God's hand behind the scenes

Chapter 122 Transformation or Perdition
It is reasonable to say that an offense is not successful, but the blow to Colorado State is obvious.Before, they could lie to themselves that this tactic is very effective, and maybe they can counterattack Duke to advance to the next round...but now they have to wake up and see this cruel fact with their own eyes.

Switching to any of the top scoring stars in NBA history may be able to help the team win games with continuous ball-handling singles, but Palesio can't.Although he has received so much special training and has greatly improved his personal abilities, in the final analysis he is still not strong enough to lead the team to victory on his own.

In fact, Chang Wei can save the team. For example, just like using Dantley's player talent card for Battier, he can exchange a talent card for Palessio in the Miracle Mall.But first, this can only be done before the game, and he did not expect that Duke would force Colorado State to continue to play singles with the ball. Second, Palessio's talent is much lower than that of Battier. It is undoubtedly difficult for players who can match and have strong scoring ability to reach the sky.

So now Chang Wei can only watch Palesio take shots outside the three-point line again and again. The number of times the basketball hits the hoop is obviously much more than the number of times it is hollowed into the hoop.He could clearly see that Palesio's lips were tightly pursed, and his eyes gleamed with anger and unwillingness, as if he was competing with himself.

Chang Wei's guess is not wrong. Now Palesio just wants to prove himself, and this is also his responsibility as the team captain and top scorer.There are quite a few Colorado State players who can shoot three-pointers, but not many shoot more than 37%, let alone 41.2% like Palesio, so when the team needs three-pointers, Palessio is duty-bound. The reason why he shoots wildly from the perimeter is because he doesn't want to disappoint his teammates.

The more you can't make a shot, the more you have to make a shot. This is a very dangerous mentality, but it is very common on the basketball court.Any player with confidence in himself or a lofty sense of responsibility can fall into such a cycle, and now it's Palessio's turn.If it weren't for other people's occasional mid-range jumpers and second offenses at the basket, the point difference would have been stretched to more than 20 points. Even so, the situation at Colorado State is very bad.

Twelve minutes passed in the first half soon, and it was time for McKay to rotate players regularly.Taking advantage of a dead ball, he replaced McCance, Palessio and Ford, who were also the players who consumed the most energy during this period.Although Duke did not replace the substitutes, McKay gritted his teeth and removed the three starters out of overall consideration for the game. However, once he collapsed with less than 12 minutes left, his substitution will be the biggest failure.

When he walked back to the bench, Palessio didn't high-five his teammates or the coaches. He just silently took the towel handed to him by the staff, covered his head completely, sat down on the chair, and even exercised. Drinks are set aside.Everyone knew why he was so depressed, and they tactfully left him alone.

As the team's part-time psychiatrist, Chang Wei was supposed to comfort Palesio, but he didn't.In his opinion, the outcome of a game is far less important than a player's career. Palesio's inner demons need to be resolved by himself. If he crosses this hurdle, at his current level, he will definitely It will not be as unknown as in the previous life.

Old K still had a bit of integrity, half a minute later he also replaced himself as a substitute.However, he also had to make substitutions. After all, Colorado State players have to take a rest, and Duke players can't last too long, and he has sufficient confidence in his team. There is still a lot of time in the second half. End this game.

It is precisely because of this that Colorado State was not beaten, and thanks to Svensey's shooting and Patrick's steal, they also narrowed the point difference to 13 points and ended the first half 40-53.For Colorado State University this season, it is undoubtedly a shame to only score 40 points in the half, but as long as experts and fans who have seen this game will understand their sluggish offense, after all, Duke's defense is really good up.

During the intermission, Palessio still didn't say a word in the locker room, and even the atmosphere in the room was a little strange.McKay also felt it. He strode to the middle of the locker room, clapped his hands vigorously, and said loudly: "Everyone performed well in the first half. 13 points is not a big difference. There are 20 minutes left in the second half. We still have hope of winning."

As he spoke, he looked at Palesio sitting in the corner: "Milt, your shooting percentage was not very high in the first half, but you are already the team's top outside shooter, so I hope you can cheer up in the second half , Continue to provide support to the team on the outside. Others should run more, give full play to our speed advantage, and create opportunities for Milt."

Everyone responded in a loud voice, and then seized the time to do their own things.Chang Wei saw that Palesio was still sitting alone in his seat, and did not respond to the coach's instructions, so he walked over and patted him on the shoulder, and asked softly, "Are you okay, Milt? The second half The team still needs your contribution."

Palesio raised his head, his eyes were full of confusion, and he muttered to himself: "But I played like a piece of shit in the first half, and in the second half I can still give the team outside the three-point line. Contribute?"

Seeing Palesio's frustrated look, Chang Wei had no choice but to nod him: "No matter how you play, you are the leader of this team, and you have the responsibility to lead the team to victory. Don’t follow the coach’s instructions and continue to shoot outside the three-point line, think about it yourself, since you are the number one star of the team, you have to act like the number one star.”

After finishing speaking, Chang Wei smiled at him, then turned around to check the physical condition of the other players, leaving Palessio alone in a daze.Chang Wei said that he has said enough. Whether Palesio can cheer up or not depends on him. Cheer up, the team still has the strength to fight, sink, and this game will end here.

Chang Wei thinks it is worthwhile to be able to tell whether a player is suitable to be a true leader in one game, even if this is the NCAA National Championship. In his heart, players are always the most important.

(End of this chapter)