The spring breeze is gentle.
The draw for the quarterfinals has finally revealed the results, with Qingbei team facing Zhouqing team in the quarterfinals.
After confirming the opponent, Coach Wang immediately made tactical arrangements and training plans.
"Zhou Qing's team is ranked 2nd in the regular season and is very strong. Of course, there are no weak teams in the top eight. No matter what kind of strong team we face, I hope everyone can maintain a positive attitude."
"The Zhouqing team is a bit special. Before the Spring Festival, the Zhouqing team was undefeated in the regular season and firmly held the top spot in the league. However, after the Olympic qualifiers, Luo Yan, a key figure in the Zhouqing team, stopped playing. This was also a requirement put forward by the national team coaching staff for the Zhouqing team. Luo Yan is still in the stage of recovering from injury."
"It turns out that Zhou Qing's team, without center Luo Yan, is not an invincible opponent. After the Olympic qualifiers, Zhou Qing's team lost two games and is ranked second in the league. Now Zhou Qing's team's strength under the basket has dropped significantly, so it will be easier for them to break through under the basket. Our next training will focus on inside cooperation and cutting."
"On the defensive end, we need to build a good defensive formation, especially the perimeter defense, which is the key to our victory or defeat against Zhou Qing's team. Lu Yu, Chu Feiyu, you two need to withstand the pressure."
Coach Wang spoke until his throat was hoarse, but received no response.
His throat was parched, and now he was practically belching smoke from all seven orifices… Coach Wang yelled, “Lu Yu! Chu Feiyu! Can you do it!”
"Yes!" Chu Feiyu and Lu Yu were brought back to their senses by Coach Wang's call and answered loudly.
Coach Wang adopted a fatherly tone and said earnestly, "Chu Feiyu, you performed well in the last game against Qin Huai team. Keep up the good work. Don't get carried away just because you didn't draw Jiang team. Jiang team is in the same half of the bracket as us. With Jiang team's strength, their chances of making it to the semifinals are much greater than ours. As long as you can beat Zhou Qing team, you will have a chance to compete against Weng Pei again."
"Okay! I know!" Chu Feiyu was full of fighting spirit. After thinking for two seconds and figuring it out, she said to Coach Wang, "Coach... I suddenly realized that you are like someone who keeps waving a carrot in front of me, and I am the donkey chasing the carrot around the millstone."
The training ground was filled with laughter.
Lu Yu could only manage a bitter smile.
All the surging memories rushed in, and Lu Yu, amidst the overwhelming recollections, alone savored the regret and guilt.
*
Zhouqing team is ranked second, higher than Qingbei team in regular season points, and has priority for home games.
Zhouqing City is located at the foot of the snow-capped mountains in the north, and the wind seems to still carry the smell of unmelted snow.
A deafening roar of shouts swept through the stadium.
The cheers for the Qingbei team were noticeably weaker as they played away from home.
However, for Lu Yu, this was a trivial matter not worth considering.
Because Luo Yan watching from the bench was more impactful than any other scene.
After Lu Yu entered the court and stood in the center, she met Luo Yan's gaze and quickly looked away. She didn't even dare to look Luo Yan in the eye, let alone greet her openly.
Luo Yan's heartfelt words intensified Lu Yu's feelings of guilt, making them even more difficult to shake off.
Sometimes, Lu Yu really wished Luo Yan would slap her instead of torturing herself with regret and pain, and then worrying about her mental state.
The peak of a female basketball player's career is too precious for Lu Yu to forgive herself for.
The reunion of former teammates from the golden generation was undoubtedly one of the talking points of this game.
The moment when old teammates' eyes met and then quickly looked away was precisely captured by the ultra-high-definition cameras at the venue.
The controversy online is growing louder.
Surely there's someone who doesn't know about the old and new grudges between Luo Yan and Lu Yu.
- I'm a newbie football fan, upstairs, please stop spreading rumors. -
- You're a fan of ribbonfish (a derogatory term for a certain type of online celebrity), you probably haven't even watched many of the Olympic women's basketball games. Wait until you've watched them before you start arguing with me.
- Do you need a certificate to watch the Olympics? What's so special about that? I've been a fan of Xiaoyouyu for ten years, and I can't stand some people's inexplicable sense of superiority.
- Haha, in a crucial Olympic game, the point guard can't even dribble the ball? Tell me, isn't that a joke?
To be honest, if a point guard struggles to even dribble the ball across half-court, no matter how capable his teammates are, they can't utilize their skills effectively.
-That was Luo Yan's peak! Her best years were ruined by that fish.
- After winning the Asian Games, I got cocky, everyone was calling me a genius point guard. Turns out we were eliminated in the first round of the group stage. Looking back now, I'm embarrassed.
- Most regrettably, Luo Yan's physical condition never recovered, and she was plagued by injuries. Her performance in the Olympic qualifiers was evident to all; if it weren't for her serious injuries, she wouldn't have suffered such a crushing defeat in the qualifiers.
-That's true. Luo Yan has been on the bench ever since the Olympic qualifiers. She's definitely preparing for this year's Olympics and needs time to recover from her injury.
- I get angry thinking about this. Yan Yan missed her prime, but Dai Yu is full of energy on the field. Now the commentators have all stopped talking about it, as if they've lost their memory. -
- The comment above is unfair. Losing the match wasn't solely one person's fault, and Lu Yu had been in a long period of silence after the Olympics. I was worried she would retire prematurely. Her ability to climb out of that slump and return to the competition shouldn't be a reason for her to be insulted and attacked.
-The competition hasn't even started and fans are already defending Daiyu.
- Neither a fan nor a hater. Thank you. -
- Saying more is useless. Even if Luo Yan doesn't play today, Zhou Qing won't give Lu Yu a good time.
Online venting is always easier, and any rational voices that occasionally emerge are quickly drowned out.
On the field, Lu Yu forced down his panicked and timid emotions and tried his best to focus on the game.
The whistle blew, and the basketball was tossed high into the air—
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