God's hand behind the scenes

Chapter 34 Encountering a Strong Enemy Again
The University of California is another team that relies on two guns in the backcourt, and Villanova has a lot of experience in dealing with this kind of team.More importantly, their insiders are also not very good. In fact, the NCAA has not shown too many excellent insiders this season. At this time, Villanova, who is sitting on a powerful insider like Thomas, feels very happy.

The game was also Thomas' solo show, with Cal's starting center Kenyon Jones powerless to stop him from tossing around the rim.What makes Rappers feel more secure is that Gray, the leading scorer at the University of California, is not a reliable three-point shooter. His three-point shooting percentage is only 30.2%. Score, so you will meet Thomas guarding the basket.

Thomas sent 10 blocks in the first 4 minutes of the game, 3 of which were given to Gray.Even if he didn't cover Gray, it still caused him a huge deterrent, which greatly reduced his hit rate.

Strong insiders have such an advantage. Their protection of the rim does not lie in the number of blocks they can send in each game, but in how much they reduce the opponent's shooting rate at the rim. This is the proof of their ability to protect the rim the most important data.Of course, advanced stats haven't been taken seriously at this time, but Gray's 14-for-4 shooting alone shows how much pressure Thomas is putting on him at the rim.

Even more tragically, the rest of Cal's players couldn't help at all, including his backcourt partner and the team's second-leading scorer, Randy Darke.Chang Wei has to admit that the 1996 class of rookies called the golden generation is justified. At least in the 1996-97 season, the NCAA did not produce a large number of outstanding players like last year.

Gray is already considered very good, but his current draft pick prediction is at the end of the first round, which is much lower than that of Thomas.This is not only the gap between the two stars, but also the gap between the two teams.Although Villanova was the No. 4 seed and Cal was the No. 5 seed, it didn't look too far apart, but Villanova still led 47-39 by 8 points at halftime, and only allowed Gray to get it. 10 points.

During the halftime break, the locker room of Villanova University was filled with a cheerful atmosphere. Rappers, who has always had a serious expression during the break, also began to "have fun with the people" for the first time. Everyone believed that the victory of this game It should be a sure thing.Chang Wei also thought so. No matter how you say it, Thomas can be regarded as a guy who once flourished in the NBA, much better than a fleeting meteor like Gray.

But the world is not always satisfactory. At the beginning of the second half, the head coach of the University of California, Ben Braun, changed his formation in time. He replaced Jones, who looked very bulky, and sent two insiders with a height of 2.08 meters. Ernest Marks and Michael Stewart, dedicated to limiting Thomas, and as for the missing Lawson, just play it casual...

Unfortunately, Villanova University's outside shooters also have a poor feel in this game. Thomas will choose to pass the ball when he can't find an offensive opportunity inside, but his passes often cannot be converted into assists. Five minutes before halftime, Villanova made 5 of 6 shots from beyond the arc.

Seeing that the point difference between the two sides gradually narrowed, Rappers was so anxious that he called two timeouts in a row to arrange tactics.He absolutely dare not take Thomas down at this time. Even if he can't score, it's good to put it on the court to grab rebounds. In other words, Villanova urgently needs a three-pointer from the outside. can be opened.

Fortunately, the captain of the team, Irvin, stepped forward and hit two consecutive three-pointers, which once again opened the point difference to double digits.At this time, Rappers immediately replaced Lawson and let Thomas go to the fifth position, but he sent Celestand to the field. In this way, Villanova's outside shooting ability was improved again.

After an indiscriminate bombing, the University of California reluctantly raised its hands and surrendered. The formation of one center + four shooters is very simple and rough, but as long as it can grab rebounds and hit three-pointers, this formation is impeccable.With 5 minutes and 18 seconds left in the game, Braun withdrew all the main players, because at this time the point difference between the two sides had widened to 15 points, and they were still powerless to prevent Villanova University from continuing to score. The outcome of this game will be finalized.

In the end, Villanova University defeated their opponents 75 to 67 and successfully advanced to the semi-finals of the Eastern Conference, which made many experts look at them with admiration.But more people think that their luck has come to an end, because next they will face Jordan's alma mater, the University of North Carolina, and they are undoubtedly one of the traditional giants of the NCAA.

This year they once again became the top seed in the division, and there are many strong players in the formation. Chang Wei was also shocked when he saw North Carolina's roster. Others are put aside for the time being, just Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter. Two names are enough, and North Carolina, led by them, is definitely the favorite for this year's NCAA championship.

In later generations, everyone knows how strong the two of them are, and Carter will not talk about it. At his peak, he has always been the most entertaining star in the NBA.Jamison also did not give up much. During the Wizards period, he was one of the best helpers around Arenas. He scored 51 points in a single game in the third season of his career.

There is no doubt that North Carolina is the strongest opponent Villanova has encountered so far this season. Chang Wei doesn't even know who in the team can stop Carter and Jamison. Come disaster.To make matters worse, North Carolina also has Salmond Williams, who averaged 14.1 points per game, and Serge Zwick, who averaged 11.5 points per game. Chosen lucky.Even the team's starting center, the seemingly inconspicuous Ademola Okuraja, is a good partner for Nowitzki in the national team in the future.

In a way, this is an All-Star team, and Villanova will have a hard time beating them.Faced with such a strong North Carolina, the team gradually developed a feeling of being rich and safe. Everyone thought that it was not easy to get to this point, and the game against North Carolina would be fine.

Indeed, any team in the NCAA will feel a headache facing North Carolina. Perhaps it is the best choice to raise their hands and surrender before the start of the game. Everyone can comfort themselves that North Carolina is invincible.But Chang Wei is very disgusted with this kind of atmosphere. Some things, if you work hard, you may not succeed, but if you don't work hard, you will definitely fail.

(End of this chapter)