Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

The other players also looked at Kai, wondering how he was able to analyze the Dolphins' playing strategy when he hadn't even played with them before.

Lina walked over to where he was and sat next to him.

"How did you know that?" she asked.

Kai pursed his lips. To him, the answer was simple—the Huolan Guardians had played with different teams, and Kai always found it fun analyzing each team's playing styles.

He still had difficulty analyzing bigger, stronger teams, but for a team like the Daxue Dolphins, Kai could get a gist of their playing style even with just one quarter.

They're the do-or-die kind of team. They stick to the status quo when everything goes well, and they change it when things do not work in their favor. However, because Lina and the other past players had played with them before and they've only stuck to the status quo since then, it was understandable how they'd believe they would stick to the same strategy.

Kai didn't answer Lina's question and instead continued analyzing the game.

"Yuze and Zeren are standouts on the court," he started off. "However, the Dolphins have a greater team strength. So, now that three of the members are suppressed, we'll only have Yuze and Zeren."

"What year is the guy that's guarding Zeren?" Kai asked.

"A third-year," Lina answered.

Kai clicked his tongue. "Since he's playing with a third-year student, he's at a disadvantage. Zeren is great on the court, but he does lack the experience that the third-year student has."

"Meanwhile, Yuze…," Kai muttered, looking at Yuze, who appeared to be having an intense staredown with Chuyi.

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Lina clicked her tongue as she also stared at the two of them. "Chuyi's a dirty player," she said.

"Although the Dolphins don't play as dirty on the court as the Feng Foxes, Chuyi is another story. He's the type to play dirty both on and off the court."

"Do you think Yuze's going to be okay?" Kai asked.

"I think so," Lina said. "Because no matter how Chuyi trains, he will never beat Yuze."

"They're rushing," Kai said, observing how four of their players, aside from Yuze, were struggling to keep the team together.

Lina frowned in confusion, glancing at the clock, and saw that there was still more than a minute left.

"Keep the gap!" she exclaimed.

Shang supported Lina by shouting the same thing. Meanwhile, the cheerleaders at the Dolphins' bench started cheering for their team. They did this to encourage their players, all while providing a distraction for the Shizi Dogs.

Suzy glanced at them and shook her head. If their cheerleading team had come, then they would have devoured their team.

It seemed like the Dolphins' cheers worked their charm, as the players of Shizi Dogs started losing focus in the game.

"Pass," Yuze said to Zeren, but the first-year student wasn't able to hear him, so he shot the ball inside the ring. However, since he was rushing, the ball bounced off of the rim and onto the hands of Runchu, who made a run to their side of the court.

Then, he passed it to Shanlong, who did a lay-up.

19-17.

Lina bit her lip in anxiety. "Less than a minute left," she muttered. "We better keep this gap."

Kai watched the game intently and shook his head.

"They're playing like they were before," Kai said. "I believe the implications of the man-to-man defense still hadn't hit them."

"They're using the same strategies that they used during the first quarter; however, since they're not as open as before, none of their shots are making it in."

"You're right," Lina said, wanting to call a time-out but choosing to believe in the players for now.

"Still, they need to be able to keep the gap," she desperately said.

"With how things are going," Kai started off.

Kun missed another shot while Yuze failed to rebound due to Chuyi's close guarding. He seemed unbearably close to Yuze's body, which made it harder for the bigger player to move.

"And if this goes in," he continued, following Shanlong's movements as he dashed to their side of the court.

"And if my assumption is right…"

Shanlong moved to shoot the ball.

"We're going to end this quarter with a tie."

Shanlong made it in.

19-19.

The buzzer resounded in the entire court, signifying the end of the first quarter.

The Daxue Dolphins cheered as their players went back to their seats. It seemed like the atmosphere between the two interchanged, with the Shizi Dogs sitting in silence.

Lina pursed her lips and stood from the bench.

"You guys did a great job," she said, causing Jet to shake his head.

"I don't think we did," he said. "We missed a lot of shots during the last few minutes."

"We lost the gap, too," Jinping said.

"It's still much better than how we performed last year," Lina said. "We weren't even able to overtake their score back then, yet we already did it during the first quarter."

Yuze nodded in agreement, not wanting his teammates to lose hope.

"Zeren," he said, turning to the first-year. "Sit this one out. You're going back during the third quarter."

Zeren nodded in agreement.

"Gongwen, take Zeren's place. The other four will stay the same as usual. They are definitely going to continue with their man-to-man defense," Yuze said, glancing at Kai when he recalled how he guessed they were going to implement the strategy.

"So, keep up with your players, but don't overstep," Yuze instructed. "You're not as open as you are during the first quarter, so be more cautious."

Jet raised his hand to ask a question. "How are we going to score if we're cautious then? Shanlong and Chuyi shoot well on their team."

"You don't have to worry about Chuyi," Yuze said. "I'll be guarding him well."

"...and, as for points, we can definitely do it."

"How?" Jet asked.

"Pass them all to me."