Chapter 133 - High-Level Game, Part 2 (1/2)

The game continued, and Shun continued to watch it from the sideline.

Antony had the ball, and he was in the inside area, but he was frowning as he tried to move.

Antony: ”Geh.”

Antony couldn't move as he had Rafael sticking so close to him. Rafael was in lockdown mode as he didn't give Antony any place to move.

Antony glanced at the shot clock and thought.

Antony: ”Crap! there is much time left there; this could end up in a turnover.”

He continued to struggle when he saw Carlos in his sight with his hands in a pass receiving stance. Antony immediately passed the ball to Carlos.

Carlos received the ball and jumped for a mid-range, face-up jump shot.

But, when he released the ball, a hand made full contact with the ball. His eyes widened as he saw Rafael and his hand, contesting his shot.

Rafael didn't say anything and got to the floor and immediately chased the ball that he had blocked.

Three players chased the free ball, Antony, and Leonal from Team Red and Rafael from Team Yellow.

All of them were equally close to the free ball, and anyone could get the ball. If we looked at the probability, Team Red with two players would get the ball, but then you would be wrong as Rafael jumped forward towards the ball.

-*-*-*-

Shun jumped in his seat as he excitedly spoke.

Shun: ”Ooh, he lunged for the ball!”

-*-*-*-

Rafael caught the ball, and before he hit the floor, he threw the ball to Ming, who was in front of him.

Ming caught the ball and threw a baseball pass to Roger, who was near the three-point arc.

Sarah clapped lightly after seeing Rafael's hustle on the court.

Sarah: ”Rafael Garcia, the dirty worker, he is a selfless player that keeps the gritty work off his teammates.

He sets up screens, chases down players to block them, direct teammates to the exact spot they needed to be, and guard multiple positions, often on the same possession.

He is the ultimate defensive player, his presence disrupts the rhythm of the opposite team.”

Shun nodded and was completely in agreement with her assessment of Rafael.

Shun: ”Mad Respect.”

-*-*-*-

Roger caught the ball and shouted while he charged towards the basket.

Roger: ”Excellent pass!”

A pro-hop was a combination of a euro step and a jump-stop.

Roger picked up his dribble with a synchronized right-hand dribble/right footstep, ripped the ball to the opposite side of his body while landing on a jump-stop.

Douglas couldn't react, and Roger was already behind him.

Roger landed on both of his feet. He bent his knees, and with the ball in both of his hands, jammed the ball into the basket with a two-handed dunk.

-*-*-*-

Shun clapped in his seat and said.

Shun: ”Oh, a pro-hop! I have never tried that. I should do that sometime, though the timing for the jump at the end is going to be difficult to get.”

Sarah looked at Shun and said.

Sarah: ”If moves were so easy to master, then gaining skills wouldn't be so hard.”

Shun: ”Eeh~, I already know the euro-step, so a pro-hop won't be too far from that.”

Sarah sighed as she spoke.

Sarah: ”Kids these days.”

-*-*-*-

Leonal and Bruno were outside the three-point arc. The ball was with Leonal, and Bruno was on the defense.

Leonal dribbled near his backfoot, away from Bruno's reach.

He looked at Bruno and dribbled the ball from his backhand to his front hand in a back-change.

Bruno decided to go for a steal and leaned towards the ball hand, but the moment Bruno leaned in, Leonal dribbled the ball back to his backhand and drove past from Bruno's opposite direction.

-*-*-*-

Shun: 'He reacted to it pretty quickly, was it a coincidence, or...'

Shun looked at Sarah for her usual explanation. Sarah didn't disappoint and gave information on Leonal.

Sarah: ”Leonal Claude, is extremely talented in one-on-ones, you usually don't want to be his defender, or be his mark.

I have seen him play and reacts to moves very quickly. On top of that, he has worked on his dribbling skills to make good use of his reflexes.

He is an inside player and plays at the rim or at the perimeter. His fast reflexes help him weave through the crowd with ease.”

Shun looked at Leonal and thought.