Confidence

Guys there is already content on patreon, if anyone wants to become a chunin or jonnin.

patreon.com/Chuga320 (More 50 chapters)

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Dell's sharp observation was on point.

In the following plays, the Bulldogs repeatedly used Butler's defensive advantage to double-team Hansbrough, which opened up several opportunities for Wayne Ellington. But overall, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, effectively reducing Hansbrough's scoring efficiency.

However, as Liam had mentioned to Stevens before the game, it was impossible to completely stop Hansbrough given the intensity of NCAA competition.

Using pick-and-roll plays with Ty Lawson, Hansbrough still managed to wreak havoc under the Bulldogs' basket. Supported by the off-ball shooting of Danny Green, Wayne Ellington, and Marcus Ginyard, the University of North Carolina's offense was relentless and showed terrifying aggression.

Liam wasn't surprised by this.

Even last year's University of Florida couldn't contain North Carolina's offense, and he never thought they would win the game solely with defense.

From the start, Liam had resolved to challenge North Carolina head-on.

But unfortunately, the game wasn't unfolding the way he expected…

"Curry holds the ball and sets up a pick-and-roll with Drew. Hansbrough stays in the paint, refusing to step out. Danny Green gets caught behind Drew, giving Curry an almost open look. Only 6 seconds remain in the first half. Curry has no choice but to launch a three-pointer... No! It was a good shot, but Curry misses again. That's his eighth missed shot! As the first half concludes, North Carolina leads Butler University by 13 points, 40:27," Jim Nantz narrated with excitement on ESPN.

Dell looked at Curry with concern.

"It seems Stephen still hasn't found his touch. He's just unlucky today. Hopefully, the halftime break will help him reset," Dell said.

On the court, as the ball bounced off the rim, the red light illuminated the scoreboard.

Curry looked at his hands and shook his head in frustration.

He had created enough space to shoot, but he just couldn't hit the mark.

At the start of the game, North Carolina tried double-teaming Curry, but he was able to keep his teammates involved by passing the ball, and the Bulldogs stayed competitive with North Carolina.

However, Roy Williams soon realized that Curry was exceptional at breaking double-teams. The Bulldogs seemed well-trained in breaking them—Drew, despite being a blue-collar center, could effectively handle four-on-three situations.

The experienced coach weighed his options and adjusted. He had Hansbrough stay inside during pick-and-rolls, preventing Curry from easily shooting from distance.

Williams remembered the start of the game when Curry missed two three-pointers and how he later chose to drive instead of shoot when faced with Hansbrough.

Roy Williams decided to take a gamble, betting that Curry couldn't hit his three-pointers today.

And he bet right.

After Hansbrough stayed in the paint, Curry attempted several more three-pointers but made just one.

Curry tried driving inside, but with Hansbrough camping out in the paint, it gave him time to react, making it difficult for Curry to finish around the basket.

By halftime, Curry had made only 2 out of 10 shots and 1 of 7 from beyond the arc, scoring just 5 points. His shooting touch seemed completely off.

With their half-court offense stalling, the Bulldogs had to rely on fast breaks for points, which wasn't a stable approach, and the gap on the scoreboard slowly widened.

"Stephen, we'll make a comeback in the second half, don't worry," Butler said as he passed by Curry, giving him a pat on the back.

"Stephen, did you see my three-pointer in the first half? Wow, I actually scored in the Elite Eight!" Julian Beko chimed in, trying to lighten the mood.

"Stephen, let's go. The fight's far from over," Liam's calm but resolute voice broke through to Curry.

Listening to the encouragement from his teammates, Curry's expression shifted. He let out a deep breath.

He stood up, and after everyone entered the tunnel, he asked the ball boy for a basketball, walking toward the locker room with the ball in hand.

Inside the Bulldogs' locker room, the atmosphere was tense. The usual light-hearted banter was gone, replaced by heavy silence.

Trailing by 13 points at halftime in such a high-stakes game, the situation looked grim for the Bulldogs.

Especially considering they were up against a powerhouse like the University of North Carolina, a team brimming with star talent. Their head coach, Roy Williams, a Hall of Famer, had vast experience and it seemed almost impossible for North Carolina to lose from such an advantageous position.

The Bulldogs had only 20 minutes left in what might be the final chapter of their March Madness run.

Click.

The door opened, and Curry walked in. Fiddling with the basketball, he mimicked shooting motions as he walked.

All eyes were on him. He smiled, fist-bumping each of his teammates, before finally exchanging a fist bump with Liam.

After the two smiled at each other, Curry returned to his seat, grabbed an energy drink, and took a sip.

Once he finished, Curry picked up the basketball again and continued simulating shots, drawing glances from his teammates.

Liam smiled and asked,

"Stephen, do you know your shooting percentage in the first half?"

"2 of 10 from the field, 1 of 7 from three, 5 points," Curry replied without hesitation.

"Really? With the way you're smiling, I thought you dropped 20," Stevens said seriously.

Curry paused but then continued his shooting motion, responding,

"Coach Stevens, that was just a fluke. I'll get my rhythm back in the second half!"

His tone was firm, filled with confidence.

"Hey boss, can you lend me your marker?" Curry suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked at Liam.

Without asking any questions, Liam pulled a marker from his pocket and handed it to him.

"Thanks."

Under the curious gazes of everyone in the room, Curry loosened his shoelaces and struggled to remove his tightly wrapped right shoe.

He placed the sneaker on his knee, uncapped the marker, and carefully wrote something on the outside of the shoe.

Once finished, he blew on the ink to dry it before putting his shoe back on with care.

As Curry wrote, Butler, sitting next to him, read aloud the words:

"I can do all things..."

Everyone in the small locker room heard Butler's voice.

Curry finished putting on his sneakers, looked up, and saw everyone watching him. He smiled and said:

"Don't worry, everyone. Ever since I lost to Foda, I've never doubted myself again."

He then looked at Liam:

"Boss, I've never forgotten what you told me when I first came for my tryout. You might not know this, but that phrase comes from Philippians 4:13 in the Bible—'I can do all things.'"

"This might be God's guidance. He brought me to you, to the Bulldogs, and now we're in the Elite Eight together… I firmly believe our journey isn't over yet. I'm going to use that phrase to push me forward, to keep us winning!"

End of this chapter

Note: Hi if you really like NBA novels, you can support me either in this pg with stones, reviews etc, or in patreon since the niche of sports and specially NBA is very small is Webnovel since people prefer to read Naruto, Pokemon, comics etc.