"Carlos, although this player just left the NBA this summer and went to play for a team in Russia, he joined with a 30 million contract. People can lie, but money doesn't. This player's strength absolutely cannot be underestimated."
Coach Zhang, as always, introduced players who were not playing in the NBA.
Obviously.
Not playing in the NBA doesn't necessarily mean they aren't good players. These top European players would definitely be mid-to-upper tier in the NBA.
"This player can play shooting guard and small forward, he's absolutely difficult to deal with. If Jonas had Tang Long guard Ginobili, he might be the one to break the game open."
In the starting lineups of both teams, Tang Long and Ginobili were obviously the most watched players. Their strengths also surpassed others on their respective teams, so after seeing the starting lineups, Coach Zhang immediately guessed that Jonas would have Tang Long guard Ginobili to limit his scoring.
"To be honest, our power forwards and big men are superior to Argentina's, but there is still a gap between players in other positions and Argentina. The key is for the other players to be able to defend Argentina's offense, and at the same time, ease the pressure on Tang Long and Yao Ming on the offensive end. Only then can we win the game."
"I think we shouldn't put too much pressure on the players. After all, reaching this point has already exceeded everyone's expectations. We will give our all in the upcoming games. As for how far we can go, let the players decide."
This was very well put, and it could be seen that the commentators were already very satisfied with this result. After all, with their professional knowledge, they were very aware of the strengths of both sides.
However, for the leaders, having defeated the United States and reached the semifinals, how could they explain not bringing back a medal?
Before the game even started, Guo Qiang received a call from a leader.
This game must be won.
The grand vision painted for Captain Guo by his superiors made him enthusiastic. As the players took the court, Captain Guo, breaking his usual habit, stood by the sidelines, high-fiving each player and cheering them on.
"What's wrong with Captain Guo? Why does he seem more excited than us?"
Sun Yue asked Yao Ming, puzzled.
"How should I know."
"I just saw Captain Guo receive a call from above, and he probably received some instructions. Judging by Captain Guo's excited demeanor, maybe there's a chance for him to lead the team. If that's the case, it's normal to be excited."
The others nodded in agreement.
"You're right."
Tang Long's emergence shattered the basketball leadership's obsession with foreign coaches. With a player like Tang Long, domestic coaches might also achieve results.
If this were the case, then Chinese basketball would completely surpass football, and the higher-ups would definitely pay attention to basketball.
Tang Long and the others didn't pay much attention to these matters. The players' minds were simple.
Take the court.
Win the game.
Beep.
The referee's whistle blew. Yao Ming and Oberto leaped simultaneously at the tip-off. Yao Ming batted the ball to Tang Long, who dribbled forward two steps and shot.
2 points.
Following that, the Chinese players continued to intensify their offense. The ball reached Yao Ming, who then went one-on-one against Oberto. Although the shot missed, he drew a foul on Oberto.
Initially, Yao Ming's shooting touch was a bit cold. He made 1 of 2 free throws, and China scored 3 points at the start.
On the offensive-defensive transition, Ginobili of Argentina initiated a fast break. By the time he crossed half-court, Tang Long had already come to defend.
Earlier, when they were near the basket, Tang Long's defense in the paint was as solid as a rock, causing a lot of trouble for the Spurs players. Especially when driving to the basket, facing the paint defended by Tang Long, they didn't dare to easily drive near Tang Long to shoot.
But now that Tang Long had pulled out, Ginobili was less hesitant.
Facing Tang Long's oppressive defense, Ginobili first used a fake move to shake Tang Long out of position. When Tang Long's stance faltered, he quickly drove to the basket.
Not bad.
It worked well the first time.
Ginobili drove to the basket, and facing the paint defended by Yao Ming, Ginobili's confidence soared. He drove past Yao Ming and scored.
After that, Sun Yue missed a three-pointer. The Argentinian players passed the ball quickly a few times, and Oberto received the ball under the basket, powering through Yao Ming to score.
3:4.
Argentina took the lead.
"We still need to defend their fast breaks. I'll go for a full-court press."
Tang Long was inspired by the Greek players.
At the start of the game against Greece, the Greek players initiated a full-court press, which almost defeated China. If it hadn't been for him stepping up at a critical moment, they would have lost that game.
"You brat, trying to change the coach's tactics again."
Yao Ming glared at Tang Long with a hint of exasperation.
Jonas's tactics before the game were not like this. Because they had Yao Ming in the paint and Argentina didn't have a strong inside presence, the defensive focus was on the perimeter to prevent Argentina's players from driving and Scola from taking mid-range shots.
Changing the coach's tactical intent right at the beginning of the game, most people wouldn't dare to do it.
Only Tang Long dared.
Besides his unshakable position, it was also because every time Tang Long suggested a tactical change, it yielded excellent results.
"Alright, you call the shots."
Tang Long nodded and called the three main players over.
This full-court press was slightly different from the one against Greece.
In the game against Greece, Tang Long was at the forefront, mainly to steal the ball and to maximally slow down the opponent's offensive tempo. However, this time, Sun Yue was at the forefront, with Tang Long acting as the second line of defense near the three-point line.
After the tactical change, it yielded excellent results in the first quarter.
Facing the full-court press, the Argentinian players had to come up to receive the pass. At this point, there was space for penetration in the frontcourt, and the Argentinian players naturally chose to drive.
Then they encountered Tang Long, who was already prepared.
They either had the ball stolen or blocked. Even if they managed to drive in, there was still Yao Ming defending the paint.
This made Argentina, who was prepared to play positional basketball with China, extremely uncomfortable. They made consecutive turnovers, while China went all out offensively, going on a 14-0 run.
The audience in the arena erupted, with waves of cheers.
Who would have thought that after reaching the semifinals, the game would become so easy? A 21-4 opening, with such a large lead in the first quarter.
Midway through the first quarter, Argentina had yet to score a single point.
At this point, the Argentinian head coach quickly called a timeout.
...
"My goodness, the first quarter isn't even over, and we're leading by 17 points."
In the commentary booth, Yang Yi's face was flushed with excitement.
The other commentators were similarly excited, their expressions almost mirroring those of the fans in the arena.
They had expected this game to be very difficult, and had even prepared for a loss. But who could have imagined such a scene in the first quarter?
With Tang Long and Yao Ming on the court, and a 17-point lead, as long as the Chinese players didn't make consecutive mistakes, this game was a sure win.