The American team called a timeout.
When the timeout came back, a player who had rarely had a chance to play before was replaced.
Danny Granger.
Granger is not well-known in the NBA, but as the core of the Pacers, the 27-year-old has averaged 25 points per game in the past two seasons in the NBA. He is a rare immediate player for this American team.
It's just that because he is also a player who focuses on shooting, his functions are highly overlapping with Durant's, and his abilities are not as good as Durant's. Therefore, he has not been reused by Old K in previous games and has been sitting on the bench.
Old K only remembered him after he was forced to run out of moves.
It turns out that Granger is really capable.
As soon as he came up, he got an opportunity through beautiful off-ball movement. He took a pass from Billups and shot a three-pointer from the outside.
And back on the defensive end, he even completed the steal of Zhu Fangyu.
The American team seized the opportunity to launch a defensive counterattack and stabilized its position after a 5-0 offensive.
In these two rounds, Granger fully demonstrated his characteristics as a 3D star and became a surprise player for the US team.
However, the Chinese team did not sit still and wait for death. Upon seeing this, Deng Huade immediately signaled to change defense and let Sun Yue go to face Granger.
Although Sun Yue is one size smaller than Granger in terms of size, Granger's style of play is mainly off the ball, and his ability to attack with the ball is generally very low, so the effect of this matchup is very good. .
Seeing this, Old K then replaced Billups with Westbrook. Because of the two outside threats of Durant and Granger, Westbrook's breakthrough space was much larger after playing.
This back-and-forth battle was a blast for the fans watching, including those from other teams.
After confirming their eyes, this is the competition between the strongest teams in this World Championship.
But no matter how the court changes or how anxious the situation is, when Durant is on the court, Xu Yong's strategy is the same as in the opening game, which is to keep an eye on Durant.
Because he knew very well that as long as Durant didn't open the game, the American team would be at most six or four points away from the Chinese team.
And once Durant is allowed to open up, the rest of the US team will instantly become the highest quality parts. After the game is completed, a dream team averaging 25+ per game will appear, and it will be difficult for the Chinese team to win.
Facts have proved that Xu Yong's strategy is very correct.
The Chinese team was full of firepower on the outside tonight, and Yao Ming was restrained on the inside. At the end of the third quarter, the two teams were tied at 70.
The fans at the scene were both nervous and excited watching this situation.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Deng Huade arranged for Xu Yong to rest.
Durant is not a dead fish who stops flopping when you hold him down. On the contrary, he struggles very hard. Xu Yongyong cannot hold him down even if he tries his best.
However, Deng Huade was also cautious and replaced Xu Yong. He let Yao Ming lead the opening of the fourth quarter.
However, it was his arrangement that laid a trap for the Chinese team.
Because after Lao K discovered this, he began to signal Yao Ming to go around and gamble to steal, speeding up like crazy.
There is only one purpose for doing this, and that is not to engage in positional warfare with the Chinese team.
The Chinese team knows the American team's style of play, but Xu Yongyong can't control the rhythm on the court.
Therefore, Deng Huade had no choice but to let Xu Yong, who had only rested for a while, go into battle again.
Nothing could be seen at this time, but when the decisive stage entered and the main players of both sides returned, as both Yao Ming and Xu Yong's physical fitness declined, the Chinese team's offense and defense began to collapse.
The American team completed consecutive presses and launched defensive counterattacks, playing their most classic dream team wave.
Four minutes before the end, the U.S. team already led the Chinese team by 10 points, 89-79.
The Chinese team called a timeout.
"There is not much time left for the Chinese team!" Over there in the commentary box, the American commentator wiped his sweat and said with a smile.
The threat that the Chinese team posed to the US team tonight was beyond imagination, especially the opening wave that even made him doubt that the US team would lose.
Fortunately, the game did not have only one quarter, but four quarters. The American team finally had the last laugh based on its overall strength.
On the bench of the Chinese team, the players looked somewhat depressed.
Even Yao Ming pursed his lips, and the hand holding the towel unconsciously clenched into a fist.
They had the best chance, and they also had the best start, but they just fell short.
Soon, Deng Huade finished laying out the tactics, said some words of encouragement, and then motioned for the players to play.
Xu Yong patted Yao Ming's arm before he stood up and said, "We still have time."
After hearing this, Yao Ming looked up at the timer.
He looked away, nodded firmly, and then stood up.
The last 240 seconds, their last ditch effort.
After the timeout, the Chinese team made a big tactical change. Xu Yong started to hold the ball.
After his teammates opened up space, he took the ball and directly changed direction without slowing down to break through Iguodala. Moreover, facing Granger who was assisting in defense, he did not choose to pass the ball, but faced the force and made a layup, causing the latter A pulling foul.
He stepped to the free throw line, adjusted his breathing and then made two free throws, helping the Chinese team narrow the point difference to single digits.
In the next round, Durant was pleasantly surprised to find that Xu Yong finally stopped defending him. He couldn't wait to hold the ball, and then broke through Yi Jianlian's emergency stop jumper.
"Dang!"
But it's a pity that his shot failed to hit.
Even if you are Kevin Durant, you can't pull out the gun and hit it with one shot when the gun is blocked for more than three quarters.
Yao Ming struggled to protect the defensive rebound, and the Chinese team launched a defensive counterattack. Xu Yong received a pass from Sun Yue and completed a layup after a strong confrontation with Iguodala in the air.
The referee's whistle sounded again, but unlike the previous round, the ball hit the edge of the basket after wiping the board, spun around and then rolled into the net bag.
This ball is a 2+1!
The Chinese fans at the scene were instantly excited.
These two goals brought back the suspense of the game and were priceless!
Old K also had a look of disbelief on his face. The rim-rushing style of play consumes a lot of energy, especially since both sides had been fighting fiercely all night. Where did Xu Yong get his energy?
Xu Yong obviously has a strategy.
He and Yao Ming said that the first strategy was to pursue Durant, but the second strategy was something he couldn't explain, which was procrastination.
His advantage is physical fitness, especially when other people's physical fitness tanks are at their lowest, that's when he shines.
This was used when I was at Arizona State University.
So in fact, the more intense the fight between the two sides before, the greater the physical exertion, the greater the space for him to play.
After adjusting his breathing, Xu Yong also scored an extra penalty, and the score difference on the field came to 5 points.
"Defend! Defend!"
At this time, the Chinese fans at the scene bottomed out and their defensive shouts echoed throughout the stadium.
Durant continued to play with the ball. This time he didn't make too many moves. He faked a sudden break and forced Yi Jianlian back, then directly pulled up and threw a three-pointer.
Yi Jianlian's rhythm was a bit off.
"Dang!"
But Durant was still inaccurate!
Xu Yong was suppressed throughout the game and he didn't take many good shots. It's not easy for him to regain his touch.
What's more, at this stage of the fight, his physical fitness has already bottomed out.
Fortunately, the U.S. team retreated quickly enough this time to prevent the Chinese team from directly launching a defensive counterattack.
The two sides turned to positional warfare.
"Team China! Come on!"
At this time, the defensive shouts quickly turned into cheers.
Xu Yong continued to break through the basket.
His choice is very smart. Although he has more physical fitness than others, it is relative. No one can guarantee the stability of shooting at this time, but if he breaks through, the success rate is high and he has the opportunity to cause damage.
This time Chandler came to cover him.
Obviously, the United States team can no longer let him score as much as he wants.
Xu Yong's momentum remained unabated, and he felt desperate, but after entering the three-second zone, he chose a small drop shot from close range.
Chandler worked hard to block the shot, but still couldn't stop Xu Yong's shot.
"Dang!"
However, Xu Yong did not have enough time to practice his small throw, and the basketball was not able to hit the basket.
But before Old K could breathe a sigh of relief, Yao Ming had already jumped up and successfully completed the tip-in.
The cheers were overwhelming.
Yao Ming also pumped his fist excitedly and gave tomatoes to the entire US team.
89 to 86!
After returning from the timeout, the Chinese team launched a 7-0 offensive, narrowing the point difference to one goal.
At this time, there was more than one minute left before the end of the game, and Old K reached out and called a timeout.
When he came off the field, Xu Yong smiled and high-fived Yao Ming.
When he saw Chandler coming to help defend, he knew that the ball just now would definitely be scored, either by him throwing it in or by Yao Ming.
After the timeout, Old K still arranged the tactics for Durant, but they were just tactics to cause damage to the basket.
Durant's breakthrough passed Yi Jianlian smoothly, but when he reached the basket, Yao Ming fought hard to block his layup angle.
He was forced to perform his own big swing, but what he never expected was that Yao Ming could actually come back.
"boom!"
As a result, his shot was directly rejected by Yao Ming, and the ball still hit him and went out of bounds!
One Yao is in charge, and no one can open it!
He not only defended this goal, but also the national team honor that he cared about most.
The fans cheered again, and some even wiped their eyes excitedly.
The Chinese team now has a chance to continue to shrink or even tie the score.
Deng Huade made offensive gestures at Sun Yue and Xu Yong from the sidelines.
"Hey look, the U.S. team is in a scoring drought again!" Over at the commentary box, Zhang Weiping said with a smile after he relaxed.
The "again" he said was because the US team was in a scoring drought at the beginning. At that time, the Chinese team took advantage of this to get off to a perfect 11-0 start.
Now, the Chinese team has taken advantage of the new scoring shortage of the American team and has chased 7 points in a row, suddenly having a chance to tie the score.
It just depends on whether the Chinese team can seize the opportunity.
Sun Yue advanced to the frontcourt with the ball, and then handed the ball directly to Xu Yong.
"Now there are only 40 seconds left before the end of the game. We can now choose to score a quick two-pointer and then defend against a wave, or directly go for a three-pointer to tie the score. Anyway, it's all fine and correct, but we have to be fast. Before attacking in 24 seconds." Zhang Weiping's commentary level was online again.
Soon after, Xu Yong had already launched an attack.
He started with a drop step and completed the ball at the same time, and jumped directly into the pull-up three-pointer.
Deng Huade's arrangement was to divide the shares equally.
Iguodala struggled to save and interfered, but still couldn't block Xu Yong's shot.
The basketball flew towards the basket, attracting the attention of all the fans in the audience.
The ball has just the right amount of power.
"Dang!"
But unfortunately, it was a little off track due to interference.
As Xu Yong said, at this stage of the game, no one can guarantee that the shot will be successful.
People from both teams are scrambling for rebounds, which are crucial.
The final result was that Yao Ming won this priceless rebound with his height.
And after he saw people around him, he immediately threw the ball back to Xu Yong on the outside.
After Xu Yong caught the ball, he made another three-pointer before Iguodala returned to defense.
This time he was obviously much more calm.
The basketball was spinning in the air, and this time both the strength and the angle looked perfect.
When it began to fall, the fans cheered.
"Uh-huh!"
With a crisp sound, Xu Yong seized the second chance!
89 square meters!
The Chinese team equalized the score!
Grasping the opening and ending, the Chinese team caught them all!
The fans at the scene have gone crazy. The Chinese team is given a chance and it can seize it!
At this time, there were only 28 seconds left in the game, and there were no timeouts for the US team.
"Defend! Defend!"
A uniform shout rang out from the scene.
At this time, Xu Yong began to cling to Durant, trying his best to prevent him from catching the ball.
Although Durant missed two consecutive shots, he knew that Durant was the same killer as Kobe.
Don't ask where he got his strength. He paused and returned to his body. There were several pauses!
Durant was entangled by Xu Yong and couldn't catch the ball. The US team chose to let Granger complete the final attack.
Granger changed and broke through Sun Yue, and then made a step-back jump shot after the confrontation to create an offensive opportunity for himself.
I have to say that Granger's finishing move was very beautiful, and he completely got rid of Sun Yue when he took action.
He's just not as good as Durant, but he's still an All-Star.
"Dang!"
But there are some shots that you really can’t make if you’re not at Durant’s level!
In the scramble for the basket, Yi Jianlian protected the defensive rebound, and Deng Huade immediately called a timeout.
Zhang Weiping opened his mouth tonight. The US team really had a scoring drought in the end!
The fans at the scene were so excited that they couldn't sit still. They thought they had no chance four minutes ago, but now they really have a chance to win.
Sure enough, in competitive sports, nothing is impossible!
After the timeout, Xu Yong and Yao Ming were still communicating before going on the court. It was obvious that they both took the last round very seriously.
Although it is a tie and there is still a chance for overtime if a goal is not scored, the Chinese team is not as good as the US team in terms of physical fitness, and you cannot expect the US team not to score as it has been in the past.
So this is the last chance for the Chinese team.
In the last 6 seconds, the ball was served from the front court.
After continuous cover runs, Xu Yong received the sideline ball from Sun Yue, and then used Yao Ming's pick-and-roll to break through to the basket.
It seems that the Chinese team has a very clear idea, which is to let Xu Yong hit the basket.
Coach K obviously predicted this, so several people had already shrunk to the basket at the same time.
Moreover, this was the last attack, and the referee would not call a foul, so they were prepared not to let Xu Yong complete the shot.
However, just after reaching the three-second zone, Xu Yong suddenly looked back at the moon and threw the ball to Yao Ming, who had just screened and moved to the free throw line!
By the time the rest of Team USA realized this, it was already too late.
I saw that Yao Ming basically didn't adjust much after receiving the ball, and threw the ball directly towards the basket.
After the ball reached the highest point, the red light on the sidelines also turned on.
In fact, the tactic arranged by Deng Huade was for Xu Yong to break through, but Xu Yong knew that the US team would defend him with all its strength, so he temporarily decided to play a small cooperation with Yao Ming. This is why they were still communicating before going on the court.
Now it seems that they made the right choice, at least they have a chance.
The basketball began to fall, attracting everyone's attention.
Many people subconsciously held their breath.
Victory or defeat only occurs in a moment, and whether history can be created also depends on this moment.
"Uh-huh!"
There was a crisp sound, and the basketball went straight through the net bag!
You can always trust Yao Ming's free throw line!
"The ball is in! The ball is in!" From the commentary box, Yang Yi jumped up and shouted.
"We defeated the Dream Team! We are the World Championship Champions! We are the World Champions!"
The sound of the basketball hitting the net was accompanied by the commentator's voice, but was quickly drowned out by the cheers of the fans.
Yao Ming, with the first buzzer beater of his career, brought the world championship to the Chinese men's basketball team!
(End of chapter)
