True Kobe Possession

Chapter 25: Real Kobe Possession (13!)

Despite his surprise, Brooks didn't stop his offense. He turned and pulled up for a fadeaway jumper, still very much in the style of Kobe.

Tang Tian leaped to contest.

He knew that once Brooks stopped dribbling, this was his only option if he didn't pass, so he contested it almost immediately.

Furthermore, he was a few centimeters taller than Brooks, completely blocking his shooting angle.

"Bang!"

Brooks raised his release point, but the ball's arc changed accordingly. After he shot, it hit the front rim and bounced out.

O'Riaqi secured the defensive rebound.

Brooks' shot missed under Tang Tian's defense!

The arena erupted in cheers.

Normally, only spectacular dunks would elicit such a reaction from the crowd. For defense to have this effect, only Tang Tian could do it!

The fans even felt like thanking Cahoon. If there were no comparison, there would be no appreciation. Brooks had been scoring at will against other players, but now it seemed like it was all just setting the stage for Tang Tian's appearance!

"Damn it!" After bricking the shot, Brooks couldn't help but curse.

He had been so confident earlier, but in the end, Tang Tian actually defended him.

UConn's offense. Tang Tian continued to set a screen for Walker. This time, Providence College's forward directly doubled Walker.

Walker was prepared. He flicked the ball back to Tang Tian on the perimeter.

Tang Tian eyed the rim and shot.

Brooks on the weak side saw it and lunged for a help defense, but he was still too late.

Tang Tian's textbook quick three-point shot, rising up as Brooks jumped.

"Swish!"

The three-pointer dropped, with Brooks' jumping figure serving as the perfect backdrop.

The arena erupted in cheers again.

Many fans excitedly stood up from their seats.

Tang Tian's first possession with an offensive and defensive play had been eye-catching. This wasn't just a refrigerator; it was a microwave!

Brooks waved his fist, looking a bit frantic.

Providence College's offense reached the frontcourt. Brooks directly called for the ball in the high post, with his back to the basket.

This was a direct challenge to Tang Tian.

Cahoon's expression relaxed slightly upon seeing this.

As he had said before the game, Brooks' offense was excellent, but his decision-making was poor. If he kept going one-on-one like this, as long as Tang Tian could defend him, Providence College's run-and-gun offense would be significantly hampered.

He posted up with his back to the basket, then a sudden drive, followed by a pull-up fadeaway.

Brooks' offense was executed seamlessly, and his technique was flawless. He was clearly much stronger than Butler had been previously.

However, Tang Tian was also giving it his all, applying defensive pressure throughout and closing out perfectly at the last moment.

Brooks felt extremely uncomfortable as he shot.

"Bang!"

The ball once again bounced off the rim.

Tang Tian had successfully defended Brooks twice in a row!

Kobe had once said in the NBA that Tony Allen was the best player to defend him. In the 2010 Finals, Allen had even held him to under 40% shooting, a testament to his defensive prowess.

With Tang Tian's stamina now up, he basically had about seventy to eighty percent of Allen's physical ability, allowing him to unleash seventy to eighty percent of his skill's power.

While this level of skill wasn't enough to defend the real Kobe, it was more than enough for a "mini-Kobe." The latter was clearly still far from Kobe's level.

Unfortunately, Brooks didn't know this!

He was truly channeling Kobe right now, determined to score over Tang Tian!

UConn's offense. Walker was double-teamed and passed to Lamb. Brooks was slightly out of position defensively. Lamb drove to the basket and scored with a layup off the glass.

Since Tang Tian came on, UConn had gone on a 5-0 run, tying the score!

Cahoon nodded with satisfaction and confidently retreated to the bench.

He was already considering moving Tang Tian into the starting lineup.

Providence College's offense. Brooks started moving off the ball, running through screens. He couldn't score directly, so he switched to off-ball offense.

But Tang Tian stuck to him like glue.

Considering that teams like Washington State University, which specialized in pick-and-rolls, couldn't stop Tang Tian, it was even less likely for Providence College, a non-specialist, to succeed.

Brooks received the ball but couldn't shake Tang Tian. He turned and forced up a shot.

Tang Tian almost blocked it directly.

"Bang!"

Brooks missed three shots in a row!

4 for 4, directly becoming 4 for 7!

The crowd cheered continuously; they really loved Tang Tian!

Ollie also relaxed and retreated to the bench to sit down.

Providence College's overall strength was a bit stronger than Washington State University, whom they had encountered before, but the two teams' playstyles were actually very similar, with both offenses revolving around their star players. In fact, Providence College's reliance on Brooks was even greater than Washington State University's reliance on Thompson.

Brooks was also playing well, having not cooled down in previous games.

However, he wasn't Kobe Bryant, so he couldn't possibly replicate Kobe's consecutive 40 or even 50-point games in the NBA. Now that Tang Tian had locked him down, Providence College's offense was essentially crippled.

Walker drove to the basket and was fouled. Since Providence College had accumulated 7 fouls, he was awarded free throws.

NCAA free throws were different from NBA free throws. When the number of fouls in a half was between 7 and 9, it was still two shots, but the rule was 1+1. If the first free throw wasn't made, the ball was live for a rebound. Only if the first shot was made would there be a second free throw opportunity.

Walker missed his first free throw, but O'Riaqi used his height advantage to grab the offensive rebound and score.

UConn's offense didn't let up, taking an 11-9 lead!

"Defense! Defense!"

The continuous offensive surge sent the fans into a frenzy. At this point, they didn't even need the DJ to lead them; they started cheering for their home team in unison.

Brooks called for the ball again at the frontcourt, and Providence College's point guard was really obliging.

But this was just their style. If Brooks couldn't get going, Providence College's offense wouldn't get going either.

Brooks dribbled and continued to take on Tang Tian one-on-one.

With consecutive crossovers and a between-the-legs dribble, the ball seemed glued to his hands for a moment.

You could tell he was giving it his all.

He suddenly accelerated towards the basket with a burst of speed.

Tang Tian defended with full concentration, not giving Brooks any space to shoot.

Brooks drove to a step inside the free-throw line, then used a hop step to get to the basket, and then jumped for a reverse layup.

This play was extremely difficult, incorporating crossovers, drives, hop steps, and layups – skills rarely seen in the NCAA.

But Tang Tian didn't jump prematurely. He kept his eyes on Brooks's shoulder, and only after the latter's reverse layup attempt did he suddenly leap to block the shot.

The timing was perfect, catching Brooks just as he released the ball.

"Bang!"

A huge block sent Brooks's shot flying out of bounds!