vncnus Chapter 1128 We want the gold medal!
Chapter 1128 We want the gold medal!
"I'll do it!" Xu Yong nodded firmly.
His career can be described as smooth. He was drafted by a bad team, was given special attention and development, and has not been traded in all these years. Although the team's performance was not good, the Raptors team, from top to bottom, did not have much ambition for results.
Because of the low exposure, there is not much pressure. People who want to know about the Raptors rarely follow the Raptors' games; they will choose to watch highlights instead.
Xu Yong in the highlights was truly a player who could fly high and dive low, playing with incredible power.
So he actually has quite a few fans.
Many fans believe that the team dragged Xu Yong down, and that if he had gone to a stronger team, he might have made a bigger name for himself long ago.
But Lin Tian knew that his little brother had many strengths, but his biggest weakness was that he wasn't competitive enough.
The traditional Chinese habit is to pursue moderation and not to be complacent, but they lack the domineering spirit of "I am the only one who can do it." They are sometimes too easygoing both on and off the field.
This is also the most important reason that limits Xu Yong's potential.
But now, at this moment, the easygoing look in Xu Yong's eyes has disappeared, replaced by firmness and determination.
"We've discussed it, bro. You just rest on the court, try to run and fight as little as possible, and leave the rest to us!"
"If we can't hold on any longer, then you can come back!"
"If it were me, I wouldn't say 'if'," Lin Tian punched Xu Yong on the shoulder, "You were just a little short!"
"But I believe in you, I believe in all of you. I'll rest; the rest of the attack is up to you!"
"Don't worry!" The rest of the Chinese team waved their arms in unison, expressing their confidence.
The fourth quarter has officially begun!
The US team did make some rotations, with Westbrook and Wade partnering in the backcourt, while Anthony, Bosh, and Love continued to anchor the frontcourt.
"The US team's rotation is still very conventional, or rather, whatever lineup they play is a conventional lineup!" Yu Jia said, "This lineup is obviously designed to get the ball to Westbrook, let him make some runs, and draw the double teams from the Chinese team."
"Then, depending on the situation, decide whether to take a layup yourself or pass the ball to a teammate."
Zhang Weiping said, "Westbrook's style is very simple and direct: he attacks, he has terrifying athleticism and determination, and he attacks the inside time and time again."
"He has many flaws, but he has even more strengths! In his hands, basketball can produce a highlight reel play or a mindless blunder."
"But overall, Westbrook is definitely a tough opponent to deal with."
"It's an opportunity, but also a threat!" Yu Jia quickly concluded regarding the upcoming match between the two sides.
However, no matter how powerful Westbrook is, the Chinese team has possession of the ball in the first wave of the fourth quarter.
Wade arrived at the backcourt early, ready to press Lin Tian on defense.
But this time, when Lin Tian saw Wade coming over, he didn't fight him at all. Instead, he just turned around and strolled towards the frontcourt.
Yes, just strolling around.
It moves slowly and is not aggressive at all; it just walks step by step.
Wade was also helpless; he couldn't very well stop Lin Tian from walking, could he?
Are they just going to block our way like this?
That might also be blocked by the wind.
Since Lin Tian wasn't very fast, Wade could only maintain his aggressive defense and keep a close eye on Lin Tian.
Wade was smart enough not to trash talk Lin Tian just because Lin Tian wasn't dribbling the ball.
If it were someone less experienced, they probably would have immediately yelled at Lin Tian, "Your legs are giving way, old man? Can't run anymore? You're not even doing your job of organizing and pushing things forward, are you? Want some glucose to replenish your energy?"
Wade knew his own trash talk limits; he knew the person in front of him was an atomic bomb, someone he couldn't afford to mess with.
It explodes at the slightest touch, and when it explodes, it creates a mushroom cloud.
The best way is to be quiet. Everyone should just be quiet and play the game properly. Nobody should mock anyone else.
"Devin, you're so scared you don't even dare to trash talk anymore? Then why don't you go and rest, you coward. Or should I give you some glucose or something to give you some courage?" But Wade really didn't expect that Lin Tian hadn't spoken just now because it hadn't started yet.
He hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath when Lin Tian started ranting.
Damn it, I didn't say you were too weak and tired to walk, and you started criticizing me first?
"Then you take the ball and attack!" This was the last straw. Even if Lin Tian beat him, Wade still had to retaliate.
In particular, it's now clear to everyone that Lin Tian is at his last gasp.
He could experience a sharp decline in efficiency or make a series of basic mistakes, such as missing shots, at any time.
They didn't get a single minute of rest!
"No!" Lin Tian snorted, quite proudly stating, "If you want me to attack, you'll first have to stop my teammates, right?"
As Lin Tian and Wade were talking, Wade suddenly realized that Lin Tian had actually led him all the way to the baseline.
Lin Tian, the world's number one basketball star, actually chose to stand in the corner and smoke?
Do you have any ball-handling specialists among your teammates?
Old K on the sidelines frowned once again.
He immediately saw through Lin Tian and Old Nelson's tactical intentions.
Create space so that others can coordinate and score.
As long as Lin Tian stands here, even if everyone openly says they won't give him the ball or let him attack, the American team still has to assign someone to watch him and someone to smoke with him in the corner.
To put it more bluntly, this turns the game into a four-on-four match.
Lin Tian and his defender stood on the weak side away from the basketball, while the other eight players on the court went to play.
For the Chinese team, playing four against four is definitely good news.
Because they are weaker and less capable than the American team, the weaker the team, the more space they need.
With fewer players, it's easier to execute offensive strategies.
If it's an 80/20 split between China and the US in a 5v5 game, then in a 4v4 game, the odds should be close to 30/70.
This is an absolutely open and aboveboard scheme.
Wade definitely cannot leave Lin Tian and let him go empty-handed; he cannot let him go empty-handed even for a moment.
That means it will be a four-on-four game, and even if Lin Tian is still standing on the court, he will still get some rest time.
Of course, the way the American team wanted to break through the Chinese team's scheme, which was hardly a conspiracy at all, was quite simple.
You only need to defend against it twice.
If the US team manages to defend twice and then scores two more goals, Lin Tian will be unable to stand still for more than a minute. He will have to go to the top of the key to get the ball and attack.
"Stop it! Stop it! Don't... FUXX! Devin, are you crazy?" Coach K had just stood up to say a few words of encouragement to get the players' attention when Wade made a mistake.
This guy had obviously seen through the Chinese team's scheme, so he didn't want Lin Tian to just stand there on the sidelines. So he took the initiative to challenge Lin Tian, sticking to him, pushing him towards the edge of the court, and forcing him into a corner.
But as it turned out, Lin Tian was completely giving up and wasn't going to fight Wade at all.
When you're resting, you should act like you're resting.
Then, Wade pressed his advantage relentlessly, continuing to push and ram, while Lin Tian continued to retreat. Then suddenly, when Wade tried to fight back again, Lin Tian suddenly collapsed.
He collapsed directly onto the floor, looking utterly pathetic and miserable.
"That's going too far! You think this is acting? I didn't even use any force!" Wade spread his hands, indicating that the referee's acting was too bad and he wouldn't fall for it.
"Who's going too far here? I've already crossed the line, and you're still bullying me!" Lin Tian lay on the floor, looking completely innocent.
The referee glanced at the situation, and without much hesitation, blew his whistle to stop the game.
"Pushing foul! China has possession in the attacking third!" The referee quickly issued his decision.
In fact, given the scale and range of Wade's movement, calling it a foul would have been a stretch, but the problem is that Lin Tian fell outside the boundary.
That's bullying.
If you block someone all the way out of bounds and then push them down, who else would you call a foul if not you?
Wade was too excited and wanted to wear Lin Tian down as quickly as possible, so he was careless for a moment.
But for the US team, one foul isn't a big deal; they'll just be more careful next time.
The awkward part about this play was that the Chinese team had already taken the shot.
Xu Yong's shot after the screen missed, Bosh grabbed the rebound, and then Wade pushed Lin Tian down.
This is equivalent to the Chinese team getting possession of the ball for free!
If Wade had fouled two seconds earlier, Coach K wouldn't have been so angry, and he wouldn't have had to swear at Wade on the spot.
What a huge loss!
"You did it on purpose!" Wade looked at Lin Tian, who was lying motionless on the floor as if asleep. "You made your move precisely when they were ready, and that's when you fell!"
"You pushed me and you still think you're right?" Lin Tian remained lying on the floor, even shifting his position to make himself more comfortable, but he refused to get up: "Shameless!"
Upon seeing Lin Tian lying on the floor, Zhu Fangyu immediately sped up, intending to run towards Lin Tian and pull him up.
"What are you doing? Walk slowly, tie your shoelaces!" But Sun Yue reacted quickly, shouting and pressing down on Zhu Fangyu.
Zhu Fangyu immediately understood and bent down to start tying her shoelaces.
Yi Jianlian deliberately ignored their gaze and walked aimlessly into the distance, seemingly preparing to set a screen for Xu Yong.
Xu Yong stood still and kept making shooting motions, looking quite dissatisfied with his previous shot.
As for Sun Yue? He's standing diagonally opposite Lin Tian right now, trying his best to move towards him, but he's moving very slowly.
It's a pity his wife wasn't standing in front of him right now, otherwise Sun Yue could have said: I hope our marriage can be like the road I walked from here to Lin Tian's side, never ending, always peaceful and unhurried.
"If you don't get up, I'm going to call a technical foul!" The referee waited for more than ten seconds, watching as Sun Yue, who was about to come over to pull Lin Tian, had not even reached the basket, not even halfway there, while Zhu Fangyu was already tying the shoelace of his fourth shoe.
Xu Yong and Yi Jianlian?
The two continued to drift off into their own world.
The referee knew perfectly well that these people were stalling for time, but Lin Tian was lying on the floor, crying out in pain and pretending to be dead, and Sun Yue was incredibly slow. If it weren't for the concern about the media spreading rumors and making wild reports, the referee would have reached out and pulled Lin Tian up himself.
But he couldn't do that, so he could only threaten and urge.
Unfortunately, no one paid him any attention. Lin Tian even started clutching his shoulder, looking like he was in excruciating pain and had been crippled by Wade.
"Last chance!" After about 10 seconds, the referee couldn't take it anymore and issued an ultimatum: "If you don't get up, it's a team technical foul!"
"Whoosh!"
Before the words had even finished, Sun Yue seemed to have finally completed his marital journey and entered the next stage. He rushed to Lin Tian's side, and Zhu Fangyu's shoelaces, which had just been impossible to tie, were suddenly tied. He and Sun Yue arrived at Lin Tian's side at the same time and helped him up.
This team's coordinated and deliberate attrition allowed Lin Tian to rest for at least 30 seconds. While this time may seem insignificant, it was incredibly precious to Lin Tian and China.
Now, for them, the only option is to accumulate little by little, like grains of sand forming a tower.
There is no other way.
The game continues!
"This is the last time! I won't let you do this again!" The referee added another threat to Lin Tian.
"It really hurts, he hit me too hard." Lin Tian continued to complain with a bitter face, but his hands didn't stop. Almost the instant the referee gave him the ball and blew the whistle, he passed the ball back out!
Zhu Fangyu successfully received the ball at a 45-degree angle on the far side. He then dribbled forward one step and suddenly pulled back with the ball. After a step back with the ball, he stepped out of the three-point line and pulled up for a shot over Bosh, who was too slow to react and hadn't caught up!
Lin Tian's pass was quick and cunning, and Bosh didn't even have time to react. Then Zhu Fangyu followed up with a step-back three-pointer, which was even more unexpected and beyond Bosh's expectations.
Why would someone throw like that?
That's Bosh's idea.
"Whoosh!"
Then, with a crisp crack, the basketball told Bosh: He can shoot like that!
Then the entire London stadium erupted once again, and at the same time, crazy roars and howls echoed from almost every corner of China!
We're open! We're finally open!
Aside from Lin Tian, the Chinese player finally scored, and it was such an inspiring and incredibly difficult shot.
"Great shot! Absolutely a great shot!" Zhang Weiping roared. "Zhu Fangyu, charge! All the other Chinese players, charge!"
"A 6-point gap is easy to close... not difficult at all!" Yu Jia originally wanted to cheer on the Chinese team, but before he could finish speaking, Anthony scored again with a mid-range jump shot.
This guy is really scary on the FIBA field.
At the top of the arc, Xu Yong once again took over the task of advancing and organizing the offense from Lin Tian. After arriving at the frontcourt, Xu Yong dribbled the ball unhurriedly, showing no intention or desire to attack.
It was clearly that the previous round that gave Xu Yong the idea.
Why did he launch a preemptive attack?
The most important task for the Chinese team right now is to wait for Lin Tian to recover his strength so that they can launch another attack, instead of rushing to attack and close the gap.
The slower pace is beneficial to China, especially since Xu Yong himself is well aware that Zhu Fangyu's three-pointer in the previous round was a matter of luck and could not be forced. Expecting Zhu Fangyu to keep scoring against Bosh would be wishful thinking.
Xu Yong controlled the basketball until there were only 7 seconds left on the shot clock before he decided to start. However, Xu Yong's physical abilities were not good enough compared to Anthony, who was guarding him. His usually proud long strides did not create space for Anthony when he faced him.
Forced by Anthony to find no opportunity to shoot, Xu Yong could only stop halfway through his attack and then find Zhu Fangyu again.
But after Zhu Fangyu had just shown his skills, he was now unable to find another opportunity to attack when facing Bosh, who had already regained his focus.
In terms of height, physical fitness, and even the completely opposite attributes of agility and strength, Zhu Fangyu was at a disadvantage when facing Bosh.
He's not as tall or fast as Bosh, not as strong or agile as Bosh.
It's really impossible to fight.
After feinting twice but failing to find space, he had no choice but to pass the ball to Sun Yue again. Sun Yue, however, had no chance to attack after receiving the ball.
He could only pass the ball to Yi Jianlian again.
But by then, there was no time left to attack!
As the buzzer sounded, the American team forced China into a 24-second violation!
"It's alright," Xu Yong shouted. "It's alright! At least we didn't make any mistakes! What we need to do is stall for time, give Brother Lin time to recover his strength!"
"It's okay if we can't score, just defend, we'll defend!"
"Defense! Defense!" The entire Chinese team was now focused and dedicated themselves to defense.
The American team's offense is not afraid of China's defense. Even if they go all out, it is nothing to the American team.
Even if the American team isn't afraid of the Chinese team's defense, their shooting percentage can't be 100%, especially when the opponent is playing hard, the American team will occasionally miss some shots.
"Bang!"
For example, in this one play, Anthony had clearly completely shaken off Xu Yong, but Xu Yong inexplicably caught up when he went for the layup. Although he didn't block the shot, he successfully interfered, allowing Anthony to do a reverse layup in mid-air.
This change turned what was once a sure layup into a missed shot.
After Yi Jianlian grabbed the rebound, he quickly passed the ball to Xu Yong.
However, Anthony, who had just been disrupted by Xu Yong, immediately turned around and pressed him closely, applying full-court pressure on Xu Yong as well.
Although Carmelo Anthony's defense has always been a point of criticism in the NBA, the criticism is directed at his defensive IQ and willingness to defend, rather than his defensive ability.
He's not good at positional warfare team defense; he's often too lazy to defend.
But at this moment, while he is giving his all to defend, his defensive ability should not be underestimated.
Xu Yong encountered serious trouble while advancing the ball. He had to use all his strength and try every possible method to finally get the ball from the backfield to the frontfield.
"That was too dangerous, I almost broke the rules." Xu Yong breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that he hadn't made a mistake, and relaxed a little.
But at that moment, when he tried to stabilize the situation and control the time, he suddenly felt his legs go weak and his legs were almost unresponsive.
Stumbling, Xu Yong nearly fell to the ground under Anthony's relentless pressure.
Because of his stumble, the basketball was snatched by Anthony and slipped out of Xu Yong's control.
Fortunately, Xu Yong unleashed an unparalleled desire to win at this moment, leaping forward and grabbing the basketball before Anthony could react.
But that was all he could do, because at almost the same time, Anthony also grabbed the basketball with both hands, and the two fell to the floor at the same time, both trying their best to grab the basketball back into their arms.
"Fight for the ball!"
Just as the two were about to come to blows, the referee finally raised his arm and awarded them a jump ball! (End of Chapter)