Chapter 648: A Historic Moment
As the 2 commentators spoke, Team USA missed another shot.
China pushed in transition. Chen Yan cut diagonally into the paint, drawing the attention of 2 defenders.
Sun Dasheng reacted sharply and passed sideways to Wang Zhizhi, who had trailed the play from the backcourt.
Wang Zhizhi caught the ball beyond the arc and immediately rose for a 3 pointer.
China's bench collectively spread their arms.
This was Wang Zhizhi's shooting rhythm.
"Swish!"
As expected, the 3 pointer went straight through the net.
38 to 38.
Tie game.
Team USA head coach Coach K could not take it anymore and called timeout.
After the timeout, Dream Team 9 sent out its full starting lineup.
China also brought Yao Ming back in, with Wang Zhizhi coming off to rest.
Although Wang Zhizhi had not played much in this game, he had basically completed his task. Whenever he was on the floor, he made an impact.
That last 3 pointer was especially important, helping China tie the score.
Wang Zhizhi had no objection to Jonas's arrangement. He knew that both Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian would play heavy minutes tonight, and from a compatibility standpoint, he was destined not to play with them at the same time for long stretches.
Billups brought the ball across half court.
Coach K still hoped Billups would play more minutes. His experience could help Team USA control the rhythm, because this American team was simply too young.
That was tough for Westbrook.
So far, he had not played a single minute. In Coach K's mind, Rose, Curry, and Billups were all ahead of him.
Everyone thought that after Yao Ming came on, China's offense would rise to another level and crush Dream Team 9 in 1 wave.
In reality, after Yao entered the game, China's rhythm changed subtly.
The fast breaks from the previous possessions disappeared. Almost every possession became a half court set.
At the same time, the other players suddenly went cold.
Yi Jianlian, Sun Dasheng, Zhou Peng, and Zhu 8, who was later subbed in, all failed to find their shooting touch.
The lead was suddenly stretched again.
Many fans watching finally realized that even if Dream Team 9 was considered weak, it was still a Dream Team. Its average strength was still a level above China.
Tonight, Yi Jianlian was completely out of rhythm.
By halftime, he had only 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 turnovers.
If China wanted to win, Chen Yan and Yao Ming had to carry together.
At halftime, Chen Yan had a complete stat line of 24 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds.
Yao Ming had 12 points and 7 rebounds.
China trailed 59 to 51, down by 8 points.
Although they were behind, there was still a 2nd half to play, and the suspense remained.
To defeat Team USA, China had to perform well on both ends of the court.
China's biggest problems right now were the instability of its role players on offense and its frequent defensive lapses.
If not for the height disadvantage, Chen Yan would have wanted to guard Durant himself.
He understood Durant's playing style very well, but height was a major issue.
If Durant chose to shoot over him on every possession, Chen Yan would have no answer.
During halftime, Jonas directly told the players that there would only be 1 tactic in the 2nd half.
Give the ball to Chen Yan.
Without question, Jonas had also become D'Antoni like.
Jonas finally understood why D'Antoni often abandoned tactics and simply let Chen Yan isolate.
Because in many situations, this was the most reasonable and efficient tactic.
The Chinese players had no objection, including Yao Ming.
They all had one common goal in mind.
Win.
As for who became the hero or who stole the spotlight, that truly did not matter.
The atmosphere of a team largely depended on its leader.
Yao Ming, the leader of this Chinese team, was selfless, team oriented, and extremely competitive.
He had subtly instilled that mindset into the rest of the Chinese players.
Everyone thought a fierce battle would begin in the 2nd half.
Instead, Dream Team 9 immediately faltered, going nearly 3 minutes without scoring.
With 7 minutes and 19 seconds left in the 3rd quarter, Durant finally stepped up and broke Team USA's scoring drought with a spot up 3 pointer.
After scoring, Durant pounded his chest hard, releasing the emotions he had been holding back.
His celebration looked dominant.
But Dream Team 9 was already trailing 67 to 62, down by 5 points.
On the next possession, Chen Yan used a screen to move horizontally again and again, finally hitting a drifting 3 pointer.
70 to 62.
That shot was almost a perfect summary of Chen Yan's entire 3rd quarter.
Decisive.
Confident.
Unstoppable.
At the end of the 3rd quarter, China led 79 to 71, completing the reversal from an 8 point halftime deficit.
Entering the final quarter, Team USA wanted to fight back and played very aggressively.
They immediately executed 2 fast breaks, cutting the deficit to 4 points.
"Be tougher! Be tougher! Get me that damn rebound!"
Jonas roared furiously from the sideline.
A major reason Team USA could keep running was China's poor control of the boards.
Not only was their rebounding poor, but their awareness in fighting for rebounds was also lacking. That was why Dream Team 9 could easily push the ball every time they secured a defensive rebound.
If Dream Team 9 grabbed the rebound and China immediately applied pressure, Team USA would not be able to launch fast breaks so comfortably.
Ultimately, China was still too soft.
This was an old problem for the Chinese men's basketball team, and it could not be changed overnight.
After hearing Jonas's roar, Yao Ming fought hard on the next possession.
While battling for an offensive rebound, Yao Ming was elbowed in the nose by Chandler.
Blood spilled onto the court.
Yao Ming refused to leave the game for treatment. He simply received quick attention and returned to the court.
Yao Ming's toughness ignited China's fighting spirit.
The Chinese team also began playing harder, launching an 11 to 2 scoring run in 2 minutes.
Team USA called another timeout.
After the timeout, Chen Yan took over the game.
2 ultra long 3 pointers directly extinguished Team USA's comeback flame.
This American team had too many young players. They could play well with the lead, but when trailing, no one could truly step up and stabilize the team.
To break the deadlock, Coach K had no choice but to play Westbrook and Rose at the same time.
He wanted to use their athletic impact to open up the game and reverse the losing trend.
This was truly a desperate move.
At this point, Coach K had no good cards left to play.
After the 2 came on, they attacked wildly.
But not only did they fail to achieve much, they also repeatedly turned the ball over on drives and passes, giving China fast break opportunities.
With 3 minutes left in the game, China's lead had already reached 16 points.
The fans watching in front of their televisions were beyond excited.
China's 1st World Championship title in history was within reach.
With 1 minute and 30 seconds left, Chen Yan and Yao Ming chose to leave the court, receiving thunderous cheers from the fans.
Many fans had traveled to the arena to support China.
Everyone was shouting with excitement.
The historic moment was finally approaching.
Tonight, they had witnessed history.
And they had become part of it.
.....
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