"That was a highlight-reel shot!"
"OMG, this guy is too cool."
"Is this guy really a point guard?"
"With that height, wingspan, and his dribbling skills combined, oh my!"
"Such athletic prowess."
The UCLA fans who were initially ready to mock Arjun instantly changed their stance.
They quickly realized it was better to enjoy Arjun's performance than to feel sorry for Collison.
After completing the dunk, Arjun patted his chest.
Simmons has the physical gifts of a top pick,pulling off that kind of dunk isn't hard for him, especially when the defense isn't tight.
Arjun stepped up to the free-throw line, confident in his shooting touch.
During practice, Arjun knew his free throws wouldn't be as weak as Simmons'.
Players who can shoot threes generally aren't bad at free throws either.
He steadied his rhythm, released the ball.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc.
"Swish!"
3-0.
Arjun high-fived his teammates as he jogged back on defense.
Oregon's turn to attack.
As Arron Brooks crossed half-court, he was immediately smothered by Arjun's long arms.
Brooks tried to create space with multiple direction changes, attempting to use his speed to get past Arjun.
But Arjun's large frame was surprisingly agile.
Brooks drove left, but Arjun's lateral movement blocked him.
Brooks swung the ball to the right, and Arjun continued to block him.
Arjun didn't lose his balance, and Brooks was pressured into stopping the ball.
"Arjun has a natural advantage at the point guard position. Next to him, Brooks looks like a middle school student—small and unable to shake Arjun or find his teammates," commentator Mike said.
The commentator immediately noticed the difficult situation Brooks was in.
Brooks is officially 6 feet tall, but probably closer to 5'11", while Arjun is over 8 inches taller, plus he's got flexibility and speed, along with a significant reach advantage. Brooks was completely covered by Arjun.
"Pass it!" Oregon's coach Richardson yelled frantically from the sidelines.
After being stopped by Arjun, Brooks indeed tried to find someone to pass to, but unfortunately, with his vision almost completely blocked, his pass was intercepted by Arjun's long arms.
Arjun got the steal!
"Boom!"
He immediately dribbled behind his back to dodge Brooks' attempt to steal it back.
Without any hesitation, he sprinted for a fast break!
"Get back on defense!" Richardson shouted from the sidelines.
The Oregon players desperately sprinted back, but Arjun's speed wasn't inversely proportional to his size.
Arjun was very fast, moving in a straight line, while the defenders had to turn and accelerate, creating a time gap that allowed Arjun to establish his lead.
Breaking through the crowd, Arjun reached the frontcourt completely free of defenders.
He stormed inside the three-point line, took three steps from the free-throw line, and soared up for a tomahawk slam, ruthlessly punishing the rim!
"Boom!"
5-0.
Under the watchful eyes of the entire UCLA crowd, Arjun finished with another dunk.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!!"
"This kid could totally start."
"Compared to him, Collison just seems too weak."
"I love this guy,this is how UCLA should be playing!"
After watching Arjun's performance in just two rounds, the UCLA fans quickly switched sides.
Arjun's opening was nothing short of spectacular.
After scoring, Arjun himself was quite calm.
He spread his arms and gestured downwards, signaling to the fans to calm down.
"Just the basics, no big deal."
That was just Arjun's fundamental way of attacking.
Oregon's turn to attack.
In terms of team strength, UCLA was already better than Oregon, and previously, Oregon's only advantage against UCLA was Brooks. But tonight, Brooks was at a disadvantage against Arjun.
Brooks dribbled up the court, and this time he wasn't immediately stripped of the ball. Instead, he started moving the ball around, but UCLA's defense was tight, with no obvious holes. After passing around, it was back to Brooks who aggressively drove in.
Brooks tried a series of fancy dribbles and then pulled up for a jump shot against Arjun!
Arjun's interference caused the ball to smash against the rim and bounce high.
Afflalo grabbed the rebound.
Just as Afflalo secured the board, he quickly spotted Arjun already down in the opponent's frontcourt.
As soon as Brooks shot, Arjun had sprinted down for a fast break, trusting his teammates to secure the rebound.
Without hesitation, Afflalo threw a long, powerful pass down the court.
Afflalo's pass wasn't technically perfect, relying more on strength, and it went a bit high. But Arjun leaped up and, just when everyone thought it was a lost cause, he miraculously caught the ball.
Brooks was fast and had already gotten back on defense, but Arjun didn't hesitate. He powered forward, carrying Brooks with him.
"Boom!"
Brooks was pushed aside by Arjun's initial charge.
Arjun continued with the ball, leaping from just outside the paint for a slashing dunk!
"Boom!"
7-0.
"Timeout!!!"
Arjun's quick 7 points had effectively stunned Oregon.
"This new UCLA starting point guard is something else, no wonder he's replaced Collison in the starting lineup," Jeff Van Gundy commented.
"His physical talent is strong. Brooks is just not in the same league,when they clash, Brooks just gets bounced off," Mike Breen exclaimed.
"Nice job, Arjun."
Coach Howland was very pleased with Arjun's starting performance, patting him on the shoulder as a sign of encouragement.
"You're doing great," Westbrook came up, clearly envious of Arjun starting in his first game.
Compared to Arjun, he still had a long way to go, being a backup's backup.
Collison and Ethan watched this scene with a bit of jealousy,they hadn't expected Arjun to explode in his first game like this.
The better Arjun performed, the more secure his starting position became.
Arjun high-fived his teammates, excited by the NCAA game atmosphere.
This feeling was way better than just dominating in casual games.
With all the spectators and cameras, Arjun felt this was the kind of stage worth giving his all.
After the timeout.
Oregon adjusted their tactics,Richardson didn't let Brooks go head-to-head with Arjun anymore.
Instead, they tried to work the ball inside, letting their big men attempt to score.
UCLA didn't defend this well, and Oregon's center hooked the ball in.
7-2.
Before Oregon's players could even celebrate, UCLA quickly inbounded the ball.
Arjun received the inbound and immediately dashed forward.
Arjun was a pace accelerator,he not only made it tough for the opponents but also for his own teammates.
Especially the big men, who simply couldn't keep up with Arjun's speed, huffing and puffing behind him.
Arjun, without slowing down, maneuvered past Brooks and then broke through a double team from Oregon's forwards.
He attacked the frontcourt with a 1-on-0 advantage.
Just a step before the free-throw line, Arjun leaped high, slamming the ball down with one hand!
Arjun's dunking style was plain, but it was high and powerful, and he could dunk with his left hand, which looked quite dominant.
"Boom!"
9-2.