furthest from MacFarlane, standing in the corner. But the moment Hakeem committed to the help defense, Su Xi was already charging toward the paint.
It showed his read of the play was correct, even though it meant leaving Tony Allen open in the corner.
The Pacers needed a point guard like that. Their current starting point guard, Tinsley, came from a streetball background, so you couldn't expect him to have sound defensive fundamentals.
MacFarlane missed the free throw.
Su Xi snatched the rebound.
Su Xi immediately grabbed the ball and pushed it up the court himself. As he reached the frontcourt, Sanders stepped up to meet him. But Su Xi didn't wait for his teammates to get set, instead initiating contact and driving right into him. The powerful Sanders was knocked back half a step.
Just as Sanders tried to recover his position, Su Xi abruptly changed direction. It was an explosive cut, his body contorting into an almost impossible arc.
Su Xi couldn't have made a move like this before receiving Jessica Alba's "gift"...
Su Xi blew past Sanders with ease and drove to the basket. Just as the Cowboys' center, Richardson, came over to help, Su Xi dished the ball to Craig.
Craig threw it down with a two-handed slam!
The Orange Team got their first points of the game, steadying the ship.
The North Shore Garden Arena erupted in cheers.
Even Larry Bird applauded.
He wasn't clapping for Craig's dunk.
He was clapping for Su Xi's decisiveness. 'As a point guard... if you just follow the coach's game plan for everything, can you even call yourself a point guard?'
"Not bad," he said to Terry, the scout beside him. "He's worth a 50th pick."
Terry nodded eagerly.
But just then, their gazes turned back to the court, their expressions filled with surprise.
Because Su Xi did something incredible yet again.
Coach Jim Boham was on the sideline, frantically waving his hands.
But Su Xi didn't stop.
He switched onto Victor.
A general in the field is not always bound by his sovereign's command!
…
^
[Guaranteed two chapters a day, scheduled for 7:30 PM and 11:30 PM. Also, from today until July 7th, I will release one bonus chapter for every 30 additional monthly votes.]