Champion, please stay!

Chapter 26. Reaching New Heights!

The fans screamed with excitement, the players gathered together in celebration, and the coaches were overjoyed.

When preparing for the game, their only goal is definitely to win, but as for how confident they are of winning... it's not much.

The opposing team is a top 16 team from last season. Although they were upset to get there, their overall strength is definitely higher than theirs, with a better roster structure and greater depth.

Faced with such an opponent, the coaching staff could only hope for the players' performance on the day... But even with high expectations, they did not expect that the players could take the initiative from the very beginning and dominate the game!
And the one who made all of this happen was the prodigal son who was being cheered for by the fans and surrounded by his teammates, the prodigal son who had returned home, their Eastern Star, the genius Brook!

4 offensive rebounds, 7 defensive rebounds, 3 steals, and 8 blocks!
The problem that had plagued them for so long was that their forwards, whether starting or substitute, were terrible at collapsing into defense. But tonight, Yi Shui solved that problem perfectly!

Of Yi Shui's eight blocks, only four blocks and three rounds were actually contributed by Alexander.

The other four blocks were all made when Yi Shui moved in to block Thabeet while he was holding him up. This was much more effective than Yi Shui relying solely on his physical abilities to rush in and block, as it created a synergy between the inside and outside defenses and filled the gaps in the zone defense.

However, in the last 5 minutes, Calhoun's emotions were dampened considerably as his all-bench lineup of Spencer, Johnny Leonard, Johnson Bird, Edwards, and Omocaro was outscored 14-6 by the opposing team's equally all-bench lineup of 5.

It's really quite embarrassing that they were beaten so badly by their opponents when their morale was so high.

After the match, once Yi Shui had changed into clean training clothes in the locker room, Calhoun took him to the post-match press conference.

The reporters immediately began asking questions after Yi Shui sat down.

A reporter from New York asked, "Brook, you got eight blocks tonight, that's incredible! How did you do it?"

Yi Shui's expression and tone were very modest: "I just know that the mountaineering team has a strong frontcourt attack, and most of my forward teammates are good at defending shots rather than collapsing to protect the rim, so I actively collapsed to protect the rim. When I saw an opponent shooting inside, I jumped over, reached out and blocked the shot."

When Yi Shui was interviewed before, he was very arrogant and boastful. The reporters thought that Yi Shui would be very smug and show off when answering this question. Unexpectedly, he was so humble in tone and spoke so tactfully when mentioning his teammates' poor defense. But after listening... well, this is a different way of showing off.

The Husky team won, and Yi Shui performed well, so the questions from the reporters were all quite harmonious.

Yi Shui responded modestly and humbly, even downplaying his performance that night. Of course, how others interpret it is their business. As someone who takes Duncan as his role model, he felt he was being very modest.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a highly regarded and talented forward. After the "March Madness" of last season, there were rumors that he had been approached by several NBA teams.

Before the game, the media predicted that Alexander would perform well tonight and lead the Mountaineers to a winning start to the season, given that the Huskies' defense at the three and four positions was excessively poor.

结果今晚亚历山大只拿到9分6板、14投4中、罚球3中1！多次糟糕的单打甚至把球队带崩了！

All of this was caused by Yi Shui's several blocks against Alexander, and the reporter naturally asked about the related issues.

Yi Shui did not have a good impression of this 'Chinese boy'. Last season, when he was 'down on his luck', he took the initiative to greet him, but the other party ignored him. This season, he has gained popularity, and the other party came over to try to ride on his coattails. Hypocritical and snobbish are his impressions of this guy.

During the match, Alexander looked at him with intense hatred in his eyes, and he noticed it.

But having already won, Yi Shui still tried to say the good things: "I think Joe was just too nervous because the cameras were on him. If it happened again, I think I would have a hard time blocking his shot. If you watch the replay, you'll see that the few times I blocked his shot were just luck. If he had been more decisive in his shot, at least half of my help defense would have been ineffective."

Calhoun, standing nearby, thought this answer was worse than simply kicking Alexander twice.

Sure enough, when the reporters heard Yi Shui's words, they quickly wrote down 'Brook's evaluation of Alexander: He is easily frightened and hesitates when shooting'.

Not all the reporters' questions were so harmonious. The well-known local reporter from the Sperm Whale newspaper once again stepped forward and asked a pointed question: "Brook, you only took 11 shots tonight, which doesn't seem to match what you said before about being determined to shoot. Is it because you feel you're not good enough in the actual game and you're afraid to shoot?"

The earlier answer was humble because the reporter's question was friendly, but when the question was barbed, Yi Shui certainly wouldn't back down: "Two people are sandwiching me, I can't even catch the ball, how am I supposed to shoot? Am I supposed to throw myself into the basket?"

This comedic scene made the other reporters laugh, but the professionals quickly realized that all the effort they had put into asking so many questions might not generate as much buzz as this one question!
...

"Snobbishness: "

You scored 14 points and 11 rebounds, Joe Alexander scored 9 points and 6 rebounds. Objective 1 is complete, and you led your team to victory. Objective 2 is complete. Congratulations on receiving the reward: 1 Beginner Blind Box.

You recorded 4 blocks and 1 steal against Joe Alexander. Congratulations, you've earned a reward: a 5-hour Double Efficiency Card for Interception Training.

After returning from the press conference, Yi Shui went to take a shower and checked the system for her rewards.

He deliberately kept a low profile during the interview, but he was telling the truth.

Eight blocks was something he hadn't expected, and he estimated that it would be difficult to get that many blocks in the future.

It's not that he can't do that kind of help defense anymore. With the experience of the 'first time', the coaching staff will most likely try to give him a corresponding role in terms of defensive tactics. He is confident that he can do better in the future.

However, most opponents are unlikely to be as unprepared as the mountaineering team. Tonight, with the Knicks owner providing extra coverage, the game's impact will be significant, and opponents will definitely notice this.

But that doesn't matter to him. He doesn't care about the number of blocks anyway. What's more important to him is being able to play a bigger role on the defensive end and make up for the obvious weaknesses in the overall defense.

In addition to the tasks, there are also the regular rewards for the competition.

"Match Level: Regional Regular Season. Your playing time has reached the starting level (starting from 15 minutes). Congratulations on receiving the basic reward: 5 hours of random training efficiency card. If you help the team win the game, the basic reward will be doubled."

Congratulations on receiving the following rewards: 5-hour double efficiency card for close-range shooting training and 5-hour double efficiency card for passing training.

个人奖励达标数据：14分11板3助攻3抢断8盖帽，恭喜获得奖励：1小时投篮训练双倍效率卡、2小时篮板球训练双倍效率卡、1小时传球训练双倍效率卡、3小时拦截训练双倍效率卡。（常规赛个人数据奖励基数：得分10、篮板5、助攻3、抢断+盖帽3，倍数奖励。）”

Official match rewards have been increased! Winning a game will earn you 10 hours of training time! Combined with personal stat rewards, you could accumulate a week's worth of double rewards in just one match! And there's more... oh right, there are also winter and summer off-season bonuses!

Yi Shui was very happy to receive the 6-hour passing training card. His passing skill reached 78, but he didn't actually train much. He mainly relied on the 'rhythm flow' talent he gained from playing against elementary school students to improve his ball control. After a simple training session, his skill level increased rapidly. After reaching 78, it stopped increasing rapidly, so he didn't train specifically anymore.

He thought it was enough before, but tonight he found that while the regular passing was indeed sufficient, he was prone to making passing errors when receiving the ball and being double-teamed or when he needed to quickly pass the ball to support the team. Tonight he made one more mistake than assist.

As for ball handling, he felt that his 89-point ball handling was enough for a shooting guard, but he still felt it was insufficient tonight.

He once again discovered the strengths of his point guard partner, Price. This teammate may not seem particularly special, but his fundamentals are truly solid. Even when faced with a zone defense and surrounded by tall, strong men, he can still steadily pull himself out of the game.

Yi Shui organized his upcoming training plan... and realized there really wasn't enough time! There were so many areas he wanted to improve, and could improve on. He decided to take it slow. With a thought, he opened a blind box!

Although he felt it was most likely a training card, he was still very excited the moment he opened the box.

"The beginner blind box has been used... Congratulations on winning the top prize in the beginner blind box: 1 randomly matched star player skill card, auto-matching in progress..."

Successfully matched with star player Kevin Durant, random skill: Tower Sniper.

"High-ground sniping: Receiving the ball and facing a defender without dribbling before shooting will significantly compensate for any loss of shooting rhythm. If you have a height advantage, there's a good chance you'll get into a hot shooting streak."

Upon seeing the words "top prize," Yi Shui shouted "Holy crap!" and jumped up, knocking off his frizzy hair. But when he saw the words "match with star players," his heart sank inexplicably.

His mind was filled with Duncan, Duncan, and more Duncan. After Duncan, he thought of Rasheed Wallace and other centers of similar height and build to Duncan.

Unexpectedly, Durant's name appeared at the end!
I finally got the offensive skill!

Indeed, Durant is about the same height as Duncan and Rasheed Wallace, and because of his shorter neck, Durant's effective height is even better than those two.

Yi Shui took a deep breath, picked up the showerhead and hung it up, calming his excited mood, and carefully looked through the skills... It's just enhanced pull-out attack!

You also need to practice pull-up jumpers, like Durant with his long, circular swing to create better space, or like McGrady with various flashy moves to adjust your body's rhythm.

Even with this skill... you still need to practice. Even if you make up for most of the loss of rhythm, it's still impossible to match a shot with good rhythm when your touch is similar. However, you can further reduce the gap through training.

The second effect of the skill truly made Yi Shui feel like he was 'cheated'; at 196 cm tall, he had a height advantage against most guards.

As for opponents like Terrence Williams or Alex Roof, who are taller than him, or small forwards, he just shouldn't pull up for a jump shot. You don't see Durant or McGrady pulling up for a jump shot against taller opponents. A pull-up jump shot is essentially taking advantage of height to force a shot over the opponent's head...etc.

'I'm 196 now, but I haven't always been 196... Wait, if you add the secondary growth phase, would that count as a growth-type skill?'

...

"11 rebounds and 8 blocks in a single game, Eastern Star Brook smiles, he has regained the head coach's trust." — The New York Times

"3 blocks in 45 seconds! Nearly a triple-double! Brook has turned his life around, showcasing amazing defensive talent." — Tri-State Bay Campus Newspaper

"Brook: Alexander couldn't handle the pressure of the big stage." — West Virginia Plain Dealer

"Brook: I want to throw myself into the basket." — The Sperm Whale Report

"..."

"..."

In the first round of the new season of the Big East League, many players delivered outstanding performances, but the most eye-catching was Yi Shui, who was dubbed the 'prodigal son's debut'!

The next morning, while Yi Shui was having breakfast with Yad and Robinson, he saw on Yad's phone that several major media websites had featured it as a headline or trending topic in their sports columns.

However, what attracted his attention the most was not the news praising him, but the media outlets that stirred up trouble.

He felt that people called "Honest Man's Report" weren't very honest. He figured Alexander must hate him to death. Not only that, but in the comments section, the mountaineering team's fans already wanted to skin him alive... That's fine, maybe he won't have to socialize with Alexander anymore? He's really not good at dealing with those cunning people who don't think about improving themselves when playing basketball, but just do all sorts of superficial things.

And that biggest local newspaper, it's utterly shameless!

But the comments section of the Sperm Whale newspaper was the most lively, even more so than the New York Times. The arrival of the Internet age has made the world more and more chaotic. Yi Shui thought about the future mobile Internet era... it would be a golden age for eccentric people.

At noon, the three arrived at New Haven International Airport and flew with the team to South Orange, Newark, New Jersey. The next day, they faced Seton Hall Pirates at Prudential Arena.

The Pirates' strength... and their deep love for basketball.

College basketball teams in New Jersey are in a bad situation, or more accurately, popular sports are in a bad situation. It's too close to New York State, and not far from Connecticut and Massachusetts. As one of the richest states in the US, New Jersey has a lot of athletic talent, but it doesn't have many teams in Division I, because all the talent has gone to the neighboring states.

But the Pirates are not bad. Although they can't find a player who can be called a genius in the NCAA and they can't make the Third Madness even once every few years, this team has never finished last in the Big East Conference in nearly 30 years. They are at least in the middle to lower ranks.

It doesn't rely on anything else but teamwork and the players' fighting spirit.

Tonight, the Husky players felt the opponent's intense love for basketball. Yad and Yi Shui started strong, scoring 16-7 from both inside and outside, seemingly poised to blow up the game. However, the opponent, through relentless defense and aggressive movement and shooting, managed to tie the score at halftime! The first half ended in a 44-44 tie!

Fortunately, the Huskies withstood the pressure. At the start of the second half, Thabeet's rim protection and Yi Shui's defensive collapse prevented the opponent from breaking through to the basket, allowing his teammates to extend their defense further to defend long-range shots and interrupt the Pirates' long-range shooting firepower.

With Yi Shui and Dyson taking turns scoring, Robinson and Froststowski providing support on the wings, and Yad making repeated tackles, the team regained the advantage.

The match ended at 8:53 p.m.

The score in the second half was 32-25, and the final score was 76-69. The Huskies defeated the Pirates with a close call, winning both games in the first week!

易水21投10中，其中三分球8中3，加上5中3的罚球，拿到26分8板2助攻2抢断4盖帽。

As he expected, in just the second game, the opponents began to guard against his collapsing defense and blocking. Even though the coaching staff increased his role in collapsing defense and helping defense in the defensive system during preparation, his number of blocks still dropped sharply.

The fact that he got 4 blocks is because the individual abilities of the Pirates players are not good enough. Sometimes you see him rushing in, but you can't dodge him.

He didn't really care about that. He was very satisfied with the effect of his defensive collapse. In the few minutes at the beginning of the second half when he locked down the opponent's offense, he moved inside and his teammates on the wing dared to spread out to the outside, unlike the defense that was always fragmented during the warm-up games.

However, to his surprise, after returning to the hotel after the game, Yad told him that he was in the news again!

The reporter from the Tri-State Bay Campus Newspaper, who accompanied them to New Jersey, posted the news on their website immediately after the game: "Prodigal Brook sets a new personal scoring record!"

During the previous warm-up games, Yi Shui had scored 30 or even 40 points. He didn't pay much attention to his 26 points tonight. It was only when he saw the news that he remembered that his highest score in a single game during his freshman year was 19 points. Before he knew it, he had scored 20+ points in a single game for the first time!
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(End of this chapter)