My days of working at the NBA

Chapter 44 has only this explanation.

On the sidelines, Jim Cahon's face turned completely pale.

Du Ze hit two consecutive three-pointers, like a sharp blade, piercing right into his heart.

Connecticut's defensive system is based on Thabeet anchoring the paint in the center, supplemented by zone defense and control on the perimeter.

The core of this defense lies in Thabeet's giant height and excellent wingspan. To put it bluntly, as long as Thabeet stands in the paint, he becomes an insurmountable barrier that most smaller players simply cannot challenge.

But now that Missouri's center can shoot three-pointers, isn't that just making Thabeet a target to shoot at?

Once Thabeet is forced out of the penalty area, their defensive system will completely collapse.

Moreover, the increased range of activity is extremely unfriendly to Thabeet himself, as it not only consumes his physical energy but also exposes his weakness of slow movement.

This is what's making Jim so upset right now.

Thabeet followed, and the defenses collapsed.

If Thabeet doesn't go out, they'll really shoot at you.

He's already scored two in a row, would you bet he won't score the third?

Dorut finally exclaimed, "Wow! There's more? Duze's two three-pointers were deadly, they pierced through Connecticut's defense and could directly change the course of the game!"

Billy King exclaimed in surprise, "It was truly unexpected. Two goals in a row would have been a real blow to Connecticut."

These seasoned basketball commentators are quite perceptive of the game's dynamics and immediately recognized the tactical significance of Du Ze's three-pointer.

He paused for a moment, then suddenly turned to look at Dorute, "Given Duze's current performance, do you think he can make it to the NBA?"

Dorut said without hesitation: "Of course, without a doubt. I even think he has the potential to be a first-round pick."

"But if I told you he only averaged 9.2 points per game in the regular season, would you still be so certain?"

Dorut paused slightly, "He only averaged 9.2 points per game in the regular season?"

"Yes."

"It's a bit unbelievable, but in my memory, he really didn't have much of a presence."

Dorut is a regular on NCAA broadcasts, and even he didn't have any particular impression of him, which only shows that the player's overall performance was indeed very average.

But here's the problem.

What Du Ze is showing now, how is it ordinary? How is it ordinary?

He's obviously incredibly strong.

He can provide help defense and rotation in the paint, with amazing rim protection, and he can also shoot three-pointers from the outside. His static and dynamic talents are quite impressive, especially his athleticism, which is visibly explosive.

Billy King pressed further, "So, do you still think he can make it to the NBA? Do you still think he has first-round draft potential?"

Dorut gave a wry smile: "I don't know much about him, so I'm sorry, I can't give you an answer."

Reality and data are too disconnected; they don't match what we see at all.

Billy King laughed, "I agree with your answer. I'm also very puzzled as to why his regular season performance was mediocre, but he seemed like a completely different person once he entered the tournament, putting on an extremely amazing performance. In the first round against Cornell, he had 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks. In the second round against Marquette, he had 21 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 blocks. In the third round against Memphis, he had 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks in the first half alone. With these stats, you'd think he was some kind of superstar."

"And just three minutes into the game, he already had 6 points, 1 rebound, 2 blocks and 1 steal, which was still impressive."

Dorut was speechless: "He really only scored 9.2 points in the regular season?"

"Genuine or genuine."

After a moment's thought, Dorut gave his assessment: "Some players do have occasional bursts of brilliance, especially those with outstanding physical attributes. When they have an advantage in a matchup, they tend to enter a state of extreme excitement, and in this state, they can indeed deliver exceptionally good performances."

Billy King nodded in agreement. "That's the only explanation; otherwise, it just doesn't make any sense."

While the two were discussing...

On the field, the two sides officially entered a tug-of-war.

For every one you score, I can score one back.

The feeling of touch seems to be contagious. If you don't go in, then I won't go in either. Well... anyway, nobody's going to put up with anyone else.

Overall, however, Missouri has maintained a firm advantage.

Especially when Duze frequently pulled out to the perimeter to set screens, Thabeet had no choice but to follow him out, turning Connecticut's paint area into a vacuum, so spacious that a super-sized truck could drive in.

Without Thabeet's inside threat, the team had to rely on Robinson and Adrian to help defend, but their rim protection was clearly lacking, and they could only make do with what they had.

On the other hand, Duze's threat in the penalty area continues to spread.

Although Thabeet constantly acted as a human wall for cover, Duze was not a wooden stake either.

He spent most of his time battling Thabeet, taking advantage of Thabeet's slow footwork and his ability to anticipate attacks in the paint area by 0.1 seconds to get away in advance.

If he really can't get rid of them, he'll just go around to their front, so he can face the defenders who break through and be ready to defend two at once.

Overall, Missouri's rim protection is significantly better than Connecticut's.

Missouri also has the advantage on offense.

Their main strategy is high-pressure defense and counter-attack, and their regular tactic is pick-and-roll penetration.

With Duze drawing Thabeet out of the paint, Missouri's drives became much easier. While he couldn't guarantee a score every time, his attacking power was at its peak.

Connecticut's positional warfare also relied on pick-and-roll screens, but the difference was that their offensive players were being torn apart from the backcourt, and by the time they reached the frontcourt, they had no energy left to push forward.

This is where they suffer a loss.

Furthermore, Duze blocked Adrian's shot, making the rim even more intimidating, and the assault troops dared not act recklessly anymore, which presented another problem.

Time flies.

距离半场结束还剩2分23秒，密苏里以43比30，领先了康乃狄克足足13分。

The point difference widened from 8 to 13 points, and Missouri still had possession of the ball. This shows that Anderson's pre-game tactics were successful, and it was worth it for Duze to use his life-saving skill, "Guaranteed Shot," right at the start of the game.

However, at this point in the game, Du Ze has rarely taken shots from mid-range or long range; he generally doesn't shoot unless he's open.

He's only taken two three-pointers so far, starting with two at the beginning. He missed one three-pointer and the other, just inside the three-point line, was an airball.

When long-range shots are inaccurate, the threat naturally diminishes, and Thabeet, that dud, begins to instinctively retreat further inside.

In this round, Thabeet did it particularly thoroughly, rushing over to surround Lyons and once again ignoring Duze.

Lyons returned the ball to Lyons again.

Du Ze was about to go down, but the ball suddenly flew into his hands.

After receiving the ball, there was no one in front of him, and the person who was supposed to cover was still two miles away.

In this situation, he naturally wouldn't hesitate and would decisively take the shot.

That's confidence.

As a result, the ball bounced back off the front of the rim.

How embarrassing...

Fortunately, the ball bounced back in his direction, and he successfully completed the self-rebound.

Seeing that no one was in front of him, he took a step and charged forward, heading straight for Robinson, and forcefully shoved the ball into the net.

A powerful dunk over someone.

Silence fell over the scene.

The next second, a towering wave instantly spread out.

Like a tsunami, it swept across the sky and covered everything.