Link, having entered his Dominance Moment, chose to run a pick-and-roll with Bosh at the top of the key. The screen was set very high, almost right on the three-point line;
The opposing five-star Point Guard didn't try to fight through the screen; instead, he went under it. This created a brief opening for a three-pointer, as he was gambling that Link wouldn't take a triple off the dribble.
Facing such an opportunity, Link didn't hesitate for a second and pulled up for a three. The opposing five-star Point Guard was stunned and lunged forward, but it was too late. Relying on his elite physical tools for a Point Guard, Link released the ball. "Swish!" The three-pointer hit nothing but net, making the mesh dance.
88 to 85. The Dream Chasing Warriors were up by three.
A roar of cheers erupted from the crowd.
"So clutch!"
"Link is a natural-born killer!"
"He's stepped up again in the team's most critical moment."
The stadium DJ also spoke with burning passion.
But soon after, Carmelo Anthony took the ball on the weak side and went one-on-one against Josh, scoring an and-one to tie the game once more.
88 to 88. There was 1 minute and 1 second left in the game.
Based on the High School League's pace of roughly one possession every thirty seconds, both sides would have one more attack.
...
...
"Mr. Sonny, although I was very optimistic about Link's future, I realize now that I still undervalued him."
"He might be the most outstanding Combo Guard in the Class of '01."
An ABCD Training Camp executive said excitedly to Sonny Vaccaro.
As the founder and president, Sonny nodded instinctively.
"So, about filming a documentary for him?" the white executive from the camp asked.
"Don't rush, let's see a bit more!" Sonny said.
On the court, Link wanted to run another pick-and-roll, but this time his opponents chose to double-team him early, forcing him to give up the ball while the team executed a rapid defensive rotation.
Link passed to Bosh. Bosh had an opening, but it wasn't great, so he passed to Josh Smith. Josh, who was open in the corner, took the three.
"Clang!"
The shot missed.
"Aw!"
"What a pity!"
"Oh no!"
Having missed such a good opportunity, Josh Smith stomped his foot in frustration.
But the Ice Man's fast break was already in motion.
Anthony pushed the ball up. He was randomly matched against the Warriors' shooting guard, who was clearly a size smaller. After gathering the ball near the free-throw line, Anthony brushed off his defender and charged into the paint, preparing for a one-handed power dunk.
But at that moment, Link quickly approached from the side and rear. He didn't jump blindly; instead, he watched for the moment Anthony gathered the ball.
"Smack!" Just as Anthony brought the ball up and exposed it, Link pounced, his long arms Stripping the ball away.
In a sense, it looked like a Steal, but it was actually recorded as a Block.
There was no other way!
Link's current athleticism was still a bit lacking; it was impossible for him to pull off a chase-down pin-Block. He had to rely on defensive anticipation to strip the ball.
Anthony was stripped, and the ball rolled out of bounds. There were 32 seconds left on the clock.
And the Ice Man's shot clock only had one second left.
The Ice Man attacked. After some Passing, the ball ended up back in Anthony's hands.
With 2 seconds left on the shot clock, Anthony posted up Josh Smith. Using his right foot as a pivot, he shook his shoulders, appearing to turn for a fadeaway to his right. After baiting the defender into the air, he quickly spun on his left foot to face the basket, lowered his Center of gravity, and drove to the rim, intending to dunk over the helping Bosh.
Uh...
In the early stages of his career, Sweet Melon was an elite "Block magnet" in the NBA, especially fond of trying to force dunks at the rim. Although he was a superstar in the NCAA, the NBA was full of monsters.
This play was no different.
It clearly wasn't a good offensive choice. Compared to his Banana Boat Brothers, Anthony was far behind in terms of finding the right angles off the glass.
Although the helping Bosh was knocked off balance in mid-air, he still managed to disrupt Anthony's dunk.
Fortunately, after being blocked, Anthony used his quick jump to snatch the offensive rebound and went back up for the score.
88 to 90!
The Ice Man, led by Anthony, now held a two-point lead.
There were 17 seconds left in the game.
This point gap and this amount of time were sufficient for the Warriors.
But whether to play it safe for a two-pointer or go for a three-point game-winner...
This question piqued everyone's curiosity.
The media reporters, NCAA scouts, coaches, NBA scouts, and even Sonny Vaccaro and his team all held their breath, focusing intently on the court.
Link brought the ball up, and the opposing five-star Point Guard chose to apply full-court pressure.
Despite the constant harassment, Link steadily crossed half-court.
Bosh came to the top of the arc to help. Link gave the ball to Bosh for a quick exchange.
11 seconds remained in the game.
Three seconds after Link received the ball back, he began his attack.
7 seconds left.
Link initiated another high pick-and-roll.
This time, the opposing five-star Point Guard didn't dare go under; he chose to fight through the screen, not wanting to give Link the chance to mismatch against the Center.
After a crossover, Link suddenly lowered his Center of gravity and drove to the other side of the screen.
Seeing Link about to penetrate the paint, the opposing Center quickly switched.
Link didn't continue his drive to the rim; instead, he took a step to the left to create space from the Center. If the opponent didn't close in, Link could shoot directly; if they did, they wouldn't be able to help on Bosh's roll.
Bosh immediately understood the intent and dove toward the basket.
"Whoosh!" Link zipped the pass to Bosh.
Anthony quickly doubled Bosh from the wing. Bosh powered up and was fouled, failing to complete the and-one.
1.9 seconds left in the game.
Bosh stepped to the free-throw line.
Bosh, who was usually a solid free-throw shooter, missed the first.
"Oh, no!"
"Oh, no!"
At that moment, the Dream Chasing Warriors' bench was filled with wails. Players held their heads in their hands, their faces masks of frustration.
Chris Bosh hit his own head in self-reproach.
In contrast, the opposing bench was jubilant.
The Dream Chasing Warriors had no timeouts left.
Even if he made the second free throw, they would still lose by one point.
"That damn Nut-Kicking Kid, his luck has finally run out." Wagner, whose game hadn't started yet that morning, had also come to watch. Seeing Link's defeat seemingly certain, a smile appeared on his face.
"Jealousy makes a man unrecognizable!" At that moment, a disdainful voice sounded beside Wagner.
The speaker was the "Yellow Mamba"—Roy.
Wagner glared at Roy with annoyance.
Roy said calmly, "Even if Link loses this game, he has already earned everyone's respect and recognition."
As he spoke, Roy pointed toward the scouts.
It was just as Roy said.
Link had shown so much in today's game.
Excellent physical tools.
Professional defensive habits—though he couldn't stop Anthony, he didn't get baited into jumping recklessly like Josh Smith.
A proactive defensive attitude, great defensive awareness, and a certain level of switching ability.
Elite ball-handling for his age and great court vision.
The courage to take responsibility in clutch moments.
Accurate mid-range shooting, and a three-pointer that was much better than expected.
Oh, and he was quite good at poaching rebounds—well, that was a manifestation of his rebounding instincts.
These player traits had already made Link a "hot commodity" in the eyes of scouts.
Even if they lost this game, Link would still receive a flood of invitations from prestigious NCAA schools and favor from the media.
Back on the court.
The game wasn't over.
Bosh was taking deep breaths at the free-throw line.
The referee urged him to shoot.
Bosh glanced back at Link.
Link nodded.
Bosh released the free throw with a very flat arc. "Clang!" The shot missed.
At that moment, almost everyone's eyes were on the paint.
Bosh leaped forward, caught the ball in the air, and flicked it behind him.
The angle of the flick was a bit off, but Link's wingspan was long enough to reel it in.
1 second left in the game!
Link jumped from behind the three-point line.
The red light on the timer lit up.
At the exact moment the final buzzer sounded!
"Swish!" The basketball went straight through the hoop, making the net splash.
91 to 90!
Link completed the game-winning buzzer-beater!
After the shot went in, Link clenched his right fist and roared toward the sky.
Seeing this from under the basket, Bosh's competitive DNA kicked in as well.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
In an instant, the entire gym was filled with the roars of the two teammates.
"OMG!"
"No wonder this duo is called the 'Roaring Brothers'!"
"Haha, yeah, they really can shout..."
A bitter smile appeared on the face of the young "Sweet Melon" Anthony, but it quickly vanished, replaced by a genuine smile.
As a natural scorer, at this stage, Anthony enjoyed the feeling of scoring more than the outcome of the game.
In this game, Anthony had scored 35 points, the highest in the game—even three points more than Link, who hit the buzzer-beater.
...
...
"Can we really get this guy?" the UCLA head coach, who had come in person, couldn't help but mutter to himself.
Other assistant and head coaches from top NCAA schools, besides marveling at the incredible play, also felt a faint inkling that the NCAA might not get to have Link.
"He's the one!"
"Notify the filming crew immediately!"
Sonny, the founder of the ABCD Training Camp, said.
On the other hand.
Several shoe brands that had come to watch also turned their attention to Link.
"A Chinese player!"
"Yeah!"
"I wonder if he'll enter the high school-to-pro draft this year?"