Beep!
The referee pointed his hand.
Bogut was fouled.
Immediately after, the referee made a gesture, signaling Bogut to leave the court.
Bogut was stunned.
The Kangaroo players were too.
Tang Long had clearly fouled, so why was Bogut being called for a foul?
The Kangaroo players surrounded the referee, arguing emotionally, and Bogut even roared at the referee.
"Are you blind? I was shooting the ball, and Tang Long rushed towards me. Why am I fouled? Is it just because this is China's home court? I'm going to complain to the referee!"
"Yes, we all saw it. Tang clearly fouled, so why did you call Bogut for a foul? Are you involved in match-fixing? Let me tell you, if you can't give us a reasonable explanation, we Kangaroos will protest to the end."
Not only were the Kangaroo players agitated, but the Kangaroo head coach also stormed onto the court to yell at the referee.
Everyone had seen the scene clearly, it was Tang Long who fouled.
The main referee must have been pressured by China, otherwise why would he have favored a Chinese player for such an obvious foul?
More importantly, Bogut had 5 fouls and was about to be ejected. If Bogut was removed at such a critical moment, the Kangaroo team's Olympic journey would end at the quarterfinals.
The Kangaroo head coach vehemently appealed to the main referee, and the spit from several players directly sprayed onto the referee's face.
"You, get out."
The main referee stared at Brian Goor, signaling that the head coach could not enter the playing field.
Brian Goor was furious and ignored him, unleashing a string of international expletives at the referee.
Fortunately, the big screen finally showed the slow-motion replay.
After Nelson passed the ball back to Bogut, Tang Long did jump, but in a flash, Tang Long landed hard, and only then did Bogut jump.
Tang Long had already established his position, and Bogut had started his move later, so calling him for a foul was not wrong at all.
Upon seeing the replay on the big screen, Brian Goor's face turned green.
But it was too late to say anything, Bogut had already fouled and was being ejected.
Without their strong center, the Kangaroos could not defend Yao Ming. Moreover, after playing two consecutive fast breaks, the other players' stamina was almost depleted, and they could not run. This further allowed Yao Ming to exert his maximum strength.
Brian Goor was disheartened.
This game was likely lost.
"Bogut, why don't you stay a few more days and watch our China win the Olympic gold medal? If I'm in a good mood, I can forge you a gold medal." Tang Long nudged Bogut. "Although the gold medal is fake, I can sign it for you on the spot. At least my signature is real."
"Fuck you, you stinking piece of shit."
Bogut, enraged, strode forward to confront Tang Long.
"Think carefully, are you as strong as Skerzenskis? He couldn't even take one punch from me. Are you sure you can?"
Bogut stopped abruptly.
Tang Long's duel with Skerzenskis had captured the attention of the entire world. Especially Tang Long's lightning-fast punch during the fight, which amazed countless people. Even professional boxers, upon seeing Tang Long's punching motion, broke out in a cold sweat, admitting they couldn't dodge it either.
When interviewed by reporters, boxing champion Tyson said that Tang Long's punches were as fast as lightning and he possessed absolute strength. If Tang Long wasn't an NBA star and decided to pursue boxing, no one would be his opponent.
Tyson's interview elevated the duel to a new level, and many experts began to analyze Tang Long's punching speed.
"Hmph, do you think you can beat the USA? You still want to win the Olympic gold medal? Bah."
Bogut only dared to bluster, but he never dared to take another step forward.
Tang Long, too lazy to argue with him, looked at the referee and said, "Referee, hasn't this guy already committed five fouls? Why is he still on the court?"
"You, get off."
The referee pointed to the sideline.
Bogut was panting with anger, but he was no match for Tang Long. Within seconds, he felt difficulty breathing. It was the Kangaroo head coach who gave Bogut an out, coming up to pull him off the court.
After Bogut left, Tang Long made both free throws, and the lead extended to 13 points.
At this point, the Kangaroo players had lost their momentum, and their play became sluggish, clearly trying to run down the clock. Moreover, with Bogut out due to five fouls, the inside was entirely Yao Ming's domain, and the Kangaroos could not defend the height advantage of Yao Ming.
By the end of the game, the Kangaroo players had not organized any decent offense.
China, with the outstanding performance of Tang Long and Yao Ming, defeated the Kangaroos convincingly by 100-69. Tang Long recorded 40 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists, while Yao Ming had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Sun Yue also contributed 15 points.
Next, after the Argentina game, their opponents would be determined.
...
"This game has shown me another strength of Tang Long, which is that even when he plays a bit rushed at times, he is adept at exploiting his opponent's weaknesses, and his in-game reaction is unparalleled. Just like this time, Bogut clearly intended to draw a foul on Tang Long, but Tang Long turned the tables. If he wasn't a smart player, he would have been taken out by Bogut."
China's decisive victory over the Kangaroos and Tang Long's highest score once again got Yang Yi, a staunch supporter of Tang Long, talking.
"To be honest, when the referee blew the whistle, I also thought Tang Long had fouled, and my heart was in my throat. I was thinking if Tang Long were to be fouled out, could Yao Ming alone withstand the Kangaroo's comeback? The Kangaroos would have been incredibly aggressive."
Zhang Zhi sighed with emotion.
If that had happened, it would have been similar to Zidane headbutting Materazzi in the World Cup final. They had the initiative, but because they were a man down, they handed the championship to another team. That French team was truly regrettable.
"Our next opponent will be either Greece or Argentina. Which of you thinks Argentina would be a better matchup or Greece?" Yang Yi continued, "We just played Greece, so we know them relatively well."
"I don't think Greece can necessarily beat Argentina," Old Bai chimed in. "Argentina is the first seed of Group A. Their squad strength is second only to the Dream Team, comparable to Spain. At the same time, Argentina is faster, which completely counters Greece. So, I believe Argentina will ultimately win."
Old Bai paused and then continued, "If we were to play Argentina, the main pressure would be in the paint, especially from Scola. He not only knows Yao Ming very well but is also quick. The interior threat from him would be significant for us!"