Chapter 147: Carter Takes Off

Halfway through the first quarter, the official timeout was called.

The Nets were trailing by 4 points, 15 to 19.

Scoring 15 points in half a quarter exceeded their usual offensive standard, yet it still wasn't enough to secure the lead. This was a rather ominous sign.

After all, a shooting hand that exceeded normal capacity couldn't possibly be maintained for an entire game.

"Our interior defense needs to pick up the pace a bit."

Kidd offered Frank a suggestion.

Currently, their frontline consisted of two lumbering giants, Krstić and Collins. A double-tall combination was practically useless; Kaman was merely the Clippers' fifth offensive option, and Cassell's role in the offense carried more weight than his.

Stationed in the paint, the two of them essentially defended nothing.

Compared to guarding Kaman, they needed much faster help-and-recovery speed.

"Put in Scott, Krstić can rest."

Frank agreed with Kidd's assessment and substituted in Scott Padgett, an utterly unremarkable end-of-the-rotation player.

"We had better switch to a hybrid defense."

After making the substitution, Frank paused once more, leaving Kidd to continue advising.

Following the advice naturally, Frank arranged: "Carter, from now on you are responsible for locking down Xing; everyone else play zone defense..."

This was a variation of the zone defense, also known as a box-and-one.

Deploying a defensive specialist to lock down the opponent's core player, while the other four played a 2-2 zone.

This kind of hybrid defense was suited for dealing with teams that possessed a perimeter superstar. As for the Clippers' perimeter, only Xing Xinghui's three-point threat was relatively significant; the others could be left open for the shot while prioritizing the drive.

The box-and-one had its advantages, but it also had drawbacks. However, the Nets had no choice; their roster wasn't deep enough to allow them to lock down all of the Clippers' players simultaneously.

A box-and-one was easier to execute than pure man-to-man defense, provided the team had a defensive specialist.

Frank handed this assignment to Carter, causing Carter to curse up a storm internally.

He was the team's leading scorer, after all! Was the dirty work of guarding the opponent's primary weapon supposed to fall on him?

He hadn't been required to shoulder such a burden back in Toronto, where Christie helped him out, allowing him to conserve his energy and run wild on the offensive end.

And now, he was expected to wear every hat.

Yet he couldn't admit he wasn't up to the task; after all, he was the one who had transferred over from Toronto and needed to take on more responsibility to prove his worth.

Unlike Xing Xinghui, who was homegrown and treated with boundless indulgence by the Clippers' fans. A poor defensive performance didn't matter; he could take his time improving.

The commercial break ended, and the game resumed.

Barely two possessions in, Xing Xinghui noticed the change in the opponent's defensive scheme.

After all, basketball tactics might sound numerous, but they essentially boiled down to various subdivisions of a few major categories.

Having played in the NBA for some time now, he had grown basically familiar with those schemes.

However, seeing through the opponent's tactics didn't necessarily mean one could easily break them.

Xing Xinghui knew the simplest way to crack a box-and-one was to completely obliterate the opponent's defensive stopper.

However, that was exceedingly difficult.

Without using special items, Xing Xinghui's raw ability might not even surpass Carter's, let alone talk about blowing past him.

Xing Xinghui matched up against Carter for three possessions, going 1 of 3 with mediocre efficiency.

Subsequently, Cassell passed the ball to Brand, hoping Brand could exert some pressure on the opponent down low.

This tactic proved very effective. With Krstić on the bench, the newly inserted Scott was even less of a match for Brand.

Brand backed his way in for two successful baskets, causing Frank to scratch his head on the sidelines once again.

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 28 to 33, with the Nets still trailing by 5 points.

When the second quarter rolled around, both teams deployed their second units, and the Nets found themselves struggling even more.

Their bench rotation didn't feature a single competent player. By contrast, the Clippers boasted Mobley, who was actively contending for the Sixth Man of the Year award, alongside the promising young prospect Livingston.

The backcourt duo of the two completely battered the Nets' bench players into submission.

Helpless, Frank had no choice but to bring Kidd back in early to steady the ship.

Not long after, the Clippers' starters returned to the floor one after another.

With Livingston, Mobley, and Xing Xinghui on the court simultaneously while Kaman rested, they formed a small-ball three-guard lineup that executed the fast break with devastating sharpness.

The Nets' players were forced into a relentless footrace that left them half-dead with exhaustion.

Of course, such a lineup for the Clippers also had its flaws.

The interior was glaringly empty, to the point where Xing Xinghui was forced to drop back and help defend the paint.

Seeing Xing Xinghui retreat into the low post, Carter instantly lit up with excitement.

Kidd grasped the situation in a split second, firing a pass to Carter while setting a screen to hold off Quinton Ross.

Instantly, Carter gathered the ball, drove directly at Xing Xinghui, and took flight from quite a distance away from the rim.

This put Xing Xinghui in a tough spot in the paint. Stepping aside would ruin his reputation and look thoroughly humiliating.

Standing his ground to contest, however, risked turning him into a poster child for a highlight reel.

Without enough time to overthink in that split second, Xing Xinghui could only plant his feet and brace for the defense.

Immediately afterward, Carter collided with him, slamming the ball through the hoop right over him to barely complete a poster dunk.

It was fortunate that Carter had launched himself a bit early; had he driven even closer, he probably would have flown completely over Xing Xinghui's head.

Having completed the dunk, Carter let out a furious roar.

Throughout the earlier stretches of the game, he had played under immense pressure and frustration, and his emotions finally found an outlet.

The Nets players rushed toward Carter en masse, chest-bumping in celebration.

Trailing in the game, they had been bottling up quite a bit of tension themselves.

A dunk that humiliated the opponent's star player served as an immense morale booster.

"Shit, it's just a dunk," Xing Xinghui muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, just a dunk, so why haven't we seen you throw one down?"

Kidd chimed in with a sarcastic taunt from the side.

"Originally... whatever. Since you're so eager to see it, I'll just go dunk one. Big deal."

Xing Xinghui replied.

Originally, he had intended to simply secure a routine win and call it a day, but since he had been provoked, he didn't mind spending a hundred points of anger to return the favor.

"Heh."

Kidd let out a scornful, derisive chuckle.

Posterizing someone wasn't nearly that easy to pull off, especially now that they were on high alert.

As the game resumed, Xing Xinghui called over to his opponents, "If I dunk back on you guys in a moment, you better all come over and celebrate."

"Don't you usually like to celebrate alone? How'd you change your taste?"

Cassell asked.

"You'll see when the time comes."

Without offering a detailed explanation, Xing Xinghui sprinted toward the frontcourt.

Just as Kidd's cynical laugh implied, intentionally trying to posterize an opponent was no simple feat.

At least for the final two minutes of the first half, Xing Xinghui failed to find an opening.

At the end of the first half, the score stood at 54 to 62, with the Clippers holding an 8-point lead.

Yet, Xing Xinghui couldn't bring himself to feel happy.

He needed to return the favor with a dunk of his own for this game to feel complete; merely winning wasn't enough, otherwise, the online haters would undoubtedly use his being posterized to mock him after the match.

Forget after the match—over at TNT, Barkley was already mocking him, refusing to even wait for the final buzzer.

"Now he knows he messed up, daring to contest Carter's dunk head-on. Making everyone else his backdrop every single day, and finally, he gets to be the backdrop himself..."

Barkley gloated smugly.