This edition of the Stankovic Cup features four teams: Dragon Country, Great Mao, Slav, and Angola.
On the 17th, Angola will face Russia, and Dragon Country will play Slav.
The Stankovic Cup squad has been assembled with the strongest lineup.
Tang Long and Yao Ming are both on the list.
However, neither Tang Long nor Yao Ming are in the starting lineup.
The starters are Yi Jian, Liu Wei, Da Zhi, Zhu Fangyu, and Sun Yue.
"Be wary of their high school center, Boban Marijanović. This guy is 2.22 meters tall. Although he lacks experience in major tournaments, many European teams are already interested in him. Especially you, Yi, you need to keep a close eye on him."
This game is intended to let Yi Jian play center temporarily. First, Yi Jian's height and wingspan are suitable for playing center, and second, he is the only suitable player on the team right now.
Younas does not want Yao Ming and Tang Long to play yet.
"I understand."
On the court, Yi Jian doesn't say much; he just listens to whatever the coach says, as he is still a junior in the national team.
As Younas was arranging the tactics, Guo Qiang tugged on Younas's clothes and pulled him aside.
"I can understand why you're not letting Tang Long play; he needs rest. But why isn't Yao Ming starting?"
Guo Qiang was stunned when he saw the starting lineup on the big screen.
Didn't they agree to let Yao Ming play first? Why did he change his mind again?
He had already reported the roster to the higher-ups, and they were satisfied. Now the starting lineup is different from what was reported, which is essentially slapping them in the face. How can he continue to work here?
Besides, the foreign coach will pack up and leave, but they, the local coaches, still have to continue working.
"Yao Ming has also played a season of high-intensity games. We don't have a thorough understanding of the Slav players. To avoid injuries, I can only let others play first to get a feel for the situation."
That seems somewhat reasonable.
Guo Qiang thought about it and could only agree.
As for the General Administration, he would just find an excuse to fob them off.
Dragon Country got off to a perfect start right from the opening whistle. Facing Slav's defense, Yi Jian showed no fear, opening the scoring with a beautiful shot.
Following that, Da Zhi went to the free-throw line and sank both shots. Not long after, Liu Wei contributed a three-pointer. With a 9-0 run, Dragon Country maintained the lead.
Later, Slav player Leshvan scored a two-point basket, but the score was already 13-2. In the first half, Dragon Country led by 9 points at 15-6.
After getting a grasp of the Slav players' basic situation, Younas substituted Da Zhi with Yao Ming.
Yao Ming's entry slowed down the offense, which gave the Slav players an opportunity. Stojanović and Jeremić began to exert pressure, narrowing the gap. After two possessions, they were only trailing by 5 points.
Younas immediately called a timeout.
"The pace still needs to be increased. By the time we get into position, their defense is already set. Playing half-court offense at this point allows their taller players to utilize their strengths."
After Younas rearranged the tactics, the players returned to the court. Yi Jian immediately scored another two points. Then, with Yao Ming's performance in the paint, Marijanović missed a shot.
Dragon Country organized an offense, with Yao Ming going one-on-one against Marijanović.
There was already a disparity in skill between them, and the opposing young player lacked tournament experience. Yao Ming faked him out and then shot.
And-one.
Following that, Dragon Country maintained its dominance over Slav. At the end of the first quarter, Dragon Country led 28-19, a 9-point advantage.
In the second quarter, Younas sent Tang Long onto the court at the beginning, but he adjusted the positions. Yi Jian played center, and Tang Long played power forward. This was also to facilitate the integration with Yao Ming.
After coming on, Tang Long made continuous breakthroughs, not only drawing fouls from the opponents but also scoring frequently on offense. Soon, the score became 36-21, a 15-point lead.
At this point, Younas called another timeout.
Yao Ming and Tang Long were on the court together.
Tang Long scored with a jump shot. Then, the Slav players adopted a double-team strategy to prevent Tang Long from driving to the basket. This made it incredibly easy for Yao Ming in the paint, who scored consecutive dunks, leaving the Slav players with no answer. The score quickly became 44-25.
Younas called yet another timeout.
This time, Younas substituted both Tang Long and Yao Ming off the court.
Guo Qiang's face turned green.
He had never heard of a leading team calling so many timeouts. Moreover, Yao Ming and Tang Long were playing exceptionally well on the court, not only dominating the game but also making it much more entertaining than before. Tang Long's style of play was already popular with fans, and now playing power forward had fans exclaiming that it was the right move; his drives and dunks were simply a visual feast.
If they continued like this, the viewership ratings would absolutely soar, especially since the tournament was being held on their home turf. The cheers from the现场 crowd also reflected the changes on the court.
Taking both players off the court now, although the cheers were still enthusiastic, they clearly lacked the previous passion.
He was going to get criticized again.
Guo Qiang glanced at Younas, who pretended not to see him.
After both of them left the court, the Slav players became invigorated. Marjanović hit three consecutive three-pointers, bringing the score to 31-44.
Guo Qiang's face darkened further.
Subsequently, the two teams exchanged baskets, with the game becoming increasingly intense. Da Zhi scored on a put-back, but the Slav players also improved significantly. They not only defended well but also launched a series of attacks. Ketnic even made a 2+1 play, followed by a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Marjanović, making the score 39-51.
During halftime, Guo Qiang felt they couldn't continue like this. He found Younas and whispered, "Can it be similar to the second quarter? Let them play for a while longer. The lead is only 12 points now."
Winning was not in doubt, but Guo Qiang still wanted to win beautifully, as this was considered a more formal competition than a friendly match.
"I will make arrangements based on the situation."
Younas waved Guo Qiang away but called Tang Long and Yao Ming over.
"Tang, your passing is still too fast. You need to wait for your teammates to initiate before passing. Also, this is not the NBA; don't always think about alley-oops."
The reason the second quarter was so exciting was because Tang Long was still playing with his NBA style. He could have easily driven to the basket, but he insisted on passing to Yao Ming for an alley-oop. Of course, the game was going to be exciting.
However, this approach makes players too focused on flashy scoring methods. It might be fine against a team like Slav, but against traditional strong European teams, they could easily be stripped of the ball.
In addition, Tang Long's passing requires a higher level of talent and court judgment from his teammates. He and LeBron James connected well, but there's only one LeBron James. He can't expect everyone to be LeBron James.