Faisal, a new Point Guard, leaned in, totally intrigued now. "Chapter titles? What in the Gen Z are you even talking about, James?" He was confused but also curious.

  "Patterns, Faisal, patterns! That's what I'm talking about. They are obsessed with that high screen on the right side. Their center, Mr. Towering Inferno, always sets it. And they always, always look for that cut to the basket right after the first pass from the screen. It's effective, yeah, gets them buckets, for sure. But it's a rhythm, man. And rhythms? Rhythms can be broken." James expined, eyes still glued to the game, dissecting every single move Motijheel made. He was seeing the matrix.

  Back on the court, Banani was still struggling to even get the ball across half-court without turning it over.

  Motijheel’s pressure? Relentless, like a swarm of angry bees. They were pying like a pack of wolves, hunting in perfect sync. Banani was the prey.

  Kiyoshi finally managed to dribble past one defender, a small victory, but then, BAM, he ran straight into a double team. Trapped again. He tried to force a pass, desperation move, but it was deflected right out of bounds.

  Ugh.

  Turnover. Banani's second already.

  And it felt like the game was slipping away way too fast.

  "Come on, Banani! Wake up, guys! Seriously!" Tahera called out, her voice ced with serious urgency now. The pep talk vibe was gone, repced by a clear demand for action.

  Motijheel inbounded the ball, quick as lightning.

  Same py. High screen on the right. Cut to the basket.

  Layup. Textbook.

  Swish.

  Another two points.

  6-0. The scoreboard was ticking upwards faster than a broken clock.

  This was turning into a rout, and fast.

  "See? High screen, right side. Just like I said," James pointed out to Faisal and Hasnaen on the bench, like he was calling a bingo number. "Like clockwork. They're just riding on their superior execution, not even bothering with any variation. Predictable!" He was sounding more and more confident in his analysis.

  Hasnaen still looked totally unconvinced, eyebrows raised. "Maybe we should focus on, like, actually stopping their 'superior execution' first, James, before we start worrying about their predictable patterns, okay?" He was being sarcastic, but also kinda had a point. Defense first, strategy ter?

  James just chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "Stopping execution? That's just a temporary fix. Breaking patterns? That's strategic, man, that’s long-term thinking. Trust me on this, Hasnaen. Patterns are the cracks in their armor. We just gotta find the right hammer." He was sticking to his guns, pattern recognition was the key.

  On the court, the situation was going from bad to seriously worse for Banani. Their offense was completely stagnant, going nowhere fast.

  Their defense? Porous like a sieve. They were chasing shadows, constantly reacting to Motijheel, never dictating the py. It was exhausting to watch, let alone py.

  Another Motijheel possession. Guess what? Same high screen. This time, Kiyoshi actually anticipated it a little better, trying to fight his way through the screen, but Motijheel’s Point Guard was just too quick, driving right past him and drawing a foul.

  Ugh, more bad news.

  Foul on Kiyoshi. Motijheel to shoot two.

  And it was Kiyoshi's first foul, adding insult to injury.