Chapter 40: Yoshido's Backup Plan

Jung Ho took the ball and passed it to Ming You from the perimeter. He ran to the center of the court, where Pak Jun Su stood in his way:

"You won't get far."

"Neither will you," replied Ming You, passing the ball to Haru Lin, who ran to the three-point line.

Surprisingly, the defender gave him some space, which made Haru Lin slightly puzzled. He tried to maintain a perfect pace, dribbling the ball moderately on the court.

Haru Lin decided to try to get past the defender, and just when it seemed like he was about to lose the ball, he made a sharp pass to Hong Ren, who was facing Han Zhou.

Hong Ren tried to press the defender at a moderate pace, and seeing an opportunity to pass to Lu Shen, he prepared to make the pass.

A strike.

"Fuck it!" Han Zhou knocked the ball out of Hong Ren's hands, dribbled it a couple of times, and passed it to Lee Hyun Jung, who was running to the corner of the three-point line.

Lu Shen immediately ran up to him, pretending to try to steal the ball.

Lee Hyun Jung took the ball in both hands and prepared to shoot, while Lu Shen jumped, ready to block the shot.

"Heh-heh," Lee Hyun Jung chuckled, preparing to pass to the open Han Zhou.

"Fuck!" Lu Shen cursed mentally, but when the ball was already flying towards Han Zhou, he smiled.

"Huh?" Han Zhou was confused.

Ming You intercepted the ball and sprinted towards the hoop.

"Stop him!" Han Zhou shouted.

Shoguro's defense was spread out across the corners of the court, giving Ming You the perfect space.

"Take them down, Ming You!" Lu Shen cheered, glancing at the timer.

There were fifteen seconds left in the first quarter. The defense couldn't react in time, and Ming You scored from under the hoop.

Whistle: Shoguro's ball.

"Faster! We have ten seconds! We need to score!" Han Zhou encouraged everyone, but Ming You stood in his way.

"Not so fast," Ming You prepared to steal the ball, but Han Zhou quickly reacted and passed to Pak Jun Su.

Interception!

Hong Ren took the ball and made a sharp pass to Jung Ho.

"He won't make it," Han Zhou smirked, but still ran towards him.

Jung Ho also knew he wouldn't make it, so he shot from the three-point line.

Whistle!

The ball flew in a curved trajectory, bouncing off the rim.

Both teams headed to their benches. On Yoshido's bench, Ming You started giving instructions:

"They know that we know."

"What are you talking about?" Lu Shen asked, puzzled.

The team was also confused, but Ming You just smirked:

"They're aware that we know about their corner strategy."

Jung Ho was full of surprise:

"Are you saying they're one step ahead?"

"I'd believe anything, but not that Ming You could be outsmarted," Lu Shen moved closer to him.

Ming You continued explaining his plan:

"They think they're one step ahead, but I'm sure their next plan will still be based on the corners. We just need to adapt to it, but don't break the 'cobweb.'"

The team was inspired, but Haru Lin decided to clarify:

"I don't want to sound dumb, but how exactly will their corner strategy work?"

"Yes, and how did you figure that out?" added Lu Shen. Ming You confidently replied:

"Even though it's a simple guess, based on how their corner setup in the first quarter was aimed at studying all of us, in the next rounds, this setup will work perfectly. As for their corner strategy, they'll use it for quick passes or quick shots. In other words, if any of us intercepts the ball, it will definitely go out of bounds, making the interception useless. Based on this, they'll confidently score, and we won't be able to do anything about it." Ming You also analyzed the team's subsequent actions in his mind: "I'm sure Suk Chhon explained to them that I know about his 'corner strategy,' so it's no surprise they might have an alternative tactic. But I know for sure their tactic will be based on the corners, as it's a foolproof option given their physical parameters."

Jung Ho was still wary:

"Okay, even if we know their plan, what will we do?"

Ming You leaned his head back against the bench:

"It's simple. First plan: don't let them get to the corners and keep the initiative. Second plan: if they do get to the corners, just keep your distance, which will greatly increase the chance of blocking a shot, stealing the ball, or intercepting a pass. And the backup plan: if the second plan doesn't work, we'll use double coverage, so we can definitely intercept the ball."

"Great, let's take them down!" Haru Lin cheered, and the team was fully motivated.

Whistle: the start of the second quarter.

Han Zhou had the ball. He dribbled it, waiting for his teammates to position themselves in the corners.

But as the players were about to position themselves in the corners, the defenders immediately ran up to them and started pressing.

Jung Ho stood against Han Zhou. They were roughly equal in physical parameters, but Han Zhou with the ball in his hands was more agile and was about to get past the defense.

Jung Ho deliberately took a step back, as he was already expecting additional defense. Ming You, meanwhile, moved past Pak Jun Su's line of sight, and just as Han Zhou was about to get past Jung Ho, he suddenly saw Ming You's predatory gaze and his outstretched hand, ready to steal the ball.

"Screw you, not the ball!" Han Zhou was about to switch the ball to his left hand, confident that Ming You had miscalculated and had left Pak Jun Su for nothing.

"I wasn't planning to steal it, heh-heh," Ming You quickly shifted his gaze to Jung Ho, his hand barely touching the ball, and it was knocked towards Ming You.

"Huh?" The entire opposing team was surprised as they watched Ming You pick up the ball with one hand and head towards the hoop.

Pak Jun Su stood in his way and abruptly stopped him. He thought he could steal the ball, but Ming You dribbled behind his back, switched the ball to his other hand, and made a sharp pass over the defender's ear to Jung Ho, who was running towards the three-second zone.

"What?" The defender was surprised as Jung Ho caught the ball and prepared to shoot.

Han Zhou ran towards him, almost managing to defend against him, but Ming You set a quick screen. He hoped Han Zhou wouldn't notice him to draw a foul, but Han Zhou was surprisingly attentive.

He had no choice but to hope for help. But none of the opponents managed to defend in time, and Jung Ho scored from under the hoop.

"You're the best, Jung Ho!" Lu Shen cheered, and Haru Lin, running next to him, added:

"Definitely better than you. You should learn to hold onto the ball as tightly as you hold onto your dick."

"I'll tear them apart like a hymen!" Lu Shen was full of confidence in victory.

Meanwhile, Han Zhou had already taken the ball in both hands and passed it to Pak Jun Su. He ran along the sideline, dribbling the ball quickly.

Ming You stood against him and was already preparing to steal the ball.

"Now!" Ming You said to himself and quickly extended his hand to steal the ball.

But Pak Jun Su abruptly lowered his hand, and Ming You hit his arm, causing the ball to bounce away. The referee saw this and blew the whistle:

"Foul! Player 44, Yoshido team."

Jung Ho, Lu Shen, Haru Lin, and Hong Ren turned their gazes towards him and were surprised one by one:

"What?"

"Foul? What the fuck?"

"A foul, and from Ming You?"

"Is this part of the plan?"

Among all the players, only Ming You remained calm. Even more, a slight smirk appeared on his face:

"Not that I planned anything, but this out-of-bounds situation should disrupt their corner setup, though I was hoping for a stolen ball. But this situation works in my favor too."

But according to the rules, the referee gave the ball to Pak Jun Su, who stepped back to the out-of-bounds line. All the players and spectators were waiting for the game to continue.

Whistle!

Lu Shen and Haru Lin rushed to the nearest opponents near Pak Jun Su, but he threw the ball to Han Zhou, who was standing further away.

But just as Han Zhou was about to receive the ball, Ming You tried to intercept it.

"Don't even dream about it!" he shouted after him, but Ming You still couldn't make the interception.

"I don't need the ball right now," he said with a smile, redirecting the ball with his fingertips to Jung Ho.

Jung Ho was ready to receive the ball and extended his hands.

Interception!

The ball was in Pak Jun Su's hands, and after the interception, he smirked and said to everyone:

"Such a slow pass, even a child could intercept it."

He quickly ran towards the hoop. Pak Jun Su moved along the sideline, but Ming You started running ahead of him, so he quickly cut him off.

Pak Jun Su just smirked and started pressing him.

"Seems like I miscalculated the physical parameters... I'll have to maintain the advantage using other methods," Ming You thought to himself as Pak Jun Su pushed him back with his press.

But Ming You decided to maneuver and try to knock the ball out of his hands. Pak Jun Su was on guard and made a sharp pass to Han Zhou, who ran to the corner of the free-throw line.

He caught the ball, and Jung Ho stood against him, but Han Zhou started pressing him.

"Heavy guy," Jung Ho thought to himself, trying to maintain the initiative.

But Han Zhou just smirked, grabbed the ball with both hands, and took a quick step back.

"Shot!" Jung Ho realized and jumped high, trying to block the shot.

"Heh-heh," Han Zhou chuckled, as it was a fake move.

He took another step back and jumped, throwing the ball with a perfect trajectory.

"A fake?!" Jung Ho landed and quickly turned his head towards his own hoop.

Score!

"Fuck!" Lu Shen cursed, looking at the scoreboard.

Whistle: halftime after the second quarter.

On Shoguro's bench, the atmosphere was tense. Their coach was the first to speak:

"They managed to find a counter to Suk Chhon's tactic, which is quite dangerous for us. But thank goodness their physical parameters are quite low."

"Coach, don't forget that besides our physical superiority, we're not lagging behind them in strategy. Even if they have a counter against us, it doesn't mean we can't come up with something better."

"Han Zhou, that number 44 is quite cunning, but he doesn't have the strength to beat us, so I suggest we rely on our physical superiority," Pak Jun Su said, though he was still quite alert.

Han Zhou took a sip of water and then started sharing his plan:

"They're really smart, especially that number 44, so we'll use his obvious weakness: physical strength. He may be fast and agile, but with his physical parameters, his stamina must be limited. We'll continue with the 'corner strategy,' but I'll tweak it a bit."

The coach was slightly wary:

"What exactly are you planning? I don't think Suk Chhon's plans can have any flaws."

"It's fine, coach, I'm not planning to completely change the tactic, I'll just adapt it against number 44. To be specific, we'll use enhanced pressing on the players. I think you all saw that our pressure in the game completely overwhelms them. We'll also keep a closer distance so they can't slip away from us and cleverly intercept the ball."

Lee Hyun Jung, like the others, was intrigued:

"Sounds interesting, and most importantly, easy to implement, so let's beat them!"

He stood up from the bench, and the rest of the players, including the substitutes, followed suit. They gathered in a circle and shouted enthusiastically:

"Let's go, Shoguro!"

A few minutes earlier, on Yoshido's bench. Ming You leaned his head back against the bench and emotionlessly said to everyone:

"Nothing new, just follow the plans I discussed after the first quarter."

"Hey, Lu Shen definitely needs a reminder, or he'll mess up again," Haru Lin wrapped his arm around Lu Shen's neck and pulled him slightly towards himself, to which Lu Shen quickly broke free and said with a hint of indignation:

"Ugh, you're sweaty! And I didn't forget anything! And by the way, Ming, why are you sitting so strangely with your head tilted back?"

Ming You turned his gaze towards him and impassively replied:

"This way more blood flows to the brain, so I think faster. Plus, I'm just recovering my strength this way."

"Damn, so if I tilt my head back like that, I'll become as smart as Ming?" Lu Shen imitated him and decided to tilt his head back against the bench, to which Haru Lin immediately teased him:

"In your case, it doesn't work like that. For that, you need to not be mentally challenged."

"Hey, you're the one who's mentally challenged!" he said with feigned offense, lifting his head.

Haru Lin wanted to tease him again, but Jung Ho decided to intervene:

"Let's focus on the game. Ming You, no adjustments to the plan? It just seems to me that they might come up with something themselves."

Ming You confidently raised his head and with a hint of coolness replied:

"I was hoping you could adapt to the situation on your own, but I'll say this: they'll rely on their physical parameters, as they press quite well, so be ready for that and don't take unnecessary risks."

The whole team changed their cheerful mood to seriousness, and they all confidently stood up from the bench. Jung Ho raised his fist and said to everyone:

"Let's crush them!"

"Yeah!" Haru Lin supported, and the team was even more confident.

Just as both teams stood up from the bench, twenty seconds later, the whistle blew for the start of the third quarter.

Ming You took the ball and made a sharp pass to Jung Ho. Lee Hyun Jung quickly stood against him and tried to press him, even though Jung Ho was slightly taller.

"The chance to get past him is quite low, but I can't make a pass either, as it might contradict Ming You's plans..." Jung Ho thought, quickly glancing at Ming You.

He, in turn, pointed his gaze towards the hoop, to which Jung Ho took the ball in both hands and got into a shooting stance. But Han Zhou was already preparing to jump, though he thought it was a fake, so he tried to knock the ball from below.

"Did you really think you could fool me, heh-heh."

"Damn it!" Jung Ho fumbled the ball, and Han Zhou was about to take it when Ming You appeared, redirecting the ball with his fingertips to Haru Lin.

Meanwhile, Jung Ho ran to cover Pak Jun Su, who was standing against his captain.

"Crap!" Han Zhou cursed, as his palm was about to hit Ming You's face.

Ming You already had a sly smirk, but Han Zhou reacted quickly and took a sharp step back, saying with a smirk:

"I didn't think you were this cunning, number 44."

Ming You widened his smirk, and Haru Lin, meanwhile, had already caught the ball and quickly broke through to the free-throw line. But Lee Hyun Jung quickly cut off his path to a shot or pass, confidently saying:

"Whatever you do, the ball will be mine!"

"We'll see about that," Haru Lin replied, jumping with the ball in his hands, ready to shoot.

"I'm telling you, the ball is mine!" Lee Hyun Jung was already preparing to block the shot, but Haru Lin actually passed the ball to Hong Ren, who was ready to shoot near the free-throw line.

But one of the defenders started running towards him to block the shot. However, Lu Shen set a screen in his path:

"Not so fast!"

The defender managed to brake in time, but Hong Ren had already taken the shot. The ball described a perfect arc and went into the hoop.