One Year Left to Play-Chapter 75 - 24: Miracle Shot vs. Unstoppable Mid-range Shot
After the timeout, Team B attacks, and Bibi receives the ball in the frontcourt, immediately wanting to rely on himself, a step-through in the breakthrough + step-back long two-point shot...
The move was quite stylish, but it didn’t go in!
"These damned stamina freaks!"
Bibi quickly retreats to defend; this game has exhausted him with Kobe and Hamilton, two excessively strong opponents. Considering so many scouts are watching, Bibi feels his future is at stake!
Just when Bibi starts feeling anxious, Zhang Hao, the newly entered force, intercepted the ball from Odom, who was passing to Kobe at the left side of the three-second zone!
The ball is knocked away by Zhang Hao stretching over, and Bibi quickly grabs it. At this point, Zhang Hao bolts towards the frontcourt.
Odom quickly retreats to defend, immediately staying with Zhang Hao. Bibi seizes the moment and passes the ball to Zhang Hao as he rushes inside the three-point line. Zhang Hao receives the ball, taps it, and accelerates again. Before Odom closes in, he speeds up and bypasses Odom for a two-step slam dunk!
Seeing this, Bibi can’t help but exclaim "Whoa," while the spectators erupt in deafening cheers!
The dunk itself wasn’t too pretty, but Zhang Hao seized the moment when Odom wanted to explode backwards but didn’t have the strength, charging straight to the basket for a slam dunk.
This wasn’t just difficult; the spectacle was highly captivating!
Many spectators kept chanting "Dunk King" at this moment.
Bibi suddenly felt a lot better, and the mood kept amplifying!
"Who cares about the future! Losing would affect the future more. Just play hard!"
Bibi and Zhang Hao high-five in celebration and focus back on defense.
Although Kobe has become unstoppable after getting into form, blaming it on Kobe’s prowess or others’ stamina waning while Kobe remains unaffected... they must now play even better!
Pouring his heart into it, Bibi doesn’t want to leave any regrets in this final important high school match!
Initially, Bibi never planned on competing with Kobe in terms of individual performance; he wanted to showcase his team-player attributes. But as he played, Kobe’s unique aura led him into such a mood.
Once his confidence rebounded, Bibi’s thoughts cleared instantaneously, immediately realizing the mistakes he had made earlier.
Team A’s aggressive catching-up wasn’t solely due to their good play in the second half; Team B had problems on their end, problems induced by Team A.
Dunking significantly boosts morale, and Zhang Hao’s teammates experienced the same as Bibi—the positivity intensified!
And this... Zhang Hao knows the reason!
"Bronze Medal: Dunk Master effect triggers; in the next three turns, the players on the host’s team will have a significantly increased morale."
In the first half, this medal’s effect was activated once, but the effect wasn’t noticeable due to the already high team morale and enthusiasm. Now, in this critical moment, the medal’s effect truly manifests!
Positive emotions and high morale don’t make the unskilled skilled, but they allow skilled players to perform even better!
When Team A’s players return for their offensive frontcourt, they notice changes in their opponents—visible in their eyes!
Clearly, after "the invincible Mid-range King" appeared and executed a stunning dunk on a fast break, the team’s declining morale was turned around!
"High morale? Then I’ll crush you again!"
Kobe too is filled with fighting spirit!
Team A attacks, Marbury pushes the ball to the frontcourt, feeling extremely troubled; Zhang Hao is back, and he’s the most affected!
Zhang Hao and Garnett, one providing support from the outside, one from the inside. Although Zhang Hao’s perimeter defense is average, he can at least disrupt opponents receiving and shooting from the perimeter. The best approach when pressured on the perimeter is to cut inside, where Garnett displays the strongest defense among all high school basketball players in the US.
Moreover, with Zhang Hao and Garnett both on the court, Marbury’s penetration and passing options are severely limited. This is indeed the most professional defensive cutoff he’s faced playing basketball so far, with no prior experience countering it.
At this moment, Kobe actively requests the ball, and Marbury doesn’t pretend otherwise, immediately passing to Kobe, who has shown the best performance recently. After all, Marbury’s role in the second half is fundamentally supportive.
Kobe receives the ball and charges inside, facing Zhang Hao’s clamp from the perimeter, spins into the interior against Garnett’s defensive help, and executes a low-key layup against three defenders...
As Kobe shoots, he can almost be sure he can’t see the hoop, but he still slings the ball in!
Strong core strength and an incredible touch... a God-like shot!
Generally, such shots can easily demoralize defensive players. This isn’t Kobe’s first God-like shot this match; there was one in the first half, and this is his third in the second half. During the explosive phase of Team B in the first half, the impact wasn’t too significant; but in the second half, as Team A fiercely pursues points, Kobe’s initial two God-like shots greatly demoralized Team B.
Bibi even started doubting, "Am I so far behind a 16-year-old high schooler?"
