Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 207 The road is under your feet, the dream is ahead

Chen Fang grinned and took a breath as he felt the full-body therapy given to him by the therapist, while listening to Elijah's nagging beside him.

"I played so badly today that I dreamed I was training today."

"The five of them are so strong. If they double-team us, no one can move." Chen Fang comforted.

"You've been very tough today, but I have some questions to ask."

Chen Fang turned his head and looked at Elijah, the 21-year-old black man, staring at his huge eyes: "I noticed that you were fouled maliciously on the court, but you didn't say a word?"

"If it were me, I would beat him up and tell him that I am not someone to be trifled with. If he wants to mess with me, he will not be able to bear the consequences."

Chen Fang listened in silence. He remembered that the reason he was reborn was because he was fouled maliciously and hit his head on the ground.

From then on, he always had a very strange feeling about malicious fouls. He was afraid of being hit again and returning to his previous life. He was also worried that this was another interest collected by God after the favor he had received.

Therefore, every time at this time, he would not pay attention to the person who committed the flagrant foul. In his previous life, when he played basketball, there were countless flagrant fouls on the basketball court. Chen Fang had seen and personally participated in many such conflicts.

He didn't find anything meaningful from it, but instead suffered a lot.

Some people want to fight under the guise of playing ball, and some people get so angry that they want to beat up the other person. They all want to play the game well, but it always turns into a large-scale fighting arena because of physical conflicts.

So he jokingly said to Ilya, "Next time this happens, will you come with me?"

"No, you don't have to go, I'll do it." Elijah's words made Chen Fang's smile freeze.

"Before I came back, I had already made an agreement with my brothers that if someone like Dillon appears again next time, don't get involved. We will teach him a lesson."

"We are all your bodyguards!"

Ilya's words caused the therapist to interrupt his work, but he quickly recovered and just lowered his head even more.

"There's no need for that." Chen Fang shook his head and refused.

"Sometimes, I was just too rational. I thought the other team just wanted to influence me to win the game, and all the actions were for this purpose. If I used this to distract myself, I would fall into the trap."

"Like in today's game, Dillon just wanted to scare me with his moves and make me hesitate in my attack. If he just wanted to get rid of me, he wouldn't have used his hand to support my lower back when he hit me."

"I can clearly distinguish between what is to cripple me and what is to scare me. If someone really wants to cripple me, I will let him see what real fighting is."

Chen Fang laughed: "You may not believe it, but I am actually very fierce in fighting."

These two consecutive adjectives made Elijah laugh: "Kung Fu?"

"That's about right." Chen Fang didn't tell anyone. Mr. Zhao not only taught him how to regulate his internal organs, but also taught him some defensive techniques.

Wudang grappling technique, a secret technique passed down by the Zhao family.

The old man said that in a sport like basketball where there is a lot of physical contact, it is inevitable that there will be tempers. There is no need to teach how to kill someone in seconds, but you can teach how to defeat the enemy with one move.

Chen Fang didn't care. He also saw that the old man was too bored and wanted to teach him, so he just cooperated obediently.

However, Chen Fang only used the single pole to practice. In fact, he didn't need these. Chen Fang had the confidence. Fighting was like playing ball. People who were smart could learn anything quickly.

The recovery time was long. After the therapist left, the two of them still lay on the bed, unwilling to move.

"I'm already feeling very tired," Elijah muttered.

“My legs start to hurt when I think about another match the day after tomorrow.”

Chen Fang didn't say anything. He also understood that at this stage, just like a marathon, it was already in the second half and persistence became the key.

"Go to bed early. Maybe you'll have different ideas when you wake up the next day." Chen Fang could only advise like this, but in fact he was also advising himself.

A team that can play in a cup competition must be a team that can play games. Players are not machines and their minds cannot be tense all the time. The next day, USC did not train, but played games in the training hall. They even went to a theater in Las Vegas to watch a talk show.

It was only in the evening that the whole team began the pre-match tactical meeting.

"The Wildcats are on fire this season, with the third-best offensive power in the country and leading the league in assists per game. The team's offense and defense are extremely fast, almost like a group of wildcats running non-stop."

"They are the team with the best offensive and defensive rhythm in the league today. Alonzo, Kobe Simmons, Katim, Dusan, Luol, and Markkanen, these six people make up the Wildcats' offensive and defensive lineup."

"In addition, their defense is also the best in the league and third in the NCAA, limiting their opponents' three-point shooting rate to 27% and mid-range shooting to 35%. The number of fouls is also the lowest in the league. Apart from the Ducks, only the Wildcats can make a name for themselves in the tournament."

"We lost the first two games, and there was no suspense about the losses. Chen Fang, as the core, you come and talk." Andy pointed at Chen Fang.

The latter stood up, walked to the coach, looked at the team and thought for a while: "I must admit that the Wildcats are the best team I have ever seen. They are stronger than the Ducks."

"There are no flaws in offense and defense. There are outstanding people in every position. It is very difficult to play against them."

"Our offense is often limited in the high post, and the combination of inside and outside is cut off. Their defense is very expanded, so the transition is very fast. Alonzo and Kobe Simmons are very fast. In the interior, Markkanen's help defense can always interfere with us."

"In the first two games, we lost our temper, but it's different now. People won't fall three times in the same place. I think we should have this determination."

Andy asked Chen to go back. His speech satisfied the coach. Andy looked around and pulled out the tactical board.

"Let's review the game against the Ducks first, and then plan tomorrow's tactics."

"First of all, I have to reflect on myself. To be honest, I was caught off guard by Dana's move. He let Chen Fang go and strangled you, making it impossible for Chen Fang to connect the team. This tactic may be used by others, so let's review it carefully."

"First, McLaughlin did not play the role he should have."

McLaughlin was called and immediately stood up and raised his hand: "Yes, I didn't sleep well yesterday. I think the problem lies with me."

"Sit down, I'll break it down for you." Andy began to draw a line on the blackboard: "When you are tightly guarded, what you need to do is to interact with Chen Fang and frequently provide cover from high positions, instead of always relying on yourself to break through."

"Ilya can move to the corner to reduce the number of defenders in the high post, and Metu needs to move up and use his size to be the second screen point."

"Shaqquin, you need to go to the wing to give the high post more room to move."

"The opponent's switching defense will always have loopholes. If they really prefer to let Chen Fang score, then at least we should make it easier for Chen Fang to score, instead of gathering together and letting the opponent form a zone defense."

"You can be rough with your moves, you can be more aggressive with your confrontations, and using brutal defense to break through is often the best way when there is no solution."

"We don't have better talent, but we can have a stronger desire to win!" Andy looked at the whole team and warned seriously: "This is my dissatisfaction with your performance yesterday. I don't want to see it again."

"Also, let me mention something. When Chen Fang is scoring and trying hard, and is violated or fouled, I need you to take the initiative to step forward. If not, I will be the first to rush forward."

“Coach!” Ilya stood up with a red face and shouted, “I promise you, this will never happen again.”

"You are the captain, this is what you should do." Andy picked it up high and put it down gently. He slapped the blackboard and said, "Let's take a look at our next opponent, the Arizona Wildcats."

"Chen Fang has just explained the characteristics of the Wildcats in great detail. We only have one countermeasure: stick."

"Offense and defense transitions account for 3% of the total points, three-pointers account for %, free throws account for %, and inside shots account for %."

"From here we can see that they don't have mid-range shots. A lot of shots from outside the three-point line after pick-and-rolls, and when the offense and defense are switched, the whole team is distributed in the front and back half of the court. These can all be used to make a fuss."

“Our response is as follows.”

"First, go all out to fill in the gaps. There's no need to consider the open cut after the break. They prefer to have the ball handler and the screener stand outside the three-point line, so your first reaction is not to rush in, but to retreat."

"Second, we put more manpower into the high position and the middle circle to cut off their connection, press the ball holder with high pressure, force them to go to the wing, and once they go to the middle, foul according to the number of fouls, completely interrupting their rhythm."

"Third, in offense, no matter what strategy they use, we must always establish cooperation among more than three people in the high position. The off-ball cooperation starts from the backcourt with the ball holder. We must resolutely implement the screen strategy and establish the contact point in the middle circle. No matter who has the ball, the others must unconditionally start the screen."

"Fourth, press the ball immediately after shooting, find the nearest person, do what you should do, delay their receiving the ball, run, don't let the opponent run straight into our half, and don't let them easily enter the three-point line."

"The above four points are what we will resolutely implement in tomorrow's game. I have only one goal, which is to fight a positional battle with the Wildcats."

"Yes, positional warfare is not our strong point, but it is even less so than the Wildcats' strong point. We are always at a disadvantage when we play against them. I made this cognitive error in the first two games. So, now is the time to bring into play the pivotal role of Chen in positional warfare. Let's use a dull, slow, and stupid fight to wear down this Wildcat."

※※※

This league championship game was moved to the more luxurious MGM Grand Garden Arena. The arena, which can accommodate 20,000 people, was already packed.

The red ocean and the blue flame are in a stalemate between the north and the south.

The game has begun. Every time the Trojans shout "Fight On", the Wildcats shout "Bear Down!"

Bear Down is the motto of the University of Arizona. This sentence is the unified slogan of all Arizona sports. It was created by student athlete John Salmon in 1952.

In a car accident, his last words were to tell the team to bear down!

From then on, every Wildcat would shout out this phrase for the team during the game: "Bear Down, Arizona!"

Resilience has always been the creed of the Wildcats, just like the situation on the court right now.

When the Trojans faced the fast-moving Wildcats with a brutal World War I trench warfare, it was destined to be a battle that would test the willpower of both sides.

Compared to the difficulty of eliminating the Ducks, the Wildcats' victory over Utah seemed too easy, so in this game, they were obviously half a beat slower from the moment they entered the game.

The Trojans used every possible means to disrupt the Wildcats' rhythm. Just seven minutes into the first half, the Wildcats had committed a common foul and were on the free throw line for a 1+1 free throw. (If the free throw is made, the second free throw will continue. If it is not made, the game ends, until the team accumulates the tenth foul and starts the 2 free throws.)
The entire rhythm was disrupted by the Trojans, and the Wildcats were confused by the Ducks just like they were yesterday.

This destructive defensive strategy resulted in extremely low scores.

13:7.

You know, the Wildcats ranked first in the league in first-half scoring during the regular season, at 49.5 points. This shows how bad their offense was today.

The Trojans were not much better. As the saying goes, I will not let you off easily. They only took a five-point lead through two mid-range shots and two free throws.

They kept changing players to consume the opponent's energy. In almost every dead ball, both sides made changes, using a large number of rotations and substitutions to create defensive confrontations.

Chen Fang sat on the chair and drank some water. This was the second time he was substituted. The fierce confrontation left his arms covered with red marks and blood. The team doctor gave him a simple hemostasis. After confirming that the bleeding stopped, Chen Fang went on the court again.

There is no good reason, just do it.

After Chen Fang screened for his teammates from the wing, he went to the basket, but the process was difficult. The opponent was obviously afraid of his back-to-the-basket attack. This time, he did not succeed because he was pushed out by Markkanen.

The Finnish star used his stronger body to hold Chen Fang back.

This was the Wildcats' countermeasure. When they found that Chen Fang could score in the interior, the Wildcats' head coach Sean immediately asked Markkanen to keep an eye on Chen Fang.

This European player, who started low and ended high and became popular in the league for a while, has always been a super star in the NCAA. He has a center height of 213, but the skills of a small forward and a power forward on defense. This versatile combination makes him the most troublesome character for opponents.

Chen Fang also had a headache. He was blocked by Markkanen in his first matchup, which required him to put more thought into mobilizing the opponent's defense.

He looked for cooperation from his teammates again, but the offensive time was exhausted. Shaq responded with a quick stop jump shot. After the shot bounced off the rim, Chen Fang immediately switched from an offensive role to a defender. He grabbed Markkanen who wanted to run, and their arms became tangled, followed by their legs, and they both fell to the ground in the center circle.

Markkanen then became furious. He probably thought that Chen Fang wanted to destroy him, so he struggled hard with his arms. In the process of struggling, the back of his hand hit Chen Fang on the back of the head.

Chen Fang, who had just stood up, was knocked back to the floor by this blow.

Before he could react, someone rushed up and pushed Markkanen, who had just stood up, away. The person was Ilya, who was supposed to be Chen Fang's bodyguard.

"Fuck you, bitch, what do you want to do?" Ilya roared. The referee and the staff immediately got involved. The players on both sides started pushing and shoving, and Chen Fang was also pulled up by McLaughlin.

Touching the back of his head, Chen Fang looked up to watch the slow motion. He wanted to walk up and talk to Markkanen, but McLaughlin thought he was up to something and quickly pulled him away. Head coach Andy also came on the court and pulled Chen Fang back to the bench.

In the stands, fans from both sides were cursing at each other angrily, and the sounds of various curses combined together made people dizzy.

The referee came to the technical table and watched the replay. He decisively gave each of Markkanen and Ilya a technical foul, but Ilya was still chattering and warning the other party: "Kid, remember, if you do this again, it won't be as simple as pushing you!"

Markkanen was even angrier. He criticized Chen Fang's useless action to the referee and explained that he touched the opponent in order to protect him.

But the referee always makes penalties to maintain order on the field. Sometimes, there is no distinction between right and wrong, and giving both sides a slap on the wrist is the most correct choice.

Chen Fang returned to the court, and this time he successfully got into position. The moment he received the ball, he felt the thrust coming from behind, and he jumped out. When he landed, he half turned around and half turned sideways to face the basket.

In fact, facing Markkanen, the opponent's body almost blocked the basket.

When starting to shoot, use a fake move to shake the center of gravity. Regardless of whether the opponent is fooled or not, it will cause the center of gravity to rise. And when releasing the ball to make a breakthrough, the opponent's center of gravity will immediately lower it. At this time, it will become very slow to raise the center of gravity again.

This is the underlying logic of the technology, but understanding it doesn’t mean you can defeat your opponent, because your center of gravity is also fluctuating.

Better lower limb and hip drive are the key to success.

Chen Fang put the ball on the left side and pretended to break through, mobilizing Markkanen's lateral slide, and turned around with the ball. Without any unnecessary fake moves, he jumped as soon as he turned around, looking for the direction of the basket in the air. He had to believe in his speed and maintain the rhythm of shooting no matter how tall the opponent was.

Markkanen tried his best to interfere, but he was still a step short and had to watch Chen Fang make his move.

The top of the arc of the ball was slightly high. This was because Chen Fang adjusted the shooting height. This was a must when facing defenses of different heights.

Seeing the ball go in, Chen Fang stepped back and patted his head. He shouted to Markkanen: "Hey, you can't make me stupid by beating me, but I can make you stupid by shooting."

"Fuck!" Markkanen was furious.

This provocation was very effective. In the next round, Markkanen took the initiative to ask for the ball, but was double-teamed by Metu and Chen Fang who suddenly appeared, and lost the ball.

Chen Fang took one step and threw the ball to the front court, Shaq Kun rushed in at high speed and completed the fast break with a dunk.

"You can't beat us, but you can try." Chen Fang mocked again.

He doesn't like to be provocative, but if he finds that the other party is about to be fooled, he doesn't mind saying a few more words.

But soon, Chen Fang felt a little regretful, because Markkanen made a three-pointer from the top of the arc. He immediately curled his lips at Chen Fang not far away and said something unclearly.

"What is he saying?" Chen Fang found an opportunity to ask Shakkun, who was closest to him just now.

"Say you're a bitch."

"Well, you are indeed a European and don't know how to swear." Chen Fang laughed.

The entire first half was spent with the two teams torturing each other, and the score remained within five points.

Andy highly praised the whole team at halftime, but he also reminded them: "The time at halftime is enough for the opponent to come up with some solutions. Our response is simple, use brutality. I have counted everyone's fouls. Now, remember your own fouls. When you have four fouls, I will replace you."

"Will it not be the case that everyone gets sent off in the end?" a teammate asked.

"I hope that by then, the game won't be far from over." Andy had no better idea.

Frankly speaking, the Wildcats are one of the best teams in the NCAA this year, ranked second in the nation in the preseason, even behind Duke.

If you want to beat this team, this is the best option.

He only has one player, Chen Fang, while the opponent has six NBA draft prospects. This is the helplessness of a small team.

(Six of the Wildcats' seven-man rotation in the 16-17 season were future NBA players, two more than the Ducks.)
When the second half came, Andy's judgment came true and the Wildcats made adjustments.

Faced with the Trojans' trench warfare, they chose to fight back.

Keanu Pinder, who is 211cm tall, replaced the defense and used his 240-pound strong body to start the frontal breakthrough battle for the Wildcats.

Benny, Nick, and Metu were on the verge of collapse under the repeated attacks of Keanu and Markkanen, and the number of fouls continued to accumulate. In the second half, the Wildcats scored 13 points, 10 of which came from free throws.

The Trojans, on the other hand, relied entirely on Chen's connection in the interior to maintain their score advantage.

This five-point advantage was maintained from the beginning of the first half. Chen Fang's tenacity in grabbing points won praise from many commentators.

"The Falcon always returns the favor immediately after the Wildcats score, whether it's creating damage or making a mid-range shot. His presence is the most powerful guarantee for Troy."

Duan Ran and Yang Yi, who were the commentators for this game, also continued to serve as commentators for TX Sports as USC continued its winning streak. They kept expressing their opinions and making judgments on the situation on the court.

Yang Yi: "This is a typical playoff style of play. Throw away all inefficient scoring and just get as close to the basket as you can. This is rarely seen in the NBA. After all, the NCAA is the birthplace of tradition."

"The suspense now is whether USC can hold on. As the strategic side, they set up a formation for Arizona to break. If it breaks, they lose. Five points can be gone in a flash." Duan Ran interjected.

"It feels like Arizona fans yelling Bear Down are yelling at USC."

"Yeah, Arizona's impact is too strong. With 6 draft picks, they will enter the NBA after 4 seasons. To be honest, USC is really difficult, and Chen Fang is even more difficult."

Is it difficult to store?

He didn't feel that after going through the game the day before yesterday, he didn't feel any pressure now. As he said, I feel that I have become stronger again.

The strength here refers to the psychological aspect.

When you can win against five people, who would you be afraid of?
Today was a chaotic, fragmented game.

But you must learn to find complete fragments in the fragments.

Chen Fang took advantage of Benny's pick-and-roll, swaying like a snake while moving, then pressed Kobe Simmons and went straight to the basket. With Markkanen blocking him in front, he used a one-step jump shot with an early rhythm to score two valuable points.

He immediately started looking for the nearest person to delay and interfere, and his teammates were doing the same thing.

The Wildcats gave up the idea of fast break a long time ago and kept all their players in their own half, using more people to send the ball from the baseline.

Katim finally received the ball. He lowered his center of gravity alertly and kept dribbling sideways to protect himself, while his teammates kept using standing screens to provide him with a route to move forward.

The Trojans, like a pack of wolves, circled around the Wildcats, two teams of ten, slowly moving from the backcourt to the frontcourt in a state of you having me and me having you.

It was such a spectacle that the American commentators were all saying with emotion: "This is the match footage from 20 years ago. It feels like I've returned to the time when I first started working as a commentator."

"Fans, even though the score is not high, this is basketball. Throw away the fancy outerwear and decide the outcome in a manly way." Looking at the numbers on the scoreboard, everyone said with emotion.

51: 45.

There are still four minutes left until the end of the game.

Unimaginable scene.

In the past, either of these two teams would have scored 70 or 80 points at this time. This fight in the mud was really ugly!

So far, both teams have taken very few three-point shots, with Troy taking 5 and the Wildcats taking 7.

Chen Fang scored one, McLaughlin scored one, and then nothing more.

On the Wildcats side, Markkanen scored one and Kobe Simmons made 4 of 0 shots.

The physical energy consumed by each other made both sides completely lose their touch and they could only hope to get closer to the basket. At this time, whoever has more and better centers will have more advantages.

Obviously, Troy has the upper hand. Nick, Benny, and Metu are all pure centers who are very adaptable to the current trench warfare.

And this is one of the reasons why Andy dares to fight like this.

When Chen Fang used his second three-pointer to widen the score gap to 9 points, a huge wail rang out from the blue flame-like stands in the north.

Chen Fang scored a goal that almost killed the game, and the game entered the last minute and a half.

Chen Fang, who was standing in the center circle of the court with his hands on his hips and panting, wiped the sweat from the corners of his eyes with his wet jersey. He squinted his eyes and looked up at the score.

59:50.

Feeling victory, getting closer and closer.

As McLaughlin tightly controlled the offensive time, the Wildcats also lost confidence in catching up. The slogan of persistence was no longer useful.

Chen Fang took away 5 points from them at the beginning, and they never got those five points back.

If there was an if, everyone on the Wildcats would swear that they would not let the Chinese man score those five points so easily.

You know, in the whole game, their intensity was not at its full potential in the first two minutes, so they lost in these two minutes.

Sean stared at Andy who was on the same level as him. When the buzzer sounded, he strode over and Andy was already standing there waiting for him.

"Congratulations, I have benefited a lot from this tactic." Sean, who is eight years younger than Andy, said to Andy expressionlessly.

"The future is yours, and we'll just focus on this year." Andy smiled slightly. As a winner, he could say that.

Sean turned and left, leaving the court to the Trojans. He quickly left the field with his players. The pain of the loser will turn into a more powerful force in the next season to get everything back.

This is the NCAA. Year after year, the grudges repeat themselves over and over again.

Chen Fang was hugged by his teammates, and everyone was shouting with excitement. This was USC's second championship. In 09, under the leadership of DeRozan, they also defeated the Arizona Wildcats and won the Pac-10 Championship (there were only 10 teams at the time).

This is a cycle, and now it is Chen Fang's turn to lead the Trojans to the NCAA tournament.

When PAC-12 League President Scott handed Chen Fang the trophy representing the league's playoff MVP in the 16-17 season, Chen Fang could no longer hold back.

Even though he didn't score many points today, only 18 points, his average from the first game to now has been terrifyingly high, leading the entire league, and he deserves the MVP award.

This was his first important award and also the first officially recognized award in his life.

Chen Fang, holding the trophy, grinned at the camera.

This photo also became the front page cover of countless media the next day.

Duan Ran posted an article on his social account with the title: Go as far as you can and ride the wind and waves.

The story begins in the summer of Chen Fang’s sophomore year in high school, and tells the story of how Chen Fang got to where he is today.

At the end of the article, Duan Ran said affectionately: I once asked Chen Fang, what was your goal when you first started playing basketball? He replied, to beat the group of people in the next class.

So I continued to ask: What about now?

Chen Fang thought for a long time, smiled shyly, and replied: Go as far as you can, don't look back, don't retreat.

A message to everyone who is working hard for their dreams: The road is under your feet, and the dream is ahead. No matter how far you go, please keep going and don't look back.

　······There was something wrong with my brain. I thought I had already published it. If I hadn’t seen the message urging me to update, I would have doubted my life and thought I had been blocked. It turns out that I had finished writing it but forgot to post it...!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)