"Defend! Defend!"
Tempe City, Wells Fargo Arena, the cheers of thousands of people echoed throughout the arena.
The 2007~2008 NCAA Invitational Tournament is taking place in the arena. The Arizona State University Devils are at home and facing the University of Oklahoma Sooners. This is also their season opener. 【Note 1】
At this time, a Chinese young man with a height of 2.03 meters and a good wingspan was confronting the Sooners' ace Blake Griffin in the low post.
"This guy is really a Tyrannosaurus rex!" Xu Yong couldn't help complaining in his heart as Griffin thrust him hard one after another.
The thick muscles were like raised hills, just like a Super Saiyan.
Of course, complaints are complaints, and he is not a vegetarian, always maintaining a defensive position.
Griffin turned his head and his eyes were full of surprise. He didn't expect that Xu Yong could be so hard.
The next second, Griffin suddenly adjusted his offensive method, turned his back to the left and right, and shot a turn-over jumper directly to the free throw line.
The technique of this shot is extremely delicate. If it had been anyone else, it would have been knocked away. But who is Xu Yong? He is very familiar with the skills of future superstars like Griffin.
Before Griffin turned around, he had already accumulated his strength in advance. After Griffin turned around, he flew out at the same time and stretched out his long arms to directly cover it.
Griffin's eyes were surprised again. Although he leaned back to avoid the block, the difficulty of his shot suddenly became very difficult.
"Dang!"
The basketball hit the front edge of the rim and popped out.
The shouts at the scene instantly turned into cheers.
This is the third time Xu Yong has defended Griffin's offense in a one-on-one low post tonight.
In a matter of minutes, the team's newly recruited four-star high school student this year gave them a full surprise.
Devils center Jeff Pendegraff grabbed the defensive rebound and quickly handed the ball to guard James Harden.
Harden made a fast break and European-stepped past two people in the frontcourt to score a layup.
Harden high-fived Xu Yong while retreating, smiling brightly.
He originally thought that Xu Yong would be suppressed when he faced off against Griffin, but it turned out that he still underestimated his partner!
The Sooners advanced to the frontcourt again, and Griffin continued to catch the ball in the low post. This time his offensive movements were obviously much larger.
Xu Yong did not show any weakness and continued to give Griffin physical confrontation.
During the stalemate, Griffin grabbed him away with his left hand.
Offensive foul! But the referee didn't blow the whistle!
Griffin was finally able to get rid of Xu Yong and made a powerful jump to the basket.
"Bang!"
A powerful and heavy dunk with both hands smashed the ball into the basket!
After he dunked, he swung on the rim for a while before landing, causing a stir in the scene.
After landing, he did not retreat immediately. Instead, he spat a trash talk in the direction of Xu Yong: "You are weak."
After being continuously challenged by Xu Yong, he was obviously irritated.
Xu Yong smiled calmly, Griffin's reaction was what he wanted.
The Sooners' offense basically revolves around Griffin. As long as the beast loses its mind, the Devils can thrive.
Xu Yong's reaction caught Griffin off guard. His face turned cold and he decided to find a chance to give Xu Yong some color on the defensive end.
In transition between offense and defense, inspired by Griffin's dunk, the Sooners' defensive intensity increased significantly.
25 seconds have passed since the 35 seconds of the NCAA's first attack, but the Devils still haven't found a good offensive opportunity.
The ball finally got to Harden, and Xu Yong took the initiative to pick and roll for Harden.
Harden used the pick-and-roll to quickly break through the basket. Facing the Sooners' flanking options, Harden decisively returned the ball to Xu Yong on the outside.
Xu Yong caught the ball, made a fake shot to cover the defensive player, and strode towards the basket while dribbling the ball.
Players under the Sooners' basket turned to cover.
Xu Yong changed direction and passed the first defender, then jumped to avoid the second defender, pulled onions from dry land, and soared into the air.
His bounce speed and jumping ability were perfectly explained at this moment.
But just as Xu Yong was raising the ball with his right hand to dunk, a figure chased the basket and jumped into the air.
Cheeks bulging, trying hard to block the shot, it was Griffin who came over to defend.
This is the opportunity he is looking for!
Naturally, Xu Yong was not to be outdone and pulled the ball to the highest point.
As a result, the two staged a climbing competition in the air.
In the end, Xu Yong was even better with his wingspan. After getting past Griffin's defense...
"Bang!"
Smashed the ball into the basket.gif!
The moment the basketball hit the basket, the scene was inexplicably silent.
Immediately afterwards, the home fans cheered like a tsunami.
Just now, Xu Yong dunked on Griffin!
Griffin, the former best power forward among high school students in the United States, was known as the "White Monster"!
"God!" Not only the fans, but also the home commentator also exclaimed with his head in his hands.
For the first time, they realized that this young player from China, who had gone from being a no-star to a four-star high school player in two years, was so dazzling on the court!
Harden was also very excited at this time. He rushed to Xu Yong and gave him a passionate chest bump.
Griffin looked up at the basket, seemingly in disbelief at what just happened.
He was dunked by a yellow player... How is this possible? !
"Hey!"
At this moment, Xu Yong shouted at Griffin.
Griffin turned to look at Xu Yong.
Xu Yong used his left hand to indicate the length of his right arm, and then said with a smile: "You are short."
Griffin was stunned.
His dynamic talent is at a historical level, his confrontational ability is also at a historical level, and even his technique and ball-handling ability are among the best among big men.
But there is only one thing: he is short.
He is 2.08 meters tall, but his wingspan is only 2.11 meters, which is too short for him.
However, the word short is more harsh as a trash talk than soft, because it can also refer to other key parts.
Griffin was instantly furious, as if he had really turned into a furious Tyrannosaurus rex and charged forward.
Not to be outdone, Xu Yong directly held Griffin's short hands to prevent him from using his strength.
The scene suddenly became chaotic.
In the end, the referee separated the players on both sides and Griffin was whistled for a technical foul.
There were boos at the scene.
Xu Yong stood unscathed in the middle of the field. He had watched Zhu Bacheng's famous battle live, and he was very familiar with the conflict on the court.
The Sooners called a timeout.
Xu Yong raised his head and glanced at the score.
22 to 30.
With an 8-point lead and technical foul free throws, the Devils had a clear advantage.
He then walked to the bench with his teammates, and was greeted by overwhelming cheers from the fans.
Behind the bench, there was a group of Shanghai fans who came specially to support him and were holding a sign with his name on it.
Looking at those familiar fans, he smiled and waved in response. His heart was touched, and his thoughts couldn't help but be drawn back to two years ago.
