Gaokao

The instant he made his move, Zhu Zhan had already gotten into position. As the ball left his hand, Zhu Zhan's body rose into the air, completing a full jump.

In the end, the basketball seemed to turn into a volleyball and was viciously swatted away by Zhu Zhan.

Watching the ball he had slapped out of bounds, Zhu Zhan slowly withdrew his gaze and gave a slight shake of his head. Without saying a word, he headed after the ball still rolling away in the distance. All five people on the court stood wide-eyed, almost unable to believe what they had just seen was real.

That play had succeeded because Zhu Zhan had used his defensive technique perfectly.

For instance, if Zhu Zhan had not chosen to use a defensive slide while guarding Xiao Ke closely, then when Xiao Ke came to a sudden stop, he definitely would not have been able to control his center of gravity. That would have made it impossible for him to immediately step forward and keep up when Xiao Ke took his step-back, and the final scene would never have happened.

But that was not what Fang Wei and the others were shocked by.

Even if someone else had made the same correct defensive reaction as Zhu Zhan, they still would not have been able to stop Xiao Ke's shot. From nearly a meter away, the ball had already reached a considerable height after leaving his hand. Most people would have been powerless to stop it even if they wanted to, able only to watch helplessly.

Yet with his astonishing reflexes and leaping ability, Zhu Zhan had forcibly served Xiao Ke a monstrous block. That was what truly shocked them.

The few of them stood blankly on the court before gradually coming back to their senses. Turning to look at Zhu Zhan, who was slowly walking toward the ball, their expressions were especially complicated—particularly Xiao Ke's, after being served that huge block.

Though the game was not over yet and the score was only 2–1, those few exchanges on offense and defense had already made them deeply aware of Zhu Zhan's strength. They clearly were not in the same league as him.

Even Xiao Ke, who was often the centerpiece on outdoor courts, was no exception. Whether in defense or offense, he lagged far too far behind Zhu Zhan.

Taking a deep breath, Fang Wei walked over to Xiao Ke, reached out, and patted him on the shoulder. "You okay?"

Only then did Xiao Ke come back to his senses. His face darkened as he let out a heavy sigh, then he shook his head with a bitter smile. "I'm fine. You were right. This guy really is incredible—way better than any of us. Compared to him, we're completely out of his league."

After ten points, the final score was 10–7.

Zhu Zhan had scored eight points by himself.

The gap was not huge, nor had the score been completely lopsided, but Fang Wei, Xiao Ke, and the others could all tell that Zhu Zhan had not used his full strength. Of his eight baskets, every single one had been a long-range shot after creating space. He had not made a single layup.

And even when he had shaken free for an open look several times, Zhu Zhan had not chosen to shoot immediately. Instead, he adjusted again before taking the shot.

Rather than calling it a three-on-three game, it would have been more accurate to call it a training session for Zhu Zhan.

Fang Wei and Yuan'er even felt that after all ten points, their heart rates had not increased at all.

Holding the ball against his chest, Fang Wei walked over to Zhu Zhan with a smile. "Brother, you're seriously amazing. Look at Yuan'er and me—not only did we barely sweat, we hardly even got out of breath. Want to play another round? That one ended before we could even enjoy it. It was totally a one-man show from you!"

Hearing that, Zhu Zhan gave an embarrassed, apologetic smile.

Indeed, he had scored eight of the ten points himself. Fang Wei had made two, both off passes Zhu Zhan had deliberately given him, while Yuan'er had not scored at all. It really had become a one-man performance.

But he could not exactly be blamed for that. Xiao Ke had insisted on attacking straight into his defense, and Zhu Zhan had no choice. He could not exactly refuse to defend.

After hearing Fang Wei, Zhu Zhan thought for a moment. If they kept playing, the situation would probably be much the same. Besides, he seemed to have found that shooting feel. What he needed now was continuous practice, and practicing alone would be enough.

With that in mind, Zhu Zhan looked at Fang Wei. "I think I'll practice by myself. You guys go ahead and play. I need to head home later too."

At once, Fang Wei's face showed disappointment, but he did not press the matter. He nodded and smiled at Zhu Zhan. "All right, then we'll go play over there and leave this side for you to practice. Brother, you live nearby, right? If so, we'll come find you to play again next time."

Zhu Zhan nodded. "Sure."

After saying that, Fang Wei headed with Xiao Ke and the others toward the other half of the court.

Once the five of them had left, Zhu Zhan took a deep breath and continued practicing.

After several hundred attempts, Zhu Zhan stopped beneath the basket and let out a breath.

As he reviewed every shot he had taken from beginning to end, Zhu Zhan silently thought, After several hundred shots, my shooting percentage was between sixty and seventy percent. I kept searching for that shooting rhythm, and when the rhythm was clearer, my percentage stayed high. But the further I went, the more it dropped.

That means there are many factors that affect shooting percentage. Even when I'm in rhythm, I can't guarantee an extremely high percentage for long. And this is only practice without any defensive pressure. In an actual game, maintaining a percentage around forty to fifty percent would already be extremely difficult.

No wonder even professional players who shoot over fifty percent are so rare. There are simply too many factors during a game that affect consistency.

Thinking of the stats posted by elite shooters in the NBA and Chinese Basketball Association, Zhu Zhan could not help shaking his head slightly.

No wonder Gregg Popovich, the legendary coach of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs, had said: offense wins applause, defense wins championships. It perfectly summed up the fact that long-range shooting had never been guaranteed to stay consistent.

Although his shooting percentage had dropped considerably in the final stretch, and this had only been practice, Zhu Zhan was still quite satisfied with today's results. He felt that his grasp of that shooting rhythm had improved considerably.

Checking the time, he saw that it was already getting dark. Jiang Shi and Zhang Yuqing probably were not coming today. Zhu Zhan left the court while dribbling the ball, greeted Fang Wei and the others on the other half, and headed home.

After returning home, he took a shower, changed clothes, ate dinner, then went back to his small room and pulled out his books to study.

Now, not only did he have to practice basketball every day, he could not relax in his studies either.

Because the greatest turning point of his life was coming soon—the Gaokao.