Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Coach Guanyu clicked his tongue as the Shizi Dogs managed to tie the game at 4-4. He had told the boys to give them an overwhelming scare at the beginning.

With that, he stood from the bench and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

The other players on the bench glanced uneasily at their coach.

There were no words needed.

The players on the court also became aware of their coach's actions.

As Max dribbled the ball, he saw Coach Guanyu from his peripheral vision. A small smirk appeared on his lips, confusing Kai, who was guarding him.

"Sorry," Max smirked, making Kai even more confused. "I don't want to make our coach mad."

Before Kai could even clarify what Max meant, the latter had already zoomed past him, causing him to frown.

With their coach's silent egging, the Knights wasted no time showing what they were made of.

Fabin tried to get a shot in, but his attempt failed.

However, Max secured the rebound, tapping the ball to Shin.

The crowd cheered as Shin dribbled the ball, his eyes scanning the floor with laser focus. He was a sharpshooter known for his deadly accuracy.

Mark Li's voice boomed over the speakers. "Shin, the sharpshooter! He leads the league in shooting accuracy, but he's always about making the right play. Let's see what he's got tonight!"

Indeed, he had the greatest shooting accuracy in the entire league; however, he was the type of shooter who only shot the ball when he was sure, so he didn't score as plenty as Kexin.

Shin brought the ball up, walking around the defense. He passed to Fabin, who immediately set to work. Fabin was a master of fakes, and he used that to his advantage, throwing a head fake that sent Jinping stumbling. He drove towards the basket, but just as the defense collapsed on him, he threw the ball to Ailun.
Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

"Ailun with the ball! He's known for his ball-handling skills, and he's showing them off now," Mark narrated. Ailun danced around Renren, keeping the ball on a string. He waited patiently for the right moment, then passed it to Yutong, who set a perfect screen for Shin.

Yutong, the Knights' defensive specialist, created space, allowing Shin to get free. Shin caught the pass and immediately squared up for a shot. The crowd held its breath as the ball sailed through the air, but Shin faked, drawing the defenders in. At the last second, he dished the ball to Max.

"And there's Max! The star player and the glue of this team. I swear—he does it all," Mark's voice was filled with awe.

Max caught the ball with ease. With a powerful move, he rose above the defenders and laid the ball in, scoring the first three-pointer of the night.

7-4.

Yiming clicked his tongue, leaning against his elbows.

"Their team is great as always," he muttered.

As the game progressed, he found himself unconsciously rooting for the Shizi Dogs.

Meanwhile, Coach Muchen and Lina turned to each other with anxious expressions.

"They weren't like this during the practice game," Lina said.

"Max is still good," Muchen muttered. "But the other boys had significantly improved. Now that I think about it, maybe the practice game wasn't a good choice."

"Coach Guanyu is relentless," he concluded. "He had trained them to be even better than before!"

The Shizi Dogs, however, were not to be underestimated.

Jinping inbounded the ball to Yuze, who sprinted up the court. Ailun was on him, pressuring hard, but Yuze was slippery, slipping past him with a quick crossover. He spotted Kai cutting to the basket and sent a crisp pass his way.

"Kai with the ball now, and look at Andy! He's creating a distraction," Mark narrated as Andy moved to the opposite side of the court, pulling Max away from the paint. Kai took advantage of the opened space, driving hard to the basket. Yutong moved to intercept, but his foot slipped slightly, giving Kai just enough room.

Kai rose for the shot, his eyes locked on the rim. The ball left his hand in an arc and dropped through the hoop. The crowd roared, half in celebration, half in frustration.

The scoreboard updated to 7-6.

Mark Li's voice crackled with energy. "And the Shizi Dogs are on the board! Kai had a beautiful shot, and I give credit to Andy for that misdirection. This game is heating up fast!"

Fei screamed from their bench, causing Grace and some of the players to turn to her with wide eyes. She paused when she felt their gazes, raising one eyebrow in inquiry.

"What?" she asked.

Grace scratched the back of her neck. "Are you really rooting for our team?" she asked.

Fei smirked. "I am," she said. "But, can't I root for a single player from the Shizi Dogs?" she cheekily asked.

The game continued, and Kai couldn't shake off the unease in his system.

For a second, he seemed distracted, so Yuze patted his back.

"You alright?" he asked.

Kai nodded and went back to business, all while analyzing what had happened.

He knew they had capitalized on a mistake from Yutong.

However, if Yutong hadn't slipped, he wasn't sure if they would have scored so easily.

Once again, Kai's point was responded with another point from Max.

9-6.

"A machine," Kai muttered as he watched Max move through the court.

He had sensed it from the first time he watched the Yin Yang Knights play in real-time. In fact, he already knew that Max was a monster when he was able to enter the Elite Five despite being from a small city.

However, playing with them was still a different story.

The Knights were like a well-oiled machine—a team that played for each other.

Max was their star, but he was also the glue that held them together. His presence on the court made everyone around him better.

He knew that they had discussed quite a lot of strategies for the game, but with how things were going, Kai feared something.

Instead of playing with the Yin Yang Knights, they might be the ones getting played.