Chapter 118: The Wolf and the Tiger (Part Six)

"How should we play the second half?" Back in the locker room, Wang Lei asked his players, as if he himself had no ideas at all.

"We just keep playing like this. Old Cai shoots, Little Rabbit shoots, then the Captain sinks a few more, and in the end, we win! Haha!"

Although they were still trailing in score, the players, having found their rhythm, were in high spirits. Hawul, in particular, had struggled through the first quarter and the first half of the second, but his defensive efforts just before halftime were excellent. He had effectively contained the opponent's key player, Hong Kai. Even though his own stats weren't flashy, seeing his teammates deliver big blocks filled Hawul with excitement.

"Everyone else is shooting, so what will you be doing, Hawul? Do you want to take some shots too?" Wang Lei teased him, enjoying the team's positive atmosphere.

"I can't, Coach. You know how it is. I might be able to score if I'm under the basket, but once I step outside the painted area, my aim is gone. There's no helping it; they call me 'Steel' for a reason—my wrists are too stiff. They just don't bend."

"Then you should file your wrists down until they're thinner. Steel wire is quite flexible, you know! Haha."

"Alright, enough joking. In the second half, they will likely tighten their defense against our perimeter. Their interior players have quick feet and good awareness for help defense. So, how should we proceed? Think about it, and let's hear your ideas." Wang Lei continued his coaching.

"We could run more pick-and-rolls, letting Old Cai and Little Rabbit look for mismatches," Wang Zhaohui suggested, his observational skills truly sharp.

"The Captain can handle the ball, and Big Brother Hawul can set more screens to pull their interior defenders out. We can run more back-cuts and focus on passing and cutting to attack the rim," Turgun added. Though he didn't speak often, he had his own understanding of the game.

"We could drive more to draw double-teams, then pass to the open man for a clean look," Sun Dexun offered from his perspective.

In less than a year, these young men with little prior experience had developed their own grasp of basketball and the game itself. This was Wang Lei's greatest achievement. Compared to other teams, they might not have had the most raw talent, but they were certainly the team that knew how to think.

"Excellent. Everyone's input is great. In truth, basketball doesn't have a fixed way to be played. All tactical arrangements must be built on an understanding of the opponent's strength and style. Water has no constant shape; as long as we can quickly identify their weaknesses, we can make our offense a nightmare for them. That is why I have never dictated specific tactics or forced you to play a certain way. You must learn to read the game and read your opponents. That is the most valuable thing for your future careers."

Wang Lei's words left everyone in silence. Some members of the coaching staff even pulled out notebooks to record his words. Over this past year, the staff had been just as influenced by Wang Lei as the players, learning how to manage a team and read the flow of a game.

"In the second half, we won't pursue rigid tactics. How you play on the court is up to you. You can use pick-and-rolls, drive-and-kicks, or take it to the hoop yourselves. The key is for you to judge whether your choices are correct."

It must be said that if these words were spoken to another team, they might have completely lost their way. But in this Xinjiang Youth Team, everyone knew their roles, possessing a chemistry that no other team could match.

As the halftime break ended and both teams returned to the court, Li Baofeng still wore a grim expression. It was clear he had lost his temper in the locker room; he was deeply dissatisfied with his team's performance leading up to the end of the first half.

As the second half began, the Guangdong Youth Team played with renewed intensity. Their aggression increased, and their physical play on both ends of the floor picked up.

Just as Wang Lei had anticipated, Guangdong tightened their perimeter defense, especially against Turgun. Meanwhile, Hawul, who offered little threat on offense, was left unguarded; as long as he stayed outside the paint, they ignored him to focus entirely on double-teaming Turgun.

After the second half began, Sun Dexun did not return to the court. Turgun remained the primary ball handler, but facing the aggressive double-teams, he consciously reduced his time with the ball, handing playmaking duties to Wang Zhaohui while he moved around to draw defenders away. Once Wang Zhaohui had the ball, he looked to drive, repeatedly breaking through with screens from Cai Aihong and Hawul. Though his technique and athleticism were average, the opponents didn't view him as the focal point of their defense, allowing him to succeed several times.

The changes in the Xinjiang Youth Team caught Guangdong off guard. They hadn't expected Turgun, who had scored nearly twenty points in the first half, to stop shooting, while players who had previously been quiet began to attack.

Although they couldn't stop Xinjiang's offense, the Guangdong Youth Team was equally efficient on their own end. Zhao Yongji repeatedly drove and kicked the ball out to Hong Kai, who, refusing to be selfish, passed decisively when faced with help defense. Guangdong maintained a high shooting percentage.

The gap in the score remained stagnant as both sides prioritized offense, with neither defense proving effective.

Midway through the third quarter, Hawul picked up his fourth personal foul, forcing Wang Lei to sit him down early and bring in Sun Dexun.

Guangdong had expected to dominate the boards once Hawul was off the floor, but to their surprise, the less physically imposing Cai Aihong stepped up. He protected the defensive glass well and used every opportunity to initiate quick outlet passes for fast breaks.

After being quiet for nearly five minutes, Turgun returned to the action by launching an unreasonable three-pointer on a fast break. Even though Guangdong was aware of him, they couldn't defend such a shot while scrambling back in transition.

In the final minutes of the third quarter, thanks to Turgun's consecutive three-pointers, the Xinjiang Youth Team not only caught up but took a six-point lead.

Li Baofeng called a timeout after falling behind. He had lost all his composure as a coach, even slipping into foreign languages in his frustration—a habit from his years coaching in North America.

Wang Lei did not call a single timeout during the third quarter. He sat steadily on the bench, leaving all the decisions to his players.