no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 143 The World Championship Won by Yao Ming

Team USA called a timeout.

When the timeout came back, a player who had rarely played before was substituted.

Danny Granger.

Granger is not well-known in the NBA, but as the core of the Pacers, the 27-year-old has averaged 25 points per game in the past two seasons in the NBA. He is a rare immediate player for the US team.

It's just because he is also a shooting-oriented player, his functions highly overlap with Durant, and his ability is not as good as Durant, so he has not been reused by Old K in previous games, and has been sitting on the bench.

Old K only remembered him after he was forced to run out of moves.

Facts have proved that Granger is really capable.

As soon as he came up, he got an opportunity through beautiful off-ball movement. He took a pass from Billups and shot a three-pointer from the outside.

And back on the defensive end, he even completed the steal of Zhu Fangyu.

The US team seized the opportunity to form a defensive counterattack, and stabilized their position after a wave of 5-0 offensive.

In these two rounds, Granger fully demonstrated his characteristics as a 3D star and became a surprise player for the US team.

However, the Chinese team did not sit still. Upon seeing this, Deng Huade immediately signaled to switch defenses and asked Sun Yue to face Granger.

Although Sun Yue is one size smaller than Granger in terms of size, Granger's style of play is mainly off the ball, and his ability to attack with the ball is generally seldom attacking with the ball, so the effect of this matchup is very good .

Seeing this, Old K then replaced Billups with Westbrook. Because of the two outside threats of Durant and Granger, Westbrook's breakthrough space was much larger after playing.

This back and forth contest, the fans watching the scene, including those players from other teams, were hooked.

After confirming their eyes, this is the competition between the strongest teams in this World Championship.

But no matter how the court changes, how anxious the situation is, when Durant is on the court, Xu Yong's strategy is the same as the opening, which is to stare at Durant.

Because he knows very well that as long as Durant doesn't open it, the US team will open with the Chinese team at most.

And once Durant is allowed to open up, the rest of the US team will instantly become the highest quality parts. After the game is completed, a dream team averaging 25+ per game will appear, and it will be difficult for the Chinese team to win.

Facts have proved that Xu Yong's strategy is very correct.

The Chinese team was full of firepower on the outside tonight, and Yao Ming was restrained on the inside. At the end of the third quarter, the two teams were tied at 70.

The fans watching this situation were both nervous and excited.

Also at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Deng Huade arranged for Xu Yong to rest.

Durant is not a dead fish who stops flopping when you hold him down. On the contrary, he struggles very hard. Xu Yongyong cannot hold him down even if he tries his best.

However, Deng Huade was also very cautious, replacing Xu Yong, and he let Yao Ming lead the opening of the fourth quarter.

However, it was his arrangement that planted a minefield for the Chinese team.

Because after the old K discovered this, he began to signal to circle around Yao Ming and gamble steals, speeding up crazily.

There is only one purpose for doing this, and that is not to engage in positional warfare with the Chinese team.

The Chinese team knew the US team's style of play, but the rhythm couldn't be suppressed without Xu Yong's presence.

So as a last resort, Deng Huade could only let Xu Yong, who had just rested for a while, go into battle again.

Nothing could be seen at this time, but when the decisive stage was entered and the main players of both sides came back, as Yao Ming and Xu Yong's physical fitness both declined, the Chinese team's offense and defense began to collapse.

The U.S. team completed consecutive presses and played defensive counterattacks, playing their most classic dream team wave.

Four minutes before the end, the U.S. team already led the Chinese team by 4 points, 89-79.

The Chinese team called a timeout.

"There is not much time left for the Chinese team!" The American commentator wiped his sweat and said with a smile on the other side of the commentary booth.

The threat that the Chinese team posed to the US team tonight was beyond imagination, especially the opening wave that even made him doubt that the US team would lose.

Fortunately, the game is not only one quarter, but four quarters, the US team finally had the last laugh by virtue of its overall strength.

On the bench of the Chinese team, the players looked somewhat depressed.

Even Yao Ming pursed his lips, and the hand holding the towel unconsciously clenched into a fist.

They had the best chance, and they also had the best start, but they just fell short.

Soon, Deng Huade arranged the tactics, said some words of encouragement, and then signaled the players to play.

Xu Yong patted Yao Ming's arm before he stood up and said, "We still have time."

Yao Ming looked up at the timer when he heard it.

He looked away, nodded firmly, and then stood up.

The last 240 seconds, their last ditch effort.

After the timeout, the Chinese team made a big tactical change. Xu Yong started to hold the ball.

After his teammates opened up space, he took the ball and directly changed direction without slowing down to break through Iguodala. Moreover, facing Granger who was assisting in defense, he did not choose to pass the ball, but faced the force and made a layup, causing the latter A pulling foul.

He stepped to the free throw line, adjusted his breathing and then made two free throws, helping the Chinese team narrow the point difference to single digits.

In the next round, Durant was pleasantly surprised to find that Xu Yong finally stopped defending him. He couldn't wait to hold the ball, and then broke through Yi Jianlian's emergency stop jumper.

"when!"

But it's a pity that his shot didn't hit.

Even if you are Kevin Durant, you can't pull out the gun and hit it with one shot when the gun is blocked for more than three quarters.

Yao Ming struggled to protect the defensive rebound, and the Chinese team played a defensive counterattack. After receiving a pass from Sun Yue and confronting Iguodala in the air, Xu Yong completed a layup.

The referee's whistle sounded again, but unlike the previous round, the ball hit the edge of the basket after wiping the board, spun around and then rolled into the net bag.

This ball is a 2+1!

The Chinese fans at the scene boiled instantly.

These two goals brought back the suspense of the game and were priceless!
Old K also had a look of disbelief on his face. The rim-rushing style of play consumes a lot of energy, especially since both sides had been fighting fiercely all night. Where did Xu Yong get his energy?

Xu Yong obviously has a strategy.

He and Yao Ming said that the first strategy was to pursue Durant, but the second strategy was something he couldn't explain, which was procrastination.

His advantage is physical fitness, especially when other people's physical fitness tanks are at their lowest, that's when he shines.

This was used when I was at Arizona State University.

So in fact, the more intense the fight between the two sides before, the greater the physical consumption, the more room for him to play.

After adjusting my breathing, Xu Yong also made an additional penalty, and the point difference on the field came to 5 points.

"Defense! Defense!"

At this time, the Chinese fans at the scene bottomed out and their defensive shouts echoed throughout the stadium.

Durant continued to play with the ball. This time he didn't make too many moves. He faked a sudden break and forced Yi Jianlian back, then directly pulled up and threw a three-pointer.

Yi Jianlian's rhythm was a bit off.

"when!"

But Durant was still inaccurate!

Xu Yong was suppressed throughout the game, and he didn't make a good shot. It was not so easy for him to regain his touch.

What's more, at this stage, his physical fitness has already bottomed out.

Fortunately, the U.S. team retreated quickly enough this time, and did not let the Chinese team directly fight back.

The two sides turned to positional warfare.

"Team China! Come on!"

At this time, the defensive shouts quickly turned into cheers and cheers.

Xu Yong continued to break through the basket.

His choice is very smart. Although he has more physical fitness than others, it is relative. No one can guarantee the stability of shooting at this time, but if he breaks through, the success rate is high and he has the opportunity to cause damage.

This time Chandler came to defend him.

Obviously, the US team can no longer let him score freely.

Xu Yong's momentum remained unabated, and he felt desperate, but after entering the three-second zone, he chose a small drop shot from close range.

Chandler worked hard to block the shot, but still couldn't stop Xu Yong's shot.

"when!"

However, Xu Yong didn't have enough practice time for this small throw, and the basketball didn't hit the basket.

But before Old K could breathe a sigh of relief, Yao Ming had already jumped up and successfully completed the tip-in.

The cheers were overwhelming.

Yao Ming also pumped his fist excitedly and gave tomatoes to the US team.

89 is better than 86!

After returning from the timeout, the Chinese team launched a 7-0 offensive, narrowing the point difference to one goal.

At this time, there was still more than a minute before the end of the game, and old K reached out and called a timeout.

When he came off the field, Xu Yong smiled and high-fived Yao Ming.

When he saw Chandler's assisting defense, he knew that the ball just now must be scored, either by him or by Yao Ming.

After the timeout, the old K still arranged the tactics for Durant, but it was a tactic to cause damage to the basket.

Durant's breakthrough passed Yi Jianlian smoothly, but when he hit the basket, Yao Ming fought hard to block his layup angle.

He was forced to perform his own big swing, but what he never expected was that Yao Ming could actually come back.

"boom!"

As a result, his shot was directly rejected by Yao Ming, and the ball still went out of bounds on him!
One Yao is at the gate, and ten thousand husbands are not allowed to open it!

He not only defended this goal, but also the national team honor that he cared about most.

The fans cheered again, and some even wiped their eyes excitedly.

The Chinese team now has a chance to continue to shrink or even tie the score.

Deng Huade made offensive gestures at Sun Yue and Xu Yong on the sidelines.

"Hey, look, the U.S. team is in a scoring drought again!" Zhang Weiping said with a smile after he relaxed from the commentary booth.

The "again" he said was because the US team was in a scoring drought at the beginning. At that time, the Chinese team took advantage of this to get off to a perfect 11-0 start.

But now, the Chinese team has taken advantage of the new scoring shortage of the US team and has chased down 7 points in a row, abruptly playing a chance to tie the score.

It depends on whether the Chinese team can seize the opportunity.

Sun Yue advanced the ball to the front court, and then directly handed the ball to Xu Yong.

"There are now 40 seconds left before the end of the game. We can now choose to score a quick two-pointer and then defend against a wave, or directly score a three-pointer to tie the score. Either way, it's okay, and it's all right, but it has to be fast. Before attacking in 24 seconds." Zhang Weiping's commentary level was online again.

It was too late and then, Xu Yong had already launched an attack.

He started with a falling step and completed the ball at the same time, jumping up and making a three-pointer.

Deng Huade's arrangement was to divide the shares equally.

Iguodala struggled to save and interfered, but still couldn't block Xu Yong's shot.

The basketball spun towards the basket, attracting the attention of all the fans.

The ball has just the right amount of power.

"when!"

But unfortunately, it was a little off track due to interference.

As Xu Yong said, at this stage of the game, no one can guarantee that the shot will be successful.

People from both teams are scrambling for rebounds, which are crucial.

The final result was that Yao Ming won this priceless rebound with his height.

And when he saw people around him, he immediately threw the ball back to Xu Yong who was outside.

After Xu Yong caught the ball, he made another three-pointer before Iguodala returned to defense.

This time he was obviously much more calm.

The basketball is spinning in the air, and this time it looks perfect in terms of strength and angle.

When it started to fall, the fans cheered.

"Shh!"

With a crisp sound, Xu Yong seized the second chance!
89 flats!
The Chinese team equalized the score!

Grasping the opening and ending, the Chinese team caught them all!
The fans at the scene have gone crazy. The Chinese team is given a chance and it can seize it!

At this time, there were only 28 seconds left in the game, and there were no timeouts for the US team.

"Defense! Defense!"

A uniform shout rang out from the scene.

At this time, Xu Yong began to stick close to Durant, trying his best to prevent him from receiving the ball.

Although Durant missed two consecutive shots in front, he knew that Durant was the same killer as Kobe.

Don't ask him where he got his strength, just pause and return to his body, it's been several pauses!
Durant was entangled by Xu Yong and couldn't catch the ball. The US team chose to let Granger complete the final attack.

Granger turned back and broke through Sun Yue, and then made a step-back jumper after the confrontation to create an offensive opportunity for himself.

It has to be said that Granger's set of finishing moves was very beautiful, and he completely got rid of Sun Yue when he shot.

He's just not as good as Durant, but he's still an All-Star.

"when!"

But some shots, if you are not Durant's level, you really can't make them!

In the scramble for the basket, Yi Jianlian protected the defensive rebound, and Deng Huade immediately called a timeout.

Zhang Weiping's mouth is open tonight, the US team really has been scoring shortage in the end!
The fans at the scene couldn't sit still with excitement. They thought they had no chance 4 minutes ago, but now they really have a chance to kill.

Sure enough, in competitive sports, nothing is impossible!

After the timeout, Xu Yong and Yao Ming were still communicating before going on the court. It was obvious that they both took the last round very seriously.

Although it is a tie and there is still a chance for overtime if the score is not scored, the Chinese team is not as good as the US team in terms of physical fitness, and you cannot expect the US team not to score like in the past period.

So this is the last chance for the Chinese team.

In the last 6 seconds, the serve in the frontcourt.

After consecutive screen runs, Xu Yong received a sideline ball from Sun Yue, and then used Yao Ming's pick-and-roll to break through to the basket.

It seems that the Chinese team has a very clear idea, which is to let Xu Yong hit the basket.

Coach K obviously predicted this, so several people had already shrunk to the basket at the same time.

And this is the last attack, the foul referee will not call it, so they are also ready to prevent Xu Yong from completing the shot.

However, just after reaching the three-second zone, Xu Yong suddenly looked back at the moon and threw the ball to Yao Ming, who had just screened and moved to the free throw line!

By the time the rest of the U.S. team realized this, it was already too late.

I saw that Yao Ming didn't adjust much after receiving the ball, and threw the ball directly towards the basket.

After the ball reached the highest point, the red light on the sidelines followed suit.

In fact, Deng Huade's tactic was Xu Yong's breakthrough, but Xu Yong knew that the US team would try his best to defend him, so he decided to play a small cooperation with Yao Ming temporarily, which is why they were still communicating before going on the field.

Now it seems that their choice is correct, at least the opportunity has come out.

The basketball began to fall, attracting everyone's attention.

Many people subconsciously held their breath.

The victory or defeat is only in an instant, and it is in this instant whether history can be made.

"Shh!"

There was a crisp sound, and the basketball went straight through the net bag!

You can always trust Yao Ming's free throw line!
"The ball has been scored! The ball has been scored!" On the commentary side, Yang Yi jumped up and shouted.

"We beat the dream team! We are the world champions! We are the world champions!"

The sound of the basketball hitting the net was accompanied by the commentator's voice, but was quickly drowned out by the cheers of the fans.

Yao Ming, with the first lore of his career, brought the Chinese men's basketball team the world championship!
(End of this chapter)