"This year is truly our best year!"
Germany scored two three-pointers in a row, their comeback momentum fierce.
Rolle, who had just entered the game, had an arrogant expression on his face, as if saying, "You trash, watch me change the situation!"
Not only were his movements flashy after entering the court, but they were also exaggerated, almost causing the usually honest Yi to want to fight him.
It was only when Tang Long and Yao Ming stepped up at the critical moment, their combined efforts stabilizing the situation.
After that, both sides missed consecutive shots, their shooting percentages dropping in unison, and they tacitly intensified their defense.
"Brother Yao, why don't you take this Kaman down first!"
If they couldn't score in the paint, they had to draw fouls.
After playing in this quarter for a while, Tang Long noticed that Kaman's movements were slow and he was easily fouled. It would be a disservice to Yao Ming's strength not to target him.
"Let's try then..."
The Dragon Country initiated their offense again, with Tang Long holding the ball outside to draw attention.
Kaman chose to front Yao Ming defensively. Seeing the opportunity, Tang Long immediately threw a lob pass. Kaman's speed was a bit slow, and his explosiveness was average, making it difficult for him to compete with Yao Ming under the basket.
Yao Ming intentionally gave Kaman a chance to block, then drew a foul.
By repeatedly targeting Kaman's side, they not only scored two and-one plays but also caused Kaman to commit two fouls.
Coach Bowman yelled from the sidelines, signaling others to assist Kaman in defense.
Crucially, he had already used two timeouts in the first quarter, and now he had no more timeouts to call.
Bowman could only hope that Kaman could minimize his fouls. Otherwise, if he accumulated three or even four fouls in the second quarter, he would be out for the rest of the game.
Kaman's movements became more cautious, which made Yao Ming even more comfortable in the paint, scoring frequently!
On offense, although Rolle could score one or two baskets, his three-point shooting percentage was not high, and it couldn't compare to Yao Ming's high shooting percentage in the paint.
"Dirk, attack the paint," Bowman shouted from the sidelines.
If they continued to roam the perimeter, the deficit would only widen. The German team was already at a disadvantage, and if they were blown out in the first half, there would be no need to play in the second half.
Hearing his coach's call, Nowitzki chose to attack the paint.
He had a height advantage and could sometimes use fakes to deceive opponents.
Tang Long didn't expect this guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes to use fakes, and his timing was off, resulting in a foul on Nowitzki.
Rolle also stepped up, driving to the basket and drawing a foul on Da Zhi.
Germany scored two more points.
These two seemed to have discovered that drawing fouls was effective, and they repeatedly drove to the basket, attempting to draw more fouls.
Yao Ming, on the other hand, wanted to draw a foul on Kaman. However, after two consecutive fouls, Nowitzki and other players provided coordinated defense in the paint. Kaman didn't foul, but he caused Nowitzki to commit a foul.
At the end of the second quarter, Yao Ming had two fouls, Tang Long had one, and Da Zhi had one.
For the German team, Nowitzki had one foul, Kaman had two, and Herron had two.
At halftime, Dragon Country led Germany by fourteen points, 31-17.
In the second half, Coach Jonas, considering the upcoming match against Greece, another traditional basketball powerhouse, substituted Tang Long with Li Nan, allowing Yao Ming to lead the team against Germany.
As soon as the game started, Yao Ming successfully scored against Kaman in the paint, drawing another foul on Kaman.
After making both free throws, the score became 33-17.
Hamann then made a mid-range shot, making the score 33-19.
Both teams missed consecutive shots. Nowitzki and Kaman switched positions to attack the paint. Yao Ming failed to defend this time, allowing Nowitzki to score two points.
With Tang Long resting, Yi had to defend Nowitzki, and the effect was not good. The "Driver" once again became the German team's lifeline!
While the paint was being attacked steadily, Rolle and Hamann also scored frequently from the perimeter. The German team went on a 10-2 run in the third quarter.
The score became 35-27, with Germany trailing by only five points.
Jonas quickly called a timeout and brought Tang Long back into the game, but this time he substituted Yao Ming for Tang Long.
After Tang Long entered the game, the offensive tempo picked up, and his scoring ability was guaranteed.
However, Nowitzki had become smarter. With Tang Long playing center, he no longer drove to the paint. As Kaman and Tang Long battled for position, he would roam in the mid-range.
When Tang Long came out, he would pass the ball to Kaman in the paint or to Rolle at the baseline. If Tang Long didn't come out, he would shoot.
This tactic made Dragon Country very uncomfortable.
With three minutes left in the third quarter, Jonas brought Yao Ming back into the game.
With Yao Ming back on the court, Dragon Country regained the initiative, and Germany's scoring run was halted. At the end of the third quarter, Dragon Country maintained their lead at 47-39.
During the break, Captain Guo whispered to Coach Jonas, "Coach, please don't mess around in the fourth quarter anymore. Let's secure this game first."
Captain Guo was genuinely worried that Jonas would continue to make adjustments in the fourth quarter.
It had already been proven that when either Yao Ming or Tang Long was off the court, Dragon Country struggled.
After losing to Angola, they had already faced criticism. If they lost to Germany, Captain Guo felt he would be called in for a "talk."
He also felt wronged. If Tang Long hadn't emerged, and Dragon Country had lost to teams like Spain or the United States, the leaders wouldn't have said anything.
They might have even comforted the team, saying that winning only two out of twelve games against Germany was normal, and losing to Germany wasn't a big deal.
But now, things were different. The leaders' expectations had been raised.
What kind of team was Angola? Losing to such a team, were they not ashamed?
Losing to Germany, was he, the team leader, still fit to be in his position?
Jonas gave Captain Guo a helpless glance. "Let Yi and Sun Yue rest?"
"That's fine," Captain Guo agreed without hesitation.
As long as Tang Long and Yao Ming weren't resting simultaneously, the difference in skill with others, although significant, wasn't as bad. Captain Guo had no objection to this.
Jonas looked at the bench. Liu Wei could play point guard, and Zhu Fangyu could fill in for Yi.
He hesitated for a moment, then called Zhou Peng and Ding Jianhui over, asking them to fill in for Yi and Sun Yue.
Jonas mainly considered that Tang Long had good chemistry with them. Although Ding Jianhui's position might be somewhat countered by the opponent, he could contribute as a "blue-collar" player and compensate for weaknesses!
"Let me play?"
Zhou Peng, although excited, managed to control his emotions. Ding Jianhui was so excited he was almost stuttering.
"Do a good job, run a lot, and don't hold back when you need to foul."
"Captain Guo, don't worry, I'll definitely crush Germany when I get on the court."
Ding Jianhui nodded excitedly.
He also understood that his chance to play clearly came after others, and his inclusion was not only to be a "blue-collar" player but also because he had played many games with Tang Long.