TJ Ford was different from the small guards he had encountered before; his steal anticipation was extremely sharp, and his hands were fast. Although his strength in physical confrontation was weak, that was relative to NBA-level games; in the High School League, his physicality was sufficient.
Otherwise, in his previous life, he wouldn't have been selected for the McDonald's All-American Game and the Parade Magazine All-America First Team.
It was difficult for Link to bully TJ Ford the same way he would bully an ordinary short guard.
Link was extremely cautious when dribbling while facing the basket. Combined with his decent ball-handling skills, he hadn't committed any other turnovers besides being stripped once at the start and having one pass disrupted.
But this also caused Link to lose his threat as a penetration threat with the ball.
Of course, Link wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable; TJ Ford was equally uneasy.
A 198cm oversized point guard with an absolute height advantage who also mastered some post-up moves—once he drove to the basket, it was basically a guaranteed score if there was no help defense. Fortunately, the guy in front of him didn't have such proficient ball-handling skills yet; under his defense, it was difficult for him to drive all the way to the rim.
With Link losing his penetration threat, the team's tactical execution became difficult, and the proportion of forced shots by teammates increased.
The shooting percentage dropped, which gave the opponent many opportunities for transition offense and defense.
TJ Ford utilized his Speed advantage to score consecutive points through defensive transitions.
38 to 48!
The first half ended with the Dream Chasing Warriors Team trailing the Blazing Rose Team by a full 10 points.
The lightning-fast TJ Ford recorded 16 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals, completely outclassing Link, who only had 6 points, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
The highest-ranked player for the Dream Chasing Warriors, Chris Bosh, performed passably, recording 10 points and 4 rebounds.
However, one of the team's Big Three, Josh Smith, was listless. Facing Travis Outlaw's defense, he only scored 2 points, and his offensive shot selection was terrible.
"This kid has been exposed by TJ Ford today."
"He has the height advantage, but facing TJ Ford's relentless pestering, he can't drive to the basket at all."
"Yeah, right now he can only score by poaching points off hand-offs. It might work once or twice, but once the opponent is on guard, it's hard to be effective anymore."
"Despite being a smart kid, his mediocre physical talent dictates that he won't be able to enter high-level basketball leagues."
At this moment, many scouts on the scene were pessimistic about Link's prospects.
The head coach of the University of Texas, Rodney Terry, who had come to watch the game, shook his head even more.
NCAA scouts had recommended Link to Rodney Terry in the last two days as a high-IQ big point guard with a good shooting ability, but today he looked like nothing special.
Indeed, just as they said, Link felt a bit'stretched thin' in this game.
Link was playing very uncomfortably under TJ Ford's defense, and on the defensive end, he couldn't hold his own in single coverage, needing his teammates to clean up after him.
...
...
"Coach, let's use a 2-3 Zone Defense in the second half."
"We can't let TJ Ford penetrate our paint so easily anymore."
Link suggested.
"Hmm. That's a good idea." Chris Grant nodded.
Following that, Link continued to 'overstep his bounds' and said to his other teammates: "In the second half, I will do a lot of off-ball movement to tear apart their defensive formation. You guys set screens for me..."
Link began drawing on the tactical board himself.
At this moment, not only did the players of the Dream Chasing Warriors Team nod one after another, but even the team's head coach, Chris Grant, also nodded repeatedly.
To be honest, in Chris Grant's heart, he didn't hold much hope for this game.
Chris Bosh and Josh Smith were only Grade 10 five-star high school students, while the opponent had three Grade 11 five-star high school students. Although they were all five-stars, the grades were different. For students in their golden growth period, a one-year difference could be described as 'poles apart'.
But the stubborn Link didn't want to lose the game just like that.
...
...
After the game entered the second half, facing the Blazing Rose Team's first attack.
Link and the others set up a 2-3 Zone Defense.
One of the functions of a zone defense is to limit penetration freaks. Whenever TJ Ford drove into the three-point line with the ball, he would be met with a double team.
TJ Ford, who had played smoothly in the latter half of the first half, still wanted to use his Speed to tear through the defense, but the double team from Link and Josh Smith directly blocked his path. Link, who possessed the [Double Team Master (Bronze)] badge, stripped the basketball from TJ Ford's hands with one swipe.
"This double-teaming awareness and timing are really good; it's not inferior even compared to our team's starters." Rodney Terry, the head coach of the University of Texas, had his eyes light up.
After being stripped, TJ Ford looked at Link advancing with the ball and wanted to reach in from behind, but Link dodged it. "Bang!" TJ Ford, who couldn't brake in time, crashed into Link's back.
Tweet!
The referee's whistle sounded. Since the foul count hadn't been reached, the Dream Chasing Warriors Team couldn't take free throws.
Frontcourt ball.
After Link dribbled to the top of the arc, he gave the ball to Bosh, who had moved up from the basket to a step above the free-throw line. Immediately after, Link lowered his head and ran toward the basket.
This scene made many NCAA scouts laugh.
"This kid's memory is so poor; this move of yours was seen through by the opponent in the first half."
"You clearly know it's a dead end, yet you're still charging right into it."
Just when they thought this was an ineffective off-ball movement, he reached the basket, facing TJ Ford's tight defense as well as the help defense of the 'poor man's Kevin Garnett'—Travis Outlaw. If Bosh dared to pass, it would either be stolen, or Link's shot after receiving the ball would be disrupted or blocked by Travis Outlaw.
However, in the next instant, Link suddenly moved toward Josh Smith on the left side of the basket. Josh Smith immediately set an off-ball screen. Using this single-screen delay, Link received Bosh's pass at the elbow of the left-wing free-throw line.
Facing the approaching TJ Ford, Link shot immediately upon receiving the ball.
Although TJ Ford quickly squeezed through the screen and followed closely, he was too short. With a height difference of nearly 20cm and a wingspan difference, Link's standing reach was at least 23cm higher than TJ Ford's.
This majestic distance gap!
With a "Swish!", Link hit a semi-open shot.
As the net rippled like a splash...
John, the NCAA scout who had previously extended an invitation to Link.
Rodney Terry, the head coach of the University of Texas.
A ripple also inevitably stirred in the hearts of these two.
"This guy's shooting form is so standard!"
"Yeah, his hand positioning is very nice."
"The rhythm of the jump shot is also very good."
...
...
This shot seemed to become the turning point of the game.
Link scored on TJ Ford three times in a row.
The Dream Chasing Warriors Team used a 14-to-6 scoring run to narrow the gap to only 2 points.
Link continued his off-ball movement. This time, TJ Ford went around the screen in time and jumped almost simultaneously with Link, but Link still relied on his height advantage to forcefully complete the contested shot.
In-your-face!
An unreasonable contested shot right in his face!
4 consecutive hits!
It made the students, media, and even the teams watching on the scene exclaim.
"Wow!"
"This is too accurate!"
"He's already made 4 in a row."
...
...
"Mr. Rodney, I didn't expect this kid's off-ball offense to be so outstanding," the assistant coach from the University of Texas who came with Rodney Terry couldn't help but exclaim.
"Yeah, this kid has the talent of a shooter; both his off-ball awareness and shooting accuracy are good. If he's willing to transition into a shooter, it would be a good choice for our team," Rodney Terry said.
"Should I... go and contact him?" the assistant coach asked tentatively.
"No rush, let's wait until this game is over," Rodney Terry waved his hand.
Link tied the score with this shot, and the referee's whistle followed; the head coach of the Blazing Rose Team requested a timeout.
Teammates excitedly rushed toward Link one after another.
High-fiving to celebrate.
Chest-bumping to celebrate.
Regarding these two common ways of celebrating, Link preferred his teammates to choose high-fiving. No choice, his current physical strength was still a bit lacking compared to players like Josh Smith; being bumped really hurt quite a bit.
"Damn!"
"Wait until I train my strength properly, I'll bump you guys to death later!"
Link rubbed his aching pectoral muscles and thought to himself.
...
...
After the timeout.
The Blazing Rose Team used their big center standing at the free-throw line to break the Dream Chasing Warriors Team's 2-3 Zone Defense.
The effect of this move was okay; after all, the opponent's number 5 possessed a fairly good mid-range shot and playmaking passing ability.
In a defensive mismatch, TJ Ford stripped Josh Smith's face-up penetration. Immediately after, TJ Ford showcased his Speed—the future fastest in the NBA—and with a "Bang!", he directly completed a full-court coast-to-coast dunk.
68 to 66, with 4 minutes remaining before the end of the game, the Blazing Rose Team trailed by 2 points.
However, TJ Ford, who had completed the dunk, didn't celebrate self-indulgently; instead, he immediately got back on defense.
The reason was simple...
The team hadn't solved the problem of Link on the defensive end.