pertwk Chapter 33 Street Basketball Match
Chapter 33 Street Basketball Match
The draw is over. The two teams for the first match have taken to the field.
Qin Yu retreated to the sidelines, and Wu Yun and Du Dewu followed.
"Boss," Wu Yun said in a low voice, looking a little uncomfortable, "those three policemen were shouting, but why are all the others staring at Qin Yu? Qin Yu's face isn't smeared."
"Didn't you watch the whole video in the group chat?" Du Dewu interjected, a smile playing on his lips. "You're now 'Mysterious Master Wu Yun,' a verified member of the 2,000-person group at Jinyang Stadium. Those shots were filmed like something out of a movie. A lot of people here should have seen it on social media or heard people talking about it."
Wu Yun opened his mouth, his expression crumbling: "That's not...that's not because of you..."
Qin Yu interrupted him, looking him into the eyes: "Now, you are 'Wu Yun.' They're watching you. Want to back out? It's too late."
Wu Yun's throat moved, but he didn't speak. He turned his head to look at the center of the field. The first match had already started. It was between two teams that weren't very familiar with each other. Their skill level was average, and the spectators weren't very interested. Amid the buzzing discussions, you could occasionally hear comments like "Number six gets a bye," "Is that Wu Yun?" and "He doesn't look particularly strong."
Du Dewu nudged Qin Yu's arm and gestured with his eyes to the side ahead. Qin Yu looked in that direction and his heart skipped a beat.
Xin Zhiyan and two other volunteer girls were standing not far away, recording the competition. She held a clipboard in her hand, occasionally glancing down to write a few lines, her gaze mostly fixed on the competition field. Today, she had her hair tied up in a neat high ponytail, revealing her fair neck, and the lines of her profile appeared clear and soft under the stadium lights.
Qin Yu immediately turned his face away, pulled down the non-existent brim of his hat, and slightly turned his body towards Wu Yun. His heart was beating a little fast.
"Do you know them?" Du Dewu asked in a low voice, his eyes scanning back and forth between Qin Yu and Xin Zhiyan.
"No, that doesn't count," Qin Yu replied briefly, not wanting to elaborate.
Just then, his phone vibrated. Qin Yu took it out and saw it was Su Lingjuan.
"Traffic jam! I might be ten minutes late! I'll be looking for you when I get there! Don't even think about running away! Remember, your name is Zhou Biao!"
Qin Yu sighed and put his phone back in his pocket. First Xin Zhiyan, then Su Lingjuan. This game was truly "exciting."
The first match ended quickly, and the winning team excitedly high-fived. The host then announced the start of the second match.
On one side was the team of the three police officers, and on the other side were a group of young men wearing matching black sports vests. They were strong and had a lazy but sharp look in their eyes. They were the local "Big Three" team of Jinghu Stadium.
"Oh, so the police officers have run into the local bully." Du Dewu became interested.
The audience's voices were much louder, clearly making the match more interesting.
The 205cm tall guy (they seemed to call him Old Chen) and the tallest center in the "Big Three" jumped for the ball. Although Old Chen was older, he had the advantage of height and wingspan, and was also very experienced. With a gentle tap, he passed the ball to his teammate.
The police officers played with great discipline and patience, passing the ball around and taking advantage of Lao Chen's height and footwork in the paint to score the first two points.
But the "Big Three" immediately retaliated. Their teamwork was noticeably more refined, their speed faster, and their drives more decisive. A cross screen, the small forward received the ball and drove straight to the basket, facing the help defense of Lao Liu (another policeman), and scored with a deft layup.
The two sides traded blows, keeping the score very close. The older police officers relied on experience and height, while the "Big Three" relied on speed and teamwork. Cheers and gasps of excitement echoed from the sidelines.
Old Chen received the ball in the low post, backed down, squeezed twice, and then turned and hooked the ball—it bounced twice on the rim but didn't go in. The center of the "Big Three" grabbed the rebound and delivered a long pass; their guard on the other side of the court had already fast-break and easily scored a layup.
The point difference has widened to 4 points. Less than two minutes remain.
"The older men are starting to run out of stamina," Wu Yun said softly.
Indeed, Old Chen was panting, supporting himself on his knees, while the other two uncles were also covered in sweat, their defensive movements a beat slower than at the start of the game.
The "Big Three" seized the opportunity and attacked the paint repeatedly, scoring again and extending the lead to 6 points.
The police officers called for a halt. The three men huddled together, whispering and talking rapidly, with Old Chen gesturing as he spoke.
After the timeout, the police officer inbounded the ball, which, after several passes, ended up in Old Chen's hands again. This time, instead of forcing a shot, he drew a double team before suddenly passing the ball to Old Liu, who was open on the perimeter.
Old Liu caught the ball, glanced at the basket, and swiftly brought it down.
Three point hit!
A cheer erupted from the stands. The point difference was back to 3.
The "Big Three" slowed down their offense, seemingly trying to run down the clock. With ten seconds left, their point guard initiated a drive, pulled up for a jump shot—the ball bounced off the back of the rim. Old Chen fought hard to grab the rebound, with only five seconds remaining.
He threw the ball directly to the frontcourt, where another man (the one surnamed Wang) had already started his run, caught the ball, dribbled for a step, and hastily took a shot from a point a step away from the three-point line.
The ball traced a high arc in the air.
Everyone in the audience held their breath.
The basketball bounced off the backboard and into the net.
A buzzer-beater!
"Wow--!!"
"It's in! It's in! They've tied it!"
"Overtime! Overtime!"
The sidelines erupted instantly. The police officers hugged each other, pounding each other's backs and shouting, their faces filled with unbelievable elation. The "Big Three," on the other hand, were a little bewildered, looking at each other and shaking their heads.
The overtime was incredibly intense. Both teams were at their physical limits, their offensive efficiency dropped, and it became more of a physical battle and free throws. In the end, the police officers, thanks to their more consistent free throws, narrowly won by two points.
When Lao Chen and his two companions came off the field, they were soaked to the bone and staggered as they walked, but their eyes shone with an astonishing brightness. As they passed Qin Yu and the others, Lao Chen gave Wu Yun a thumbs-up, pointed to the field, grinned, and sweat streamed down his face.
"Well played," Wu Yun said sincerely.
"That was awesome!" Old Chen replied in a hoarse voice, and with the help of his teammates, he walked to a nearby bench and almost collapsed down.
The "Big Three" walked off the field in silence, their expressions not good.
Losing their first home game was a blow to their pride. Their gaze swept over the audience, over the other teams, and finally lingered for a moment on Qin Yu and his team—mainly on Wu Yun—with scrutiny and a hint of resentment.
"The hatred has been firmly established," Du Dewu chuckled softly.
Wu Yun swallowed hard and remained silent.
The following matches were uneventful, with the strong teams generally advancing smoothly. As the competition progressed and more teams appeared, the audience's interest seemed to wane somewhat.