NBA: The God of Basketball Begins with Precise Scoring

Chapter 57: Seeing Through a Series of Feints, Li Xingchen Blocks Curry's Move!

An offensive player will only collide with a defender who has already established a defensive position when they do not anticipate the defender's position or are unable to stop in time.

Because either way, you're at a disadvantage—if you have the advantage in the confrontation and knock the other person down, that's an offensive foul; if you don't have the advantage in the confrontation, then the collision feels like hitting a wall.

That's exactly how Curry is right now.

Facing Li Xingchen, who was over 30 pounds heavier than him, Curry, who hadn't yet gained weight, collided with him unexpectedly, resulting in him stumbling backward and dropping the basketball he had been holding firmly.

Li Xingchen certainly wouldn't let this opportunity pass by, and scooped the ball up in one go.

In the eleventh round of their one-on-one match, Li Xingchen stole the ball from Curry!

Wiggins cheered and egged them on from the sidelines.

Curry looked at Li Xingchen with a resentful expression: "Most people would be fooled by my upper body feints, so why can't you?"

Li Xingchen smiled mysteriously: "Intuition!"

He wasn't lying; his defense against Curry now relies more on his rapidly improving defensive instincts.

It is normal for the body to react faster than the brain.

Only by relying on physical intuition and reaction speed can one have a chance to defend against a top offensive player like Curry.

The offensive and defensive roles shifted again, and possession of the ball returned to Li Xingchen.

As usual, Li Xingchen started with a three-pointer, but he dribbled the ball a few more times before shooting to get a feel for the shot.

Curry's height and wingspan are insufficient to interfere with Li Xingchen's long-range shooting, which is an unchangeable weakness.

The score was now 7-8, with only one point remaining, but Li Xingchen still had possession of the ball.

If Li Xingchen insists on only taking three-pointers with the ball in hand, then he will probably win the game very quickly, because Curry really doesn't have any good way to deal with it.

But that would defeat the purpose of the exhibition match, so Li Xingchen continued to try more breakthrough attacks after getting a feel for the game.

A powerful layup after a breakthrough, a one-on-one floater facing the basket, a turnaround fadeaway jumper with the back to the basket...

Although he is not as proficient at these offensive moves as he is at three-point shooting, that's precisely the point of an exhibition game.

Hone your skills that are not yet perfected, whether on the offensive or defensive end.

Because Li Xingchen would miss shots from time to time, possession of the ball kept changing hands between the two sides.

That's right, possession of the ball kept changing hands, because when Curry was attacking on the other side, he was often interfered with by Li Xingchen and had to miss his shots!

This time, Curry's smile truly vanished.

His gaze toward Li Xingchen held a hint of amazement and disbelief.

"Li, you really are the fastest improving player I've ever seen."

"Often, the mistakes you made in the previous round, you can perfectly avoid in the next round... and even learn from them."

Curry's previous feints to induce a breakthrough direction are actually similar to the feints he uses when shooting.

Because Li Xingchen could see through his shooting feints, he applied the same principle to other situations and directly countered his driving feints as well.

"You're really amazing. I'm now hesitant to let you go to another team. I just don't know if the Warriors can keep you?"

"However, you didn't seize your opportunity! Although the score is currently tied at 13-13, it's my turn to attack now!"

Curry's face regained a faint smile, and he tossed the ball to Li Xingchen to confirm possession.

Just then, a system notification suddenly appeared in Li Xingchen's mind!

By this point, the two sides had already engaged in thirty rounds of attack and defense.

Curry accounted for 18 of those offensive possessions, and scored on 10 of them.

Li Xingchen only had twelve rounds of attack.

The main reason for this gap was that at the beginning, Li Xingchen was not used to Curry's offensive rhythm and was scored on several times in a row.

Later on, his success rate in defending actually increased significantly.

However, according to current statistics, Curry's field goal percentage is still above 55%, which is higher than his overall field goal percentage for the season.

Then the system will take action, won't it?

Li Xingchen tossed the ball back to Curry for the attack.

At this point, Curry wasn't thinking about introducing any new offensive tricks to help Li Xingchen hone his defense.

After all, they've reached match point, so it's more important to secure the victory first. If they lose, wouldn't it be incredibly embarrassing for him as the team leader?

Therefore, Curry plans to score using his most effective and reliable method.

Use the triple threat to drive to the basket, or use the drive to create a step-back three-pointer.

Two bottles of poison; the defender has to choose one to drink!

When Curry is in a good shooting streak, this move is almost always successful, especially against big forwards and centers who aren't as quick on their feet; it's incredibly effective.

Facing an elite perimeter defender like Li Xingchen, his success rate will definitely drop significantly, but he should still have a 60-70% chance of success.

Curry used a "prayer" shooting fake to try and create space to drive.

Li Xingchen, however, remained unmoved, seemingly determined not to let him break through.

This is what makes Li Xingchen, as a defender, particularly difficult for offensive players. Ordinary defenders might not even need to see Curry's shooting fakes; a simple glance or a look at the basket from Curry can send them into a panic. But Li Xingchen can accurately identify Curry's fakes.

Since he's not allowed to drive to the basket, Curry has no choice but to look for three-point opportunities.

We're just two points away from winning the game, perfect for a three-pointer!

Lowering his center of gravity, Curry made a probing step and then suddenly changed direction and accelerated to break through to the other side.

If you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way.

He even used a probing step feint and a change of direction to accelerate. What else could he be doing but trying to break through?

Curry will tell you that even if he has already done a whole set of driving moves including fakes, his ultimate goal is still a step-back three-pointer!

The instant Curry changed direction and accelerated, Li Xingchen also moved.

Curry then quickly stopped and stepped back, exiting the three-point line to shoot.

Curry's planned change of direction and acceleration was followed by a sudden stop and retreat.

The defender can only react after seeing him retreat. By then, the defender's center of gravity is often already on the path of moving laterally to block the breakthrough. How can the defender quickly return to position or even jump to interfere?

It's good enough if you don't get knocked over directly.

Unless the defender can anticipate it.

Even if you can anticipate Curry's fake move, the subsequent drive is still a fake move; the real target is still a step-back three-pointer!

Li Xingchen did just that.

Just as Curry abruptly stopped and stepped back, Li Xingchen, as if he had foreseen it, pushed off with his back leg, shifted his center of gravity forward, and took another step forward to return to his original position.

Then, as if he had stepped on a spring, he took off from the spot and swatted Curry's three-point shot right down from the sky!

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I worked too late last night, so the second update will be a little later. I'll post it as soon as possible, but no later than midnight! I bow to my fathers!