Reeves Nelson secured the rebound, and Yuuto was already sprinting.
The Spartans were a step slow getting back. Mosely launched a long outlet pass to Yuuto streaking down the court.
Then.
Yuuto faced Gary Harris one-on-one at the other end, drove past him without hesitation, and finished with a reverse layup.
The Spartans were starting to unravel.
They knew the situation was dire—the Bruins had seen through their second-half adjustments.
More importantly, in this second half, that number 10 on the Bruins had become overwhelmingly present on the defensive end.
This was what fans called "Yu Time."
Including Green, they all understood clearly now.
Courtside, Magic Johnson was beginning to think that the title of "highest basketball IQ in NBA history" might need to change hands someday.
Yuuto's basketball IQ was incredibly high.
Those seemingly improvised passes that looked like flashes of inspiration all had one prerequisite—he had completely read the opponent's defensive scheme and positioning.
And Yuuto?
He could even drill down to reading individual players. He could see through your tactics, and he could see through your entire team. That was something special.
The Spartans stayed the course, unable to make adjustments—they'd simply run out of options.
They chose to believe Mosely's three-pointer was a fluke.
On offense, they continued running their attack through Green, while Harris played more cautiously this time, driving to the basket for a layup and two points.
Then.
They maintained their high-intensity, physical defense, trying to drain the shooting touch of the Bruins' role players.
But this approach had its drawbacks. Just ten minutes into the second half, Appling had already committed four fouls, and his teammates all had at least two.
This made them hesitant, and the Bruins pounced on the weakness with aggressive drives.
Yuuto blew past Appling, who didn't dare make contact and was frozen as Yuuto flew by.
Yuuto elevated, baited Green into helping, then dropped a pass to Reeves Nelson for a thunderous two-handed slam.
That play extended the Bruins' lead to 15 points.
One possession without a double team and Yuuto had exploited it. The Spartans' coach was now even more committed to trapping him.
On the Spartans' possession, Harris didn't wait for Green to initiate—he pulled up for three from the wing and drilled it.
Like Green, he'd also started having some... less than noble thoughts.
If they were going to lose this game anyway, might as well get his stats up.
Ironically, it was this selfish mentality that helped him knock down an absurd three-pointer.
But the Spartans fans' cheers had barely started when they died in their throats.
Yuuto had the ball again.
Appling's center of gravity seemed nailed to the floor—he couldn't even extend a hand before Yuuto blew past him. Harris, supposed to help, was a step late and found himself isolated against Yuuto one-on-one.
Yuuto immediately spun, using his back to bump Harris off balance, then spun again to create separation.
The consecutive spins looked like a dance, and in two moves, he'd beaten two defenders.
"Get that weak shit out of here, you damn Asian!" Green arrived on help defense, fearlessly jumping to contest Yuuto.
Yuuto's body coiled like a fully drawn bow, his right hand protecting the ball—then suddenly, at the apex, he pulled it back.
Green's arm flailed uselessly, his eyes wide as saucers, watching in disbelief as the basketball arced past his face.
Swish!
The commentator let out a strange noise.
"He just recreated MJ's mid-air hand switch from the 1991 Finals!"
As the scoreboard updated, Magic Johnson's mind flashed back to that moment in '91.
That was the series where Jordan had taken the torch from his hands.
It announced that the Magic-Bird era was over. The new era belonged to Michael Jordan.
The Spartans tried to fight back, but the scoreboard refused to cooperate.
With six minutes remaining, they still trailed by 15 points.
At this point, calling a timeout was useless.
Because Green and Harris had already mentally accepted that they were done for, and they were focused on padding their stats for their futures.
After the timeout.
Green and Harris started forcing shots.
They seemed to think they could carry the team forward like Yuuto.
They made some shots, but they bricked even more.
Fast breaks were practically encoded in the Bruins' DNA.
When Reeves Nelson grabbed a rebound, Mosely immediately came for the outlet. At the front of the pack, Yuuto streaked toward the opposing basket like a blue lightning bolt.
Mosely heaved the ball downcourt into Yuuto's hands. Harris tried to stop him but watched Yuuto explode past in a blur...
Then...
BOOM!
The ball was violently slammed through the hoop.
"OMG!"
"Yu just destroyed Michigan State!"
"That was brutal—Harris looked like a cone that got run over!"
"He looked like a scared little girl!"
"Draymond said the Bruins were the only non-elite team in the Elite Eight. That trash talk is going to become a cautionary tale in college basketball!"
"Never provoke a talent that every NBA team is watching!"
It was over.
Magic Johnson could see the outcome.
His alma mater had no path to a comeback.
Although Green and Harris were putting on a show of trying to carry the team, he knew exactly what those two were thinking.
A Spartans team like this couldn't possibly beat a united Bruins squad.
Who was responsible for this mess?
Magic didn't know. He only knew that Michigan State desperately needed talent.
They had to bring in genuinely talented players next year!
Then.
His gaze shifted to Yuuto.
Kobe's era was about to end. The Lakers needed to prepare for the next decade.
But.
The Lakers couldn't just announce a rebuild for this kid—Kobe would never agree to that. He was only one championship away from Jordan's six.
No matter what, Kobe wanted to win one more title.
Ask him to mentor rookies?
Dream on!
Unless the Lakers traded Kobe away, but that would never happen.
His commercial value was too high. In a few years when he retired, his farewell tour alone would make the Lakers a fortune.
Still, Magic decided to reach out to Yuuto after the game.
They might not be able to get Yuuto now, but the future held possibilities.
He still had confidence in the Lakers—this was where stars came to play!
The Spartans' morale completely collapsed. Particularly when Green and Harris started stat-padding, the rest of the team forgot how to play basketball. Their defensive intensity plummeted.
In this environment, the Bruins just kept rolling, pushing the lead to 20 points.
...
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