On the court, as the two teams' starters took their positions, the challenge game between the Demon Deacons, representing the ACC conference, and the Florida Gators of the SEC conference, officially tipped off.
Tonight, the Demon Deacons' starting backcourt featured Paul and Gray. The three frontcourt players were Reeves, Zack, and Ellis.
After bulking up over the summer, the 6'9" (206 cm) Reeves, now weighing 200 lbs (91 kg) and known for his cuts and off-ball movement, has become a reliable helper for Zack in the frontcourt. If needed, he can even rotate to the paint and use his agility to go against opposing power forwards.
But from the stands, watching the Demon Deacons' starting five, Wacarro commented, "How far Wake Forest can go this year really depends on Zack and Chris. While they have experienced upperclassmen, most of them are just average and not really capable of carrying the team."
Honestly, if Merritt hadn't hyped Zack up so much before the game, Wacarro would have been more impressed with the Florida Gators' lineup tonight.
In the paint, they had the duo of Lee and Horford. This mix of old and new talent included an SEC All-Star power forward and a highly promising future star. On the perimeter, they boasted college star guards like Anthony Roberson and Matt Walsh. Plus, the Gators successfully recruited Corey Brewer, a talented high schooler from Tennessee who was even a McDonald's All-American.
"All five of the Gators' starters have NBA potential in the future," Wacarro remarked, clearly impressed with the Gators' starting lineup tonight.
At this moment, Wacarro's comment proved why he's a legend in American basketball business. Because, just as Wacarro said, all five of the Gators' starters tonight would eventually make it to the NBA. And if you include Joakim Noah, Taurean Green, and Chris Richard, who were sitting on the bench, this Gators team not only had eight future NBA players but, even crazier, they had three future NBA All-Star big men!
On the sidelines, despite knowing his players were challenging Zack and Paul's Demon Deacons, Gators head coach Billy Donovan was still super confident about this opening game. In the Crazy March tournament earlier this year, Jim Calhoun's strategy to contain Zack was a huge success. So, Donovan believed that with their deep big-man rotation, the Gators could completely replicate UConn's winning formula.
You might be next year's top draft pick.
But we've got David Lee, Horford, and Brewer.
Donovan thought the Gators had laid a perfect trap for Zack. So, would the game unfold as he wished?
On the court, right after tip-off, Zack immediately blew people's minds, despite the Gators' defensive trap in the paint. After getting the ball from Paul, Zack, standing at the right 45-degree angle, was in a triple-threat stance, constantly messing with David Lee. Seeing this, Lee, who didn't dare to get too close or too far from Zack, suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.
But before Lee could react, Zack put the ball down and executed a crossover dribble, creating space between them. Then, without hesitation, Zack jumped straight up, maintaining his vertical balance in the air, and released a smooth, elegant jump shot.
Swish!
In the stands, seeing this, Wacarro finally caught a whiff of something extraordinary about Zack from that combo move: "He's 6'11" but can dribble like a guard?"
In the NBA, many big men get praised for being able to "dribble like a guard" when they're drafted. After all, it's the highest level of basketball, and not being able to handle the ball well is pretty embarrassing. But Wacarro's comment about Zack right now wasn't just praising his excellent ball-handling fundamentals. It was about his incredible agility.
You see, being able to dribble like a guard and being able to agilely shake off defenders and shoot like a guard are two completely different things. The former is just complimenting your fundamentals. But the latter... means you have endless possibilities.
At this moment, Wacarro saw infinite potential in Zack. Especially when, on the next possession, Zack's jaw-dropping hustle on defense led to him swatting Horford's bank shot.
Oh my God! From the three-point line to the paint in a flash?
Wacarro couldn't believe what he had just witnessed, but he was certain that in recent college basketball history, this was a skill only Tim Duncan had shown!
Immediately after, on the court, Zack, after blocking Horford, quickly turned and sprinted towards the Gators' half. And in a blink of an eye, Zack's "shadow," Chris Paul, also showed off his passing skills.
When the light and shadow of Wake Forest connected on that full-court pass, and when Zack, soaring through the air, deftly switched the ball from under his legs to his right hand, Wacarro almost simultaneously jumped out of his seat. "Do they know what they're doing?!"
Slam!
In the Gators' half, Zack's between-the-legs, reverse dunk, performed specifically for the fans, instantly ignited the entire arena. The fans roared his and Paul's names, letting out excited shrieks.
In his life, Wacarro had witnessed many prodigies. But even so, this connection between Zack and Paul left him in disbelief. "He's like Tim Duncan back in the day! Just seeing his offensive and defensive display tonight, this game alone was worth it!"
Beside him, Merritt, who had never doubted his judgment but still felt Zack's improvement was beyond expectations, said, "Ira was right. He made the bet before all of us."
On the Gators' bench, facing the pressure Zack brought from the very start, Noah was already silently praying for Horford and Lee.
On the court, amidst the roaring crowd, Roberson dribbled past half-court and decided to initiate the team's offense from the perimeter. It was a smart decision. But as Roberson used Horford's screen to try and shake off Paul, a despair-inducing hand suddenly disrupted his dribble in a blink of an eye. Seeing this, Roberson immediately turned to try and chase down the ball.
But Zack was even faster. He picked up the ball and headed straight for the Gators' basket. The next second, with no other options, Roberson bravely charged at Zack, trying to stop him from scoring off his turnover with a foul. But just as Roberson wrapped his arms around Zack...
Zack, who had started his drive at the same time, showed no signs of being slowed down. On the court, with Roberson hanging onto him, Zack looked like a bulldozer, driving into the paint, powering through for the bucket, and drawing the foul for an additional free throw.
In the paint, even after letting go of Zack, Roberson couldn't calm himself down. Had he just forced the ball into the hoop, dragging his 180-pound self along? And even more, did he protect himself with his other arm when he landed, to prevent injury?
In the stands, Barkley, excitedly rubbing the bald head of the person sitting next to him, exclaimed, "This is my successor! Even if there are a thousand obstacles ahead, he can just plow through them!"
Hearing this, Jordan pushed Barkley away, elbowing him as a reminder to watch his image, and said, "When did you ever make a shot like that in the NBA?"
Feeling like Jordan was suffering from old-timer's disease, Barkley retorted, "I've made plenty of similar spectacular plays!"
Seeing Barkley take the bait, Jordan said, "Oh really? I don't remember that."
"You're old, Michael. Do I need to help you remember?"
"Alright, I am old, Charles. So, could you help me remember how I won my six championship rings? Oh, who was the opponent I beat in the '92-'93 NBA Finals again?"
"..."
That jerk knows exactly what to bring up! You beat me in the '92-'93 NBA Finals, you bastard!
At that moment, Barkley was once again left speechless by Jordan.
On the court, after making the free throw, Zack was once again adored by the Wake Forest fans.
"This is insane, absolutely insane! He had a 180-pound player hanging on him! How did he maintain his center of gravity and balance?" Wacarro said, slapping his cheeks in the stands.
Beside him, Merritt also felt a huge shock to his core. "Shaq O'Neal in college, probably wasn't even like this, right?"
On the court, Zack accounted for Wake Forest's first 14 points to start the game. But as the Gators called a timeout, Zack glanced up at the rapidly ticking game clock. He felt like time was his biggest enemy in this scoring rampage.
As everyone knows, because American college basketball has two 20-minute halves and a 30-second shot clock per possession, the number of offensive possessions per game is much lower than in the NBA. Last season, Wake Forest averaged around 59 offensive possessions per game.
So, even if Zack was on fire tonight, he couldn't take forty or fifty shots in a game like Kobe. Especially after this timeout, Zack noticed that the Gators not only deliberately slowed down the game but also immediately employed double teams to prevent him from shooting.
Less than 10 minutes into the game, because SEC All-Star power forward David Lee was already completely disoriented by Zack, Donovan had to show Zack more respect to protect his star player's pride.
But soon... with Donovan and the Gators' help, Zack further revolutionized people's perceptions of him with a series of precise passes on the court. Last season, Zack had already shown his passing talent. And this season, he genuinely became Wake Forest's Nikola Jokic.
His hand-offs with Paul at the top of the key seemed simple, but the Gators had no answer for them. And when double-teamed, he always found the open teammate with the most rational pass.
On the court, once, twice, three times, four times... Looking at Wake Forest's dazzling offense, orchestrated by Zack, how could Donovan still be calm and composed like he was before the game? On the sidelines, he had turned into a screaming hairdryer, only able to express his dissatisfaction with his team's defense through shouts.
"What beautiful teamwork! Zack is constantly demonstrating his impact on the court tonight," Wacarro remarked, completely mesmerized by Wake Forest's offense.
After a pause, Wacarro added, "Zack is the kind of player you can absolutely build a team around... Honestly, after watching this game tonight, in my eyes, being the top pick in the NBA Draft is probably just the beginning for him."
Before the game, David Lee, who thought Zack was digging his own grave, even gradually lost the courage to guard Zack during the game. Because in the final minutes of the first half, when he and Horford teamed up in the paint to try and stop Zack... he witnessed a terrifying scene firsthand:
In the paint, with both Horford and himself hanging on him, Zack forced the ball into the hoop with a bank shot. At that moment, Lee and Horford didn't even bother arguing with the referees. Because in their eyes, it was pointless. They had tried to foul Zack just now. But... what more could they do to stop this Wake Forest beast from scoring in the paint?
His power could lift mountains and his might overpower the world.
Strength to lift a tripod, the Overlord reincarnated!
22 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals.
At halftime, when Jerry West, who wasn't fond of Asian players because his brother died in the Korean War, finished watching the first half on TV... While West's initial goal was to pick apart Zack's performance, during halftime, he still forced himself to make a precise comment, suppressing the constant urge to vomit: "The 2005 NBA top pick has only one possibility, one choice. Anyone who doesn't pick Zack... is an idiot."
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