Chapter 9 - Teaming Up #9

Kobbie found himself in the situation he had anticipated, so he had a solution ready for their double team. He set up for a jump shot, raising his hands, but at that moment, Hao jumped to block it. Hao, however, fell for the oldest trick in the book a pump fake. But just as Kobbie prepared to reset his shooting form, he suddenly realized the ball was no longer in his hands. In the split second when Hao fell for the fake, Ace had managed to swipe the ball from Kobbie's grasp. Before Kobbie could react, Hao was already at the left corner, poised at the three-point line, after receiving a pass from Ace. Kobbie sprinted as fast as he could to contest the shot, but by the time he leaped, the ball was already on its way to the basket. All Kobbie heard was the satisfying "swish" as the ball passed through the net.

Daniel and Sam were left speechless when Kobbie lost the ball. They hadn't expected Ace to successfully strip it from him, leaving them in shock.

Hao, with a slight grin, said: "See, Ace? Our plan worked. They're ours now."

Alvaro, overhearing this, shot a confused look at Hao. Meanwhile, Kobbie approached Alvaro, admitting.

Kobbie: "My bad. I didn't think that shrimp was capable of knocking the ball out of my hands. Though, if this were an official game and not streetball, it would've been called a foul since the guy hit more of my arm than the ball."

Alvaro remained calm, replying: "Don't worry about it. Just because they made one shot doesn't mean much. They caught you off guard. Let's take the ball back and finish this quickly."

Kobbie nodded, suggesting: "Listen, we're going to double-team the tall guy now. Even if the shrimp gets the ball, he won't score anything. I feel a bit sorry for the tall guy; he's technically playing a two-on-one game right now."

Alvaro agreed: "Deal."

Scoreboard

Alvaro & Kobbie 6:2 Hao & Ace

Hao took the ball and positioned himself at the three-point line, noticing both Kobbie and Alvaro in front of him. He hadn't anticipated them using the same tactic, so he didn't have a solid plan. The only idea that came to mind was to surprise them by attempting another three-pointer. Hao decided to go for it, jumping and preparing to release the ball. However, Kobbie managed to contest the shot, arriving just a moment too late to completely block it but enough to disrupt Hao's form. The ball hit the backboard and bounced off. Ace jumped for the rebound, but Alvaro, coming in from behind, snatched the ball mid-air. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Alvaro immediately jumped again, dunking the ball with authority. After the dunk, Alvaro made a "too small" gesture towards Ace and passed the ball to Kobbie, who was waiting at the three-point line.

As they returned to their positions, Hao found himself guarding Kobbie again. Kobbie expected them to try the same double-team tactic because he had a simple solution this time. He began dribbling, mixing between-the-legs and behind-the-back moves to confuse Hao while changing the dribble's rhythm. At one point, he shifted his body toward the left, implying he would drive that way. Hao reacted and moved left, but Kobbie quickly crossed over to the right, leaving Hao behind and giving Kobbie a clear path to the basket. He easily laid the ball in. As he returned to the three-point line with the ball in hand, he taunted Hao.

Kobbie said: "The same trick never works twice."

Hao called Ace over and told him they needed to change tactics.

Hao suggested: "This time, you guard Kobbie while I take Alvaro. I have a hunch that Kobbie might pass to Alvaro since I think Alvaro is getting annoyed that Kobbie is scoring all the points. He'll probably ask for the ball on the next play."

As Hao was explaining his theory, Alvaro signaled to Kobbie with two fingers, indicating their next play. This signal was their code for an alley-oop. Kobbie noticed and nodded in agreement.

Kobbie stood ready at the three-point line, with Ace in front of him again. He was surprised but didn't want to deviate from the plan, knowing how much Alvaro enjoyed being the center of attention. Kobbie immediately drove to the right, knowing he was faster than Ace, which proved to be true. As Kobbie approached the basket, he lobbed the ball towards Alvaro, who was waiting on the left side. However, he wasn't expecting Hao to be in his way. With no other option, Alvaro decided to shoot. Meanwhile, Kobbie was left wide open at the three-point line, but it was too late; Alvaro didn't notice. Alvaro's shot hit the backboard and bounced straight into Ace's hands, who was positioned a few steps away from the basket.

This brings us back to the conversation Hao and Ace had before this play.

Hao had advised: "Just stay under the basket. Kobbie probably won't guard you because when he sees I'm on Alvaro, he'll likely run to an open spot at the three-point line. But judging by Alvaro's behavior, he'll still take the shot. As I mentioned, his technique isn't great, so he'll likely miss. Just be there under the basket, and when you get the ball, grab it with both hands and shoot it underhand."

Ace asked: "Do you really think I'll make it?"

Hao reassured him: "It doesn't matter if you score or not. Just aim for the square on the backboard. If the ball doesn't go in, it will bounce off the board, giving me enough time to get there, grab the rebound, and lay it in. This plan will work, whether or not you score. We're a team; my points are your points."

Returning to the present, Ace caught the ball with both hands and shot it underhanded, aiming for the square on the backboard. The ball hit the backboard precisely as planned, but its trajectory didn't lead it directly into the hoop. Instead, it bounced off the rim.