Self-Created

Xiao Ke was slightly shorter than Yuan'er, about half a head shorter. Moreover, Yuan'er's arms were very long; with one reach, he could completely cover the area above Xiao Ke's head.

However, Yuan'er was very thin. Compared to Xiao Ke, he would definitely be at a disadvantage in terms of strength.

That was why Zhu Zhan positioned himself slightly in front and to the side of the man he was guarding. If Xiao Ke chose to drive, he could provide help defense and trap him at the fastest possible moment.

Xiao Ke received the ball Old Wu passed back to him and faced Yuan'er's defense. Using his left foot as the pivot, he feinted several times in succession, but Yuan'er stayed tight on him and gave him no opening.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

Xiao Ke dribbled two steps backward and began looking left and right for an opportunity near the three-point line. Seeing this, Zhu Zhan's gaze flickered. It looked like Xiao Ke was going to drive. Generally, when someone had an advantage in speed and physicality, creating distance from the defender was the best choice for a drive.

Xiao Ke's face remained expressionless. As he watched Yuan'er's defense in front of him, his gaze also swept toward Zhu Zhan, who was defending near the basket. Suddenly, Old Ma, behind Zhu Zhan, quickly moved away from the basket and pulled out toward Xiao Ke at the three-point line.

Seeing Old Ma dart past him, Zhu Zhan hurried to follow.

It looked like Old Ma and Xiao Ke were going to run a pick-and-roll. If he did not follow, it would create a two-on-one at the three-point line, inevitably leaving an opening for a shot.

Xiao Ke first made as if to dribble two steps left. When Yuan'er immediately pressed up on him, he suddenly accelerated to the right. At that moment, Old Ma had also pulled up right at the three-point line and set himself for the screen.

Xiao Ke and Old Ma were clearly extremely familiar with each other. Xiao Ke dribbled almost right past Old Ma's body and cut inside. Zhu Zhan's eyes flashed. Naturally, he could not let Xiao Ke get to the basket. Having caught up, he immediately gave up guarding Old Ma, who had set the screen for Xiao Ke, switched assignments, and stepped up to meet Xiao Ke as he tried to cut to the basket.

Zhu Zhan was a full head taller than Xiao Ke. Although he was not particularly strong compared to those guys on the school team, he was far sturdier than Xiao Ke.

Once he had established his position, he directly blocked Xiao Ke's path to the basket.

Xiao Ke did not stop moving. He slightly changed the direction of his dribble, apparently still wanting to shake past Zhu Zhan and charge straight to the basket. Zhu Zhan shifted his defensive angle accordingly, spreading both arms to expand his coverage. He kept up a tight defensive stance, constantly applying physical pressure so Xiao Ke could not easily get going.

Seeing that he could not shake Zhu Zhan off, Xiao Ke suddenly lunged forward with a huge step. Zhu Zhan moved with him, but at that moment, Xiao Ke's center of gravity did not continue forward. Instead, he came to a sharp stop and violently pulled the ball back on the right side of the key.

A fake!

Seeing Xiao Ke make that move, Zhu Zhan, who had been defending him closely, was instantly shocked. He had never expected Xiao Ke's fake to be so convincing, or so exaggerated.

Even Li Ke had never made a fake like that.

If the one driving just now had been Li Ke instead of Xiao Ke, Li Ke would not have used a fake at a spot already so close to the restricted area. He would have used his natural physical gifts to blow past the defender in one step, or gone straight into the defender's body and taken three steps for a layup.

Li Ke's physical attributes would let him knock most defenders away in midair while keeping his shooting form intact. More importantly, Li Ke possessed an innate touch as soft as a woman's. Even through contact, he could use the softness and delicacy of his wrist to send the ball into the basket.

Xiao Ke naturally did not have Li Ke's physical gifts, but this fake still caught Zhu Zhan completely off guard. With no time to be surprised, Zhu Zhan hurriedly stepped forward, wanting to resume his tight defense.

But at that moment, Xiao Ke took another huge step back, once again creating distance from Zhu Zhan. At the same time, he gathered the ball with both hands and swiftly rose into a shooting motion.

A step-back jumper!

Zhu Zhan had not expected his opponent to make such a move. From driving inside, to stopping sharply and stepping back, to lifting into the shot, the entire sequence flowed in one smooth motion. The movement was broad, and the fake was incredibly convincing.

No wonder Xiao Ke had looked so disdainful when Fang Wei called him an expert. This guy really did have some skills. When he usually came out to play pickup games, he was probably one of the standouts on the courts too.

Xiao Ke narrowed his eyes and swept a seemingly mocking glance at Zhu Zhan. Then he leaned forward, raised his arm, and the ball in his hand instantly traced a high arc toward the basket.

By the time Zhu Zhan tried to step up and contest it, it was already far too late. Left with no choice, he could only stand where he was and watch the ball fly toward the hoop.

After a brief flight, the basketball dropped directly through the net with a "swish," then fell to the ground.

Watching the ball bounce on the floor, Zhu Zhan's eyes flickered.

He had just been shown up.

After using a screen to exploit the opening created in the instant he and Yuan'er switched defenders, Xiao Ke had feinted a drive to the paint, changed his intentions at the edge of the restricted area, then quickly stopped and hit a step-back jumper.

Though it was only a two-pointer, after stepping back, Xiao Ke was actually close to the three-point line. It was not a short shot.

Zhu Zhan turned and glanced at Xiao Ke. The latter was also squinting at him.

Looking into Xiao Ke's eyes, Zhu Zhan did not know why, but he had the feeling that even if he had not chased him closely just now, Xiao Ke would still have chosen to stop and take that step-back shot.

He was making a show of strength.

As Zhu Zhan was thinking this, Xiao Ke gave a cold snort and said faintly, "See that? Now that's what you call real shooting percentage!"

Hearing that, Zhu Zhan gave a slight nod and quietly replied, "Oh."

Fang Wei walked over and patted Zhu Zhan on the shoulder, saying with a smile, "Brother, don't take it to heart. That sequence just now is Xiao Ke's signature move. It's the only move he knows, but it really is impressive. Everyone who plays with him regularly knows about it, yet it's still hard to defend one-on-one."

Zhu Zhan nodded indifferently. "Is that so?"

Xiao Ke's stop-and-step-back move covered a lot of ground, and his fake was very convincing. If an ordinary person did not know it was coming, reacting instantly and successfully defending it would indeed be somewhat difficult. When he chose to drive, the defender would naturally focus most of his attention on preventing a direct breakthrough, relaxing slightly against the possibility of a sudden stop. Add in the step-back, and it truly was not easy to defend.

But if Fang Wei meant it was impossible to defend, that was a joke.