Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog-Chapter 433: Shizi Dogs vs. Huolan Guardians (1)

On the hardwood floor, where the two teams faced off, a surprising decision was made.

The viewers murmured as someone else decided to walk to the center of the court.

"Woah, he’s going to do the jump ball?"

"I’ve never seen him do it before!"

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"Well, there’s a first for everything."

"Is this really okay?" Lina asked. "Yuze has always been at the center."

Coach Muchen nodded. "Yes," he said. "This is much better. Yuze hasn’t fully recovered from his injury just yet."

Kai stood in the center circle, his hands on his hips, as the referee approached with the ball. Yuze gave him a firm pat on the shoulder, a subtle but significant gesture. Kai nodded, his gaze focused.

The usual center, Yuze, was watching from the side, and it felt weird for the entire team.

"This is gonna be something," Kevin breathed into the mic. "Kai’s not their center, right?"

"No," Hailey answered. "In their official positions, he is a Power Forward. Yuze has been their center for three years, I believe."

Kai and Jackson stood face to face; their eyes looked into a silent battle. Kai had never been fond of Jackson—the latter’s arrogant smirk always grated on him. Today, though, that smirk only pushed Kai harder. He knew exactly what was at stake.

The referee stepped forward, raising the ball high above their heads. Kai was still, but his focus was razor-sharp. Jackson leaned in, ready to pounce, but Kai stayed calm, waiting for the right moment.

The ball was tipped.

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Kai jumped into the air, easily surpassing Jackson. The crowd gasped in disbelief at his signature high jump.

Calvin clicked his tongue. "He’s even good as a center," he muttered. Meanwhile, Zheng watched silently by his side.

The viewers in Jilin cheered as Kai easily outjumped the taller player. It was what the latter deserved for acting so smug when the game hadn’t started yet!

Kai snatched the ball and, before Jackson could react, passed it smoothly to Yuze before landing in Andy’s hands at the perimeter.

"Andy’s got the ball!" Hailey excitedly exclaimed. "He dribbles once, twice, while the defenders are still away!"

Andy, who was still pretty nervous, squared his shoulders and launched a shot from the three-point line. The ball sailed through the air, spinning perfectly toward the hoop.

Swish!

The ball sunk in cleanly, and the crowd erupted into cheers.

3-0.

"The Dogs take the first point of the game! Or should I say, the first three points," Kevin shouted over the noise. "That’s how you start a match!"

Kai slapped Andy’s hand in a high-five, but even as the rush of scoring first washed over him, his mind was already racing. He couldn’t let the early lead make him comfortable. The Guardians weren’t a team that would crumble after just one shot.

As Kai jogged back into position, he recalled what Zheng had drilled into them before the game. The Guardians had three major weaknesses. He had shared these weaknesses with his teammates, so they were all aware of what to look out for.

Consistency.

Zheng had pointed out how the Guardians often lacked stamina. They would burst onto the court with intensity but couldn’t maintain that energy through the entire game. The Dogs had been counting on that, planning to wear them down and capitalize on their fatigue.

But now, watching the Guardians move on the court, Kai felt uneasy. They seemed to be maintaining their pace quite well. They didn’t have these outbursts of energy that Kai was used to seeing. Instead, it was constant.

Every time Renren made a play, Henry or Jade was right there, covering the ground like it was nothing. Henry’s defense was tight, Jade was everywhere at once, and even Jackson, who was usually smug, was working as hard as everyone else.

9-15.

However, that wasn’t their only weakness.

Coordination.

The Guardians, in the past, had struggled to work as a cohesive unit. Fang Liu had always been their centerpiece, with the rest of the team orbiting around him. The Dogs had planned to exploit that lack of coordination—force the Guardians into a scramble, and they’d trip over themselves.

But that wasn’t happening either.

Fang wasn’t the sole focus anymore. Instead of carrying the team on his back, he was distributing the ball, trusting his teammates more than ever. Jackson, Jade, and Henry were moving like they were one body, perfectly in sync with each other.

Yuze tried to drive to the basket, but Jackson cut him off effortlessly. He passed to Renren, but Jade was there in a flash, stealing the ball and sending it downcourt for a fast break.

14-21.

The final weakness Zheng had highlighted was Fang Liu himself. He’d been the Guardians’ star player for as long as anyone could remember, but that had also been their downfall. His teammates had relied on him too much, to the point where their strategy had been one-dimensional.

Stop Fang, and you stopped the Guardians.

But this was different.

Kai watched as Fang received the ball at the top of the key. In previous games, Fang would have taken the shot without a second thought, knowing his team expected him to make the play. But now, instead of forcing a difficult three, Fang scanned the court. His eyes flicked to Henry, who was fighting for position in the paint. Without a moment’s hesitation, Fang passed the ball to him.

Henry caught it, powered through Jinping’s defense, and laid it in for two points.

19-27.

Andy glanced at his teammates, and at that moment, they felt like they were damned.

The Guardians had addressed the flaws the Dogs had planned to exploit. Their consistency was rock solid, their coordination was tighter than ever, and Fang Liu wasn’t the one-man army he used to be. He was still a star, but now, he was letting his team shine too.

Kai glanced over at Jackson, who had that familiar smug grin back on his face.

Kai’s expression hardened.

"Their weaknesses," he muttered.

"They’re all gone."