The Way of the Center

Chapter 31: The Death of the Giant

"Tough Cyclones! The University of Kansas has to work hard to win the game in the last three minutes!"

"Angie's performance is simply amazing! He is the key to the success of the Cyclones on both offense and defense! How high can the University of Kansas' outside shooting percentage after the physical decline maintain? They will have to have better efficiency. Don't shoot closer to the hoop, but Angie won't allow anyone to score on his turf!"

Seeing that the momentum was wrong, the University of Kansas immediately requested another timeout, which also gave the commentators of various TV stations a chance to praise An Jie.

"Later we will play a small lineup! Arthur, you go to the fifth position, Chalmers and Giddens partner in the backcourt, Jackson and Rush partner in the frontcourt! Don't be afraid of that Chinese! We just want to use it to attack Destroy the opponent!" The head coach of the University of Kansas, Bill Self, directly brought his four best scorers to the court, and he didn't believe that An Jie could break up the bombing of the four of them by himself.

"Steady defense! Don't give them space for one step! I would rather let them break through than give them space to shoot! Anjie, if they dare to break into the penalty area, you should teach them a lesson!" Ricard knew that in the last three minutes The University of Kansas is preparing to close the game, and Anjie's defensive pressure will inevitably be great.

"Hey boy, now we don't fight hard with them, and you foul me whenever you have a chance." As a center coach, Divac shouldn't be involved in tactical matters, but he has to play in this game. Say a few words to An Jie alone.

The short rest time during the timeout is now very precious to the players of the Cyclones team. They just listened to the coach's deployment silently, and they didn't even have the strength to respond.

After the game came back, everyone looked at the University of Kansas lineup in surprise. Among the five people on the field at the moment, Darrell Arthur, who is 2.06 meters tall, is already the highest point on the University of Kansas field.

"Coach Bill Self has formed a full offensive lineup! But this also gave Anjie a lot of offensive opportunities, and Anjie's height advantage has become more obvious now!"

Chalmers controlled the ball, except for Arthur who was entangled with Anjie in the interior, the other three Jayhawks were actively running. With a flick of the wrist, Chalmers passed the ball to Giddens in the corner. Giddens made a shooting action immediately after receiving the ball, and Cruz took off with all his strength. Unexpectedly, Giddens shot was a false shot and the breakthrough was real. Giddens broke through and faced Angie in the penalty area. He didn't do anything stupid but passed the ball again. This time the ball came to Darnell Jackson.

Jackson started it as soon as he received the ball, but he didn't have a good chance to score in the face of Anthony Ben's inseparable defense. Kansas made another pass and Brandon Rush got the ball near the free throw line.

Talking about the relationship between Rush and the NBA draft is enough for him to write a story book. Rush wanted to join the NBA when he was in high school, but he decided to hone himself in the NCAA after seeing his two older brothers too eager to play in the professional league, so he came to the Jayhawks of the University of Kansas.

Rush had a chance to participate in the draft when he was a freshman, but he and the University of Kansas were eliminated in the first round of the March Madness Tournament that year, so Rush decided to play again for the dignity of the man. In college basketball, one is to help the team popularize, and the other is to hope that he can play dominant data in the NCAA.

In his sophomore year, Rush got his wish and led the team to become a member of the NCAA Elite Eight, and his personal data has also improved. He felt that the time was ripe, and when he was fully preparing for the draft, Rush injured his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. This bad news forced Rush to withdraw from the draft and try his best to recover from the injury. This season marks the third time Rush has made his way toward March Madness and the NBA draft.

Of course he doesn't allow himself to fall on the road to the draft again and again.

Defeating any strong opponent is an opportunity to prove one's own strength, and the Asian center in front of him is a very suitable stepping stone.

After receiving the ball, Rush went straight to the basket, facing Angie under the basket, he had no intention of stopping. Seeing this, Arthur quickly withdrew from the three-second zone. He knew that Rush would not be able to pass the ball at this time, so he could only make room for him to attack.

After rushing in, Rush leaned against An Jie and turned around to face the basket. He jumped high and did not expect to break through An Jie's defense so easily. Rush originally held the ball in his left hand for a layup, but when he flew into the air, he suddenly took the ball that was raised above his head, and then changed the ball to his right hand before releasing it.

"Beautiful layup in the air!" The commentator also had to exclaim at this beautiful movement.

"Now it's time to escape your pursuit." Rush looked at the rising basketball, waiting for the moment to score. If I change hands in the air, the center will definitely be fooled by me.

"Crack!" It was that crisp sound again, and this sound directly shattered Rush's heart. Although Rush's change of hands picked the basketball to the other side of the basket, Anjie still appeared in the correct position and nailed the basketball hard to the backboard.

"Big hat! Anjie!" Paul Philips was so excited that he almost stood on the commentary stage.

"How is it possible!?" Rush wanted to know how Angie, who was behind him, managed to get the ball down.

Angie also jumped up after Rush took off. He did not expect Rush to change hands for a layup, but Rush was too low for the huge defensive range brought by Angie's height and wingspan. Even though Rush's sudden change of hands made An Jie somewhat unexpected, An Jie still stretched his long arms as hard as he could, trying to reach the basketball that was about to fall.

The small lineup of the University of Kansas allowed Anjie to have a wide vision of passing the ball, and he threw the ball to the frontcourt with a long swing. Anthony Ben rushed to the front to receive the ball, and then he took off with all his strength and completed a two-handed fly dunk.

4 points! The Cyclones further narrowed the point difference!

"Nice job!"

"Angie bless Iowa State."

"Come on, boy! Let me take down these young eagles in one go!"

The fans of the Cyclones were quite a bit aggressive, and they created great cheers with a very small number of people. Seeing this situation, the fans of the Jayhawks were not to be outdone, they simply sang the team song in the auditorium. The players on the court worked hard, and the competition among the fans in the stands was very lively.

The University of Kansas organized an offensive again, this time no one dared to rush into the three-second zone. All four scorers are looking for opportunities on the outside, hoping to solve the problem through three-pointers or mid-range shots. An Jie also breathed a sigh of relief, because he could not jump up at this time. If the University of Kansas continued to hit the basket, he might not be able to stand up.

Chalmers returned the ball to Rush after passing Rush's pick-and-roll. This time Rush took a jump shot directly from the mid-range. Anthony's hand was close to Rush's face, but Rush still had the ball voted in.

An Jie faced Arthur, who was much shorter than him, and he didn't even need to hit back. After receiving the pass from Mike Taylor, he directly hooked the frame. Arthur had no choice, and there was no time for double-teaming.

After becoming cautious, the University of Kansas did not make any more mistakes, and their offenses succeeded again and again. Anjie couldn't jump outside the three-second zone to defend four people at the same time. But the Cyclones also relied on Anjie's strong performance to bite the score. The 4-point difference was maintained for a long time, and it remained unchanged until the last minute of the game.

An Jie once again held his position and raised his hands for the ball. In order to score before the double-team was in place, An Jie had to complete the attack quickly. But now his physical strength is almost exhausted, and An Jie feels like his limbs are hung with lead weights, and every movement is very difficult. But he couldn't stop, and the other teammates were seen dead outside. He had to score before the double-team came, and there was no delay.

An Jie turned towards the bottom line, carried Arthur hard and broke through towards the basket. But Arthur is just an idler, he is strong and he didn't let An Jie take advantage of it. An Jie jumped up for a layup, but Arthur still did not back down.

"Damn it!" An Jie's leg twitched suddenly in the air. He suddenly lost his strength and fell to the ground after losing his balance in the air. An Jie hugged his legs with both hands, but his expression was surprisingly calm.

"What's going on!?" Mike Taylor was the first to rush to An Jie's side, and the scene of Morris being injured was still vivid in his mind.

"Cramp." An Jie replied calmly.

Taylor let out a long breath and made an "OK" gesture to the nervous coaches and teammates on the bench.

An Jie didn't have much time to rest in the whole game, and coupled with being taken care of by his opponents and taking turns to attack him, he might not be able to beat him long ago if he was replaced by someone else. But Anjie gritted his teeth and persisted until now, and still maintained an efficient performance.

After sitting on the floor for a minute, An Jie stood up again. This time he received applause from the audience, and some of the University of Kansas fans also encouraged Anjie generously.

A wonderful game requires the joint efforts of both sides. Although An Jie is a player of the opponent team, he is also an indispensable part of this exciting matchup. Although his body was fine, An Jie's calf was still a little sore after getting up.

A center of such a size can only follow those outside players to take off, run, take off, and run in the fast-paced basketball of the University of Kansas. For the center, this is not an easy task.

Arthur didn't foul that ball, so the referee awarded An Jiejie, the Jayhawks' possession of the ball.

Brandon Rush knows what it feels like to have cramps, so he also knows what state An Jie is in now.

He boldly took the ball and entered the penalty area, once again challenging Anjie's authority. But this time Anjie failed to stop him again, and instead made Rush a 2+1. The point difference came to 9 points again, and there were only 45 seconds left in the game. In the NCAA rule of 35 seconds for an attack, this point difference is almost insurmountable.

The Kansas players don't foul or double-team, and the Cyclones are the ones to worry about. Mike Taylor finally got a chance against a relaxed opponent. His pull-up jumper was still very accurate, but what's the use of it? There are only 37 seconds left in the time, and there are still 7 points left.

Chalmers received a tactical foul from Taylor as soon as he caught the ball at the baseline, but now each of the five players on the Kansas field is making solid free throws.

Two free throws, Chalmers did not let the fans down. The Cyclones don't have anyone who can save the team at a critical moment, even Anjie doesn't have that ability yet. McGrady's 35 seconds and 13 minutes? That might be an achievement that can never be broken.

As Cruz missed a three-pointer at the last moment, the whistle for the end of the game also sounded. Anjie and his teammates struggled for so long, but they still failed to defeat the powerful University of Kansas Jayhawks. The University of Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Iowa State University Cyclones 78 to 87.

After the loss, the Cyclones are now tied with Kansas State in wins, and the two schools are tied for second. But Kansas State University has No. 1 candidate Michael Beasley, and they are obviously much more likely to receive a tournament invitation, and the prospects of the Cyclones' March Madness have become confusing again.

An Jie stood on the basketball court unwillingly with his hands on his hips, surrounded by cheering fans and University of Kansas players celebrating. They were so close to victory, but now victory is out of reach for them.

Wu Hua in the auditorium picked up the camera and took a picture of An Jie's tall back. Death of a giant? He suddenly thought of the headline that should be used for the next news, this kid has done enough.

"Let's go Anjie, the game is over." Ricard couldn't reach Anjie's shoulders, so he could only wrap his arms around Anjie's waist.

"Can we still go to March Madness?" Anjie didn't say anything, just asked Ricard such a question.

"It's definitely possible. Even if we are not the champions of the Big 12 League, if the guys on the committee don't invite us, then they must be blind." Ricard said this just to comfort An Jie, Except for the champion, which other teams will become the lucky ones, only God knows.

The bearded man looked disappointed. The Iowa State University Cyclones are a small team in a small city. Even if they have a good record, they can't guarantee that they will enter March Madness. He wanted to witness the team's victory here. Unexpectedly, the Cyclone team was still defeated by the powerful giants.

Cyclones' regular-season tour ended in this imperfect ending, March Madness? The people in the committee actually already had the answer in their minds.

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