NBA: Starting with Jokic template

Chapter 44: Australia team, a fierce battle!
"Who are we going to play next?"

Lying on the bed, Lin Chuan asked Guo Ailun who was on the other bed.

Guo Ailun took out the schedule, searched for a while and read it to Lin Chuan,
"Next game? Let me see, it's the Australian team."

"Australia?"

"Correct."

"It looks like it's going to be a fierce battle..."

When he heard that it was Australia, Lin Chuan's tone became much more serious.

"A fierce battle? That's not wrong..."

Hearing the change in Lin Chuan's tone, Guo Ailun felt a little strange.
"But Australia shouldn't be that strong. Even though they have Bogut, the No. 1 NBA pick in previous years, they are not as strong as the two teams we played in the first two games, Russia and Spain."

"You didn't even mention the two of them fighting, so how did they get here..."

Guo Ailun didn't understand.

Lin Chuan rubbed his hair and sighed.

There are four NBA-level players in the Australian team, three outside players and one inside player.

One is Matthew Dellavedova, a point guard who is famous for his defense.

He entered the NBA in 2013 and, like Mozgov, joined the Cavaliers. Both won the championship in 2016.

Another is Joe Ingles, a small forward and three-point shooter, who became the player with the most three-pointers made in a single season in the history of the Jazz in 2018.

He entered the NBA in 2014 and had been playing in the NBA until Lin Chuan traveled back.

Another one is Patty Mills, also a point guard.

He just joined the Spurs this year and is a small guard with very accurate three-point shooting and very fast speed.

But these three people are not scary enough for Lin Chuan.

The most troublesome thing is...

That former NBA No. 1 pick Andrew Bogut.

The Australian team's lineup is one of the few changes that have occurred since he traveled through time. Bogut, who had originally retired from the national team due to injury, has returned to the team, greatly improving Australia's strength.

What gives Lin Chuan the most headache about Bogut is his defense.

Known for being dirty and tough.

Lin Chuan was afraid that if he lost some players in a game with him, it would be a huge loss.

But no matter what I think, it would be fine if everyone played the game normally.

If you dare to play dirty...
-
Two days later, inside the stadium, this was the Chinese team's third game of this group stage.

Facing Australia.

If we win this game, it will be a sure thing for the Chinese team to enter the quarterfinals!

When players from both sides came on the court, Lin Chuan looked at Bogut who was full of energy on the opposite side and became alert.

During the jump ball session, Lin Chuan jumped over and passed the ball to Zhu Fangyu.

Zhu Fangyu received the ball and quickly moved to the frontcourt. Lin Chuan stepped forward to cover him, and Zhu Fangyu took advantage of the cover to take one step and shoot directly.

Swish!
Two points scored!

The Australian team attacked, Dellavedova dribbled across half court, Bogut came forward to screen, and Dellavedova broke through and passed the ball to Ingles in the corner.

Ingles received the ball, and Zhu Fangyu immediately rushed forward to defend. He immediately kicked the ball, bent his legs, and tried to jump up with all his strength.

Zhu Fangyu immediately rushed over to block the shot, but Ingles' shot was a fake.

Seeing Zhu Fangyu flying towards him, Ingles collected the ball and waited until Zhu Fangyu flew behind him before shooting again. He scored a three-pointer from the bottom corner, responding to the Chinese team's goal.

Back to the Chinese team, Lin Chuan stood in the low post on the right side and held off Bogut to reach out for the ball.

Liu Wei passed the ball to Lin Chuan. Lin Chuan put the ball down and hit Bogut with his back, and headed into the restricted area twice. Then he jumped to the basket, made a fake shot to deceive Bogut's center of gravity, and cleverly created a time difference. Before Bogut fell back to the ground and had not jumped for the second time, he shot a floater and scored a goal.

Lin Chuan slowly retreated and watched Bogut's reaction.

He seems to be quite honest at the moment, so there is no need to worry that he will do anything dirty.

Dellavedova advanced with the ball and wanted to pass the ball to the corner again. This time Zhu Fangyu learned his lesson and moved quickly to intercept the pass. Liu Wei dribbled straight to the basket, made an emergency stop, fooled Ingles who was chasing him from behind and blocked his shot, and then made a layup.

That’s right, keep fighting!”

Liu Wei ran back to his own half and Lin Chuan high-fived him.

“Just be confident!”

Just after the first quarter was halfway through, the Chinese team took a 7-point lead over the Australian team by seizing several open opportunities and fast breaks.

Lin Chuan was extremely effective in defending the interior, and the Australian team failed several times in their attempts to open up the situation inside.

Dellavedova's strong layup was ruthlessly blocked by Lin Chuan, who then launched a fast break.

The Chinese fans at the scene cheered.

"You played really well! After the match with Russia the day before yesterday, the Chinese team has become more confident in their play."

Seeing the Chinese team's smooth attack at the beginning, Zhang Weiping applauded.

"Yes, the Chinese team was timid in the first half yesterday, but after they turned the tables, they defeated their inner demons again and showed us a wonderful performance in the first quarter!"

Everyone on the bench was also shouting loudly, especially Guo Ailun, who had lived in the same room with Lin Chuan for a few days and the two had become much closer. When he saw Lin Chuan's brilliant performance, he stood up and made all kinds of funny gestures.

With three minutes left in the first quarter, Lin Chuan was substituted and Wang Zhizhi returned to the court.

As soon as Wang Zhizhi came on the court, he was cheered by the Chinese fans.

Although he is getting older and was squeezed to the bench by Lin Chuan, he played well in the limited playing time in the first two games.

Amid the cheers of the fans, Wang Zhizhi ran around the screen at the corner to receive the ball at the three-point line. The defense was thrown off and there was ample space for the shot. Wang Zhizhi did not hesitate at all and shot decisively, making a three-pointer!

The fans' cheers became louder and louder, and the players on the court couldn't even hear the coach's instructions.

"Well done! That's it, don't hesitate!"

Lin Chuan, who was off the court, stood up and made a megaphone shape with his hand and shouted at Wang Zhizhi, while pointing at him. Wang Zhizhi gave Lin Chuan a thumbs-up in return.

The Australian team had just scored a mid-range goal when the Chinese team immediately served the ball quickly from the baseline and Chen Jianghua dribbled the ball across half court.

Zhou Peng took advantage of the screen to get the ball, raised his hand to deceive the Australian defense, and immediately passed the ball back to Chen Jianghua.

Chen Jianghua dribbled the ball between his legs, and as the ball reached his left hand, he suddenly lowered his shoulders and broke through, moving half a body length away to withstand the defense and rush forward.

Rushing to the free throw line, Chen Jianghua immediately jumped up and found an open space. He threw the ball hard and it flew to the right, one step inside the three-point line at a forty-five-degree position, and landed in the hands of Yi Jianlian who had just pulled away from the outside.

Yi Jianlian received the ball and shot quickly.

Two points longer!
"Shh!"

The basketball goes hollow into the net.

"come on! Come on!"

After scoring the goal, Yi Jianlian shouted loudly on the court, encouraging several teammates, and then celebrated with Chen Jianghua by high-fiving when returning to defense.

This Guangdong-Hainan connection responded to the Australian team's goal and also made the audience excited. Lin Chuan and Guo Ailun off the court made the same celebration posture, waving their towels harder than anyone else, making the audience not far behind them laugh.

(End of this chapter)