"You t/"
"Fine, just you wait."
The players from Long Country were getting angry.
"Fuck, are you trying to start something? Do you know how dangerous your move was?"
"Didn't the ref already call a foul? If you think the ref's call was unfair, you can go talk to him. What are you coming to me for?"
"Holy crap, my arm! Are you playing basketball or fighting?"
"Of course I'm playing basketball, but my eyesight isn't great. You can complain to the ref."
"If you're going to play like this, then we won't hold back either."
The Kangaroo players were also truly enraged.
As soon as the second half started, the Kangaroo players were constantly resorting to small fouls, and their physical play intensified. Initially, this made it very difficult for Tang Long and the others to play, especially with these sneaky fouls that drove the players crazy and directly affected the game.
Yet, the Kangaroo players found that this tactic was very effective, and their small fouls escalated. This directly angered Tang Long.
So, Tang Long began to lead his teammates in a counterattack.
Soon, the Kangaroo players couldn't take it anymore, and their minor fouls gradually turned into malicious fouls.
The second half was filled with tension, and the entire third quarter, besides the sound of clanging iron, was filled with players from both sides committing fouls against each other.
Most of the time, everyone could control themselves, but sometimes the movements were too large, and players from both sides would often gather together and spit insults at each other. Eventually, the referees had to step in to separate them.
Under such circumstances, Jonas certainly couldn't let Yao Ming come onto the court.
At the end of the third quarter, Tang Long himself had incurred three fouls. The Kangaroo players, on average, had three fouls each. Old Nelson had three fouls, while Barlow and Newley had four fouls each, showing how intense the third quarter was for both teams.
The score difference was not large. Long Country led Kangaroo by 11 points, 71-60.
...
"Our players need to be more restrained; we can't really play according to their rhythm. Even Tang Long got three fouls in the third quarter. If Tang Long is fouled out, our situation will become passive."
As soon as the third quarter ended and the camera returned to the broadcast booth, Instructor Zhang couldn't help but speak first.
The point difference was only 11 points. Long Country relied on Tang Long for both offense and defense. If Tang Long were not on the court, Kangaroo would definitely launch a fierce counterattack in the fourth quarter, and Long Country might not be able to withstand Kangaroo's offense.
This was what Instructor Zhang worried about the most.
"The main issue is the referee's inconsistent calls in this game. If Kangaroo's rough fouls had been stopped earlier, I believe our players wouldn't have resorted to this method."
Yang Yi saw things clearly.
The referee's calls were problematic from the start.
Usually, the whistles are either loose or tight, but they were sometimes loose and sometimes tight, making it difficult for the players to adapt and easily igniting their tempers.
"After the game, I suspect players from both sides will attack this referee," Old Bai added. "A referee who displeases both teams in one game is quite something."
"We're still leading by 11 points. What do you two think Kangaroo will do next?"
Instructor Zhang said, "In the third quarter, we saw Bogut warming up on the sidelines at first, and then Kangaroo's head coach didn't let Bogut play. Regardless of what happens in the fourth quarter, Bogut will definitely play. I believe Yao Ming will also play for our side, and both teams will return to the rhythm of the first quarter, which is beneficial to us. While a chaotic game can bring out Tang Long's strength, we can see that the team as a whole is at a disadvantage."
"This game is indeed fierce, but then again, this is a knockout round, and it's the Olympics. It's a one-game elimination, and the winner advances. Everyone will naturally give their all. Kangaroo also wants to advance, especially Nelson, who has explicitly stated that this is his last Olympic Games."
"I hope our players can withstand Kangaroo's counterattack and win this game."
Compared to the past, people now felt more confident, not just because of the 11-point lead, but because the current team gave a stable impression.
Even when Kangaroo went on a 6-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter, the audience on-site did not become too anxious.
In fact, it was true.
After Kangaroo's 6-0 run, Long Country also started to attack. Tang Long drove the ball forward, making continuous drives to draw fouls from Nelson and Bogut.
A 7-1 run. It was Nelson's breakthrough on the offensive end that caused Tang Long to foul, which finally curbed Long Country's offensive momentum.
Past the halfway mark of the fourth quarter, Kangaroo still trailed by 12 points. Although Bogut had received two more fouls, Tang Long also had four fouls.
The Kangaroo players were determined to take Tang Long out of the game and specifically targeted his side.
Soon, the Kangaroo players got their opportunity.
Nelson dribbled the ball past half-court and deliberately attacked Tang Long's side. Tang Long's movements were already very careful. At this moment, Bogut came out from the inside to set a screen with Nelson.
Tang Long had initially anticipated Bogut's move, but Nelson, using Bogut's screen, drove inside and then passed the ball back to Bogut.
At this time, Bogut was positioned slightly outside the free-throw line. Although Tang Long was only one step away, because Bogut was backing down, by the time he turned around, he had already shot.
[Godly Block]
Tang Long immediately activated Godly Block and slapped towards Bogut.
Bogut suddenly retracted his arm. Tang Long, leaping high in mid-air, missed and his momentum carried him forward, on the verge of committing a foul.
Just then, Bogut shot again, a jump shot directly against Tang Long.
It was obvious.
Bogut was trying to draw a foul on Tang Long.
Bang!
The two collided in mid-air, and the referee's whistle blew at the same time.
Both players had four fouls, meaning whoever was called for a foul would have to leave the game.
"Tang, goodbye. We, Kangaroo, will send you, Long Country, home. Oh, no, this is your home court, so you can just watch us play then."
Bogut triumphantly crossed his arms, waiting for the referee to announce Tang Long's foul.
There were still about 5 minutes left in the game. Kangaroo was trailing by twelve points. As long as Tang Long was off the court, Kangaroo still had a chance to win the game.
Yao Ming and Ah Lian, seeing the referee approach, were already anxiously trying to explain to the referee.
The referee walked straight over, ignoring the players from Long Country, and blew his whistle.