What? The trainer is warming up.

Chapter 42 Defending Home Ground Glory!

In the blink of an eye, four minutes of the fourth quarter had passed.

The Energy team is still in the lead, by 7 points!

In those few minutes, Qin Yu scored 4 points, and Smith regained his form and scored 4 points as well. However, the team's overall coordination was poor, and the others were not scoring, so they fell behind and the point difference widened.

"Change players."

Coach McKinnon remained calm and composed, having anticipated this result. The point difference wasn't significant, and he was already satisfied.

In this substitution, Qin Yu, Ambrose, and Karl were all replaced, while Smith remained on the court, partnering with Taylor and Barrett.

"Hehe, looks like my performance has won over the coach." Smith looked at Qin Yu with a smug look. "See? You got substituted, while I'm still on the field."

Qin Yu curled his lip in disdain, too lazy to argue with an idiot. What do you think the coach wanted to do by substituting me at this time?

"Qin," Coach McKinnon called to Qin Yu, "You rest for three minutes, then substitute Smith. I want you to play the last few minutes, okay?"

"No problem," Qin Yu replied decisively.

Coach McKinnon's idea was to let Smith stay on the court for another three minutes while he was still in good form, and then bring Qin Yu on in the last five minutes.

He didn't get to wait; he wanted to switch players after only a minute or so.

Smith got a little carried away and started taking matters into his own hands again. But now the Energy team was gradually bringing on their starters, and he wasn't facing the opposing team's substitutes, but rather the defensive stalwart Trepagner. He had seen Qin Yu play quite easily against Trepagner before, and thought he could do it too, but he ended up getting shut down by Trepagner twice in a row.

He missed one shot and had the ball stolen from his opponent's hand.

The Energy capitalized on both possessions, drawing a foul on Barrett and making one of two free throws for Stinson; and then stealing the ball and scoring two points on a fast break, widening the gap to 10 points in the blink of an eye.

"Fuck!" Coach McKinnon finally couldn't hold back and cursed, then called a timeout. Without even glancing at Smith, he said, "We're making substitutions later. Smith off, Qin on."

Smith looked aggrieved and turned to look at Ambrose, only to see Ambrose smiling. His face darkened immediately, and he cursed, "Fuck you."

"Who are you insulting?" Ambrose was gloating when he was suddenly insulted, and he immediately got angry and glared at Smith.

"I insulted...I didn't insult you," Smith stammered.

"Idiot!"

These two guys were lucky; they weren't tough enough. If they had actually started fighting, Coach McKinnon would have kept them on the bench forever.

Coach McKinnon spread out his whiteboard and gave instructions: "There are only six minutes left, and we're still down by 10 points. The situation is dire, but we still have a chance. First, we need to focus on defense. Switching and help defense need to be quick. They like to run pick-and-rolls, and when they create mismatches, they target Barrett. You guys need to help him on defense..."

"On offense, we need to play more aggressively."

As he spoke, he drew two tactics, both for Qin Yu: "Play like this. Qin, you need to seize the opportunity as much as possible. As long as you can make the shot, the offensive space will open up."

Qin Yu agreed.

No one else had any objections. It wasn't that the coach favored Qin Yu, but rather that Qin Yu's outside shooting was too important for creating offensive space.

Only when he hits a shot can Taylor avoid being double-teamed. If Taylor performs well, others will get more opportunities. This is not just about one person, but about the system!

At this moment, the players couldn't help but marvel at how Qin Yu had changed the team's offensive system in just two days.

What they didn't know was that this offensive system had been in Coach McKinnon's mind for a long time, but they hadn't found a "perfect piece" like Qin Yu.

......

The timeout has ended, and the game has resumed.

The Pentium team was on offense. Barrett dribbled the ball up the court, made a gesture, first set a screen to break through, and then passed the ball out to Taylor.

When Taylor attracted the defense with the ball, he did not choose to shoot himself, but continued to break through and pass the ball to Qin Yu.

"Another tactic for number 7!"

Several players from the Energy Team raised their eyebrows in unison, not at all surprised. They had already been mentally prepared when they saw Qin Yu being substituted on.

In an instant, Baron also rushed out, in addition to Carroll.

A defender and a center, one in front and one behind, completely blocked all of Qin Yu's possible space to move.

However... Qin Yu passed the ball!

A bounce pass, at a tricky angle, passed through Carroll and Baron, and landed in Dabert's hands under the basket. Dabert chuckled, faced with an open basket, and pulled up for a powerful dunk!

Bang!

The basketball hoop was shaking, and the stands were cheering.

Dabert turned around excitedly, gave Qin Yu a high-five, and laughed, "Why didn't you shoot yourself? But that was a really nice pass."

Qin Yu smiled and said, "Your chances are better."

This was indeed a tactic intended for Qin Yu, who was the final finisher, but the opponent had clearly figured it out. So he immediately changed his strategy and chose to pass the ball.

Several players from the Energy Team were somewhat surprised, but in their view, this defense wasn't a complete failure—at least they didn't allow Qin Yu to make another three-pointer!

But before they could even celebrate, their worst fears came true.

One minute later, Qin Yu made a reverse run, using his speed to shake off Carroll, and received the ball at the right 45-degree angle outside the three-point line, and immediately took a shot.

"Whoosh!"

Goal!

In an instant, the audience erupted in cheers.

From the moment Qin Yu returned to the court, they had been waiting and hoping that he would score again, and they finally got their wish.

"Qin Yu, Qin Yu..."

The home fans began chanting Qin Yu's name in unison, the entire arena echoing with the same sound. The announcer excitedly shouted, "That was an incredibly beautiful three-pointer! The difference is now only 7 points. And... Qin Yu has already scored 32 points!"

32 points!

This number is what makes people cheer.

Unbeknownst to many, Qin Yu's personal score had already reached 30+ points. Keep in mind that he is still a rookie, and this was his debut game, yet he still managed to score 30+ points.

This is insane!

"Requesting a pause!"

The Energy team's head coach even called a timeout.

Several players came off the field, and he frowned as he once again emphasized the importance of defending against Qin Yu.

Carroll hesitated, wanting to say, "How about we double-team him?" But then he thought that if he double-teamed such a rookie, no matter the outcome, his team would be ridiculed. The coach couldn't afford to lose face, and neither could the team.

"32 points, that's insane!" Carroll looked at Qin Yu, his heart filled with shock.

This is exactly how he dreams!

This is top-tier 3D!

......

A group of teammates surrounded Qin Yu, celebrating excitedly and cheering for him.

Coach McKinnon didn't rush them, only calling to the team when the time was almost up. He didn't give any tactical instructions, just encouraged them: "So what if we're first in the Eastern Conference? There are only seven points left! Win this game! Defend our home court!"

"Win the game!"

"Defend home turf!"

Immediately, everyone shouted in unison, their morale soaring!