no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 210 The Last Dance

The news that James was traded to the Pacers quickly spread like snowflakes around the world.

Social media almost collapsed at the news.

James and his friends broke through the defense collectively.

"Riley is a hot chick. You are not worthy of carrying Phil Jackson's shoes. There is a reason why Jordan looks down on you. You are a complete loser!"

"Riley is a bitch. She has no ability to mess with the Big Three. They are rubbish and bastards!"

"I will use my 20 years of life to curse the Heat and curse them to never win a championship again!"

……

Bulls fans and Lakers celebrated wildly.

"Where did the seven championships go? Oh, I understand. It turned out that we were going to give away 7 championships, but we only gave away 2?"

"It's over, now I'm really a matchmaker. Let's see who of you dares to talk about the king in the future. My emperor is the goat in the matchmaking world!"

"Haha, the 'League No. 1' that some people said was kicked out. Riley is so disrespectful!"

……

Of course, more neutral fans are eating melons and eating melons crazily.

"From taking the initiative to join forces to being kicked out, does the king lose his temper a little quickly?"

"This Heat team has created two firsts. The first time the top three teamed up, and then the first time they teamed up at the top, they didn't win a championship."

"If the Heat win the championship next season, it will be really exciting."

……

The Olympic Games are still going on simultaneously.

Although Xu Yong was missing, and even Zhu Fangyu was missing at the beginning, Yao Ming still led the team to win the next three games.

Just like he promised to Xu Yong before.

When Xu Yong came back, the Chinese team faced Spain in the last game. Xu Yong scored 34 points, successfully completing the warm-up match and helping the Chinese team take first place in the group with a record of 5 wins and 0 losses.

When Xu Yong was suspended, the Chinese team could still achieve such results. This is a change of direction and shows how powerful the Chinese men's basketball team is.

But something went wrong with the dream team.

That was when they faced Lithuania in the group stage.

Lithuania has defeated the United States twice in history, and its victory over the Dream Six in 2004 was impressive.

Facing an opponent that had defeated itself, this dream team with a vengeance attribute should theoretically defeat its opponent as it had done with its previous big wins over France and Argentina, but the game was extremely tense.

They were even forced to the decisive moment by the opponent. In the end, they relied on Durant's accurate buzzer beater to get through the game 99-94.

This game made people see two things.

First, this dream team is not as invincible as the outside world says. Although they have won consecutive games in the group stage and defeated Nigeria by 71 points, their abuse of food does not actually reflect their true strength;

Second, James' state is much worse than in the group stage, which is obviously affected by the NBA's trade.

These two points have significantly improved confidence in other teams.

Especially the Chinese team, which is the main opponent.

The competition format of the London Olympics consists of 12 teams divided into 2 groups, with the top four in each group advancing to the quarterfinals, and then A1 versus B4 begins the knockout rounds.

The Chinese team is the first in Group A, and its opponent in the quarterfinals is the French team, which is fourth in Group B.

This game can be called "a classic within a classic".

In the first quarter, the French team, led by Parker, played back and forth with the Chinese team;
In the second quarter, Jeremy Lin led the team to establish an advantage in the transition period between substitutes. Xu Yong and Yao Ming came back to widen the point difference to more than 15 points;
In the third quarter, Xu Yong came up and threw two three-pointers to widen the point difference to 20 points. Then just when the Chinese team was preparing to pursue the victory, the French team gave up.

Sure enough, no one could defeat France before it surrendered.

The outcome of this game was expected, but this battle is of great significance to Chinese basketball.

Because the 08 Olympic Games stopped at the quarterfinals, but this time, the Chinese men's basketball team finally reached the Olympic semifinals for the first time that fans have longed for.

Although, the semi-finals are just the starting point for this Chinese men's basketball team.

The Chinese team’s opponent in the semi-finals is Argentina.

Facing an opponent that reached its peak in 04 but has slowly declined, the Chinese team did not let the game have too much suspense. They defeated the opponent 96-79 and advanced to the finals. At the same time, they also refreshed the record of the semi-finals to Guaranteed silver medal.

In another semi-final, the match between the US team and the Spanish team was fierce. In the end, with Durant's 30 points and 9 rebounds, the US team defeated the Spanish team 107-100.

It is worth mentioning that Durant's 30 points also brought his scoring average to 19.3 points per game, breaking the US team's scoring average record.

This is a very scary statistic. You must know that this dream team has gathered many big names such as Kobe, Anthony, and James.

Facts have proved that Durant is the strongest nuclear weapon of the US team in the fiba arena.

In this way, the Chinese team and the United States team, considered the top two teams in this Olympics before the game, successfully met in the Olympic finals.

This result can be said to be eye-catching.

If the NBA finals attract more attention from Chinese and American fans, then this Olympic final attracts the attention of fans from all over the world.

Even the pre-game betting companies are making huge profits.

Spinach's handicap is that the United States has a 15-point handicap, and the Dream Team is still very optimistic.

The day before the final, the Chinese team was training intensively.

Although the silver medal has been obtained, the team members are not satisfied.

When you have climbed to the highest peak in the world, you will naturally not stop when you are halfway up the mountain.

In particular, this is Yao Ming's true last dance.

The coaching staff also attached great importance to it and took the whole team to the conference room for a meeting after the training.

"They play at a fast pace and we have to keep the pace down."

Deng Huade has obviously done sufficient research on this American team.

The most significant of the previous games was the semifinals, where the Chinese team defeated Argentina 96-79.

For comparison, the score between the US team and Argentina in the group stage was 126 to 97.

The difference between the two teams can be seen from the score. The American team, the Dream [-] team, has a faster offensive pace and more fierce firepower.

The Chinese team will play at a slower pace because of Yao Ming and pay more attention to defense.

So in this duel between spear and shield, whoever can control the rhythm will have a better chance.

Of course, how Lithuania played at this time was also crucial, because neither side scored more than [-] points in that game.

"Do you think we can guard against them?" After leaving the conference room, Yao Ming turned to chat with Xu Yong.

Xu Yong turned to look at Yao Ming and shook his head: "It's difficult."

So far, the only game this Dream Team has not broken 99 points is the [-]-point game against Lithuania.

In other words, it is almost impossible to limit them to less than 100.

Deng Huade's idea is not wrong, but the challenge is that they have to have a high enough round success rate, or in layman's terms, they have to score more points than the US team.

"There are always opportunities." Yao Ming said.

"Well, there is always a chance." Xu Yong nodded, just like he did in the last game of the Finals against the Lakers.

……

Two days later, as the London Olympics came to an end, the men's basketball final was also held at the North Greenwich Arena.

When Luol Deng appeared on the scene, Xu Yong remembered his experience that year.

This arena can be regarded as the starting point of his NBA career. I hope it can bring him good luck this time.

During the warm-up before the game, Kobe held a small meeting with the members of the US team and once again reminded the players.

The scoring leader of this Dream [-] team is Durant, but the team leader is still "our strongest player" in the words of the old coach K.

The members of the Chinese team were very excited when they were warming up.

Because you may not believe it when you tell me, but half of the huge stadium are Chinese fans!
God knows how they got so many tickets!

The passion has come to my face like a flame.

Xu Yong was also very excited.

This is probably the difference between playing in the NBA and putting on the national team jersey.

When you fight for your country, there are always so many lovely people who will fight alongside you.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides were released one after another.

Chinese team: Jeremy Lin, Sun Yue, Xu Yong, Yi Jianlian, Yao Ming;
Team USA: Paul, Kobe, Durant, James, Tyson Chandler.

Amid the cheers of the fans at the scene, Yao Ming returned the ball to half court, and the curtain of the Olympic finals officially opened.

Jeremy Lin came up with the ball, and Paul pressed hard.

The fast pace of the Dream Team is based on huge defensive pressure.

Because of the lineup of the Dream Nine two years ago, this kind of pressure was not very obvious, but this time the elite came out, especially Kobe, who likes to devote all his efforts on the defensive end to lead the team, the pressure was directly full.

Jeremy Lin and Yao Ming went through pick-and-rolls several times without a chance.

"Snapped!"

Paul immediately saw the opportunity and stole the ball from Jeremy Lin's hand, and the American team launched a fast break.

After receiving a pass from Paul, Kobe easily glided and dunked with both hands, giving the United States the lead.

Of course, it also attracted bursts of cheers from the audience.

Although half of the fans are Chinese fans, the remaining half of the fans from other countries are undoubtedly on the side of the Dream Team.

In particular, most British people are still living in the dream of the British Empire.

In the Chinese team's round, Xu Yong made new tactical gestures in the frontcourt.

In this national team, he also serves as a part-time on-field coach.

Under his gesture, the Chinese team changed from "15 pick-and-roll" to "14 pick-and-roll".

It's still a pick-and-roll tactic, but the pick-and-roll man is changed from Yao Ming to Yi Jianlian.

Yi Jianlian's pick-and-roll is not as large as Yao Ming's, but it is more flexible and can reach the three-point line.

Of course, another very important point is that he can also catch people in pick-and-rolls.

At the same time, Yao Ming also set up a second pick-and-roll wall at the free throw line.

Jeremy Lin used continuous pick-and-rolls to successfully break through to the three-second zone. After attracting a double attack, he distributed the ball to Xu Yong.

Yes, assigned to outside line Xu Yong.

The U.S. team's lineup on the field is one big and four small. The defensive rotation speed is already very fast, and the small size of the fiba field only strengthens this point.

At this time, he returned the ball to Yao Ming. Yao Ming may not have a good chance. Instead, he used Yao Ming's restriction to create an opportunity for Xu Yong.

Xu Yong caught the ball and watched James rush to make up for it and take action calmly.

"Shh!"

Basketball goes through the net.

Fiba's three-pointer is NBA's long two-pointer.

Over the years, Xu Yong has become more and more skilled in the mid-range. If he were rated according to 2K, he would be at least 110+.

The scene was immediately filled with overwhelming cheers from Chinese fans.

This game is actually a bit like an NCAA game. Not only are the players competing on the court, but the fans are also competing off the court.

Kobe immediately came out of the screen and responded with a mid-range jump shot from Paul's pass.

The Chinese team continued the 14 pick-and-roll, but this time Kobe and James switched defenses. Kobe pressed Jeremy Lin fiercely, and Jeremy Lin was forced to pass the ball to Xu Yong.

When Xu Yong got the ball and saw that he was facing James, he made a falling step and then pulled it out directly from beyond the three-point line!

The three-pointer just now made him feel that he could continue to output.

"Shh!"

Facts also immediately proved that you know your own feel best.

Xu Yong hit two three-pointers in a row after the start!

Moreover, both times they faced James' defense.

The Chinese fans at the scene were in a state of excitement. Xu Yong's opening touch gave them endless confidence.

Are you the dream team?I am playing a dream team!
But looking back, Durant immediately used a pull-up that ignored the defense to help the US team continue to score.

Just like what Xu Yong and Yao Ming talked about, this American team has fierce offensive firepower.

6 flats.

Both sides go back and forth without giving in.

However, just after the offensive and defensive transition, the US team made defensive adjustments, and Kobe directly switched to guard Xu Yong.

This is why Kobe is still the leader of this American team.

He doesn't care about statistics at all, and he also knows that his teammates' firepower is fierce enough, so he will devote all his efforts to defense without hesitation.

Xu Yong made consecutive moves and failed to get a chance to catch the ball.

Xu Yong shot continuously in the false first defense, but it was difficult for Xu Yong to catch the ball in the real first defense.

But in the end, Xu Yong got the ball one meter outside the three-point line with 5 seconds left in the attack time.

At this time, Yi Jianlian wanted to come up and do the final pick-and-roll, but Xu Yong directly stretched out his hand to signal him not to come.

Then, when he took his hand back, he suddenly connected with the ball and made a three-pointer.gif.

This sudden cold arrow caught Kobe off guard. By the time he reacted, it was too late to pounce.

"Shh!"

Xu Yong’s three-pointer was a hit!

He has hit three consecutive three-pointers since the opening game!

Moreover, the ball just now was almost buzzer-beating, and it was a three-pointer from standard NBA distance.

If it was just his own feeling before, now, everyone knows that he has a hot start.

James muttered at this time that Kobe had forced him to switch defenses just now, but it turned out that it was not his problem.

9 is better than 6!

The Chinese team started the game overwhelming the American team.

No, to be more precise, Xu Yong is playing alone against the dream team!
Are you the only MVP who scored 51 points in the Finals and helped the Bulls win two consecutive championships? !

Not to mention the fans being extremely excited, the Chinese team members all felt their blood boiling.

When facing an enemy more powerful than yourself, it is important to have a leader to charge forward.

Then, the Chinese team actually defended against the Dream Team's positional battle.

Durant's shot missed, Yao Ming steadily collected the defensive rebound, and then threw it to Xu Yong from the outside.

The Chinese team also played their own defensive counterattack.

Xu Yong dribbled the ball and rushed to the frontcourt against Kobe's defense, and then stopped to chase a three-pointer when the fast break reached the three-point line.

Kobe successfully predicted it, jumped up and struggled to interfere with Xu Yong.

Xu Yong was completely fearless, and there seemed to be light in his eyes at the moment.

After the last ball was made, he knew that his hand felt hot at the moment.

The basketball flew past Kobe's fingertips and headed toward the basket.

"Shh!"

When the crisp sound of entering the net came through the loudspeaker again, the Chinese fans at the scene had completely gone crazy.

"Satan! Satan!"

They rose from their seats and shouted.

Satan, a mythical novel originating from Europe.

This is Europe!
Team USA called a timeout.

Xu Yong's four consecutive three-pointers in the opening game stunned Old K.

And these four three-pointers set the tone for the entire first half.

When Lao K adjusted his tactics and began to use the American team's excellent defensive rotation ability to double-team Xu Yong, the rest of the Chinese team would naturally get opportunities to shoot from the outside.

The fiba field has only become smaller, not gone. When it moves from one side of the half court to the other, and there is a threat from a big center inside, it is impossible not to have opportunities.

Of course, the premise is that you dare to invest when the opportunity arises.

The shooting ability of this men's basketball team has been proven since two years ago, and it has steadily improved in this Olympics.

Then I feel like this thing is contagious.

Throughout the first half, the Chinese team took 20 shots from beyond the three-point line and made 12 of them, with a shooting rate of an astonishing 60%.

Just three cents alone allowed them to score 36 points.

Relying on their accurate performance from the outside, at the end of halftime, they led the US team by 58 points, 56 to 2.

The offensive firepower of this Dream Team is indeed fierce, so fierce that it is a bit exaggerated.

But without making a lot of mistakes, the number of rounds for both sides is actually about the same.

With more efficient three-pointers and a unique offensive method, the Chinese team was stunned to have a [-]-[-] draw with the US team in the half.

"This is the best half I have ever seen our men's basketball team perform." This is the most authentic evaluation given by Yang Yi in the commentary box.

Even when they won the World Cup two years ago, the men's basketball team had never had such a heroic performance.

But tonight the men's basketball team did show its strength when faced with a strong situation.

At this time, there is also a lot of discussion on social media.

"If we send out our best players and still lose the game, does that mean that the U.S. men's basketball team is no longer dominant?"

"Don't worry, it's impossible to lose. The Chinese team's 60% three-point shooting rate in the first half is too exaggerated. It will be difficult for them to maintain it in the second half."

"Xu is like a god of war. I'm really afraid that he will copy his performance in G6 of the finals."

"Yes, if we play a series, there is no way the Chinese team can win us, but this is a game and Xu is really scary."

"Be confident, guys! We were only 2 points behind at halftime. You have to believe that we are a strong dream team!"

"At least we have the physical advantage. We will sweep them in the second half. LeBron didn't score in the first half, so he will step up!"

……

Returning from the half-time break, the fans are still enthusiastic.

The fierce competition between the two sides in the first half made the fans full of expectations for the second half.

As soon as he returned in the second half, Durant hit a jumper against the defense to help the US team tie the score.

And looking back, Sun Yue failed to make a three-pointer from the outside.

The Chinese team's three-point shooting is indeed good enough, but it does not reach the terrifying figure of 60%.

but!

Yao Ming grabbed the offensive rebound directly over Chandler's head, and then attacked Chandler and scored with a hook.

The ball is very fast and hard.

It feels like, everyone can shoot, but if you can't hit the basket, I'm responsible for it.

Then after returning to the defensive end, Yao Ming directly gave James a big block after breaking through the basket.

After completing the block, he found Xu Yong and gave him a high five.Xu Yong can completely feel his desire to compete after returning in the second half.

In other words, in the first half, the desire was suppressed because the teammates' shots were too accurate.

In a basketball game, which end of the inside and outside should be emphasized depends on the actual situation. When the outside line is relatively accurate, it can open up space for the inside line. It will be much easier for the inside line players to play singles in the inside line. But when the accuracy is to a certain extent, they become inside lines. Containment creates shooting opportunities.

The Chinese team's shooting accuracy in the first half was frightening. Yao Ming mostly cooperated with Xu Yong to create outside opportunities for others.

But now that the outside teammates' touch has dropped, and the US team insists on flanking Xu Yong, he must and will step up.

Durant finally caught the ball from mid-range and hit the jumper.

He is in ridiculously good shape this Olympics, as if he is trying to win back everything he lost in the playoffs last season in the Olympics.

Xu Yong reached the frontcourt and stretched out his hand to signal. Jeremy Lin saw Yao Ming moving to the low post to gain position and gave the ball to the basket.

This job is not difficult for Jeremy Lin, because after Woodson took office, he needed to feed Anthony the ball often.

Of course the US team would shrink, but Yao Ming reacted quickly and turned directly to the baseline for a quick hook.

"Shh!"

The basketball fell steadily into the net bag.

Yao Ming scored 4 points in a row after coming up in the second half.

Kobe Bryant continued to score points for the US team, and their firepower output tonight was simply unstoppable.

At this time, it depends on whether the Chinese team can bite the score.

Jeremy Lin went to the frontcourt and wanted to continue feeding Yao Ming, but this time the American team was smaller.

"Shoot!" Yao Ming said and quickly turned around and stuck Chandler behind him.

Jeremy Lin hesitated and took a three-point shot.

"when!"

His three-point shot came out of the frame. Now his outside shooting is almost at the same level as Rose before he improved his shooting. His main focus is instability.

However, Yao Ming was stuck under the basket. After easily grabbing the rebound, he just dodged James who was flying to help defend, and made a backhand layup.

He continued his scoring momentum and scored 6 points in a row.

Xu Yong was stunned when he saw it from the outside.

Yao Ming's current state is surprisingly good.

Because he had the experience of entering the Zone (also known as the white-hot space, a realistic concept proposed by Grover Future), he even doubted whether Yao Ming had also entered it at this moment.

This is entirely possible. Yao Ming's skills are fine and his mental attributes are fine. He just lacked an opportunity to enter before.

Tonight is the last game of his national team career that he cares about most.

Looking back, the reason why he was able to enter in the first place was because he had an extremely strong desire to win the game.

Yao Ming's current desire is probably stronger than his original desire.

But looking back, Kobe scored a three-pointer from the outside.

64:65.

This goal helped the US team directly overtake the score.

Facts have proved that the sample size of the US team playing Lithuania in the group stage was obviously too small.

Speaking of Spain alone, they lost two games in the group stage this time, but in the semi-finals they were still inseparable from the United States.

The U.S. team's seriousness in the finals is not at the same level as in the group stage.

Moreover, after Kobe made a shot and retreated to the defensive end, he loudly instructed his teammates on their defensive positions.

The American team wanted to take advantage of the Chinese team's inaccuracy on the outside and pull out the score in one go.

Xu Yong started to move after reaching the frontcourt.

Although Yao Ming is in hot form now and even though he is being heavily targeted, he must do something now.

Yao Ming reacted very quickly at this time, giving up his position inside and directly pulling up to the high position to set up a pick-and-roll wall.

In the end, Xu Yong successfully received Jeremy Lin's pass and broke through directly to the basket.

The U.S. team's defense quickly shrank, and it felt like being touched on the G-spot.

Xu Yong's defensive priority with old K is obviously higher than that of Yao Ming.

Xu Yong chose to pass the ball.

In other words, he was just trying to contain Yao Ming from the beginning, creating opportunities for Yao Ming.

However, after Yao Ming's ball was dismantled, it bounced a little too far and went directly outside the three-point line.

The American team didn't have time to pounce outside. After seeing Yao Ming raising the ball to shoot, they all turned around and prepared to block.

"Shh!"

But with a crisp sound of hitting the net, Yao Ming's three-pointer actually went in!

This position is actually similar to the mid-range shot he made after the return of the king.

After making this three-pointer, Yao Ming increased his consecutive scoring streak in the second half to 9 points!
The Chinese fans at the scene burst into laughter, and some fans couldn't control their emotions and their eyes turned red.

In the final game of his national team career, Yao Ming gave his best.

Xu Yong high-fived Yao Ming while retreating, and he also confirmed that Yao Ming entered the zone.

When the U.S. team insisted on flanking itself, Yao Ming's timing of entry could be said to be just right.

But having had that experience, he knew how exhausted it would be after coming out of that state.

So that's good news, but it's also bad news.

If the advantage cannot be established during this period of time and the stalemate with the US team continues, then the moment Yao Ming falls out of the zone will be the moment when the Chinese team collapses.

So what can he do?

defense.

That's right, in order to establish an advantage, in addition to scoring yourself, you must also limit your opponent's scoring.

He switched directly to Kobe.

Maybe most people didn't notice that when Yao Ming was putting out crazy output, Kobe also scored 5 points after returning in the second half.

Although he did not score the most points on this American team, his scoring at critical moments was unambiguous.

Kobe didn't stop his offensive pace when he saw Xu Yong switching defenses. He continued to look for opportunities around the screen.

But Xu Yong followed closely with the puppy footwork inherited from Kobe. In the end, after Kobe got the ball, he was not thrown away.

Because there was not much time left to attack, Kobe signaled to pull away and chose to attack.

He chose to break through facing the basket. In last season's finals, he knew that he would not have an advantage when playing Xu Yong from behind.

His breakthrough was still rapid, but Xu Yong was also very focused at this time, and the two of them went directly from the high position to the three-second zone.

In the end, Kobe Bryant turned his pivot foot hard from close range and shot backward, but he still couldn't completely get rid of Xu Yong, and the shot finally hit the frame.

The person Kobe is least willing to play against is McGrady, because he can do everything McGrady can do, and he can do it better because of his size.

Now McGrady has basically retired, and then Xu Yong appeared.

This monster that he also beat has now successfully replaced Tracy McGrady in his heart.

The American team's attack failed, but they retreated quickly, and both sides moved to the frontcourt to continue fighting.

Xu Yong repeated his old trick, this time Yao Ming received the ball from the outside and James jumped directly.

But at this moment, Yao Ming's best moment in the London Olympics came.

He waited for James to fly over, then collected the ball and dribbled to the basket to break through. When Chandler saved from the three-second zone, he turned around and passed Chandler on the move, and then smashed the ball with both hands. Get into the basket.

This should not be an action that a 2-meter big man can do, but now it is done by the 26-meter Yao Ming, and it is still at the end of his peak.

Chandler's eyes widened and he looked like "I just saw a ghost".

The members of the American team couldn't believe it either.

The scene was already filled with cheers from the audience.

This time it’s not just Chinese fans, but other fans as well.

Yao Ming completely conquered them with his 11-point performance!

Old K reached out and called a timeout.

11 points in a row doesn't sound like much, but if it comes from an inside player, it's scary.

Because the explosive power of scoring inside is inherently weak, even players like O'Neal will encounter shrinking defenses and be forced to pass the ball.

But Yao Ming is blossoming inside and outside, and the US team can't hold it back at all.

After returning from the timeout, the US team strengthened its defense against Yao Ming, but Yao Ming immediately used a beautiful ball to assist Jeremy Lin to score and told Old K, your adjustment will not work.

Thanks to playing under Adelman's system, Yao Ming's support ability in recent years has been of a very high level.

With 2 minutes left before the end of the third quarter, the score on the field became 85 to 77, and the Chinese team led by 8 points!
It is unbelievable to say it, but facing the dream team with all the members, the Chinese team actually suppressed their opponents.

"Incredible! But, this is the world champion!" Even the home commentator could no longer explain the phenomenon in front of him.

But at this moment, Yao Ming made an intentional foul on the defensive end, then glanced at Deng Huade and walked to the bench with heavy steps.

The moment he sat down, sweat began to pour out of his pores. He lowered his head and sweated, and he didn't even have the strength to wipe it away.

Xu Yong knew that Yao Ming had come out of the Zone.

15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, these are the statistics Yao Ming handed over in the more than seven minutes he entered the zone.

It's crazy.

And the most important thing is that as a big man of 2 meters, he actually persisted for so long.

One can imagine how eager he is to win this game.

However, after Yao Ming left the game, the quality of the Chinese team's offensive and defensive ends dropped significantly.

Xu Yong was still working hard to defend, but by the end of the third quarter, the score on the field became 88 to 83, and the point difference had been narrowed to 5 points.

If Xu Yong can enter the zone in the fourth quarter, he should have a chance to help the Chinese team win the game.

But this thing is hard to come by, and even the conditions for triggering it are different for each person.

If you place your hope on it, it is like looking for a floating board in the flood. Maybe you will be drowned before you find it.

During the break, Xu Yong didn't care much and pulled Deng Huade to make a suggestion.

When the fourth quarter came back, the Chinese team put on a familiar lineup.

Sun Yue, Wang Shipeng, Zhu Fangyu, Xu Yong, Yi Jianlian.

Fans who have watched this year's finals will immediately recognize that this is a star-studded display by the Bulls in regular time in G6.

This is a very extreme lineup, because when you encounter a team with strong positions [-] and [-], you will be directly defeated.

In the previous finals, the Bulls put up such a lineup and basically used offense against offense, relying on the performance of Xu Yong and Artest to win.

Then the interesting part comes. This dream team is strong in every aspect, but weak inside.

Apart from starting Tyson Chandler, there are only Love and Anthony Davis.

As a rookie, Davis's basic combat ability is negligible. In other words, unless Old K doesn't plan to make substitutions in the last quarter, he won't be able to put the two insiders on the court at the same time.

The Chinese team's substitutions, or Xu Yong's suggestions, directly choked the American team's life.

The lineup that Old K put out was Deron, Harden, Anthony, James, and Love.

Then, the American team did not continue to narrow the gap in this period.

The reason is very simple, James cannot beat Xu Yong.

Or to be more precise, neither Anthony nor James can beat Xu Yong when they swing to the fourth position.

The experience of last season's playoffs has only been a month or two.

This group of banana boat brothers were beaten one by one by Xu Yong in the playoffs.

Of course, James is the worst.

Xu Yong knew that James, who had gone through the trade turmoil, was in poor condition, so he reproduced the defensive method of last season's playoffs and directly let him shoot, and then shouted to grab rebounds.

James' mentality collapsed immediately.

He has never seen such a troublesome person!
After playing for a while, Old K realized something was wrong and made adjustments again, using Chandler to replace James in the twin-tower lineup.

The effect was immediate, and it was difficult for Yi Jianlian to block the two men's attacks.

When this quarter lasted for more than five minutes, the score on the field was 96 to 94, and the Chinese team's lead was only 2 points.

At this time, a short whistle came from the sidelines.

Yao Ming is back.

His steps looked particularly heavy, as if his body was filled with lead.

Even from a short distance away, Xu Yong could feel the hot breath coming out of his mouth.

It took Xu Yong two full days to basically get rid of the sequelae.

So even though Yao Ming rested for more than half a quarter, it was impossible for him to recover.

But he came back because he had to come back.

Not only because of the situation on the court, but also because as long as he stands on the court, the confidence in the Chinese team will be greatly improved, and it will also put huge pressure on the American team's insiders.

"Don't worry, leave the rest to me." After walking up to Yao Ming, Xu Yong said, just like Yao Ming said after he was suspended in the group stage.

At this time, Jeremy Lin looked at the two people blankly from the side. He seemed to have a deeper understanding of the Chinese players.

Game, go on.

Yao Ming stood in the three-second zone. At this time, he was like an immovable defensive wall, but it was enough to force the US team to attack from the outside.

Paul very smartly called Chandler to come out for the pick-and-roll, and then used his mid-range to punish Yao Ming.

But this time, the moment he took action, Jeremy Lin rushed forward and interfered.

"when!"

Paul's shot hit the frame.

At this time, Xu Yong shrank back to the basket, leaped high and grabbed the defensive rebound.

Then, he dribbled the ball forward directly for a fast break.

The U.S. team retreated quickly, but Xu Yong seemed to be possessed. He rushed directly to the basket and carried Kobe and James for a layup, causing a defensive foul.

This time he played very aggressively, but at the cost of losing his center of gravity and falling to the ground.

But he quickly got up from the ground and went to the free throw line to prepare for the free throw.

It was at this time that the US team realized that Yao Ming had not arrived in the frontcourt.

He literally dragged himself upfield.

Kobe and Paul made eye contact for a while, then nodded to each other.

Xu Yong's two free throws helped the Chinese team maintain its 4-point lead.

But looking back, under Paul's organization, the US team began to grasp the points where Yao Ming could not get out of the basket.

This time Paul seized the opportunity and hit the mid-range shot, once again narrowing the point difference to 2 points.

However, soon after, Xu Yong attacked the inside line again regardless of the cost, causing damage to the free throw line again.

This time he paid a greater price. He fell directly under the basket and had close contact with the photographer.

But he still got up and went to the free throw line.

Then, after adjusting his breathing, he made two steady free throws.

Many fans at the scene had red eyes.

Xu Yong was not playing basketball in this period, he was clearly risking his life and making fun of his career!

But in this desperate way, Xu Yong made the 4-point difference become a hurdle that the American team could not overcome at the last moment.

Moreover, the U.S. team couldn't avoid fouling, or even violent fouling, because Xu Yong's confrontation and finishing were so good. If you don't do this, you will either score a goal, or it will be an even more unacceptable 2+1.

When there were 30 seconds left in the game, Durant swung his death's sickle and hit Xu Yong from the outside for a three-pointer.

104 to 103, the US team finally narrowed the point difference to 1 point!
Deng Huade called a timeout.

"They will never let me take action no matter what." During the timeout, Xu Yong gasped for air.

In the past period, his desperate fighting style of carrying explosives had depleted his physical strength.

And more importantly, as he said, Old K knew that they only had this one trick left, so they would definitely risk their lives to defend against him.

"The offense of this round is left to you. When I retreat, I will guard Durant. If the last attack ends with him, I will guard him." Xu Yong took a breath and continued.

After the timeout, Jeremy Lin controlled the ball from the outside to shorten the time.

Paul tried to steal several times, but Jeremy Lin firmly controlled the ball this time.

With about 15 seconds left in the game, Yi Jianlian mentioned the three-point line for a pick-and-roll, and Jeremy Lin jumped inside.

Then, he encountered Chandler and James attacking from both sides.

His shooting angle was completely blocked.

At this time, he did what Xu Yong wanted him to do in the opening game of the Olympics. He found Yao Ming under the basket and passed the ball with a through ball.

Yao Ming caught the ball and shot.

His movements are very slow, much slower than before he lost weight, so slow that Chandler has turned back to risk his ball.

But he finally completed the late shot, due to a foul by Chandler's thug, and also when Chandler couldn't control his body and knocked him to the ground.

The referee's whistle sounded and Yao Ming scored the 2+1.

Although he couldn't get up after falling to the ground.

Xu Yong was the first to go over to check the situation. Others from the Chinese team and the team doctor on the bench were already on the field.

In the end, Yao Ming was lifted up from the ground by Xu Yong and Yi Jianlian.

He gritted his teeth and limped toward the free throw line.

2+1 is an unexpected situation.

Because as long as this extra penalty is hit, the Chinese team will have a 8-point lead with 4 seconds left in the game.

In other words, it’s called the Invincible Place.

This is a chance to kill the game outright.

Yao Ming, adjusting his breathing.

At this time, it really seemed like he would fall down at any time.

The scene was extremely quiet, and even the American fans forgot to make any noise at this time.

When everyone thought Yao Ming was tall enough in the Tianwangshan battle in the finals, he proved today that he is taller than everyone imagined.

He adjusted his breathing and did not dribble as he was used to after catching the ball because he no longer had the strength.

After aiming at the basket, he held his breath and made the free throw with more than 2 people watching.

"Shh!"

Basketball, hollow into the net.

……

"As long as he was still standing on the court, I knew he would be able to make that free throw." - Deng Huade recalled the London Olympics final.

(End of this chapter)