blogombal Chapter 637 I'm not targeting anyone in particular, but everyone here.
Chapter 637 I'm not targeting anyone in particular, but everyone here.
With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Coach K finally found a suitable opportunity to surrender!
Anthony hit a mid-range jumper, and Bosh finally unleashed his full potential, blocking Yao Ming's hook shot with a powerful block. Then James dribbled the ball up the court at lightning speed, and after driving all the way to the frontcourt, he pulled up for a thunderous dunk!
Then Lin Tian was a bit careless when advancing the ball, and his pass was intercepted again. Gordon received the ball and immediately pulled up for a three-pointer!
"Whoosh!"
In the blink of an eye, the US team first blocked Yao Ming's shot and then stole the ball from Lin Tian, scoring a 7-0 run in just one minute!
The point difference between the two sides was thus narrowed to 22 points!
Well, with 6 minutes left, Team USA was still down by 22 points!
The cautious Jonas immediately called a timeout. He needed to adjust the lineup and let the players adjust their mentality. He had a feeling that the US team would launch a final offensive and make one last attempt to catch up and reverse the game.
Jonas believes that no matter what the purpose of the game is, no one wants to lose, and no one likes to lose!
So during the timeout, he went on a rampage, encouraging his players, telling them to give it their all, to keep pushing, and not to let their guard down, reminding them that the game wasn't over yet.
then……
When the timeout ended and Jonas sat comfortably on the bench, he realized he had overthought things.
He thinks too highly of Old K!
This old guy never even thought about winning!
That climax just now was enough for Old K!
What he wants is a wave of offensive surges as material, and then to use that as the core to motivate and encourage his players to work hard in the remaining games, so that they are not afraid of the Chinese team!
Therefore, after the timeout, Coach K immediately brought on Okafor, Bosh, Battier, Deron Williams, and Hinrich.
These five players also had the shortest playing time and the worst stats tonight.
Bringing these five people on at this time, the meaning couldn't be clearer.
Sound the retreat!
Formal surrender.
Of course, the Chinese team didn't dare to relax completely, so they also fielded five substitutes to play garbage time.
The strength of the American team lies in the players on the fringe; they would be absolute core players on other teams.
These five substitutes would be the star players or second-in-command of their respective teams in the NBA.
Therefore, even though Jonas understood what Old K meant, he didn't rush to replace him, but instead let Lin Tian and the others fight for a few more minutes.
It wasn't until there were only two minutes left in the fourth quarter, and the score difference was still 25 points, that he finally made a decisive move and substituted all the starters.
After all this, you can't possibly turn the game around, can you?
Is there no justice left?
Then?
Then, in the last two minutes of the game, Jonas's vigilance and caution proved to be justified.
With 2 minutes and 30 seconds left, the American team's fringe players outscored China 14-5.
The gap was narrowed to 16 points.
Even so, this was the result of them not putting in much effort, not using full-court press, not playing with intensity, and just relying on their instincts.
If they really increase the intensity and apply full-court press to the Chinese team, then relying on Chen Jianghua and Liu Wei, they won't be able to get the ball across half-court.
But in any case, the match ended with a comfortable and easy victory for the Chinese team!
85: 101!
The Chinese team easily won the opening match of the World Championships, defeating the formidable United States!
And this is the first time they've beaten the US team so easily!
In the previous two Olympic finals in 00 and 04, although the Chinese team defeated the United States, the process was full of twists and turns and was like walking on thin ice. It can be said that in those two games, the entire Chinese team exerted 150% of their energy, and everyone played a performance that exceeded their average level.
Lin Tian even achieved an astonishing five-double in the 04 Olympic final.
That's how the Chinese team narrowly escaped defeat.
This year, however, the situation is completely different.
The Chinese team dominated the American team for almost the entire game, easily taking control and repeatedly widening the gap to 20, 25, or even 30 points or more!
From any perspective, Hebei China Fortune won this match by a crushing margin!
"To be honest, I was a little worried before this match started," Yang Jian said sincerely after the game. "I was worried that it would be a tough battle, and I was even afraid that the change in personnel would lead to a lack of experience and result in a loss."
"I had even figured out how to appease the fans across the country, but I was completely overthinking it! The boys played brilliantly! They are our heroes!"
Yang Yi also said, "I have a list of all our important opponents in this tournament! European champions Greece, Spain led by Gasol and others, Ginobili's Argentina, and so on. These teams are not to be trifled with."
"But after today's game, I feel that we're definitely going to win the championship this time! These teams are no match for us!" Yang Yi said excitedly. "Of course, the premise is that we don't become arrogant, complacent, or underestimate our opponents, and we give our all in every game!"
"In that case, I think we'll definitely be fine!"
"After all, we easily defeated Team USA today!"
"No matter how immature this team is, no matter how many greenhorns it is, one thing is certain: they are all the most important members of their respective teams. Some are the cornerstones of their teams' rebuilding, some have already won championships, and some can lead their teams through the first round of the playoffs on their own!"
"These young people are just immature and imperfect; they haven't reached their peak yet. But that doesn't mean they're weak, much less that they can be easily bullied or defeated!"
"Beating them will definitely give our team a huge boost in confidence!"
That night, news of the Chinese team's easy victory over the American team spread throughout the country. As expected, the Chinese men's football team had long been one of the first teams to prepare for the 2010 World Cup, and the men's basketball team once again became national idols!
More and more people are playing basketball on the streets and alleys, and there are more and more basketball courts. The Chinese men's basketball team, or rather, Lin Tian and Yao Ming, truly brought basketball to China and made it one of the most popular sports in China!
In competitive sports, results are what truly prove everything!
The subsequent matches proved that Yang Yi and Yang Jian were right!
On the Chinese side, they easily swept aside Slovenia, Angola, Italy, and other teams in succession, advancing to the round of 16 as the top team in their group with a perfect record!
After losing to China, the US team also learned a lot. No one knows what Coach K said to his players in the locker room or how he encouraged them.
But it was obvious that after losing to the Chinese team, the American players were noticeably more united and their defense was significantly more aggressive and tough! They abandoned their casual attitude of just having fun and started playing with all their might.
After losing to Hebei China Fortune, they won their remaining four group stage matches and averaged a 26-point margin of victory per game!
After their crushing defeat to China, Team USA has indeed undergone a remarkable transformation! Howard is now willing to screen for his teammates, James and Paul have started moving off the ball to create space for their teammates, and Anthony, who previously only liked to shoot, has begun to drive to the basket more often.
There are many similar changes, but the fact that the US team is getting better and better is something everyone can see! This is also what makes the US team so formidable.
Other teams have already trained and selected their strongest combinations, and then they come to the World Championships to do their best to achieve the best results.
But the US team was able to select a large number of players who had not yet reached their peak, let them make mistakes, let them suffer defeats and losses in the World Championships, and then find their rhythm and absorb knowledge in the competition, and then make rapid progress!
In short, the entire US team played better and better after that game and successfully advanced to the round of 16 as the second-place team in their group!
Once the knockout stage begins, all teams will face a do-or-die, extremely tough and tense knockout match!
China's opponent in the round of 16 is Türkiye, who finished fourth in the neighboring group.
Lin Tian is quite familiar with this team. Their two star players are Lin Tian's teammate Okur and Turkoglu, whom he once faced in the finals.
Despite having two NBA players on the team, they only managed to finish fourth in their group, which shows that the team's overall strength is quite average. In their game against the Chinese team, they didn't put on many impressive performances and fell behind by 20 points in less than three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Lin Tian scored 9 consecutive points, successfully widening the gap to 30 points!
The suspense of this match has now come to an end!
Then, in the quarterfinals, the Chinese team faced Germany, led by Nowitzki. Unfortunately, this German team was basically a copy of the Turkish team. Apart from Nowitzki, an NBA MVP-level top player, the rest of the players on this team were really not worth mentioning!
In this game, Nowitzki had an explosive shooting night in the first three quarters, scoring 33 points and leaving Yi Jianlian and Wang Zhizhi completely helpless.
But in the fourth quarter, Lin Tian volunteered again to face Nowitzki!
While Dirk Nowitzki's shooting and face-up abilities are top-notch, he has not yet reached his full potential!
Right now, both his playing style and personality are still somewhat soft, and he hasn't yet reached his peak in terms of physical strength!
His unstable lower body makes his back-to-the-basket game inefficient, and his soft personality makes him prone to timidity when facing aggressive defenders. At the same time, his weakness in ball protection makes him easy to lose the ball when facing smaller defenders!
Simply put, the current Nowitzki is not afraid of agile and skillful players, nor is he afraid of traditional centers. He can stretch out to shoot three-pointers.
But what this guy fears most right now is a fast and powerful forward line! Facing such opponents, Nowitzki has suffered defeat every time!
Well, this weakness was analyzed by his old mentor, Nelson, together with Lin Tian.
This is also why Lin Tian went directly to defend Nowitzki in the fourth quarter.
Lin Tian has everything Nowitzki fears!
He's fierce, strong, and quick with his hands and feet!
Calling Lin Tian a Novitzki killer is absolutely no exaggeration!
So throughout the fourth quarter, Lin Tian stuck to Nowitzki like glue, making it difficult for him to push hard inside. And if Nowitzki dribbled, Lin Tian would use every means to disrupt his rhythm, making it difficult for Nowitzki to continue pushing inside.
If Nowitzki tries to face up to attack, Lin Tian will completely lower his center of gravity, preventing him from dribbling and breaking through. If Nowitzki dares to pass the ball, Lin Tian will dare to attack!
As for receiving the ball and shooting without dribbling?
It's not impossible, but that's not Nowitzki's strength or biggest advantage! Playing like that would be putting the cart before the horse.
In particular, even if he can catch and shoot immediately, his height and agility mean that his release speed cannot match that of forwards and guards who are around 2 meters tall. He has to adjust before he can shoot after catching the ball.
But if he adjusts, Lin Tian can catch up, and once he catches up, he can cause him trouble!
Throughout the fourth quarter, Nowitzki played with immense frustration and discomfort! After scoring 30+ points efficiently in the first three quarters, Nowitzki only made one of his four shots in the fourth quarter, while also committing three turnovers!
When the team's leader and only core player can only score 2 points in a single quarter, the outcome for the German team is pretty much predictable.
They were evenly matched with the Chinese team in the first three quarters, but lost by 15 points in the fourth quarter, and finally lost to the Chinese team by 20 points with a score of 68-88, thus being eliminated by the Chinese team.
At this stage of the World Championships, if we don't count the later ranking matches, there are actually only 4 teams left!
They will face off against each other in the final semi-finals and finals!
These four teams are: China, Greece, Spain, and the United States!
Of these four teams, Greece is the last European Championship champion, Spain has many NBA players, and many Spaniards call them the "Golden Generation." Many of them have been playing together since childhood, and their teamwork and relationships are impeccable!
As for the US team, after losing to China in the opening game, they haven't lost a single game! Having made it all the way to the semifinals, this US team has essentially accomplished its mission. If they win the championship, it would be a pleasant surprise! If they don't, it would be expected!
The final odds for these four teams to win the championship are: China 1, USA 2, Greece 3, Spain 4!
The reason for this ranking is not because Spain is bad or people think they are not strong.
The biggest reason is that Spain will face China in the semi-finals!
You're going to face the world's strongest team in the semifinals, so giving you last place is reasonable, right?
The match between the US team and the Greek team is also highly anticipated!
Many people say that Greece is the most team-oriented, rational, balanced, and also the most boring team in the world. They don't have any of the fantastical and creative elements of Greek mythology; they play the simplest and most extreme form of basketball.
The Pistons are much more interesting than them!
The US team is the team with the strongest average individual ability and the strongest physical talent in this competition.
Will it be the ultimate individual heroism that destroys Greece with their talent, or will the Greeks defeat the United States with their ancient unity, tenacity, and indomitable spirit?
Both of these semi-final matches are top-level competitions that have garnered immense attention!
The first match to kick off is between Greece and the United States!
This semi-final, which was originally expected to be a fierce battle and a clash of opposing forces, turned into a one-sided affair right from the start.
The Greek team completely dominated the game and controlled the tempo!
They even used just one move to completely overwhelm the American team.
Joint defense!
Various kinds of joint defense!
In addition, their team has a short, stocky giant nicknamed "Little Shark" who blocks the American team's repeated breakthroughs.
In this game, the Greek team once again proved that zone defense plus a strong defensive interior player is the only way to counter this American team!
The Chinese team did it easily, and so did the Greek team!
They successfully shut down the US team's penetration and passing system, and forced them into a massive number of turnovers through their zone defense.
While the US team has made significant progress in this competition and is becoming more and more like a team, some things cannot be evolved overnight.
For example, shooting, adapting to zone defense tactics, off-ball skills, and awareness of how to move after a pick-and-roll.
They need to digest all of this slowly.
104: 89!
In the end, the US team lost by a full 15 points again. They lost to the Greek team's unpredictable zone defense and their stable, slow, boring yet incredibly tight system.
The US team was eliminated in the semifinals; at best, they can only compete for a bronze medal.
As for the other semi-final, it was almost identical to this one.
It was another match that was almost entirely one-sided.
China easily defeated Spain by 21 points!
And this was even after the Chinese team clearly let up in the fourth quarter, not letting Yao Ming and Lin Tian continue to play, and Spain narrowed the gap by a lot of points.
There are two reasons why Spain lost so badly.
One is their absolute core player, Gasol, who suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury in the quarterfinals against Australia. He has to undergo surgery, and even if the surgery is successful, Gasol will have to stay in bed for at least 9 months!
Let alone this semifinal, unless the Grizzlies make it to the conference finals, Gasol's next NBA season is already over!
It has to be said, he was really unlucky.
Without Gasol, Spain, though still united, had no one to counter Yao Ming, and no one to defend Lin Tian's surgical breakthroughs under the basket!
Without their key player, they offered little resistance and were easily defeated by the Chinese team.
Without Gasol, they lost to the United States in the 3rd-4th place match!
fourth place!
Spain's golden generation once again missed out on a medal, returning to Spain in fourth place with a heavy sense of disappointment.
As for the final match?
What a coincidence! Lin Tian's best matchup is against teams like the Greek team, which play a rigid, textbook-style game!
He's beaten up countless teams like this in his lifetime!
If you play zone defense, then Lin will keep shooting from long range, forcing your defense to spread out and preventing you from staying inside the three-point line.
Whenever the Greek team's defense moves forward, Lin Tian will quickly break through, drive into the paint, and then, amidst the chaos, find his open teammates and assist them in scoring!
In this match, the Greek team revealed their biggest weakness.
No star players!
Although players like Papaloukas and Spanoulis are top-tier figures in Europe, with all sorts of intimidating nicknames, they are clearly not up to Lin Tian's standards! Their star quality is also insufficient.
When the team couldn't contain Lin Tian in a reasonable way, and no one on the Greek team could step up and go toe-to-toe with Lin Tian in an unreasonable way.
As a result, the World Championship final was naturally somewhat one-sided. (End of Chapter)