"I can only say that Jonas is truly audacious, from fielding our five strongest opponents from the start to benching Yao Ming now, every decision is heart-stopping!"
Coach Zhang continued Yang Yi's thought, "It's fine to have Tang Long play center; he often handled the inside game when he played in the NBA. It's just a bit different this time. Facing all superstars, Tang Long alone might get run ragged and still be unable to defend them, just wasting his stamina."
Old Bai sighed.
"The main issue is our lack of talent. If we had another star like Tang Long or Yao Ming, we wouldn't be this passive."
"In the United States, D'Angelo Russell has replaced Anthony, and Chris Bosh has replaced Dwight Howard. Only Kobe and LeBron are still on the court. This substitution strategy by the US clearly considers our advantage at center, bringing in these two who are specifically good at countering centers."
"D'Angelo is an old rival. Back when the Rockets played the Jazz, D'Angelo was the one who gave the Rockets a tough time."
"Don't forget, Jonas probably anticipated the US making this adjustment, which is why he's put Tang Long at center. Tang Long is clearly more familiar with playing against D'Angelo and Bosh."
Coach Zhang gave a wry smile, "I'll say it again, when Tang Long was with the Cavaliers, he had players like LeBron and Drew Gooden to assist him. The level of play is different. We'll have to see on the court if this strategy is effective!"
...
Seeing Bosh and Williams, Tang Long's brows furrowed.
One of them was manageable, but with these two positioned on either side, he truly didn't know whom to guard.
Activate "Earth's Battle Song"?
Tang Long glanced at Yao Ming, who was still on the bench, and quickly dismissed the idea.
Firstly, A-Lian and Da-Zhi would need a break in the third quarter, and secondly, after the reminder from the last "Earth's Battle Song," Tang Long himself could feel the consequence of a 20% reduction in his stats.
Starting this in the third quarter was not only unrealistic but also likely to drag the team down.
At the start of the second half, Tang Long took a jump shot over Bosh's head.
43-51.
The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause.
"Smash them!"
Coach Krzyzewski shouted angrily from the sidelines.
During halftime, former high-ranking officials had sent word that he was very dissatisfied with the game. China's economic rise in recent years had made its position as a major power increasingly evident.
If even their proud basketball achievements were a close contest, how could they boast about US sports in the future?
Though these two were former top leaders, they held considerable influence in the US. The fact that they sent people with a message showed how seriously they regarded this match.
Therefore, Jonas had changed some tactics in the second half, adopting aggressive defense, increasing physical contact, and leveraging their physical advantage on offense. All fancy plays were discarded. In the face of absolute strength, any tactic or coordination was merely superficial.
The US advantage immediately became apparent.
On offense, LeBron drove past A-Lian from the three-point line all the way to the paint. By the time Tang Long came out to defend, Kobe had already reached the basket and, receiving a pass from LeBron, dunked forcefully.
43-53.
Immediately after, on defense, Sun Yue, unable to break through Kobe's defense, almost lost the ball. He looked around desperately, unable to pass to Tang Long. Seeing the shot clock about to expire, Sun Yue was forced to pass the ball to Da-Zhi.
Under D'Angelo's pressure, Da-Zhi missed his shot, and the US launched another fast break.
43-55.
On offense and defense transition, China's players improved their positioning, and their passing got better, but the ball still found it hard to reach Tang Long.
Bosh's denial defense made passing difficult, and their outside shots were ice-cold. The US then went on a 6-0 run.
43-61.
Jonas looked at the time. It had only been three minutes. Bringing Yao Ming in now might make the game look better, but his rest time was too short.
While he hesitated, Tang Long had already gathered his teammates.
"We can't play like this. On offense, A-Lian, you switch positions with me. You go inside, and I'll stay outside."
The key now was that he couldn't get the ball. His outside shots were missing badly, and he needed to get the ball first.
"Okay!"
Resuming the offense, A-Lian vied for position with Bosh inside, while Tang Long roamed the mid-range.
When LeBron saw him come out to receive the ball, he immediately closed in to defend.
With two sharp changes of direction, Tang Long shook off LeBron. Sun Yue's pass arrived, and he took a mid-range jump shot.
45-61.
The US attacked again. Paul's three-point attempt missed, but Tang Long grabbed the rebound and drove all the way to the basket. When three players converged on him, he passed to A-Lian, who then post-up against Bosh, turned, and dunked!
The ball went in!
The referee's whistle also blew.
Bosh was fouled, and A-Lian easily made the free throw.
48-61.
On offense, the US continued to use their physical advantage, with D'Angelo easily scoring.
48-63.
Tang Long responded with a two-point shot.
50-63.
If they continued playing like this, the gap would only widen. The key was that these players rarely attacked his side, as if they knew they couldn't gain much from a one-on-one against him, so they avoided his side.
After the US's next possession, a few quick passes led the ball to D'Angelo. D'Angelo backed down Da-Zhi, while Bosh had already rotated to the other side, ready to receive the pass.
"D'Angelo, are you a man? If you're a man, don't pass the ball."
D'Angelo rose up for the shot. Tang Long didn't follow him out this time, and D'Angelo shot directly.
50-65.
"Hoo, you think I'll fall for your trick?"
D'Angelo shook his shoulders, looking smugly like he had easily seen through Tang Long's petty trick.
"Alas, this is the difference between you and Howard," Tang Long sighed. "Do you know why Howard earns more than you? It's because he's brave. He dares to dunk in front of me. You don't, so you don't earn as much."
"D'Angelo, don't listen to him," LeBron quickly intervened, pulling Williams aside, and glared at Tang Long.
Here we go again.
When this guy wants someone to attack his side, he always provokes them with words first.
During league games, they were teammates, and LeBron would watch from the sidelines. Now, seeing Tang Long provoking D'Angelo again, LeBron was afraid he'd fall for it.
"Hey LeBron, didn't you say you joined the Olympics to compete with me? From the start until now, besides defending me, you haven't challenged me once!"
"Honestly, did you join the Olympics just to hang out with Anthony? In that case, you'll be ranked behind Wade when you get back. Or should I let Dwyane have a go?"
"Just shut up already!"
LeBron, unable to bear Tang Long's incessant chatter, pulled D'Angelo back to their own half.
"These guys actually didn't fall for it!"
Tang Long looked towards the US bench, his eyebrows slightly raised.