Chapter 103 A Good Start
Once the playoffs began, the pace of the games accelerated rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the decisive game between Zhou Qing's team and Qingbei's team arrived.
At Zhouqing City's main stadium, deafening warm-up music was playing from the speakers.
In the audience of Zhou Qing's team, someone appeared who surprised Lu Yu.
During the pre-match random audience interviews, the beautiful host Xiaoqi held up the microphone in front of Weng Pei in the audience.
"I didn't expect Jiang's shooting guard, Weng Pei, to be here at the game. Congratulations to Weng Pei for leading Jiang to victory in the quarterfinals yesterday. Jiang's next opponent in the semifinals will be the winner between Qingbei and Zhouqing. So, are you here today to scout out the enemy's situation?"
Weng Pei remained calm and said, "Thank you for your congratulations, but I just came here on a whim to experience the audience's perspective."
"Both Qingbei Team and Zhouqing Team have your old teammates. Asking you which team you support now is a bit unreasonable, isn't it?" Xiao Qi paused, blinked, and revealed an innocent and sweet smile. "But I like to put people in a difficult position."
Xiao Qi was adept at creating a lively atmosphere before the game, and her words and jokes brought laughter to the entire audience.
Looking at Lu Yu, who was warming up on the field, Weng Peiyao said without hesitation, "I support the Qingbei team."
These words immediately sparked a more heated discussion in the stadium. Surrounded by Zhou Qing's team fans, the male fan behind Weng Pei in the footage was visibly furious, practically wanting to kick Weng Pei to the opposite side of the stands.
Weng Pei twitched her lips and raised her eyebrows, "Sister Yan can't play. I'll take care of Lu Yu."
This was a provocative statement, and even the usually quick-witted Xiao Qi was speechless for a moment.
Jiao Yuyin, sitting in the stands for the Qingbei team, narrowed his eyes, a hint of danger emanating from him.
I really want to shut Weng Peifei up and reopen old wounds.
Jiao Yuyin was surprised by his fleeting thought of revenge. This was Lu Yu's old teammate; old scars or fond memories were irrelevant—he wasn't an enemy. He closed his eyes briefly, regaining his usual composure.
Luo Yan, sitting on Zhou Qing's bench, secretly lowered her head and covered her face. Weng Pei's bad temper hadn't changed at all; she left no room for others or herself in her words. In public, she would openly discuss topics that everyone avoided, seemingly unconcerned about external judgment, living a flamboyant and unrestrained life.
Lu Yu, who should have been the most affected, was completely unaffected and continued to warm up his shots on the court.
Lu Yu seemed to feel less psychological pressure regarding Weng Pei's attitude. Perhaps it was because of Weng Pei's personality—she said what she meant. Lu Yu had also endured Weng Pei's cold words, so the guilt in her heart was not as heavy as when she faced Luo Yan.
The whistle blew, and all players took their positions.
Lu Yu held his breath, staring at the basketball rising from the center of the court.
"Bang!"
Yang Lingling won the ball.
The ball was contested very urgently, and the basketball's flight direction deviated slightly. Lu Yu reacted quickly, jumping up and catching the basketball as it flew through the air.
Qingbei team quickly launched an offensive and made runs, cooperating with Lu Yu's organization and arrangement.
Zhou Qing's team adopted a conservative strategy of one-on-one marking at the start of the game.
Lu Yu's offensive and defensive performance in the last game was amazing enough, which led to high pressure from the outside long-range shooting and the already broken inside defensive formation. This forced Zhou Qing's team to pay attention to the issue of positioning defense and dared not use the tactic of flexible help defense on the outside anymore.
The basketball bounced rhythmically in Lu Yu's palm, and Yu Mengmeng stood in front of him.
Lu Yu suddenly took a large step to the left, and as the basketball bounced—
Yu Mengmeng then turned to defend, but her center of gravity remained completely still. Clearly, Yu Mengmeng, who is skilled in defense, was highly vigilant against Lu Yu's darting footwork, and no matter how she made defensive movements, her feet remained firmly planted on the ground.
Lu Yu suddenly took a step back and pushed the basketball to the right, passing it to power forward Shu Juan. Shu Juan dribbled into the paint and quickly passed to Sun Meng, who was already prepared.
After receiving the ball, Sun Meng jumped, and Zhou Qing's small forward Zhang Fan rushed over to block. Sun Meng's coordination in the air is among the best in the league. As she ascends, she tightens her core, and her body leans slightly backward with the power of her core, pushing the basketball out between her palms.
A fadeaway jumper goes in!
Shu Juan ran to Sun Meng in two steps and gave her a high five in celebration.
Yang Lingling's ball-grabbing, Lu Yu's orchestrating attack, Chu Feiyu's outside pressure, Shu Juan's receiving and breaking through, and Sun Meng's dream shot—the near-perfect teamwork secured a winning start for the Qingbei team.
Zhou Qing's team is a truly strong team, and their offensive momentum remains unstoppable when possession is returned.
Zhou Qing's point guard Yu Mengmeng brought the ball across half-court. Facing Lu Yu's tight defense, Yu Mengmeng was stuck on the outside and couldn't move. Suddenly, Yu Mengmeng swayed to the left, her body and head moving in coordination, and her dribbling breakthrough was a natural move.
Lu Yu had no choice but to shift his weight to defend. Just as Lu Yu made his full defensive stance, the basketball's bounce suddenly accelerated.
Lu Yu secretly thought something was wrong.
The next second, Yu Mengmeng used the basketball's rapid bounce to break through to the left.
A skillful "KILLER cRoSSoVER"!
The killer crossover, pioneered by NbA ball-handling master Tim Hardaway, is vividly displayed in Yu Mengmeng's hands, showcasing exceptional skill.
"ah--!"
A wave of excited yet restrained cheers erupted from the sidelines. They were both surprised by Yu Mengmeng's feint past Lu Yu and worried about how it might affect the performance of their favorite player.
Lu Yu didn't dare to hesitate and chased after Yu Mengmeng closely.
To avoid being blocked again, Yu Mengmeng quickly passed the ball to the power forward who had just cut into the paint.
Zhou Qing's power forward dribbled twice before jumping for a mid-range shot.
The basketball swung around the edge of the rim once before spinning into the basket. Zhou Qing's mid-range shot went in, tying the game.
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