Defense—two seemingly simple words, but once you truly studied it, it became incredibly complex.
On-ball defense, help defense, trailing defense, zone defense, and more—there were far too many techniques involved.
The Individual Defense skill, Tony Allen, was strong in on-ball defense. Whether according to the system's explanation or its effects in previous games, that was where it excelled.
The skill was one thing, but how much of its power could be brought out still depended on the person using it.
Tony Allen had one of the NBA's best physiques. If he played in the NCAA, almost no one could score in front of him. But Tang Tian could not do that; at most, he could limit most opponents.
However, Tang Tian had one advantage over Tony Allen: in his previous life, he had been a coach, and an NBA godfather-level coach at that. He was more familiar than anyone with players' movement and tactics on the court.
So in truth, defense had another hidden element: reading, or rather, judgment.
For example, judging an opponent's offensive habits, judging their choices, judging the intentions behind screens like the ones just now.
After watching from the sideline for a while, Tang Tian actually understood Washington State University's style of play even better than Cahoon did.
They stuck to a 2-3 zone on the defensive end, while on the offensive end, everything revolved around Thompson's Off-ball Movement.
Therefore, all those screens existed to help Thompson get open. There was naturally no need to worry about a screener popping out. When Tang Tian fought through screens, he did not need to consider anyone else. He just had to accelerate, squeeze through, claim position, and squeeze through. It was that simple.
When the reading was in place and the judgment was accurate, the defense would naturally be in place as well.
Thompson was being forced into an extremely uncomfortable spot. His basketball IQ was high, and his off-ball ability was elite, but his Isolation Offense was limited. Facing such suffocating defense now, he seemed completely lost.
With the 35-second Offensive Time nearly up, he could only force up a shot.
But this shot was different from the Chasing Three-Pointer he had made over a defender earlier. It was not a matter of difficulty—he had no angle at all.
"Beep!"
As the ball left his hand, the 35-second shot clock expired at the sideline. It was a straight Airball.
The arena erupted in shock.
Thompson's scorching touch had been cooled down just like that?
The UConn bench erupted in cheers.
Finally, Thompson had missed a three. If that one had gone in too, their mentality might have completely collapsed.
On UConn's possession, while Washington State University was still a little stunned, Walker took the ball, cut through the double team like lightning, and finished a quick Bank Shot Layup.
4-9. UConn continued to close the gap.
Bena rose from the bench. Ever since Tang Tian had entered the game, the situation seemed to be turning against Washington State University.
Washington State University's offense ran the same play. This time, Thompson's teammates set three consecutive screens for him, each one more determined than the last. But without exception, Tang Tian squeezed or fought over every one of them.
Just as Bena felt, Tang Tian was like a loach that could not be caught!
Thompson ran to the top of the key to receive the ball, and Tang Tian's high-pressure defense closed in immediately.
He felt as though he were trapped inside a cage, overwhelmed by an indescribable suffocation.
He was not stupid. After taking one shot, he knew he would not have another chance to shoot. This time, he chose to pass.
With his back against Tang Tian, he looked at the approaching guard and bent over to make the pass.
"Slap!"
But at the instant the pass left his hands, Tang Tian reached out and cleanly stole the ball!
The Individual Defense package had a certain chance of stealing the ball from an opponent. Thompson had been pressured into having no shooting opportunity, so his decision to pass had been entirely within Tang Tian's expectations.
The moment Tang Tian got the steal, he passed to Walker nearby. Walker sprinted downcourt on the fast break, finished a layup through the chasing Washington State University player, and drew a Hand-check Foul as well.
2+1!
After scoring, Walker roared excitedly at the crowd.
That felt amazing!
This was the most satisfying play he had made since the opening tip.
Bena cursed furiously from the sideline. Giving up a 2+1 on a play like that was the worst possible outcome.
The player who had fouled lowered his head under the scolding, but Bena's anger did not subside.
What truly angered him was not the defensive choice. Chasing Walker that far had already been an admirable effort; failing to stop him was entirely due to Walker's individual ability. What truly infuriated him was the offense.
That damned Tang Tian was a far better defender than he had imagined.
Thompson had made three straight threes at the start, his hand practically on fire, yet Tang Tian had forcibly shut him down. Just now, Thompson had even made a basic passing turnover!
Walker made the and-one free throw. After scoring seven consecutive points, he had helped UConn cut the score to 7-9.
"Stomp, stomp!"
"Let's go, Cougars!"
"Stomp, stomp!"
"Let's go, Cougars!"
Sensing that the momentum was off, the arena DJ directed the crowd to cheer for the home team.
The cheers of more than thirty thousand people surged forward with overwhelming force.
Washington State University's Frontcourt Offense again used consecutive screens for Thompson. This time, they set four screens in total, with the Power Forward circling around and setting two of them.
After going to such enormous trouble, they finally managed to hold Tang Tian up.
Thompson ran to the top of the key, received the guard's pass, and shot.
"Clang!"
The three-pointer missed.
After Tang Tian had shut him down for two straight possessions, his touch had gone completely cold.
O'Riaqi secured the Defensive Rebound, and UConn pushed another fast break. This time, Lamb led the charge, taking Walker's pass and finishing a layup at the other end.
9-9!
After Washington State University had gone on a 9-0 run, UConn came back from the timeout with a 9-0 run of their own!
Bena raised his hand and called a timeout.
If he did not call a timeout now, the game might be over by halftime.
As Tang Tian headed to the bench, he received hero-like cheers from his teammates. UConn's ability to start gaining momentum during this stretch had everything to do with his defense on Thompson.
"Unbelievable. His performance exceeded my expectations. He's like a refrigerator—he directly froze Thompson's touch," the guest commentator said with a laugh, admitting that he had been proven wrong.
"If you put it that way, McHale might charge you royalties," the commentator said with a smile.
It was obvious that after Tang Tian had shut down Thompson, the two commentators' opinions of him had changed significantly.
After the timeout, Bena did not alter his strategy. Instead, he used screens even more frequently. Thompson's continued Off-ball Movement also consumed a great deal of energy. Although he did manage to shake Tang Tian and create some opportunities, his Shooting Percentage was not high.
UConn, on the other hand, had Walker getting smoother and smoother. Not only did his signature drives keep succeeding, but his Mid-range jump shot also fell time and again.
As a result, by halftime, he had already exploded for 20 points. That spectacular performance helped UConn take a commanding 43-30 lead in the first half.
Aside from the three consecutive threes he made at the start, Thompson went 1-for-9 under Tang Tian's defense, his touch Ice Cold.
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