At the Dean Smith Center, the game resumed with 2 minutes and 4 seconds left in the first half. The Tar Heels had possession.
Evans, who subbed in for Paul, was almost blown by Felton on defense. Luckily, Zack quickly stepped up to delay, successfully stalling the Tar Heels' offense.
However, Felton immediately noticed the open lane inside due to Zack helping his teammate. At that moment, behind Zack, Marvin Williams was already in position.
But, in an attempt to get the ball around Zack, Felton's overly conservative lob pass actually gave Zack some reaction time and space to recover.
On the court, Zack, who maintained an incredibly high level of focus, quickly turned and successfully blocked Marvin's shot angle before he could even get it off.
On the sidelines, Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams was deeply impressed by the coordination, flexibility, and even reaction speed Zack displayed in this defensive play.
Coach Roy felt that Felton's conservative lob pass had indeed indirectly given Zack a chance to show off.
But...
"Considering his height and weight, his agility completely defies my understanding of basketball."
Currently, in the "Summit" system's visualization data, Zack's agility attribute scored 75. Compared to NBA's smaller guards, Zack's current agility isn't particularly high.
However, as Coach Roy said, when Zack's height and weight are combined with his current agility... he's practically an aircraft carrier that can make quick turns on the court.
On the court, Zack, having completed an "aircraft carrier turn," successfully helped Wake Forest defend that possession.
Next, it was their turn to offense.
At the top of the arc, facing Marvin's defense, Zack didn't rush into a strong attack. Unlike most of their previous opponents, tonight's North Carolina team was not only disciplined but also incredibly cohesive on defense.
In college basketball, where there's no defensive three-second rule, blindly going for isolations or reckless drives against an opponent of a similar caliber is practically suicidal.
On the court, after patiently observing North Carolina's defense for a while, Zack actively called Gray over for a hand-off. He had noticed the open wing in North Carolina's zone defense.
However, to exploit this opening, with Paul ejected, Wake Forest would first have to take a roundabout approach.
This is precisely what makes basketball so interesting. Sometimes, when you try to swallow your opponent whole in one go, you might just end up chipping a tooth.
Only by seeing the whole picture and finding the weaknesses in your opponent's defense can you be unstoppable.
On the court, as Zack and Gray completed their hand-off...
In an instant, things changed dramatically.
Since Felton couldn't get around the screen, Marvin had to step up and delay for him. But at the same time, Zack, quickly moving to the right to set another screen for his teammate, instantly opened up the floor for the Demon Deacons.
To prevent Evans from getting an open look from beyond the arc, Sean May had to expand his defense. However, Marvin, who had just helped Felton, couldn't recover to Zack in time.
Seeing this, Zack immediately removed his screen for Evans and quickly cut to the basket.
At this point, Gray, seeing Zack's cut, didn't hesitate to deliver an alley-oop pass.
SLAM!
In the Tar Heels' paint, Zack soared, caught the pass, and slammed it home!
"Brilliant!"
On the sidelines, Coach Roy couldn't help but inwardly applaud Wake Forest's offense.
"He fully utilized his teammates... and through screens and off-ball movement, he broke down our zone defense."
At this moment, Coach Roy wasn't admiring Zack's graceful dunk, but rather his on-the-fly improvisation in breaking down North Carolina's zone.
A Leader's Vision
Back on their end, it was the Tar Heels' possession. Zack, while catching his breath, quickly observed North Carolina's offensive setup.
"Felton is mostly driving tonight; not many three-point attempts. Rashad McCants, on the other hand, is worth watching..."
On the court, after quickly reviewing the previous performances of North Carolina's five players in his mind, Zack, stationed in the paint with a clear view of North Carolina's offensive initiation, immediately began directing his teammates' defensive positions.
"Justin, stick to Rashad!"
"Ronnie, apply aggressive pressure! I'll be there to help if you need it!"
"Jamal, don't let Marvin cut backdoor!"
Under Zack's direction, North Carolina's offense immediately stalled. Unfortunately, college basketball has a lengthy 30-second shot clock.
On the court, after two failed offensive schemes, the Tar Heels, still with several seconds left to initiate their offense, successfully found Sean May, who had retreated to the right baseline, with a wide-ranging pass.
He then hit a long two-point jumper.
Seeing this, Zack didn't pressure his teammates after the defensive lapse. Instead, he confidently told Ellis, who hadn't kept up with May, "Don't panic. This next possession, I'll answer them with offense."
Looking at Zack... especially noticing his calm and composed demeanor, Ellis instantly understood what it meant to be a leader.
North Carolina was strong.
But they had Zack.
At the Dean Smith Center, it was Wake Forest's offensive possession.
True to his word, Zack noticed North Carolina had switched to man-to-man defense on this possession. He immediately pulled up to the high post to receive the ball and used hand signals to tell his teammates to clear out for an isolation.
Why was Zack unwilling to be a traditional big man in this life?
The answer, of course, was for moments like this.
Throughout NBA history, no matter how dominant you are in the paint, at crucial moments, you'll encounter a fatal problem...
You need your teammates to pass you the ball.
In 2004, after moving to Miami, Shaq hinted to the media that his conflict with Kobe stemmed from Kobe's ill-advised shots on the court. But here's the question... if the Lakers could have just gotten the ball to Shaq every possession, why didn't they win championships before Kobe developed?
Was it because Shaq, a historically powerful "axe," wasn't sharp enough?
In fact, fans who watched that Lakers team know very well... it was precisely because the Lakers couldn't get the ball to Shaq every possession that they needed Kobe to take on those tough shots that Shaq couldn't.
And this summer, Zack, diligently refining his skills, also aimed to gain the ability to create his own shot in higher-level games. Zack knew very well that only by escaping the "traditional big man trap" could he control his own destiny in critical moments.
The Unstoppable Force
On the court, after receiving the ball, Zack instantly made Marvin feel immense pressure.
In terms of speed, Marvin could certainly keep up with Zack. However, unable to contend with Zack's strength, he could only resort to the same "half-step back" defense that previous defenders facing Zack had used.
This was the core reason why Zack, this "tank," could always "accelerate like a Ferrari." After all, if you really let Zack get going on the court... from the three-point line to the paint, he could solve the problem in just three massive strides.
However, this "half-step back" defense heavily relied on Zack's shooting touch. Because Zack wasn't the Zion who, in the future, wouldn't know how to play when given space, nor was he just the "Dream Green" who only posts up at the top of the arc...
Boom!
On the court, after a powerful dribble, Zack quickly jumped, releasing a jump shot from a height that Marvin couldn't reach in an instant.
Clang!
Unfortunately, affected by the high intensity of the offense and defense tonight, Zack missed the shot.
But the next second...
With his badge effect successfully triggered, Zack, having anticipated the ball's trajectory, instantly snatched the rebound and, after turning and driving into the paint, gently laid the ball into the hoop.
"Good luck," Zack thought with a smile on his face.
Both in his past life and this one, Zack loved to smile. Because smiling guys always seem to have good luck follow them.
On the sidelines, on Wake Forest's bench, Coach Prosser's heart was melted by Zack's smile. "Damn, why is this kid's smile so charming?"
Sunny and confident, tough and resilient.
On the court, besides being able to score and lead the team, Zack could even provide emotional value to his teammates and coach...
Ahem, Mr. Bruno Fernandes, who's always throwing his hands up in frustration and looking gloomy, have you learned how to be a team leader yet? (Note ①)
A Shifting Battle
Before the end of the first half, Wake Forest successfully defended North Carolina's last possession.
On the scoreboard, visiting team first, home team second: 34 to 33.
Although Wake Forest unexpectedly lost Paul tonight, the sense of security Zack brought to the team... made viewers at home and in the arena fully appreciate Zack's personal charisma.
During halftime, Coach Roy adjusted North Carolina's defense.
In the second half, another North Carolina forward, 6-foot-9 Jawad Williams, made an appearance.
On the wing, if one Marvin Williams wasn't enough to handle Zack...
Then Coach Roy's countermeasure was simple: send in another Williams.
"I don't care how many points Wake Forest's other players score... shut down Zack. Shut him down at all costs. Even if it means sending him to the free-throw line, don't let him get easy buckets on the court."
This was the depth of the prestigious North Carolina program.
Historically, Jawad, who was once a teammate of LeBron James, was a forward with some shooting ability. Although he had many shortcomings in the NBA, in college basketball, he was definitely a top-tier wing.
Freshman Marvin had athletic talent, and senior Jawad had experience.
At the Dean Smith Center, as soon as the second half began, North Carolina, with a level far exceeding other teams, made Zack feel an unprecedented defensive intensity.
Whenever Zack had the ball, he was sure to face a double-team from both Williamses.
Normally, passing would be the optimal solution in such a situation. But unfortunately, Evans, who was usually deadly accurate, seemed to have developed a tendency to falter in crucial moments ever since he missed that potential game-tying three-pointer against Connecticut last season...
Clank, clank, clank.
On the court, after missing three consecutive open three-pointers, Evans, blushing himself, quickly received a "flying kick" (a stern look/reprimand) from Zack.
"Is my pass that hot to handle?" Zack "interrogated" Evans with his fiery gaze.
Hearing this, Evans, who was supposed to be Zack's go-to guy but was faltering at this critical juncture, could only silently hang his head.
Ronnie Evans was proving to be ineffective tonight.
Seeing this, Coach Prosser decisively subbed in Wake Forest's other shooter, Tarun Downey.
And then...
Downey's turnover and an unnecessary defensive foul sent Prosser's blood pressure through the roof.
At this moment, Zack suddenly missed Chris Paul.
Unlocking the Offense
On the court, to break North Carolina's double-team, Zack didn't stubbornly insist on attacking with the ball. Knowing that at this point he could only trust Gray, he immediately increased the frequency of pick-and-rolls and hand-offs with Gray on offense, and in his mind, he searched for the best strategy from Prosser's playbook to break North Carolina's current defense.
Additionally, if they couldn't score, the only way to prevent the opponent from pulling away was to play good defense. Fortunately, tonight, under Zack's leadership, most of North Carolina's offense was forced to initiate from beyond the arc.
Clank, clank, clank.
In the second half, Wake Forest's offense stalled due to some players' struggles... and on the other end, North Carolina's offense entered a shooting slump because of Felton's inaccuracy.
At this very moment, Felton also missed Chris Paul. Because whenever he faced Paul on the court, Felton felt his performance was exceptionally sharp. In Felton's eyes, just like how people must put sugar on zongzi, he needed to play against Paul on the court to be filled with power.
There was no denying it; college-era Paul was truly the "matchup dream" for Felton, Nelson, and Deron. It wasn't until he entered the NBA in the future and improved his physical strength that Paul significantly reduced the number of people in the "Eat, Sleep, Beat Paul" club.
The Flex Offense Unveiled
Back to the court, this "Dragon and Phoenix" (referring to equally talented but perhaps underperforming players, akin to a "Kobe game" where players are missing shots) scoring drought was finally broken by North Carolina, effectively ending the shooting brick-fest.
Marvin showcased his versatility in college basketball, being able to play both small forward and power forward, hitting a three-point jump shot after receiving the ball on the perimeter.
Again, while Marvin's "can play both 3 and 4" might turn into "can't play either" in the NBA, in college basketball, he was indeed an all-around player.
However, Wake Forest immediately responded in kind.
Through the Flex offense, Zack hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc.
In this possession, Wake Forest started with a typical Flex offense 2-3 alignment, allowing Zack to settle into the right low post. Reeve held the ball near the left free-throw line, while Gray actively cut inside to set a screen for Zack.
Because there was a strong possibility of Zack attacking the basket the moment Gray screened for him, North Carolina's three frontcourt players all reacted by collapsing their defense.
At this point, as Zack intelligently drifted out to the three-point line, Reeve immediately passed the ball to him.
This modified Flex offense was one of the plays meticulously designed by Prosser for Zack, tailored to his characteristics. In its execution, it had many variations and developments.
But no matter how it evolved, it had one significant characteristic: Wake Forest could utilize Zack's low-post presence to initiate offense around him.
And...
The "double-team" strategy was powerless against this offense. Because during the initiation of this play, even if Zack had the ball, he would quickly pass it to a teammate via a hand-off.
Approximately fifteen years later, this very offense would gain worldwide fame through the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic.
In this life, due to various coincidences, Skip Prosser and Mike Malone, these kindred spirits across time, both independently discovered the power of this offense for their respective core players.
This evening, the Dean Smith Center gradually fell silent.
Because as Wake Forest's Flex offense unleashed its power...
The Principal, the Son of ###, the NBA's presumptive number one pick, Wake Forest's pride, the Overlord – the man with all these titles – used his basketball IQ to toy with North Carolina's entire defense.
"If Zack had not been born, it would be an eternal night!"
On the court, after scoring on four consecutive possessions, Zack led the Demon Deacons to force a North Carolina timeout, personally hitting that damned "mute button."
And on television, Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who was watching this game because Kupchak had vouched for Zack, uttered a meaningful phrase, "Mitch, how great would it be if we could tank?"
Note ①: Bruno Fernandes, captain of the famous Premier League club Manchester United, is known on the field for constantly throwing his hands up in frustration at teammates and referees, and for conveying negative energy. It's worth noting that in the 24/25 Premier League season, Fernandes, as Manchester United's captain, had already received three red cards by mid-season. Currently, under Fernandes's leadership, Manchester United is contending for a "valuable" Premier League relegation spot.