The trials that fate has brought to the Qingbei team are far from over.
Just two days later, in the second final, Qingbei team lost the game by three points once again.
In competitive sports, winning or losing is the only outcome. Regardless of the circumstances or the point difference, a loss is a loss.
Making excuses is something only the weak do.
Fortunately, there was a three-day break between the second and third games of the finals. After the game, the Qingbei team reviewed and analyzed the match repeatedly, trying to find the part that went wrong by the smallest margin.
"Yang Liu, where did your confidence go?" Coach Wang asked in a deep voice. "You've already cut to the inside. Since you're worried about Ji Yun stealing the ball, then take a shot. Mid-range shots aren't your weakness."
The multimedia classroom repeatedly played a slow-motion replay of the final goal of the first match between Qingbei and Yunan teams.
Coach Wang looked at Yang Liu and sighed, saying, "Actually, this was a very good opportunity. Lu Yu deliberately slowed down the passing rhythm. What do you think was the reason?"
Yang Liu watched the replay twice and realized that Lu Yu didn't pass the ball immediately after shaking off the Yunan team's point guard; he was actually waiting.
The help defenders for the Yu Nan team are either small forward Du Xianglan, who is currently positioned inside, or shooting guard, who is also on the perimeter. Regardless of who comes to help, Lu Yu can use the opening to pass the ball to Yang Liu inside or Chu Feiyu on the perimeter.
Lu Yu used his speed to buy time in order to create a defensive gap for the Yunan team.
But because she feared Ji Yun would intercept the ball, she passed it out, and the opportunity to get the ball to her slipped away. Yang Liu didn't know how to answer, so she remained silent.
"Coach, Yang Liu is also afraid of being blocked by Ren Qiqi, the center of the Yunan team. At that position, even if Ji Yun doesn't arrive in time, Ren Qiqi can block the shot with just one step." Yang Lingling explained on Yang Liu's behalf.
Coach Wang's anger only intensified. "I haven't even said anything to you yet, Yang Lingling. What happened to your positioning? Why were you forced to stay in the corner under the basket during the offensive play, allowing Ren Qiqi to block your teammates at will? This play was a pity, but it's not just a missed opportunity to win the game that's regrettable. It's that Qingbei's inside players simply don't dare to play. Don't let my constant criticism of Chu Feiyu fool you; she has advantages that none of you have. She's not afraid to take the blame, and she dares to play on the court!"
Coach Wang pointed out Qingbei's most fatal problem: "Take that last play for example. Even if Yang Liu had passed it out, it wasn't entirely without a chance. After Chu Feiyu received the ball on the outside, she used a fake move to shake off Yunan's shooting guard and finally passed the ball back inside. They could have easily tied the score, or at least had a chance for overtime. But look at the inside game. Shu Juan didn't take any initiative to receive the ball when Chu Feiyu passed it to her. What, do you have to wait for your teammates to put the ball in your hands? And Yang Liu, since you've drawn Ji Yun's attention, why didn't you take the opportunity to block her and force her to stop, allowing Ji Yun to steal the ball back and forth?"
Coach Wang played the slow-motion replay again, looking at Yang Liu and saying, "When you chased down the small forward Du Xianglan and the point guard of the Yunan team to the outside, look at what Lu Yu did when she passed you the ball. She ran to force a stop and blocked the positions of two people. Otherwise, where do you think Du Xianglan, who was supposed to be guarding you, went?"
"Kids, off-ball movement, off-ball movement! I've told you so many times! Passing the ball out doesn't mean you're done for!" Coach Wang sighed. "Our problem isn't tactics. Yu Nan is strong, but we're not at the point where we can't win a single game. You guys are too afraid to play. We're stuck in a vicious cycle. Without Sun Meng in the Qingbei team's paint, we're completely disorganized."
The video playback was stopped, and the multimedia classroom was so quiet that only low breathing could be heard.
Coach Wang finally stopped yelling, put his hands on the table and said, "We've done all the tactical arrangements we need to make. The next game is our last chance. If we lose one more game, it's all over. No matter what the result is, I just hope that the team I've trained isn't a bunch of cowards and weaklings. Tomorrow is a day off. Those who need to vent their emotions can find a place to do so, and those who need to adjust their mindset can find a way to do so. When you appear on the field again, you need to show me a Qingbei team with a different spirit and energy."
As soon as he finished speaking, Coach Wang stepped out the door.
Sun Meng, who was sitting in the last corner of the classroom, glanced around the classroom as if she had made a decision, pushed open the back door, and caught up with Coach Wang in the corridor.
"Coach, I have something I want to discuss with you," Sun Meng said softly.
Coach Wang suddenly stopped, glanced at Sun Meng, and said, "No, there's no room for discussion." Then he started walking back to the office.
Sun Meng was getting anxious. "We haven't even discussed it yet, how can you say no?"
"You just wanted to ask if you could play two days earlier than usual? Let me tell you clearly, no." Coach Wang, still fuming, said, "Sun Meng, you're still young. This is only one season of the league. You have a long road ahead of you. I won't say more, but don't worry, if you don't fully recover from your injury, you won't be playing."
When Sun Meng slunk back to the classroom, Lu Yu was still drawing a tactical route map in the seat next to her. Without even looking up, she asked, "Still not giving up? Are you going to ask?"
"Huh?" Sun Meng stared blankly at Lu Yu. She didn't know that Lu Yu could hear her thoughts. She just thought to herself, how could anyone know what she wanted to do?
Lu Yu said calmly, "Stay on the sidelines and help Yang Liu with her pull-up jump shot practice. She needs a small forward to help her right now."
"And what about you?" Sun Meng asked.
"I'm going to find a place to vent." Lu Yu patted Sun Meng's head lightly with the tactics notebook she had drawn, then spread it out on Sun Meng's desk and left.
Sun Meng examined it closely; it was a fast break running route map. This was a fast break tactic she and Lu Yu often used together, but it required the small forward to stop and shoot at top speed after cutting in.
She and Lu Yu could switch roles at any time; both were capable of stopping and shooting mid-range. But for Yang Liu, the situation is different. Yang Liu is slow at dribbling and can't organize an attack, so Lu Yu is likely to face double-team defense.
The Yu Nan team's defenders had a clear objective, so Lu Yu could only pass the ball to Yang Liu in the paint as much as possible. At this point, Yang Liu needed to make a strong breakthrough, either with a second-chance layup or a high-percentage pull-up jumper. Relatively speaking, the pull-up jumper seemed like a more likely solution. After all, a second-chance layup isn't something everyone can do; it requires strong core strength.
Having figured this out, Sun Meng no longer hesitated and ran towards the training venue.
Yes! Go find Yang Liu. Sun Meng's anxious heart seemed to calm down a lot because she could finally do something for the team.
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