"North Carolina wasted an opportunity to pull away. In the final moments of the first half, they failed to defend UCLA's offense successfully. Perhaps they should have reduced their double-teaming on Kayce."
Kenny Smith was still lamenting for North Carolina.
"No, I think North Carolina stuck to its defensive strategy. We could see Kayce passing the ball constantly in the last few minutes, but UCLA's players withstood the pressure and made their shots."
Reggie Miller expressed his opinion, once again praising UCLA's players.
"Do you still favor UCLA to win this game? They're trailing now, you know." Kenny Smith then asked.
"Of course! You know, when a game enters a stalemate, the star player's role becomes evident. Kayce has that ability!" Reggie Miller started his praise again.
In the UCLA locker room, everyone's emotions were still stable, especially with Kayce's relaxed expression, which greatly eased their tension.
"You did great in the first half. We didn't let them pull away. In the second half, we need to go all out. Their outside shooting percentage will drop. There's no way they can beat us!"
Coach Ben roared these words. At this point, it was all about motivational talk; tactics were useless.
"In the second half, I don't want to rotate too much. Interior players, protect your fouls first. Don't let them get to the free-throw line too early. Kayce, if you have a chance, shoot it! Trust your shot!"
"No problem, we'll win this game. Since they couldn't pull away in the first half, they've completely lost their chance. We'll crush North Carolina!"
Kayce's tone was very firm. At this moment, what was needed was a surge of spirit. As long as everyone was united in thought, they could win the game.
In North Carolina's locker room, the Coach was setting up tactics. Only 20 minutes remained until the championship, and no one would relax at this point.
"Our defensive rotations need to be fast. After double-teaming, pay attention to help defense. Don't give UCLA too many open shots. Everyone needs to communicate on defense!"
Danny Green was exhausted in the first half. He was the first line of defense against Kayce. When the interior players helped, the perimeter defense also required him to constantly run and cover.
But he didn't say he didn't need help defense at this moment. He knew he would be blown out by Kayce if he defended him alone. Let him be tired; it was better than Kayce scoring easily.
"Ellington, pay attention to opportunities after the pick-and-roll. Prioritize getting the ball to the interior and keep the ball moving!"
Ellington immediately indicated he understood. He felt his touch was hot in this game, and he still wanted to win an MOP.
Soon, the second half officially began, and the audience in Lucas Oil Stadium once again started cheering for their home team.
Collison was subbed in. After resting for most of the first half, he felt his condition was still good, and he should be fine for the final stretch.
It was still the classic Spain pick-and-roll. Holiday popped out to receive the ball. Kayce, using an off-ball screen from an interior player, did a hand-off with Holiday. The defender he now faced was Ellington.
A crossover dribble directly shook off Ellington, followed by a step-back, and a direct shot from beyond the three-point line.
"Swish!" The 3-pointer went in. Kayce immediately signaled his teammates to get back on defense.
"A very beautiful shot! Kayce just used a simple change of pace to shake off his defender. Perhaps he's about to explode in the second half!" Reggie Miller sang praises for Kayce.
On the defensive end in the second half, Kayce was responsible for guarding Ellington, while Holiday was assigned to Danny Green.
Ellington tried to find an opportunity through an off-ball screen, but Kayce's defense was tight, constantly preventing him from comfortably receiving the ball.
The badge combination of [Off-ball Movement Killer] + [Defensive Expert] greatly increased Kayce's defensive pressure off the ball.
With 12 seconds left on the shot clock, Lawson handed the ball to Ellington. Facing Kayce's defense, Ellington dribbled intensely, but Kayce seized the opportunity and directly stole the ball.
"Unbelievable! Kayce directly stole the ball face-to-face from Ellington! What a chance! He drove to the basket and made the shot against the defender! And there's a foul! A chance for a 3-point play!"
Reggie Miller almost lost his voice. This play was excellent on both offense and defense.
Kayce stood at the free-throw line, adjusted his breathing, and calmly sank the shot. As he retreated on defense, he shouted towards North Carolina: "You can't guard me! It's too easy!"
With the successful free throw, UCLA successfully tied the score. North Carolina immediately signaled his players not to panic.
After the first half's exertion, Lawson could no longer suppress Collison. After all, they were roughly the same height, and he found Collison's aggressive defense a bit challenging.
After another pick-and-roll, the ball went to Hansbrough. He received the ball, made two post-up moves, and then a turnaround hook shot. However, as soon as the ball left his hand, Kayce, who had snuck over from the side, delivered a crushing block.
To hell with your basketball dream!
UCLA had been playing single coverage in the first half, and now they had changed their defensive strategy in the second half. Collison controlled the ball and immediately passed it to Holiday for a fast-break.
Holiday drove straight to the basket, leaning on the retreating Ellington, and calmly laid the ball in. UCLA took the lead!
"Ah!!!" Holiday excitedly pounded his chest and roared.
UCLA fans in the arena began to cheer, shouting wildly. Their team had finally taken the lead.
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
The fans' emotions were completely high, and they began to constantly cheer for UCLA.
On North Carolina's offensive possession, Ellington set a pick-and-roll at the top of the arc. Kayce directly squeezed through the screen, while also signaling his teammates for help defense to prevent Hansbrough from rolling directly to the basket.
At this moment, Ellington suddenly took a step-back mid-range shot. Kayce didn't lose his balance and successfully bothered the shot with his excellent wingspan.
"Clank!" It was a miss, but Hansbrough grabbed the rebound in a scramble and immediately passed it out to Lawson on the perimeter.
"Swish!" The 3-pointer swished through the net. Lawson was not soft.
"It's okay, be patient, protect the rebounds!" Kayce signaled his teammates to stay focused; there was still plenty of time.
Over the next 8 minutes, the teams exchanged leads, refusing to back down. North Carolina withstood UCLA's surge, and the score was tied at 46. Coach Ben called a timeout.
"Pay attention to rebounds. We need to box out early, especially controlling long rebounds. Once we secure a rebound, seize the opportunity for a fast break. North Carolina is already tired; we will win."
It wasn't just North Carolina that was tired; on UCLA's side, only Kayce and Holiday still had good stamina. The rest were starting to struggle.
"We're not running pick-and-rolls, Kayce. Whether it's a shot or a drive, we need you to put the ball in the basket. We need to speed up the offensive pace again and wear them down!"
Kayce indicated he understood. Coach Ben was using his old trick again: betting that the opponent's shooting percentage wouldn't be as good as theirs, aiming for a quick run to take the lead, and then resorting to foul tactics if necessary. In the final moments, free throws aren't so easy to make either.
Coming out of the timeout, Holiday brought the ball across half-court. UCLA started a figure-eight hand-off. Kayce received the ball, facing Danny Green's defense, lowered his center of gravity, and directly accelerated his drive with the ball in his left hand.
After two dribbles, he suddenly stopped and pulled up for a jump shot.
"Swish!" The 2-pointer went in smoothly. The [Hot Zone Hunter] badge near the free-throw line ensured Kayce's accuracy.
"Danny Green's defense was as good as it could be, but Kayce's release point was too high, and he still made that shot." Kenny Smith felt some sympathy for Danny Green; it was indeed difficult to defend.
North Carolina's offense, after a series of passes, went to Hansbrough. After a low-post move, Holiday suddenly came over to interfere, and the shot missed.
Both teams scrambled for the rebound, which was eventually tipped out of bounds by Ellington. UCLA ball from the backcourt.
Collison quickly brought the ball across half-court and immediately passed it to Kayce. Facing Danny Green's defense again, Kayce used a series of between-the-legs dribbles followed by a wide-ranging in-and-out dribble to shake off the defender.
North Carolina's help defenders immediately collapsed. Kayce jumped and passed the ball to Collison in the corner, who received the ball and immediately shot.
"Swish!" The 3-pointer went in. Collison excitedly celebrated with a chest bump with Kayce.
This kind of pass could only be made by a tall player; shorter players, if covered, would almost certainly turn it over.
"Excellent passing vision! Kayce used his passing to dismantle North Carolina's double-team!" Reggie Miller immediately started praising.
North Carolina's offense started to become impatient. After a series of pick-and-roll screens failed to create good opportunities, the ball returned to Ellington. Facing Kayce he used continuous in-and-out dribbles, but still couldn't shake off the defense.
With the shot clock winding down, he reluctantly took a step-back mid-range shot, which was again bothered by Kayce.
"Clank!" It was a miss. The long rebound was controlled by Holiday, who slowly dribbled it across half-court and again passed it to Kayce.
Facing Danny Green, Kayce executed a continuous between-the-legs dribbles, Lawson quickly came over to double-team. Kayce immediately passed to Collison nearby, then faked a hand-off and drove directly to the basket.
Collison understood perfectly, delivering a perfectly timed bounce pass. Kayce received the ball and immediately took off, going up against Hansbrough in the air, using his right hand to avoid the block, and finishing with a one-handed slam dunk.
"Clank!" The ball was fiercely slammed into the basket.
"Whoa, you almost stopped me!" Kayce trash-talked as he slowly retreated on defense.
"Ah!!!" UCLA fans went wild! This poster dunk completely ignited their passion. They were truly going to win this game.
With less than 3 minutes left, UCLA led by 8 points. Both teams were in bonus foul situations. North Carolina called another timeout.
"It's going to be very difficult for North Carolina to catch up now. Their best shooter, Ellington, is 0-for-6 from beyond the arc under Kayce's tight defense. Danny Green looks like he's reached his physical limit. Lawson should step up now!"
Kenny Smith was still hoping North Carolina would respond.
North Carolina successfully executed a sideline out-of-bounds play. After a screen, Lawson drove straight to the basket, but under the interference of the interior players, the ball rimmed out. Kayce secured the rebound and directly dribbled the ball across half-court.
Kayce controlled the ball, running down the clock. The moment the double-team came, he immediately passed to Collison, who, without stopping the ball, passed it on to Holiday.
Holiday received the ball, drove past his defender, and took a floater. The 2-pointer went in again! Holiday shouted wildly!
With 1 minute left in the game, North Carolina brought the ball across half-court, and Ellington took a direct three-point shot off a pick-and-roll.
"Clank!" It was still a miss. The long rebound was controlled by Collison.
And with that missed three-pointer, North Carolina reluctantly resorted to fouling. Just like that, the game clock slowly ran out.
"Whoa! Whoa!" UCLA fans created a white ocean. This was their moment of celebration.
"The game is over! 66 to 58! UCLA defeated the University of North Carolina! The championship belongs to UCLA!" Reggie Miller shouted excitedly.
The players on the bench also rushed onto the court. Kayce was surrounded by his teammates, all shouting excitedly!
Celebrating wildly with everyone, Kayce felt incredibly satisfied at this moment.
"A perfect college farewell game. The feeling of being a champion is really good, hehe!"