Unstoppable Synergy
Smack! Jokic tipped the ball, starting the game with Mega Vizura on the attack.
The Partizan players fell back into their defensive stance, their eyes burning with venom.
For them, this series was the gateway to the EuroLeague, but that didn't matter right now.
It was simply their pride as athletes—their absolute refusal to lose.
Led by Bogdanovic, the Partizan players were burning with a single-minded determination to drag this series to a Game 5.
On the other hand, the motivation driving the Mega Vizura players wasn't just about winning.
Their expressions were resolute, yet they also looked like they were having fun.
Let's show them the absolute best basketball the five of us can play. If we do that, victory will naturally follow.
They were completely united under that mindset.
And at the center of it all was Jokic.
"Micic!"
Calling for the ball, Jokic faced off against Milutinov at the high post, his eyes quickly scanning the floor.
Spotting Seojun cutting in from the right wing, he whipped a bounce pass right past his own hip. Thud!
As Seojun caught the ball and drove hard toward the rim, Bogdanovic rushed over from the left corner to help. Without hesitation, Seojun kicked the ball out to Subin in the left corner.
"..."
Thump! Standing right on the three-point line, Subin didn't step back. Instead, he took a single dribble forward, stepped inside, and pulled up for a short-corner jumper.
Swish! The first points of the game came quick.
"Nice shot, bro."
"Thanks."
Slap!
On the ensuing possession, Partizan ran a pick-and-roll, and Westermann drove hard to attack the rim. But with a sharp screeech, Seojun abandoned his man, Dragan, and slid over to help protect the paint.
Westermann immediately kicked it out to Dragan, who was now wide open on the perimeter.
But this was where Mega Vizura showcased their fluid defensive rotation.
The perimeter defenders rotated in unison, shifting over one by one to contest Dragan's open three-pointer.
While this rotation inevitably left someone wide open, that open man was on the weak side—a spot where it was incredibly difficult to skip the ball directly. It was a textbook, highly coordinated defensive rotation.
Considering the wide-open player was Bogdanovic in the left corner, it was a risky gamble. However, Seojun recovered with terrifying speed, closing out on Bogdanovic and shutting down the open look within two seconds.
With their offensive set thoroughly disrupted, Bogdanovic was forced to take a contested pull-up jumper as the shot clock wound down. The ball clanged off the rim.
Partizan's head coach, Duško Vujošević, swallowed hard.
Their defense is on a completely different level compared to the last game...!
The reason was glaringly obvious: Seojun Lee.
With Seojun in the lineup—a player capable of guarding positions one through five with lightning-fast help-side instincts—their defensive rotations flowed with absolute seamlessness.
And their offensive patterns are just as nightmarish to deal with.
That part was thanks to Jokic.
Thud! Snagging the defensive rebound, Jokic gestured to his teammates with a serious expression.
"I'll run the point! Keep moving actively like you just did!"
Jokic orchestrated Mega Vizura's first-quarter offense.
He didn't even need to use screens.
Simply catching the ball at the elbow, dragging the opposing center Milutinov out of the paint, and scanning for cutters was enough to tear the defense apart.
With Milutinov pulled up to the high post, the paint was left wide open, drastically increasing the success rate of their cuts.
Since this was a pattern they had run throughout Games 1, 2, and 3, Coach Vujošević immediately made an adjustment.
"Nikola! Don't bite! Stay home!"
Milutinov planted his feet, refusing to follow Jokic and staying firmly in the paint.
But...
"Hmph."
Jokic let out a soft chuckle and set his feet to shoot.
Whoosh! It looked almost like a free throw. In fact, Jokic barely even jumped.
The ball traced a gentle arc through the air, rattled around the rim, and splashed through.
4-0. Mega Vizura was already up by two possessions.
On Partizan's next possession, Vizura's relentless defensive rotations forced them into another heavily contested shot instead of an open look.
This time, Bogdanovic drove and attempted a double-clutch layup through Dangubic's help defense, but the ball rattled off the backboard and rim, spinning out.
Dangubic secured the rebound and quickly outletted it to Micic. Instantly, Seojun took off.
"Fast break!"
Seojun spearheaded the transition, sprinting into the opposing court.
As the defense collapsed on Micic, the ball-handler calmly trailed the ball back to Jokic, who was jogging up from behind.
"Hup!"
Whoosh! Jokic fired a spectacular, pinpoint outlet pass to Seojun, who was blazing down the right sideline.
By then, Seojun's superior speed had already put him a full step ahead of his defender, Dragan.
Thud! Catching the ball in stride, Seojun didn't lose an ounce of momentum. He gathered, took two explosive steps, and launched himself toward the rim.
Westermann, who had scrambled back in retreat, tried to contest, but Seojun adjusted mid-air to avoid the block, releasing a smooth layup. The ball kissed the glass and rolled gently into the net.
"Great pass!"
Seojun flashed a thumbs-up as he immediately ran back on defense.
Watching him, Subin couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
His finishing around the rim has gotten so much smarter since he came to Serbia.
Back in Korea, Seojun had relied heavily on dunks. His mindset had been to just power through and slam it down; even if he missed, he could usually draw a foul.
But he couldn't play like that in Europe.
Or rather, he wasn't allowed to.
Every single team they faced had a center standing at least 6'11" (210 cm). These were big men with elite strength and massive wingspans, meaning Seojun couldn't just force his way in for a dunk every time.
To survive, Seojun had been forced to diversify his arsenal.
He had practiced floaters alongside Jokic, refined his layup fundamentals under the coaching staff, and picked up advanced finishing techniques like scoop layups, finger rolls, and Euro-steps from Micic.
And this evolution in his inside scoring had truly given him wings.
Seojun-hyung didn't just take one step forward.
Two steps? Three steps? No, it was far more than that.
He's easily leaped five levels ahead.
Just then...
"Subin, you should've trailed me on that play. I was watching you the whole time. If you had a cleaner look, I was going to drop it off to you."
"Sorry, I hesitated between flaring out to the corner or cutting to the rim."
"In that situation, the defense had already collapsed inside. Since it would've been hard to get an offensive rebound, a perimeter shot wasn't the best option—unless you were absolutely confident in making it, of course. Either way, make a decisive move. If my angle is bad or you're in a better spot, I'll feed you the ball."
"Got it."
Seeing Seojun display such incredible court vision,
Subin had to revise his estimate.
Maybe it's six... or even seven levels.
The game was a blowout right from the start.
Just five minutes into the first quarter, the score was already 21-9.
Partizan was crumbling helplessly, unable to find answers on either end of the floor.
Having already burned two timeouts, Coach Vujošević felt his mouth go completely dry.
He had expected a tough game the moment he saw Seojun Lee's name in the starting lineup, but he had never imagined it would be this devastating.
Above all, Jokic's efficiency had skyrocketed.
Because Seojun could turn even the most basic pass into a scoring opportunity, Jokic's simple playmaking had become an unstoppable, lethal weapon.
Seojun was moving like a fish in water.
Screeech! He feigned a cut to the rim, selling a body fake to his defender, Dragan, before suddenly popping outward.
Using an off-ball screen from Micic at the top of the key, he caught a pass from Jokic and immediately exploded downhill toward Milutinov.
"...?!"
As Milutinov stepped up to contest the drive, Seojun smoothly lofted a lob pass to Jokic, who was already rolling to the rim after making the pass.
Seeing the empty paint, Jokic didn't bother trying to finish with a flashy alley-oop. Instead, he caught the ball, landed, and casually laid it in.
"Aw, come on, where's the style?" Seojun teased.
"This is the most reliable way," Jokic replied.
Slap! The two high-fived and ran back on defense.
A cold sweat trickled down Coach Vujošević's temple.
They're completely unstoppable...!
Their chemistry had always been good, but now that Seojun's court vision had been fully unlocked under the influence of Jokic and Micic, they had become an unstoppable force at this level.
Above all, Seojun's off-ball movement was sublime. The spatial awareness that had made him a soccer prodigy was now blooming beautifully on the basketball court.
The static Jokic and the dynamic Seojun. This synergy was utterly dismantling Partizan.
"Haa... Haa... Whew!"
Even though it was only the first quarter, Bogdanovic was already gasping for breath.
His eyes shook.
Partizan was supposed to be a defensive powerhouse. And yet...
And they're still holding back.
They hadn't even run a proper pick-and-roll yet.
Nor had they resorted to Jokic's hand-off plays, Seojun's bully-ball drives, or his catch-and-shoot game. They were getting absolutely shredded without Mega Vizura even dipping into their main playbook.
At the core of this devastation was an absurdly high field goal percentage.
Jokic was automatic, and so was Seojun.
The reason NBA scouts valued Seojun's Adriatic League stats so highly wasn't just because he led the league in scoring with 24 points per game.
It was the fact that he averaged those 24 points while shooting an unbelievable 66.4% from the field. That was what truly caught their attention.
A field goal percentage that rivaled elite, rim-running centers.
While a large part of that was due to his shot profile—mostly drives, cuts, and putbacks off offensive rebounds—he still attempted 2.8 three-pointers per game and frequently pulled up from mid-range.
There was only one conclusion to draw.
Mega Vizura's head coach, Dejan Milojević, nodded in approval.
He's a natural-born scorer.
There were certain players born with that kind of efficiency.
Players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, or Kawhi Leonard—perimeter players who maintained career field goal percentages near or above 50%.
They maintained that efficiency not just because of their versatile skill sets as swingmen, but because they possessed an innate, elite ability to put the ball in the hoop.
I don't know if he can maintain this level of efficiency in the NBA, but...
Whatever the future held, right now, Seojun was playing at his absolute peak—and to Partizan, he was nothing short of a natural disaster.
And then, it happened.
Screeech! Seojun used an off-ball screen from Micic to suddenly step back. His defender, attempting to slide through the screen, was left trailing far behind.
Jokic delivered a perfectly timed pass right into his pocket.
Snap! Seojun launched a three-pointer from nearly seven feet behind the arc. Even by NBA standards, it was a deep three.
"Whew!"
He whistled softly, clenching both fists before the ball even reached the rim.
Swish!
"Come on!!"
33-14. A dagger of a three-pointer that felt like the final nail in the coffin.
"Whew... Haa!"
Seojun shivered as a rush of dopamine flooded his system.
"Let's keep it going! Let's end this in the first quarter!"
There were still 2 minutes and 12 seconds left in the first quarter.
Partizan's spirit was already half-broken.
Bogdanovic managed to spark a glimmer of hope by draining a three to make it 33-17, but Seojun immediately answered. He drove hard, drew the defense, and kicked it out to Dangubic, who nailed a three of his own to keep the lead at 36-17.
After a missed possession from each side, the clock ticked down to 48 seconds.
Jokic had been subbed out for a rest during a timeout, leaving Micic as the primary ball-handler.
Suddenly, Micic seemed to get an idea.
"Seojun! You take it."
He tossed the ball to Seojun and cleared out.
He was handing over the playmaking duties.
"Oh... should we try that play?"
Though briefly caught off guard, Seojun quickly flashed a hand signal to adjust his teammates' positioning.
He moved Subin from the right corner to the right wing.
Then, calling center Radovic up for a screen, he forced a switch to get a mismatch against Milutinov, immediately driving his shoulder into the big man's chest.
Grit! Milutinov gritted his teeth.
Instead of trying to blow past him with speed, the guard was actually trying to play bully-ball against a center.
Yet, Milutinov had no choice but to backpedal. Holding his ground was easy enough, but if he committed too hard, Seojun would instantly blow past him on the perimeter.
His best bet was to absorb the contact, slowly retreat, and wait for Seojun's original defender, Dragan, to recover.
With their bodies pressed together, Seojun's vision would be obstructed, leaving him isolated.
And just like that...
He's here!
The moment Dragan arrived to spring the double-team—
Flick! Seojun whipped a blind, behind-the-back pass past his right hip to Micic. The instant the ball left his hands, he slipped past Milutinov's right side and cut hard toward the rim.
Micic immediately returned the favor, firing a quick pass back to Seojun to complete a breathtaking give-and-go.
But Partizan's defense reacted quickly.
Bogdanovic, rotating from the right wing, slid over perfectly to contest.
"Hut."
A faint smile played on Seojun's lips.
This time, he whipped another behind-the-back pass past his left hip, kicking the ball out to Subin, who was now wide open on the right wing.
"What...?!"
Bogdanovic's eyes widened in sheer shock.
The entire Mega Vizura bench leaped to their feet, raising their hands in anticipation.
Whoosh! The ball left Subin's hands.
Swish!
"Yeahhhhh!"
"No way! They actually pulled it off?!"
"Bwahaha!"
"I can't believe they did that in a real game!"
The Vizura bench erupted in laughter and cheers.
This sequence was actually a joke play they had drawn up during practice just to goof around.
Back-to-back behind-the-back passes leading to a corner three.
Seeing it succeed in an actual game, they couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Seojun chuckled, and Micic let out a bemused laugh.
"Hahaha! I can't believe that actually worked!"
"Me neither. But honestly, it flowed surprisingly well."
Slap! Seojun high-fived Micic.
"Still, playing bully-ball against a center probably isn't the best idea. It completely blocks my vision. Penetrating with dribbles and speed is much simpler and more reliable. That was just a gimmick play. Next time, instead of putting a player on the wing, let's keep them in the corner. Then, when I drive and draw help, I can just kick it straight out."
"I know. I guess I'll just have to keep working on my handle."
Seojun smiled warmly.
He was genuinely happy. The realization that there was still so much to learn and master filled him with pure excitement.
A man stood in the stands, his fists trembling.
Surprisingly, it wasn't anyone from Partizan.
It was Goran Kakić, the General Manager of Mega Vizura.
I can accept letting Micic go. But...!
He desperately wanted to keep Seojun.
With him, even a EuroLeague championship wouldn't be an impossible dream.
The regret gnawed at him.
Yet, at the same time, he knew keeping him was an absolute impossibility.
He's grown so much since the first day I saw him that he's barely recognizable. And it's not because our club's player development is legendary...
It was simply because his latent potential was astronomical to begin with.
The club had merely provided the right environment for it to flourish.
Well, this is going to get very interesting.
Kakić glanced over at the NBA scouts scattered throughout the arena.
Some teams had been tracking Seojun from the start, while others had scrambled to send scouts the moment they confirmed his invitation to the Green Room, realizing he still had games left to play.
With today's performance, his draft stock might jump by two or three spots.
Meanwhile...
There was another group of people watching Seojun's performance with bated breath.
The basketball fans back in Korea.
Because the stream kept cutting out, the fans couldn't watch the game properly. Naturally, they had no idea what Seojun's actual stats were.
Then, just after the fourth quarter began...
The fans scoffed when they saw the numbers.
Looking at this stat line, the fans couldn't help but think of a certain milestone.
One fan finally voiced it.