The NCAA Round of 32 — Davidson Wildcats vs. Arizona State Sun Devils. Tip-off was just seconds away.
As Lin Yi walked toward the center circle for the jump ball, he felt a sharp glare hit him.
James Harden, standing nearby, locked eyes with him and made slit throat gesture.
Lin Yi, knowing the cause of such aggressiveness, also returned the favour with the same move.
The crowd, seeing this, went nuts and increased the noise.
The energy was off the charts.
The referee, Worcy Linton, gave both players a stern look before stepping up to the center with the ball in hand. Even though the Rockets had a game today and Yao couldn't make it, a bunch of NBA big shots were already seated courtside—Dell Curry, Michael Dunleavy, Sam Presti, Steve Kerr, even Don Nelson. All eyes were on this one.
With Blake Griffin's Sooners already bounced, this was the matchup of the round.
Lin Yi at No. 2, Steph Curry at No. 3, and James Harden at No. 4 on the draft boards. This wasn't just a college game. It was a scouting bonanza.
Tip-off—Lin Yi outjumped Grant like it was nothing. Long arms, quick bounce. Steph scooped it up.
"Wildcats open with their low-post set," Barkley observed. "Let's see if the Sun Devils figured it out."
Sure enough, Lin Yi caught it on the block—and immediately got swarmed.
He kicked it out, but Harden read the pass like a book. Picked it off and went coast-to-coast for the bucket.
As he jogged back, he turned and shouted at Lin Yi.
"Park your bags. Am sending you home."
Next trip down, same play. Lin Yi posted, but this time, no pass. He turned and fired—rimmed out. Grant cleaned the board, Harden darted up the court again.
Layup.
Bucket.
0-4
The crowd exploded.
JAMES HARDEN!
JAMES HARDEN!
JAMES HARDEN!
The Wildcats didn't panic. Steph calmly brought the ball up. Same set.
On the sidelines, Sun Devils assistant Coach Pera gave a smug little smile. "This trick's not gonna cut it anymore."
Lin Yi caught it again. Double-team came again. This time, he swung it out to McMillan, wide open…
Clank.
Fast break, Harden to Grant. Easy finish. 0-6.
Wildcats head coach McKillop called a timeout.
The Sun Devils' section was on fire. Students were screaming like they'd already won.
Back on the bench, Pella handed Harden a towel and water. "That was big, James."
Harden just wiped his face and kept glaring at Lin Yi.
"(╬▔▔)"
Up in the booth, Kenny Smith played his part and acted confused. "How'd the Sun Devils break the Wildcats' go-to low-post offense?"
Barkley chuckled. "They're just going full send with the double-teams."
"Seriously?"
"Yup. Every time Lin touches it, they swarm. Meanwhile, the other three guys are told: Do not let Steph shoot under any circumstances. Cut off the passing lanes. Body him up on pick-and-rolls. And if you gotta leave the other Wildcats wide open, so be it."
Smith blinked. "That's… kinda reckless."
Barkley shrugged. "Yeah, but it's working."
Over on the Sun Devils' bench, Pera was grinning ear to ear. His tactic was simple, but brutal.
Rule 1: Double Lin the second he touches the ball.
Rule 2: Deny Steph, always.
Rule 3: Predict the pass. Lin always looks for Curry first.
Rule 4: Live with everyone else shooting apart from those two and hope they brick.
Turns out the Wildcats weren't the only ones doing their homework.
McKillop pulled his players in during the timeout. "We are doing the pick-and-roll, but with a twist"
Lin looked confused.
"With a twist?"
McKillop then explained what he meant.
Timeout over.
Steph brought the ball up… and fans groaned. Looked like they were going right back to the same play.
Why are we still running low-post sets? Go back to our bread and butter, pick-and-roll.
That was when Lin Yi drifted out to the high post.
Wait… pick-and-roll?
Sun Devils' bench, Coach Pera smiled. Of course. You think I didn't see this coming?
But then—curveball.
It wasn't Steph setting the play up.
It was Michael Rand, their sniper.
What the—?
Rand set the screen. Lin popped out. Switch.
Harden suddenly found himself staring up at the 7-footer.
Lin gave him a cheeky one-handed wave while bouncing the ball with the other.
"Sup."
Harden bent low.
Mismatch, incoming.
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