Yang Lingling was a moment too slow in jumping; the basketball was falling at its highest point when Zhou Qing's center touched it first.
The basketball was pushed away by Zhou Qing's center, and Zhou Qing's team gained possession of the ball first.
Zhou Qing's point guard, Yu Mengmeng, was very agile and quickly got past Sun Meng, who came to defend her. When Sun Meng immediately turned her weight to catch up, she was blocked by a sudden stop by Zhou Qing's small forward, Zhang Fan.
"Get back on defense!" Yang Lingling shouted a reminder.
Lu Yu snapped out of her daze and focused on getting back on defense. She sped up and blocked the opponent's point guard, Yu Mengmeng, outside the three-point line.
Yu Mengmeng swayed her shoulder to the right, but Lu Yu maintained her balance and wasn't fooled by the feint. Yu Mengmeng immediately dribbled with short steps, using a crossover dribble as a screen, and gently pushed the ball, preparing to pass it to a teammate.
Lu Yu made an accurate prediction and gently scooped up the ball with his left hand, successfully intercepting it.
Lu Yu was just about to dribble the ball across the opposite half of the court when, after two runs and dribbles, his hands suddenly went empty.
It's Zhu Ying, the shooting guard for Zhou Qing's team!
Zhu Ying's running speed and reaction ability exceeded Lu Yu's expectations, and in just a moment, she regained possession of the ball.
Lu Yu turned around to chase, and Zhu Ying passed the ball to Zhou Qing's small forward Zhang Fan while running.
Zhou Qing's quick pass combination successfully evaded Qingbei's one-on-one defense.
After cutting into the paint, Zhou Qing's small forward Zhang Fan immediately jumped for a layup.
Yang Lingling and Shu Juan jumped up to block the shot at the same time. Zhang Fan adjusted his position in mid-air with excellent skill, his body hovering in the air. With a slight twist of his wrist, he skillfully tossed the basketball, sending it flying in a perfect arc.
The basketball passed between Yang Lingling and Shu Juan, and she scored with a layup.
Host Liu Du commented at the opportune moment: "Zhu Ying and Zhang Fan's teamwork is just perfect!"
Meng Xiaotong exclaimed, "That was a dangerous shot. Qingbei's shot-blocking ability under the basket is not easy to break. If Zhang Fan had chosen to do a reverse layup, he would most likely have been blocked by Sun Meng who jumped to follow up. It can only be said that Zhang Fan chose the only possible way to make the shot."
"Both teams are very strong, and any mistake in offense or defense could be seized upon by the opponent. It seems that Zhou Qing's team is getting into the game faster," Feng Xu summarized briefly.
The enthusiastic cheers from Zhou Qing's team at home continued.
Luo Yan's heartfelt words touched Lu Yu's heart more than any other voice.
[Xiaoyu's behavior wasn't quite right today; her mood is fluctuating again.]
Lu Yu chewed on Luo Yan's thoughts for two seconds, gritted his teeth, and continued the game.
Lu Yu dribbled the ball to the left, taking a step forward. Yu Mengmeng watched Lu Yu's hand movements, ready to steal the ball at any moment.
Suddenly, Lu Yu quickened his pace, the basketball bounced twice on the ground, and his shoulders swayed dramatically—Lu Yu's signature butterfly step.
Sure enough, when the basketball bounced back to Lu Yu's right hand, Lu Yu made a quick right-side dash and passed Yu Mengmeng in just a few seconds.
With Yu Mengmeng chasing behind, Lu Yu's path to the paint was blocked by the well-positioned small forward Zhang Fan, forcing Lu Yu to pass the ball. She took two steps, seized the opportunity, and bounced a pass to Chu Feiyu.
Chu Feiyu's angle for receiving the ball was not good. Her back was to the sideline of the court, and in front of her was Zhu Ying, who was waiting in ambush. Chu Feiyu barely caught the basketball, and before Zhu Ying could react, she immediately jumped up and shot.
However, the space was too cramped, making it difficult for Chu Feiyu to make fine adjustments in mid-air, and the basketball slipped from her grasp in haste.
"Clang!"
The basketball bounced off the edge of the rim and flew out. Zhou Qing's center jumped up under the basket, grabbed the rebound, and immediately threw the ball towards the outside point guard, Yu Mengmeng.
Yu Mengmeng leaped up, retrieved the basketball, and sprinted towards the Qingbei team's basket.
Lu Yu reacted the fastest, turned around to defend, and chased after Yu Mengmeng with lightning speed.
A voice from Luo Yan's heart entered her ears once again.
[Xiao Yu's sudden acceleration and sudden stop are indeed rarely matched by anyone.]
Lu Yu's feet inexplicably stopped.
In high-intensity basketball games, opportunities are fleeting.
Lu Yu only hesitated for a moment before Yu Mengmeng quickly left him behind. In the blink of an eye, Yu Mengmeng had dribbled the ball across the halfway line.
Just as Yu Mengmeng was about to step into the paint for a mid-range shot, Chu Feiyu had no choice but to move closer to Yu Mengmeng and raise her hands to block Yu Mengmeng's shooting path.
Yu Mengmeng immediately passed the ball to shooting guard Zhu Ying, who was on the outside to receive it.
Zhu Ying received the ball and immediately jumped to shoot. It was an uncontested long-range shot that went in smoothly, and Zhou Qing scored another three points.
...
Qingbei team lost points one after another, and the whole stadium was filled with the shouts of the home fans.
Lu Yu dribbled the ball, and that feeling of holding a hot potato came back to him.
Even though Luo Yan's heartfelt words contained no resentment towards her, she would always uncontrollably catch Luo Yan's voice.
In the past, the distractions from inner thoughts were mostly just noise at night. On the field, the intense pace of the game easily drew Lu Yu's attention back to the competition, so Lu Yu's mind-reading ability was mostly able to help her predict the entire game's moves, and the chaotic inner thoughts in the arena were like background noise that Lu Yu would ignore.
Only once was it different. At the Olympics, she heard the heartfelt words of her then-head coach, Feng Xu, that the news of her grandparents' passing made it impossible for her to focus on the competition.
Coach Feng Xu's true feelings seemed to be the only voice she could hear.
At that time, she was actually afraid of the basketball getting into her hands, because she knew that if she received the ball while she was distracted, the opponent would most likely steal it.
But she's a point guard; the entire offensive organization needs her to orchestrate the offense. She can't even dribble the ball across half-court.
The situation now seems to be repeating itself. Overwhelmed by guilt, Lu Yu uncontrollably pays attention to Luo Yan's thoughts and tries to discern her evaluation.
This is the playoffs! No opponent will show any mercy!
Lu Yu is really angry with himself, always letting things down at crucial moments.
She adjusted her breathing, stepped back, accelerated, and broke through to the right. Suddenly, she dribbled behind her back, getting past Yu Mengmeng who was defending her.
Lu Yu sprinted at full speed, sidestepped Zhu Ying, and dribbled into the paint. Small forward Zhang Fan closely guarded him, but Lu Yu pushed the ball to the left, passing it to Sun Meng.
Sun Meng jumped while running, and the speed and the reaction force from the ground lifted her body up.
Zhou Qing's power forward jumped, his outstretched arm blocking Sun Meng's shot.
Sun Meng retrieved the ball in mid-air, avoiding the reach of Zhou Qing's power forward. At the highest point of her hang time, Sun Meng extended her forearm again, assuming a shooting stance.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Qing's small forward Zhang Fan had already run back to Sun Meng's defensive position and suddenly jumped high into the air.
Just as Sun Meng's shot was about to be blocked, she gritted her teeth, gently gathered the basketball, and dodged the block. In the instant her body descended, her whole body tensed, and her slightly bent knees straightened instantly.
Sun Meng made her move again.
"Bang—!"
Sun Meng slammed the basketball into the hoop.
"A double layup! We've seen a double layup again!" the host, Liu Du, shouted.
Meng Xiaotong praised, "Sun Meng's individual strength is too strong. That double layup is something that only Sun Meng can do in the current league."
"I've observed that Sun Meng's hang time rhythm is very special. Usually, the highest point she jumps is not the highest point she can reach, which allows her to make many fine adjustments in the air. Simply put, she uses a portion of her jump height to gain hang time," Feng Xu explained professionally.
"It's been a long time since we've seen Sun Meng's second layup! This high-intensity competition is truly amazing," Liu Du exclaimed.
Feng Xu expressed some concern, saying, "In the past, Sun Meng wouldn't easily use a double-reverse layup. We all know that a layup is very physically demanding, let alone a double-reverse layup, which requires a lot of core strength. Now, the game has only just begun, and Sun Meng has already used a double-reverse layup."
Feng Xu's concerns were not unfounded; Qingbei team's first goal was scored thanks to Sun Meng's killer move.
This actually means that the Qingbei team's offensive rhythm has encountered a huge problem.
Lu Yu's poor performance is the biggest problem facing the Qingbei team right now.
Zhou Qing's team is a very well-rounded team, and the intensity of the competition will definitely be very high.
Whether Sun Meng will have enough stamina to sustain herself in the remainder of the match is a huge concern.
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