My days of working at the NBA

Chapter 55 Unable to Understand

This block is incredibly psychologically damaging for an offensive player who relies on driving to the basket.

Generally speaking, when dunking, if there is no one in front of you, it is almost a guaranteed shot, and the chance of it being blocked is extremely low.

Because when a player jumps to dunk, their body is propelled forward by inertia and is in a gliding state, making it easy for a defender to block from behind and infringe on the offensive player's cylinder.

Therefore, it is impossible for a defensive player to make such a block without absolute jumping height, absolute wingspan, and absolute positioning.

Duze possesses all these qualities: exceptional height, exceptional jumping height, exceptional wingspan, and, more importantly, excellent positioning when cutting into defense and quickening his jump, allowing him to instantly overpower Ty Lawson with his superior height.

Of course, the main reason is Ty Lawson himself.

He was too short, and his jump distance was too far, so his gliding dunk was already a stretch. Facing Du Ze's dominance, he had absolutely no room to adjust.

Ultimately, it could only be forcibly suppressed.

After landing, Ty Lawson rolled to his feet and stared at Duze's fast break with deep fear in his eyes.

In fact, Duze's two consecutive blocks not only caused great psychological damage to Ty Lawson, but also intimidated the other North Carolina players.

For the next period of time, no one dared to make a move rashly in the face of Du Ze's coordinated defense.

They all intentionally or unintentionally avoided Du Ze's attacks.

With this momentum building, North Carolina's offense became increasingly erratic and inconsistent.

If Missouri hadn't also been in less than ideal form, the game might have already been over.

Even so, at halftime, Missouri still led North Carolina 46-32 by 14 points.

In the locker room.

The little old man, Anderson, gave a passionate speech: "Children, there's still half a game left. You'll be standing on the highest award stage, facing the television cameras, showing the world your gold medals, and announcing the start of your life's chapter to your families. What are you waiting for? Such a wonderful moment!"

He practically yelled it out by the end.

Everyone felt their blood boiling and couldn't help but shout in response, "Champion!"

They knew perfectly well that they were very, very close to the championship, almost within reach.

This made every single one of their cells jump wildly.

Anderson's face was flushed, clearly in a state of extreme excitement: "In the second half, we need to strengthen our defense and maximize the duration of the full-court press. If possible, we need to prevent them from getting a shot off during their offensive possession. That's the intensity I want."

After saying that, he looked at Du Ze: "Du, you only have one task: to sweep the paint from all angles and not give anyone an easy chance to shoot."

Clearly, he, observing from the sidelines, also noticed North Carolina's fear of Duzer.

Realizing that his side had such a clear advantage, he, as a veteran coach, naturally wanted to maximize and utilize it.

As the saying goes, "Strike the snake at its seven-inch mark; take advantage of its weakness to kill it."

Du Ze answered very firmly: "Understood."

He has the confidence to protect the restricted area. The 0.1-second advance warning in the paint area, although it is not much time and can be said to be fleeting, is enough for him to have a huge advantage in the paint area.

A 0.1-second advance warning means he can anticipate the opponent's movements, adjust his body accordingly, and react in advance.

To put it simply, he can always be one step ahead of everyone else.

And that is his ability to help defend and clear the restricted area.

of course.

He is not omnipotent. If he were to encounter a massive shark, he would be unable to resist and be easily overpowered.

Even Thabeet, whom he had encountered before, could only watch helplessly if Thabeet had any skill, such as a mid-range shot or a hook shot, because Thabeet was just too tall, and even if he jumped up, he couldn't interfere with anything.

Soon, the break ended.

The game has restarted.

North Carolina launched the first attack.

With a 14-point deficit at halftime, they had no room for further mistakes.

Ty Lawson gets the ball and runs a pick-and-roll with Hansbrough.

But Duze didn't even try to get up there; he just stayed near the free-throw line to defend against drives, because Hansbrough's long-range shooting ability was practically nonexistent.

This made things difficult for Ty Lawson, as he had to face Duze directly after getting around the screen.

But this time, Ty Lawson seemed to be well-prepared. He made a crossover dribble towards Duze and then turned around again.

Everyone thought he was going to force his way past Du Ze.

But only Duze knew that this was a feint; Ty Lawson turned halfway and suddenly pulled back.

Just as Ty Lawson's left foot stepped back, Duze anticipated his intention and immediately adjusted his body to press forward.

Ty Lawson had just finished receiving the ball when he saw Duze rushing towards him, and his heart skipped a beat.

What's going on?

In the past, when he used this move, he could definitely create shooting space.

But when facing Du Ze, he felt that every move he made was anticipated, which made him very uncomfortable.

But now that the ball is in play, he can't make any further moves, so he can only force a step back and shoot.

Blacksmithing.

Turning around, Carroll hit a three-pointer.

The score was 49 to 32, a difference of 17 points, which was a critical margin.

Offense and defense shift.

Ty Lawson and Hansbrough continued to play together.

However, after the pick-and-roll, Ty Lawson did not choose to force his way in, but instead pushed his way to the basket against Duze.

Hansbrough on the other side also quickly made a run down the court.

This tactic of splitting into two routes is common in offensive tactics, and Duze had his own countermeasures. On the top route, he first delayed Lawrence, allowing him to catch up.

Once he reached the penalty area, he created some distance to maintain his position, allowing him to either pounce on Ty Lawson or turn around to cover Hansbrough.

Halfway through the race, Ty Lawson suddenly threw it away.

Because of Duze's amazing jumping ability, strong speed, and explosive power, his rim protection is formidable. Ty Lawson has already been blocked several times, so he naturally doesn't dare to be reckless. Therefore, this time his floater had a very high arc.

A higher arc means the ball stays in the air for a longer time.

Duze saw Ty Lawson's release point and immediately anticipated that it was a pass, a combination with Hansbrough who was cutting to the basket.

Without hesitation, he turned around immediately.

Sure enough, Hansbrough was already preparing to jump.

Seeing Du Ze rushing over, he didn't dare to go for it after receiving the ball, and subconsciously made a feinting motion.

As a result, Du Ze showed no sign of jumping and simply pressed down on him.

At this moment, Hansbrough was also devastated. Was his feint really that ugly? Was it really that fake?

Why did something that used to work every time fail with Du Ze?

He was puzzled.

In the end, Hansbrough struggled left and right, but couldn't shake Duze off. He could only forcefully create an opening and then get up.

Duze, whose reaction speed and ball speed are both a level ahead, once again delivered a block to Hansbrough.

boom!

The ball was swatted away.

Missouri's fast break began again.

Carroll followed up with a layup and scored again.

51:32.

The point difference has reached 19 points.

North Carolina head coach Williams, standing on the sidelines, was also stunned.

During halftime, it was he who encouraged Hansbrough and Ty Lawson to overcome their mental block and focus on attacking Duze.

Only now did he realize that he really couldn't win.