The break was short, and the players from both sides returned to the court, with Long Country having added two fresh forces.
Ding Mianhui, in particular, made an unexpectedly effective contribution to the defense after coming on.
He was active, and Coach Guo had directly told him to be a role player. Ding Mianhui was aggressive in his attempts and fearless in defense, drawing consecutive offensive fouls from the German team.
Tang Long also seized the opportunities created by Ding Mianhui, sinking a two-pointer and a three-pointer, further increasing their advantage.
...
"You know, Ding's defense really tightened up after he came on."
"Mainly, those two fouls disrupted their rhythm," Coach Zhang said with satisfaction. "Ding bravely stepped up for both fouls. Facing the physical pressure from Hamann and Roller, most people couldn't withstand it."
"This is the true reflection of our team. With this indomitable spirit, I believe our players can display a different mentality."
Old Bai seemed to be back to his old habits, unable to resist a lecture on values.
...
Nowitzki shot a three-pointer, a clean swish!
52-42.
Immediately after, Liu Wei lost the ball. Roller seized the opportunity to launch a fast break. Nowitzki, a big man, was also quick, and he and Roller executed a play to score again for Germany.
52-44.
Long Country's offense.
Nowitzki defended beyond the three-point line. Tang Long received a pass from Liu Wei and used this chance to drive past the double-team of Hamann and Roller with lightning speed.
Yao Ming firmly held off Kaman, forcing him back a few centimeters from the basket, creating space for Tang Long to drive and attack.
Tang Long, of course, did not waste the opportunity Yao Ming had fought so hard for, charging to the basket for a powerful dunk.
54-44.
After this basket, Germany's morale significantly declined.
Because when Tang Long and Yao Ming were on the court together, Nowitzki was completely neutralized on offense.
On defense, Kaman couldn't guard Yao Ming alone. Nowitzki had to defend and be ready to help at any moment, which gave Tang Long further opportunities.
As the final minutes approached, Long Country's lead had stabilized at fifteen points. In the remaining time, Ballman simply sent in several of his taller players.
Germany had only defeated Angola so far, losing to Spain and Greece. Another loss to Long Country would essentially eliminate them from the Olympics.
Their next opponent was the USA's Dream Team.
Before Long Country defeated the USA, no other country believed their team could match the Dream Team.
Ballman was not arrogant enough to think Germany could beat the USA.
Therefore, they had to win this game to avoid a tough match against the USA in the next round.
The German team launched a fierce counter-attack. Nowitzki repeatedly attacked the paint. Although not every one of his signature fadeaway jumpers could be stopped, Tang Long managed to keep most of them outside the three-second area.
Long Country maintained their advantage, controlling the tempo of the game. With less than a minute left, Long Country led 66-53, still holding a twelve-point lead.
At this point, the German players became anxious, their fouls becoming more deliberate.
When Yao Ming received the ball from Tang Long and was about to dunk, Kaman intentionally bumped into him after he had jumped, nearly causing Yao Ming to fall from mid-air.
"You t..."
The score became 67-56.
After the inbound pass, Long Country didn't rush their offense. Liu Wei, with the ball, lingered around the three-point line.
Germany's Roller came to steal, but after several failed attempts, he resorted to fouling.
Liu Wei made both free throws, 69-56.
With fifty seconds left on the clock, Germany clearly hadn't given up.
After a quick inbound, Roller had already advanced past half-court in a few seconds, only to be stopped by Zhou Peng. Roller passed the ball back to Nowitzki.
Facing the defender, Nowitzki was confident.
However, just as he was about to shoot, the referee's whistle blew again.
Nowitzki was stunned. How was that a foul?
He wanted to argue with the referee, but saw the referee ignore him and walk directly towards the basket.
Du Feng and Kaman were tangled together again, exchanging words with each other, the atmosphere thick with tension.
The referee gave each of them a foul.
Du Feng had accumulated two fouls in a matter of seconds, but he only had two fouls in total.
After this foul, Kaman had committed five fouls. According to international basketball rules, a player with five fouls must be ejected.
With Kaman out, Germany's momentum for a comeback was completely suppressed.
The final buzzer sounded, and Long Country defeated Germany 69-56, securing another victory.
In the same group, Greece had easily beaten Angola, leaving only Spain's match against the USA.
Regardless of the outcome, Long Country had already advanced from the group stage.
After the game, in an interview with reporters, Ballman directly attacked Du Feng.
"That Du from Long Country is a disgrace to basketball!"
"Germany lost to a dirty team!"
Domestic media outlets reported every detail of the interviews. The post-game footage was also featured on CTV-1's news channel.