in2ebook Chapter 136 The Rookie Challenge Turns into a Slam Dunk Contest
Chapter 136 The Rookie Challenge Turns into a Slam Dunk Contest
In the first match for the Old Bari team, Shen Jing was the starting center forward.
But when it came to the final, Shen Jing was surprisingly sitting on the bench.
Keep in mind that the final is a 25-point game. If you play quickly and have a high shooting percentage, it might be over in less than ten minutes.
Therefore, the five players starting in the finals are basically meant to play the entire match.
Only two other people will be allowed to come on stage briefly, for a maximum of two or three rounds.
Although Barry had his own ideas, it might be because of Thomas's small-ball lineup, or it might be because Shen Jing's performance did not meet his expectations.
But this made Wang Xiucheng, who was also a member of the Rockets, somewhat unhappy.
Looking at the opposing starting center, Mobley, Wang Xiucheng's lips curled into a smirk.
Mobley and Stewart were standing at the center line, ready to start the jump ball.
beep!
Amid cheers and anticipation from the fans, the whistle blew.
Mobley and Stewart jumped high at the same time.
Mobley, who is taller, has a longer wingspan, and jumps higher, unsurprisingly flicked the ball with his fingers first.
The basketball flew towards Cunningham's position behind him.
Snapped!
Before the basketball even hit the ground, Wang Xiucheng poked it from behind Cunningham, sending it flying forward.
For Wang Xiucheng, Cunningham's actions were too slow.
He waited for the ball in place, which was practically like saying to Wang Xiucheng, "Come and steal it from me!"
Edwards received the ball instantly, leaned back slightly, and then turned to prepare to dribble.
Swish!
Edwards clearly heard the sound of wind to his right, and then saw Wang Xiucheng's figure rush out like a sports car.
A look of shock flashed in Edwards' eyes; Wang Xiucheng's off-the-ball speed was frighteningly fast.
Before he could think, Wang Xiucheng had already run to the inside, so Edwards tossed the basketball high towards the backboard.
Wang Xiucheng stomped on the floor with a thud, then flew up like a cannonball. At that moment, Wang Xiucheng stretched out a hand, intercepted the basketball, and then slammed it into the basket!
Instantly, cheers erupted from the entire stadium again!
Wang Xiucheng actually dunked with his arm hanging down!
At this moment, Wang Xiucheng was hanging on the basket with one arm, swaying back and forth.
Many NBA players who were watching the game live and supporting their teammates couldn't help but ask the same question: Is dunking really that simple?
Draymond Green glanced at Curry, but upon seeing Curry's warning look, he immediately turned away as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Mobley had just returned to his position under the basket.
If he runs at full speed, Mobley actually has enough time to get back on defense.
But when Mobley saw Wang Xiucheng take flight, his mind was filled with the image of him being dunked on a while ago, so he unconsciously slowed down.
It's just a rookie game; I don't want to be a background character again.
After jumping off the basket, Wang Xiucheng and Edwards celebrated by bumping chests.
Thomas scored the first two points, giving the Old Barry team a 52-50 lead.
The game continued, Cunningham received the ball and advanced, then passed it to Mobley in the paint, hoping to create a mismatch for Mobley.
For Mobley, Stewart is only around 205cm tall, and considering the difference in wingspan, it is indeed a mismatch.
After a slight sway, Mobley turned and launched a jump shot, adding a touch of fadeaway.
But before the basketball could leave his hand, it was slapped away by a large hand.
Wang Xiucheng was a full 30 centimeters taller than Mobley when he jumped, and then slapped the basketball away from his superior position.
Haliburton was right behind him, and caught off guard, the ball hit him on the head before he instinctively caught it in his hands.
Halliburton then saw Wang Xiucheng and Edwards rush out simultaneously from their respective sidelines.
Just as Haliburton was about to pass the ball to Edwards, who was closer to him, he noticed that the two players, who started from the same position at the same time, crossed the center line differently.
In just three steps, Wang Xiucheng had already taken a half-body lead and crossed the center line first.
With a flick of his wrist, Haliburton forcefully threw the ball in Wang Xiucheng's direction, deliberately aiming it at least five meters in front of him.
Because Haliburton saw Wang Xiucheng running while looking at him, seemingly slowing down to wait for him to pass the ball.
It seems Wang Xiucheng is saying, "Pass it quickly, or I'll run past!"
This made Halliburton slightly unhappy.
You're not the only one who can pass the ball, Wang Xiucheng!
Seeing the basketball flying forward from a distance, Wang Xiucheng accelerated again while running at high speed, catching up with the basketball almost instantly, and then slowed down slightly to enter the empty paint.
Holding the ball in one hand, Wang Xiucheng leaped high into the air, performing a simple yet powerful 360-degree spin followed by a tomahawk dunk!
Bang!
The rim made a loud thud, and Wang Xiucheng landed spinning, taking another half a turn before regaining his footing.
James pulled Curry back a little. Does he even need to participate in the dunk contest?
Just give them the awards directly!
Curry subconsciously twisted his body, as if he were learning that method of quickly spinning 360 degrees.
Draymond Green, standing next to him, stuck his head over again, saying, "Your problem isn't turning around, it's your problem with jumping."
Curry glared at him. "Thanks."
Draymond Green immediately shrank back.
Wang Xiucheng scored two more points for Thomas' team.
Old Barry crossed his arms and watched Wang Xiucheng slowly retreat to defense on the field.
This kid's athletic ability is truly top-notch. It's just that he drew the last player in the lottery, allowing that old fox Thomas to pick Wang Xiucheng first.
For the four teams in the Rising Stars Challenge, the league only released the roster for each team, but did not specify the order in which they were selected.
However, many insiders know that Wang Xiucheng was the first to be selected among the 28 first and second-year students and the Ignite team's rookies.
This is the recognition of Wang Xiucheng's strength by four retired legends.
only……
Old Barry was puzzled as to how Wang Xiucheng, with his athletic ability and the added advantage of being Chinese, could be an undrafted player.
Are all the scouts at these teams idiots?
Perhaps we should suggest that the league implement more stringent review standards for these rubbish products.
The game continues.
Old Barry scored the next two goals, finally getting his first win.
But the Thomas team continued to score, maintaining a 100% shooting percentage and not missing a single shot.
The reason is simple: all of Thomas's team's points came from inside scoring!
Wang Xiucheng had three dunks, Edwards had one dunk and one two-pointer, and even Stewart had a bank shot.
Halliburton, on the other hand, was content to act as a go-between.
Soon, the game entered its first timeout, with the Thomas team leading 67-62 by 5 points.
Wang Xiucheng sat on the bench, took the bottle, took a big gulp, and then wiped his sweat with a towel.
Thomas didn't talk about tactics, and that's not his specialty.
But he can cook, especially chicken soup.
"At my age, I feel a little embarrassed that you all have to run and fight for me, but that's basketball, that's legacy." "Decades from now, when one of you stands here, you'll say to a group of kids, 'I was standing here listening to an old guy named Thomas give me a lecture.'"
"At that time, please tell those children that basketball is a sport that requires a lifetime of dedication."
The boys on the bench, who had been quite relaxed, suddenly became serious.
The pause was over quickly.
Thomas did not make any substitutions.
Replacing players when the team is in good form is obviously inappropriate.
On the contrary, the opposing team made a substitution at this point.
Shen Jing replaced Mobley in the game.
Mobley's presence in the paint has allowed the Thomas team to score 12 consecutive points inside.
Wang Xiucheng, in particular, attacked the paint with every shot.
Moreover, Old Barry discovered that Mobley seemed to have some kind of shadow over Wang Xiucheng, and was not directly confronting him.
Instead of doing this, why not change the person? Maybe that will have a different effect.
The game resumed, and Haliburton received the ball and then passed it to Wang Xiucheng, who had been standing in the distance for a while.
Shen Jing noticed that the ball had fallen into Wang Xiucheng's hands, so she adjusted the direction to face Wang Xiucheng directly, preventing him from making a reckless breakthrough.
Although he knew it was pointless.
Wang Xiucheng took a probing step and, surprisingly, pulled up and shot right in front of the defender!
Swish!
Three-pointer, in!
The Rookie Challenge is not timed; it only counts who reaches the designated score first.
Wang Xiucheng's "guaranteed three-pointer card" takes effect in the last minute of each quarter.
Therefore, this skill card is useless in the Rookie Challenge, making it essentially a useless card.
However, the skill card that increases hit rate for three minutes is still effective.
This wasn't the time to emphasize teamwork, so Wang Xiucheng used the "increased three-point shooting percentage" skill card on himself.
70 is better than 62!
The Thomas team is now leading by 8 points.
This point difference is even larger than the 5-point gap needed to win the championship.
After exchanging fist bumps with a few temporary teammates, Wang Xiucheng slowly retreated.
As they passed by LeBron James's group of three, Draymond Green shouted, "Kid, is dunking hard? Why aren't you dunking anymore? Tired? Why don't you retire?"
Wang Xiucheng shook his head and ignored him.
The game continued, and Cunningham received a pass from Shen Jing on the baseline, bent slightly, and slowly advanced.
Wang Xiucheng is said to play the small forward position, but he actually defends the opponent's point guard, this year's number one draft pick, Cunningham.
According to Thomas, "You need to be fast, jump high, and stick to him tightly, don't let him pass the ball."
Halliburton's frail body made him prone to losing his position when Cunningham bumped into him.
Even if Wang Xiucheng is out of position, he can quickly return to continue defending.
After crossing the center line, Cunningham backed down Wang Xiucheng and then made two feints. Wang Xiucheng had only taken half a step when Cunningham passed the ball to Shen Jing in the paint.
Shen Jing received the ball and made no unnecessary movements, directly making a bounce pass behind his back, and the basketball was in Wagner's hands outside the three-point line.
Wagner was stunned, clearly not expecting Shen Jing to pull such a move.
After a slight pause, Wagner launched a three-pointer before the defender could close in.
Swish!
The ball goes in.
Shen Jing clenched her fist, giving herself a pep talk.
Because of Wang Xiucheng on the Rockets, Shen Jing rarely had the opportunity to make such a pass.
Shen Jing's passing ability is somewhat underestimated, and he has always aimed to emulate Jokic.
But there was nothing Shen Jing could do. He knew that the Rockets were now prioritizing Wang Xiucheng's development, and not only himself, but even Green, the second overall pick, had to take a backseat.
Although she won't be playing for very long today, Shen Jing still wants to showcase her strengths.
He wanted the entire league to know that the Rockets had more than just Wang Xiucheng and Green.
If other teams are interested in him and willing to focus on developing him, Shen Jing wouldn't mind changing his environment.
Especially if Wood is not traded.
Before he could celebrate with his teammates, Shen Jing was about to get back on defense when he saw Haliburton on the baseline. With a high lob, the basketball flew over his head.
The ball was so high that Shen Jing didn't even think about reaching out.
The ball is too fast and too high; I can't reach it at all.
But suddenly a figure rushed out at high speed next to Shen Jing.
It's Wang Xiucheng!
Shen Jing was all too familiar with that running figure.
Wang Xiucheng flashed into the three-point line like lightning, then leaped high and touched the ball with one hand.
The ball was indeed too high; even Wang Xiucheng could only barely touch it and couldn't catch it.
But that's enough.
The basketball slowed down, and Wang Xiucheng jumped up like a spring almost as soon as his feet touched the ground.
But this time, Wang Xiucheng failed to control the basketball and instead pushed it forward with one hand.
The basketball changed direction instantly and flew towards the backboard.
After landing, Wang Xiucheng dashed out the moment he had no cooldown time.
Stepping onto the free-throw line, Wang Xiucheng leaped forward, reaching out with one hand to grab the basketball that bounced off the backboard.
The entire stadium held its breath, as if afraid of startling someone.
James and Curry were already holding their heads in dismay; they knew what Wang Xiucheng was up to.
Draymond Green, showing no gentlemanly manners, stood up, his gorilla-like body completely blocking the view of the audience in the back rows.
This means that the audience at the back also need to stand up to see.
Almost instantly, the audience stood up like dominoes.
It was simply too late.
Wang Xiucheng actually threw himself up and dunked at the free throw line!
Bang!
In an instant, Wang Xiucheng caught up with the basketball, then stretched his palm backward to meet the ball, and then delivered a tomahawk dunk!
As the rim made a loud thud, Wang Xiucheng landed on the ground, crouched down slightly to cushion the impact, and then pointed his thumb to the number "12" behind him.
Instantly, the entire stadium erupted in thunderous cheers once again!
Some Chinese fans who brought large posters into the stadium were shaking the posters featuring Wang Xiucheng so much that they were flying around.
Some female fans even shouted loudly, disregarding their image.
Everyone has the same question: Isn't the dunk contest tomorrow?
Why did it start today?
Taylor Swift, sitting in the front row, had her hands clenched together, but her eyes were fixed on Wang Xiucheng's graceful dunk.
Kylie Jenner bit her lip, her whole body trembling.
If the occasion weren't so inappropriate, she would have rushed over and hugged this man right now!
"This man, no, this boy, I must have him."