"An athlete who defeats the strongest opponent in their specialty and wins MVP is absolutely deserving of respect!"
"But for a superstar to lose control of their emotions, to be led around by the nose, is truly an irrational act!"
Lao Bai adjusted his glasses and continued, "Can't we defeat him on the court, respond to our opponents with a resounding victory? Does force truly make opponents submit? Does anyone really believe that fists can solve everything?"
Yang Yi glanced at Lao Bai and raised his voice, "I actually think this is a good thing. If someone provokes you on the court, you can respond with your performance."
"But if someone provokes us Chinese on our home ground, in our Dragon Country, then we must let them know what kind of price they will pay for provoking Dragon Country!"
"If someone provokes you, you warm them with love? Warming them with love is God's job. Our players should use their fists to let them know that not everyone can provoke Dragon Country."
Seeing the voices of the two rising, Coach Zhang quickly interjected, "We still need to win this game. After all, this is a basketball game."
He paused and added, "Yao Ming will definitely be on the court next, and A-lian will return to the small forward position. However, A-lian already has three fouls, so he needs to be careful with his defense. I estimate the Greek players will try to drive to the basket more, specifically targeting A-lian's side."
Coach Zhang forcefully steered the conversation back to the game.
At critical moments, it was indeed Coach Zhang who could maintain composure.
"It's not impossible."
Yang Yi followed up, "A-lian's role on the court is very crucial. With him on the court, he can share the pressure with Tang Long and Yao Ming. If A-lian fouls out with five, we will lack a key pivot point on the court, and Tang Long and Yao Ming won't be able to connect as smoothly as before."
As the three were talking, the referee's whistle blew again.
After the timeout, the referee first called a foul on Tang Long and then an unsportsmanlike foul.
Fortunately, this was their home court, and Tang Long was a superstar. If it were someone else, the referee might have already ejected him.
Scscenitis took the free throws.
He made 1 out of 3, and the score became 60-61.
Despite making only one free throw, Scscenitis's expression became even more arrogant as Greece regained the lead.
As he retreated to his own half, he made a throat-slitting gesture behind the referee's back.
"Calm down, you can't be impulsive at this moment!"
Yao Ming had also seen the player's disrespectful gesture and hurried over to remind Tang Long, fearing that Tang Long might lose his temper and get into a fight with Scscenitis.
"Brother Yao, don't worry."
Yao Ming breathed a sigh of relief.
Tang Long then added, "I'll find an opportunity to kill him later!"
Yao Ming...
So, my words were in vain.
After the restart, before even crossing half-court, Tang Long had already extended his hand to Sun Yue to ask for the ball.
Sun Yue was momentarily stunned before passing the ball over.
Usually, Tang Long would only actively ask for the ball after crossing half-court. He would at most come forward to help with passes and catches. Since Spanoulis hadn't posed a threat yet, Sun Yue hadn't reacted immediately.
The moment Tang Long received the ball, Diamantidis had already stepped forward to pressure him.
They were about half a step apart, Diamantidis bent over, one hand blocking Tang Long's sudden sprint.
With his other hand, he would occasionally poke out, creating a threat of a steal, trying to prevent Tang Long from advancing.
Tang Long's lips curled upwards. With a subtle shoulder movement, he faked a drive. As Diamantidis shifted his weight, Tang Long accelerated sharply.
"Tang, I was already guarding… you…"
Diamantidis's words were cut short as he could only see an afterimage.
【Bringing a ball to a fight】
Tang Long's sudden burst of speed was like lightning.
Even though Diamantidis had been anticipating Tang Long's feint, the slight movement he made gave Tang Long an opening.
After breaking past Diamantidis, two Greek players came from the three-point line to double-team. Tang Long drove between them, the basketball weaving through the gap, instantly bypassing one of the Greek defenders.
With another acceleration, the ball was back in his hands, and he was already at the three-second area.
At this point, Tang Long was directly facing Scscenitis.
They met in mid-air. Tang Long was a full half-body taller than Scscenitis.
BOOM!
Tang Long slammed the ball into the hoop with a powerful windmill dunk!
"You, not good enough."
Tang Long wagged his index finger at Scscenitis.
The crowd was in an uproar.
That play was absolutely spectacular.
Tang Long drove past four players and completed a stunning dunk over Scscenitis. This was undoubtedly the most beautiful play of the Olympic group stage!
62-61.
Dragon Country had regained the lead.
Immediately after, Dragon Country applied full-court pressure. Spanoulis made a turnover while passing to Diamantidis.
Da Zhi stole the ball, and A-lian made a jump shot from the right wing, scoring two more points.
The Greek players started to get anxious. Compared to the patient play of the first two quarters, they were now rushing, their passes becoming sloppy in pursuit of speed.
A pass to Scscenitis under the basket almost resulted in another turnover.
Scscenitis struggled to get the ball, and his layup was blocked by Yao Ming.
Dragon Country's offense was steady, and the players' coordination became increasingly tacit. Their fast-break passes and catches were executed smoothly.
A 6-0 run, and the score became 69-61 again.
Giannakis quickly called a timeout. The players were too anxious, their movements crude and even barbaric, which completely deviated from Greece's strategy.
After the timeout, the Greek players became more stable on both offense and defense.
The two teams traded baskets. After A-lian committed another foul and Spanoulis made his free throws, the third quarter ended.
71-68, Dragon Country men's basketball led by three points.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Greece seemed to have returned to the rhythm of the first quarter.
With precise inside passes and full-court pressure, they opened the quarter with a 5-0 run.
71-73, Dragon Country trailed again.
At this point, Yao Ming's stamina also began to be an issue.
He hadn't rested much in the third quarter, and his rest in previous periods hadn't been much either.
Coupled with continuous high-intensity games and his considerable height, it was natural for his stamina to falter. This made him gradually fall behind in his confrontations with Scscenitis.
His defense became increasingly strenuous, and Dragon Country's offense started to miss shots.
Tang Long drew two opposing players to his side, drove into the paint, and passed the ball to the perimeter.
Unfortunately, the perimeter players were cold, missing consecutive shots. This forced Yao Ming to continue battling Scscenitis for rebounds, and sometimes Tang Long had to crash the boards to help Yao Ming.
Opportunities arose, but they couldn't be seized. This was Dragon Country's biggest problem in the fourth quarter!