"My God, Tang Long is a phenomenon!"
The basketball had grazed Tang Long's fingertips as it flew out, yet he managed to flick it with his finger at the last moment, changing its trajectory and sending it soaring upwards at a forty-five-degree angle.
Kobe and Tang Long initiated their movements almost simultaneously, but with Tang Long positioned further ahead, he pushed the ball forward and then surged ahead like a leopard.
Seeing that he couldn't get to the ball, Kobe grabbed Tang Long.
With no one left on the defensive end, if Tang Long were to face an unguarded basket, who knew what kind of spectacular dunk he might perform. The morale of the Dragon Country would be ignited, so Kobe would rather commit a foul than let Tang Long dunk.
Beep!
The referee's whistle sounded simultaneously, deeming it a foul on Kobe.
"I say, Kobe, even ordinary players know to let that one go, perhaps even attempt a block, not foul like that. You're a superstar, how can you be so shameless?"
Kobe grinned at Tang Long, "What's face worth? This is an international competition."
Tang Long could no longer hold back his laughter.
Truly one of the greatest players, his professionalism was impeccable.
Fortunately, Tang Long's free-throw percentage remained above 80%. He made both shots, bringing the score to 43-45.
Beep!
After the free throws, just as Howard was about to inbound the ball, Coach Krzyzewski called a timeout.
"The Dragon Country team has changed their tactics. We must reduce their defensive range and create more shooting opportunities. On offense, we must focus on limiting Tang Long and Yao Ming. For everyone else, only give them outside shooting opportunities. Push these guys back to the three-point line, understand?"
The star players quickly grasped Coach Krzyzewski's strategic intent.
Simultaneously, Coach Krzyzewski substituted Paul for Kidd.
With Paul on the court, Team USA's pace quickened once more. The offense shifted from Kidd's organized plays to a more free-flowing, athletic style.
One moment Kobe was lurking around the three-point line, the next he was driving towards the paint, and the ball was passed to him.
After Paul entered the game, Team USA switched to a full-court press. Sun Yue, upon receiving the pass, was met with Paul's tight defense.
Seeing this, Tang Long could only pass the ball back. By the time it crossed half-court, the other players from Team USA had already set up their positions.
The triangle offense was broken!
At this moment, Yi Jianlian and Da Zhi found it difficult to gain an advantage in physical confrontations.
After several failed attempts, Sun Yue could only attempt a three-pointer.
Clank!
Yao Ming was the only one under the basket, and the rebound was snatched by Anthony.
Team USA went on a fast break.
Paul sank a three-pointer.
When the players from Team USA got serious, their advantage was truly evident. Their superior physical strength made it difficult for the defensive players, who were at a disadvantage in terms of physicality.
The opponents seemed to effortlessly push aside the defenders on offense.
Consecutive successful drives to the basket further widened the score gap.
At halftime, Dragon Country trailed 41-51, a deficit of ten points.
...
"Old Bai, do you think this score matches your initial prediction?"
"To be honest, it's completely beyond my expectations."
Old Bai continued, "Not just the score, but the game itself. For the first and a half quarters, we were neck and neck with them. Honestly, I thought we would be in a much more embarrassing situation. But seeing this so far has truly delighted me!"
"I see our athletes on the court giving their all against players who are taller and more talented than them. I believe with such a tenacious spirit, we will eventually overcome our opponents."
"Then, Old Bai, how many points do you think we'll lose by at the end of the game?"
"Ten to twenty points," Old Bai said hesitantly, a conservative estimate. "This would already be our best performance yet."
Yang Yi then turned to Coach Zhang. "Coach Zhang, what are your thoughts?"
Coach Zhang paused for a moment before saying, "Around twenty points."
Coach Zhang then added, "If the second quarter's pace continues, losing by around twenty-five points is also possible. The absolute worst would be thirty points."
The three commentators in the broadcast booth, from a professional standpoint, predicted that a victory was unlikely and were instead guessing the margin of defeat.
At this moment, a post titled "Why is everyone predicting Dragon Country to lose? Why not believe in Tang?" appeared on Tang Long's fan forum, posted by a user named 'Xiao Ni Ah'.
Soon, replies started flooding in.
"Because there's a gap in strength."
"Ideals are beautiful, reality is harsh."
"Of course, we want to win, but it's harder than Team USA landing on the moon."
"Didn't you guys always hype up Tang Long, saying he led the team to an NBA championship? Why aren't you hyping him now? You just put LeBron James' abilities onto yourselves and brag. How shameless."
"The hater upstairs, scram!"
"I think what the guy upstairs said has some truth. You Tang Long fanatics hype him up as omnipotent. Now that you can't beat the Dream Eight, are you calling your teammates trash? So everyone else is trash, but you guys are amazing, right?"
"Everyone, let's calm down. I think this楼主 (OP) is a bit suspicious. We usually call Tang Long 'Tang' or 'Brother Long', and sometimes 'Ah Long'. Who calls him 'Tang'? This guy must be an infiltrator."
"The guy upstairs has a point.楼主, I'll ask you, how much is the 'Gong Ting Yu Ye Jiu'?"
"楼主, given one big hammer, three small hammers, and a cup of 'Gong Ting Yu Ye Jiu', what's the total cost? If you can't answer, you're a spy."
Then, the tone of the entire forum shifted, and everyone started playing along with the memes.
In the blink of an eye, it was trending again.
Tang Long was unaware that he was currently the most likely athlete to trend online.
After halftime, Coach Jonas substituted Yao Ming. After all, for someone as tall as Yao Ming to play two full quarters continuously would lead to fatigue issues in the second half.
With Yao Ming resting, Tang Long returned to his familiar position.
Wang Shipeng's mid-range shooting and precise three-pointers allowed Tang Long to resume his center role, enabling a "one big to four small" offensive setup.
Tang Long would draw defensive attention in the paint, while the outside shooters would look for their opportunities.
This arrangement was not inherently problematic. Tang Long had played center before and was more familiar with the position.
However, as the game resumed, the live audience and viewers watching on television, upon seeing Yao Ming not on the court, immediately became restless.
Those with short tempers began to curse.
What kind of lineup did Dragon Country have? They were already trailing by a significant margin, and now they were benching Yao Ming? With only Tang Long on the court, how could they possibly compete?
As the audience began to voice their displeasure, the commentators also felt awkward.
With both Tang Long and Yao Ming on the court, the Dream Eight players had already overwhelmed the Dragon Country team. They understood that resting Yao Ming was for better performance later in the game, but was this really the right time?
Everyone believed that they were about to be dominated by Team USA!