NOVEL NEXT Chapter 218: Incredible, did the men's basketball team really win?
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When Kobe Bryant made 2 free throws, there were only 1 minute and 40 seconds left in the game. The Chinese men's basketball team was trailing by 2 points, but they had the ball.
Wang Chong caught the ball from the baseline, and the Dream Team immediately stepped forward to form a double-team. Wang James and Wade surrounded him one after another, not giving him any opportunity to move with the ball.
If it had been the beginning of the game, Wang Chong might still have been able to use his excellent dribbling skills to find a way out of the trap.
But now that the game had been going on for over 38 minutes, Wang Chong was exhausted and unable to break through. He had to reluctantly pass the ball to Sun Yue, who was not too far away.
Under the full-court pressure from the Dream Team, the Chinese men's basketball team had difficulty protecting the ball from the defensive zone to the offensive zone.
When everyone on the court stood still, 10 seconds had passed in the 24-second shot clock.
Everyone knew that Wang Chong still had to carry out the offensive play for the Chinese men's basketball team. Although he was very tired, he was still the player with the most confidence in scoring on the entire Chinese men's basketball team.
At that moment, Wang Chong was standing at the three-point line in the right corner. James closely followed him, not daring to relax. At the same time, two nearby players from the Dream Team were also paying attention to Wang Chong's movements, ready to move forward and attack from the flank at any time.
The first to act was the UAE forward.
He took the initiative to step out from the inside and blocked James' right side to cover Wang Chong.
Taking advantage of this, Wang Chong moved laterally to avoid James, who was facing the Arab League, and immediately stepped forward to defend Wang Chong. But as soon as he took a step, he was blocked by Zhu Fangyu, who was running from the other side.
The pick-and-roll double screen finally gave Wang Chong some space to catch the ball.
Sun Yue immediately passed the ball to Wang Chong.
Wang Chong, who successfully caught the ball, was already standing at a 45-degree angle outside the right three-point line.
"Not good!"
Upon seeing this, all the players from the Dream Team couldn't help but be surprised. At least three players immediately ran towards Wang Chong. Among them, James, who had missed the pick-and-roll by the Arab League, was the most determined.
Wang Chong took a deep breath, bent his knees, jumped, and made the move, completing the whole set of actions in one go.
But at this moment, when his physical condition was about to reach its limit, Wang Chong's takeoff height was very limited, and James, who had rushed to the spot, jumped high and almost blocked Wang Chong's shot.
The basketball almost passed the tips of James' fingers and went directly into the basket under everyone's gaze.
Three-point shot!
This shot made Wang Chong break into a cold sweat. Fortunately, his shooting speed was very fast because he was blessed with a quick shooter badge. Although this badge was only the lowest level of bronze, it still made Wang Chong's shooting speed much faster than before.
When his physical condition declined and he could no longer jump very high, Wang Chong's height advantage and long arms were already within reach of an elastic man like James, so there was a possibility of interference.
Fortunately, less than 1 minute and 20 seconds remained in the game, and the winner would be decided in two or three rounds at most.
With Wang Chong's three-pointer, the Chinese men's basketball team took the lead again, leading by 1 point with a score of 92:91.
The uniform cheers of Chinese fans echoed throughout the Wukesong Stadium.
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
As long as they could prevent the next attack from the Dream Team, the Chinese men's basketball team would have the opportunity to defeat the Dream Team and win the game!
Although they were about to reach their limit, the players of the Chinese men's basketball team gritted their teeth and persisted, desperately watching the Dream Team players, not daring to relax at all.
In this critical offensive and defensive moment, the Dream Team chose to hand the ball to Wade, who had the best performance of the entire game.
Wade dribbled the ball slowly past half-court, stood at the top of the three-point line, and waited until there were only 6 seconds left on the shot clock to start attacking.
Although he knew Wade would definitely break through with the ball, Zhu Fangyu, who was facing Wade, was still completely unable to defend against Wade. The opponent passed Zhu Fangyu like lightning and drove towards the paint, launching the basketball towards the basket before Dayao could step forward to defend.
The fiery touch convinced Wade that the ball would go in the moment he took action.
However, at the moment he made his move, Wang Chong suddenly emerged from the wing, pointed his finger at the basketball, and the trajectory of the ball was destroyed and deflected away from the basket.
"What?"
Wade was surprised and couldn't help but turn his head to look at Wang Chong.
As Wang Chong's teammate and good friend in college, Wade, who had also played against him many times in the NBA, knew Wang Chong well and knew that Wang Chong's physical condition was already exhausted at that moment, and he couldn't run at all.
Because of this, Wade had no defense against Wang Chong.
The basketball bounced off the rim and was grabbed by Howard, who was jumping high.
But Howard, who was about to take off to make a dunk immediately after landing, was fouled by Dayao and headed to the basket.
The floater, which should have been a solid shot, turned into a free throw, and the person taking the free throw was Howard, the worst free throw shooter on the Dream Team.
Standing at the free-throw line, Howard took a deep breath. The first free throw, which he had been planning for a long time, went straight out of the basket without any surprise.
The Dream Team and even the American fans watching this game couldn't help but feel their hearts sink when they saw this, and an unpleasant feeling flooded their hearts.
"If Howard misses both free throws... will they really lose this game?"
Is it really possible for the Dream Team to lose to a team like the Chinese men's basketball team, who isn't even ranked in the basketball world? Is such a huge change possible just because Wang Chong joined?
Howard had been preparing for the second free throw for a long time. It was a crucial free throw, and the pressure could be imagined.
If he made this free throw, the two teams would tie the score. However, if he missed both free throws, the Dream Team would be at a disadvantage. It was likely that the result of this free throw would directly determine the outcome of the game.
Under tremendous pressure, Howard's second free throw affected everyone's mind.
In front of everyone's attention, Howard threw the ball toward the basket, and then… "Bang——!"
The basketball hit the back rim, and Yao immediately roared, overwhelming everyone to protect the rebound first.
At the same time, head coach Yunus immediately called for the final timeout.
With 57 seconds left in the game, the Chinese men's basketball team, who had the ball and a 1-point lead, had the absolute initiative.
"King, I still have to rely on you for this next attack."
During the timeout, Yunus said to Wang Chong.
Wang Chong, who had scored 36 points, was definitely the most reliable player on the court, no exception!
After the timeout, the Chinese men's basketball team served from mid-court.
Wang Chong continued to use the double pick-and-roll screen to run outside to receive the service. After receiving the ball, he accelerated straight to the basket and forced an advance without hesitation.
The physical effort made his speed and explosive power drop sharply. James easily followed Wang Chong's pace and used his strength advantage to push Wang Chong outward. At the same time, Wade also approached, about to form a double-team with James. The potential for a pinch attack was high.
Wang Chong knew very well the situation he was facing. Although only a few seconds had passed in the attack time, he could no longer delay it. Once the opponent formed a double team, it would be too late to act.
Thinking of this, Wang Chong immediately stopped abruptly, turned halfway with James behind him, and connected with a jump shot.
Although it's a fadeaway jumper, Wang Chong was essentially unable to jump in his current state, and his movements resembled the golden rooster independence characteristic of Nowitzki.
The slight backward angle was to prevent James from blocking the shot.
Wang Chong was quite good at learning the acrobatics characteristic of King Nowitzki.
"Ah!"
The shots went in like a safe shot to the heart of the Dream Team.
This is really possible! Wang Chong's scoring ability is truly strong.
94:91, the Chinese men's basketball team now has a 3-point lead!
It's just that Wang Chong spent very little time on this attack. Only 6 seconds passed, leaving 51 seconds on the clock.
The Dream Team immediately served from the baseline. James received a pass from his teammate and ran toward the offensive zone.
At this moment, Wang Chong could no longer keep up with James' speed and strength, let alone the players on the court for the Chinese men's basketball team, who were already extremely tired. Fighting against the Dream Team was different from playing a normal opponent, especially when dealing with a player of James' level.
But as James ran into the strike zone at lightning speed and was about to make a huge dunk, the referee's whistle blew.
James stopped in confusion and looked back, only to see Wang Chong dragging Howard hard.
"Whoops!"
James was suddenly startled.
FIBA's competition rules are different from those of the NBA. In the NBA, to eliminate loopholes for opponents using shark-destroying tactics in the critical moments of the last quarter, a rule was introduced that the ball holder must be fouled in the last quarter. 2 minutes of play If the ball holder is fouled in the last 2 minutes, an internal foul against a player without a ball will result in a direct penalty of 2 free throws and 1 shot.
But this rule does not exist in FIBA, because there are only a few players like O'Neal, Big Ben and Howard who are bad at free throws. Especially in European leagues, there are very few big men who can't shoot. Free throw shooting situation.
Originally, the American men's basketball team was also very aware of the rules of this game, but they really did not expect the game with the Chinese men's basketball team to be so stagnant and there was no possibility to replace Howard at this time.
Howard, who received a tactical foul, walked to the free throw line with a depressed expression. This time he finally hit the first free throw, but the second one still missed.
With 1 of 4 free throws, Howard can be considered a direct loss of the Dream Team's precious offensive opportunities in two rounds.
Dayao again protected the defensive rebound and handed the ball to Sun Yue.
Because the Dream Team focused all its defense on Wang Chong, the defense of other players of Huaguo men's basketball team was much laxer. Sun Yue and Zhu Fangyu worked together to successfully move the ball to the middle of the court and successfully pass it to the inside. lane.
Dayao also had no strength at this point, but the game had reached this point and he had to stop even if he was gritting his teeth to win.
With Howard's back on his back, Dayao turned, drove to the basket and missed the layup, but the referee's whistle blew again.
Howard committed a defensive foul and sent Dayao to the free throw line.
In the final minutes of the game, Howard was like an undercover agent, being attacked in turn. The Chinese men's basketball team had a chance to win this game and they had Howard to thank. No one dared to use chopsticks until Howard did. present at the celebration party for the night.
Dayao's free throw percentage in the NBA is 83%, which is outstanding among centers. He is even more ruthless on free throws at such critical times, hitting 2-of-2 free throws consistently.
With 96:92, the Huaguo men's basketball team's lead reached 4 points. It was no longer a point difference that could be made up in one round.
What's worse is that there are only more than thirty seconds left in game time, so there really isn't much time left for the dream team!
The U.S. men's basketball team called a timeout. Now there is only one choice against the Dream Team, which is to shoot a three-pointer, then defend the Chinese men's basketball team from the attack for 24 seconds and use the last few seconds to complete. Or tie the score.
Either to kill the opponent or drag the game into overtime, the Dream Team will win the game, because the Chinese men's basketball team no longer has the physical strength to continue to compete with the Dream Team in overtime.
After the timeout, the Dream Team's lineup was readjusted and James, who was not good at three-point shooting, was replaced. The lineup on the court was left with Paul, Michael Redd, Kobe, Anthony and Bosh.
These five individuals are the players with the best outside shooting ability on the Dream Team. Anyone can see what the Dream Team is thinking.
The defensive approach of the Huaguo men's basketball team in the next round will naturally be positioned outside the three-point line, to the point of avoiding shots and not breaking away from the ball and hitting the basket. Welcome, but if you want to shoot a three-pointer, Mendu No!
After some tangling, the ball was finally handed to Kobe. Kobe took on the defense and made a tough shot one step away from the three-point line.
As the ball flew into the basket, everyone's hearts were in their throats. The fans at Wukesong Stadium were already on their feet, nervously watching the parabola the ball drew in the air.
"Kobe's super long three-pointer! This shot is so hard!"
In the CCTV studio, director Zhang's tone was much higher.
After the basketball spun around in the basket, it was thrown by inertia.
"Beautiful! Kobe missed a three-pointer! The Arab League grabbed the defensive rebound! He won! The Chinese men's basketball team defeated the invincible American Dream Team and won its first victory at Wukesong Stadium in the capital!"
The whole court instantly filled with cheering and screaming fans madly. Although the game was not yet over, the Arab League grabbed the rebound and immediately protected the ball in their arms, then Anthony's tactical foul pounced on it.
Without scoring this goal, the Dream Team basically had no hope of winning.
With 27 seconds left in the game, the Arab League stepped to the free throw line and hit 1 of 2 free throws, although they missed a shot, the difference between the two teams had reached 5 points. .
Indeed, on the Dream Team's next offensive drive, Paul found an opportunity and eventually scored a three-pointer. However, there were only 10 seconds left in the game when the Dream Team again used foul tactics, their foul target. It was only 10 seconds. You can put it to the UAE, who just scored 1 of 2 free throws. This time the UAE did not miss the opportunity, they hit 2 of 2 free throws and the point difference was back to 4 points.
In the last 10 seconds of offensive opportunity, the Dream Team failed to put the ball in the basket.
The whistle blew at the end of the game and the entire Wukesong Stadium was covered with deafening cheers from the audience.
Even the voice of the live TV broadcast commentator was a bit fuzzy.
"At the end of the game, the Chinese men's basketball team defeated the American men's basketball team 99:95 and won the first victory in the group stage. Let's congratulate the Chinese men's basketball team. Today they are not afraid of strong enemies. Their tenacious fight is the best embodiment of Olympic sports. This is a well-deserved and priceless victory!
The audience in front of the TV looked at each other, especially some older fans, with a strong feeling of unreality.
"Unbelievable! Did the men's basketball team really win, defeating the American Dream Team?"
"Even the Dream Team can beat it. Does the Chinese men's basketball team have a chance to win the championship at these Olympic Games?"
"Winning the first gold medal in the history of Chinese basketball at the Olympics held in the capital city? Isn't that something you will brag about for the rest of your life?"
"I just want to say one thing, Wang Chong!"
End of this chapter
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