Strong Offense And Defense Chapter 12

Translator: Re

Editor: Mims

Nie Chuan blinked. “I don't seem to have such a high ability!” 

“You really don't. Although your center of gravity is lower than others, but your downside is that you're unstable, you'll be easily overturned. Your dribble may be keen, but a real basketball game is not. Even if you bypa.s.s one opponent, there will be other opponents who come forward. And even if you bypa.s.s all of them, you still have to be careful about your back. Not to mention your skill in taking the ball past your opponent is not as diverse as Connor's. Although you've broken past Montenegro, what Montenegro represents is the team's air supremacy. If it had been me or Ewing, don't even think about breaking through us. Carlo too.” 

In other words, Montenegro with his huge build is actually the easiest to pa.s.s? 

“Your scoring skills in the meantime are just hopeless.” 

Reece once again poked Nie Chuan's sore spot. 

If he's already hopeless, then what does Reece want to do now? 

“So before Coach Gordon is back, there are two things you need to do. The first thing is to break through with the ball. The second thing is intercepting the ball and allowing your teammates to score.” 

So… is this a position where you bow one's head like a willing ox? Willingly making a wedding dress for others… 

[T/N: both idioms mean to work hard for others without any benefits]

“Are you still in touch with Connor?” 

“Yes, he said he would teach me some moves every day through the Internet.” 

“What is he teaching you today?” 

“My lou crossover dribble.” 

[T/N: referring to Rafer Alston, nickname skip to my lou]

Reece raised his hand to look at his watch. “With your ability, you should be familiar with it within an hour.” 

When he finished speaking, Reece brought a chair over from the side of the court and placed it in the center of the half court. “You can use this to practice.” 

“Ah? Use a chair?” 

“Because the chair will keep you in line with the ball when dribbling. You must keep straight when handling the ball, Connor should have told you already. Taking the ball past someone is like using a key to open the lock set by the defender. From the shoulders to hips is the defender's door.” Reece lowered his weight while dribbling the ball rhythmically and swayed his shoulders. Then he gestured to the height of his own shoulder. “Understand?” 

“I think… I understand…” 

In fact, I don't understand at all! 

Nevertheless, Nie Chuan felt very fortunate to have a quiet place to practice.

Reece also did not take care of Nie Chuan anymore. On the other half court, he began to practice shooting. 

His action of shooting is very elegant. The moment the ball is pushed out, it was just like a planet emerging slowly from the dust. 

“peng–” 

The sound of the ball entering the basket is very sweet. 

Nie Chuan's dribbling came to a stop as he foolishly looked at Reece's back. 

Even with his back facing Nie Chuan, Reece seems to know what he is doing. 

“There are still fifty-five minutes left. If you don't make even a bit of progress, then you can walk back to school on your own tonight.” 

A basin of cold water poured down. In order to not distract himself, Nie Chuan could only turn away. 

His goal today is to practice Alston's crossover which requires dribbling the ball under the leg on the same side as his hand. 

Connor did it very naturally and harmoniously in the video but he (NC) is always awkward. If it's not dropping the ball then it's. .h.i.tting his own knees. This reminded Nie Chuan of how during military training in high school, he had somehow stumbled out of rank and was laughed at by his cla.s.smates. 

Nie Chuan took a deep breath to remove all his thoughts. Connor had said before that the essence of this move is not to forget the supporting function of the right leg. When the ball pa.s.ses between the legs, the hand needs to pay attention to the acceleration of the ball and let it spin. For Nie Chuan, it's not difficult to change direction from left to right, but this ipsilateral crossover is making him more and more annoyed. 

It would be poorly accomplished even if he does manage to. This is definitely going down the path of getting sec-killed. 

“Your wrist should be turned inward, otherwise how would you make the ball turn? And you also need to keep your wrist inside, or else you'll continue to drop the ball.” 

Reece's voice is very clear and loud in this empty basketball court. 

Nie Chuan turned around and looked at the other person.

Has he been watching him for a long time? 

“Don't understand?” Reece asked. 

Nie Chuan shook his head and decided to answer honestly this time, “I don't understand.” 

With a sigh, Reece came up to Nie Chuan and made a normal crossover in front of him. 

His speed is not fast, the purpose is to let Nie Chuan see clearly. When dribbling, he has a unique sense of rhythm. It was strength, relaxation, and calm all in one. 

Nie Chuan watched how his hand accelerated in dribbling the basketball and how it withdrew the ball steadily. This gave Nie Chuan an inexplicable impulse, he wanted to become Reece Reddington. 

Wanted to dribble like him, have his rhythm, and do what he does. 

“Do you understand?” Reece came to a stop. 

Nie Chuan understood when he saw it but he felt that it was a pity, he wanted to see it again. 

Reece sighed helplessly, came to Nie Chuan's side, and pressed down his shoulders to stabilize his center of gravity. 

“Remember, raise your head. Watch your opponent and pay attention to his movements, don't think about your ball.” 

“En.” 

Reece's hand covered the back of Nie Chuan's. At that moment, Nie Chuan was extremely tense. As if he had been shocked, he wanted to take his hand back but was stiff. 

Reece lowered his upper body and took Nie Chuan in turning over his wrist. His breath followed his voice and lingered by Nie Chuan's ear. “When you dribble, remember this feeling.” 

“En.” 

Reece left Nie Chuan to stand opposite him and clapped his hands. “Alright! Again! Now the one you need to pa.s.s is not that chair but me! Keep your pace!” 

Nie Chuan lowered his center of gravity while Reece clapped his hands to give Nie Chuan a sense of rhythm.

Nie Chuan dribbled forward then extended his right leg. Following the sound of Reece's clap, the ball naturally pa.s.sed under. As if it was still being guided by Reece, Nie Chuan's wrist turned inward. He could clearly feel the ball turning. Bypa.s.sing his leg, it was firmly caught by his hand that was on the same side. 

From beginning to end, he did not lower his head but instead looked into Reece's eyes. There was a kind of power in those eyes that made him inexplicably alert and, at the same time, inexplicably calm. 

Clearly in the past Reece Reddington had only given him a sense of oppression. 

“Don't stop! Come on!” 

Reece clapped his hands while stepping back, giving Nie Chuan room to dribble. 

Nie Chuan kept repeating the crossover, approaching Reece, bypa.s.sing Reece. 

Reece's clapping gradually accelerated, and Nie Chuan's dribble became more and more skillful. 

When Reece's clapping stopped, Nie Chuan's muscles could finally relax. He gasped and adjusted his breathing. 

“Your endurance isn't good enough and your muscles lack strength. Apart from your ability to score, Coach Gordon will see these two points at a glance.” 

“… So what do we do?” 

“What else can we do? Let your advantages overshadow your flaws.” 

Reece lowered his center of gravity and studied Nie Chuan. His eyes were sharp and cold, it was as if the whole s.p.a.ce condensed.

Nie Chuan's previous peace of mind was instantly transformed into a feeling of oppression. 

“Get the ball pa.s.sed me,” Reece said. “Your opponent can't be a chair forever. Actual combat can make you more keen.” 

But Reece's standards for a sparring partner would be too high ba… 

“Concentrate, Nie Chuan. I'm just a door, and you just have to find the right way to open it.” 

Nie Chuan's chaotic mind stabilized. He looked into Reece's eyes and dribbled forward. More than an hour of practice has opened the degree of Nie Chuan's flexibility. 

The movement of his shoulders became bigger and more natural, but Reece's reaction was extremely sharp. Even if he was shaken off by Nie Chuan for half a second, he would quickly adjust his center of gravity and unyieldingly follow Nie Chuan. Nie Chuan gradually became anxious. Pressed against Reece, he tried to turn but was repressed by Reece until he was unable to change direction. 

Nie Chuan's ball was easily cut off by Reece. 

“Your dribble is good and your change in direction is also very confusing. But Nie Chuan, don't rashly fight against your opponents with strength. Try to avoid physical contact and maneuver your steps, that's your advantage. Don't use your own weaknesses to fight your opponents strengths. Just like how you tried to box me out, you'll never be able to beat me in your lifetime no matter how hard you try. Understood?” 

Reece's voice was calm but very powerful. 

Nie Chuan felt that if he made the same mistake again, he might get crushed by Reece. 

“Are you afraid of me?” Reece's eyebrows rose, Nie Chuan's heart almost jumped out of his chest.

“No……” 

It would be strange if he didn't! 

“Don't think about how to deceive me, think about how to pa.s.s me. When you pa.s.s me, you won't feel that I'm terrifying anymore. I'm just a door that you opened. Remember your rhythm, again!” Reece clapped his hands. 

The feeling of oppression is coming again. 

Don't look at how Reece's height is slightly inferior to Montenegro's. His defensive radius is also narrower but his sense of the opponent's movements exceeds Montenegro by far. No matter how Nie Chuan changed direction and tried to break through, Reece followed like a shadow. 

Sweat slid from Nie Chuan's temples. Nie Chuan said to himself, I need to be faster! Just a bit faster! 

He looked into Reece's eyes as if the whole world had been stripped away and he really became the door that he must pa.s.s through. 

Nie Chuan suddenly accelerated and then abruptly stopped. Reece guarded him tightly. Nie Chuan suddenly sped up again, executing a double crossover combined with a behind the back crossover. After turning his body, he knew that Reece would immediately catch up. His body had not yet caught up to his brain when there was another abrupt stop which was followed immediately by another crossover, break through! 

The sound of sneakers squeaking against the floor is particularly loud. 

Nie Chuan felt as if blood was suddenly released from his brain and surged all the way to his hands and feet. The strength seemed to break apart his limbs. 

When he dribbled towards the basket, he heard the footsteps of Reece catching up with clarity. Nie Chuan pa.s.sed the ball to his left hand, swayed his shoulder, and transferred his weight. Just as Reece intercepted the ball, he followed along with his center of gravity and made a cross step, once again throwing off Reece, and took the ball to the basket! 

“Peng–” 

His ball was knocked away and bounced violently when it landed on the floor. It can be seen that the strength Reece used just now was definitely not small. 

The originally still blood in Nie Chuan's body flowed again. 

He turned blankly and stared at Reece. 

He failed again? 

Nie Chuan suddenly felt a deep sense of grievance. 

He clearly broke through Reece twice ah! He actually broke through Reece! How on earth did Reece catch up? 

Even if the first time Reece had slam dunked in his face, even if last time Montenegro have covered his hot pot three times in succession, he had not been this aggrieved. So why?

Re: Our Nie Chuan is pretty impressive uwu

MadMadamMims: This slow burn of striving towards a mutual goal is rather refreshing