Howard's reaction was swift. Instead of directly blocking, he placed his hands directly over the rim.
This was experience at play.
"Ah! Howard's getting smarter too."
"That was such a shame."
Just as countless spectators in the arena gasped, thinking Tang Long could only pass, Tang Long actually paused mid-air.
For a fraction of a second.
"Fuck."
Howard's hands swept past the rim, and as his body began to descend, Tang Long swung the basketball and slammed it forcefully towards the hoop.
Howard landed and immediately jumped again. However, the player knew that a block was impossible this time, so Howard simply chose to interfere with Tang Long.
Boom!!
"Holy shit! That was an incredible shot."
"Most people can't achieve that kind of hang time."
Tang Long slammed the ball into the basket, but landed on Howard's back. Howard, who had intended to disrupt Tang Long, ended up becoming a stepping stone. Angrily, he shoved Tang Long away.
Tang Long used the momentum for a perfect mid-air spin and landed cleanly.
This enraged Howard to the point of jumping up and down.
Just then, the referee's whistle blew.
Howard committed another foul.
Another 2+1, making the score 18:13.
"Howard, are you even capable? If not, let Bosh come in."
"What are you saying? If you're so good, come defend Tang Long."
Seeing the players bickering, Coach Krzyzewski quickly called a timeout.
He had intended to create some disharmony among the Dragon Country players, but unexpectedly, the Dragon Country team remained united, while his own players started attacking each other.
With a dark expression, Krzyzewski glanced at them and made major lineup changes, issuing a strict order to strengthen their defense.
Now, Team USA's lineup on the court was Kobe, Bosh, Wade, LeBron, and Deron, running a dual-point-guard combination. Although Anthony was a good offensive player, his defense was unsatisfactory to Krzyzewski.
Especially when Krzyzewski stopped playing mind games and focused on the game, the full capabilities of the Team USA stars were unleashed.
Just as Tang Long made a strong drive, several Team USA players repeatedly attacked the Dragon Country's interior. Team USA went on a 9:0 run, regaining the lead.
18:22.
Team USA's 4-point lead wasn't substantial, but with the first half of the first quarter just passed, Yao Ming already had two fouls, and Yi Jianlian had one, putting them in a very passive situation.
If Team USA continued like this, not to mention anything else, if Yao Ming committed another foul, the rest of the game would be unplayable.
Coach Jonas stood up and quickly called a timeout.
"Da Zhi, Yi Jianlian, you need to assist Yao Ming more in the paint. If necessary, you can commit fouls to try and prevent Yao from fouling out."
At this point, if there was no way to stop Team USA's offense and a foul was necessary, it would have to be Da Zhi or Yi Jianlian, as they were in more suitable positions.
"Also, Team USA has tightened their defense. You need to play more patiently, look for opportunities to drive to the basket, and draw more fouls from them."
Jonas's intention was clear: pass the ball more.
Tang Long should drive whenever he had a chance and draw more fouls from the opposing players.
This was because, in the current Dragon Country team, only Tang Long could penetrate their defense.
However, this timeout seemed to have made Team USA wary of Tang Long's drives. After two consecutive failed attempts, with limited time remaining, he was forced into a difficult shot.
Clang!
Tang Long's shot also missed.
"These guys are defending too tightly."
As he retreated on defense, Tang Long frowned.
"It's hard to get the ball inside either. Damn Greece."
Yao Ming couldn't help but curse. Compared to the previous fronting defense, the three-quarters fronting defense designed by Greece made it very difficult for Yao Ming to play.
After Howard was substituted out, Bosh came in. Dragon King's fronting defense made it even harder for him to receive the ball.
"Let's first see how our previously planned tactics work."
Tang Long continued to attempt a drive, and when the defense closed in, he quickly shifted the ball. Yi Jianlian received Tang Long's pass, and Da Zhi immediately came up to set a screen.
Deron was already in position waiting. Yi Jianlian had to pass the ball back to Sun Yue. Kobe almost intercepted the pass, but even so, it resulted in a dead ball.
Sun Yue couldn't move, and Kobe immediately moved up, sticking close to Sun Yue. They battled for a few possessions.
The referee's whistle blew.
Jump ball!
Facing Kobe in the jump ball, Sun Yue was at a disadvantage in both height and vertical leap. The ball was tipped by Kobe to LeBron.
LeBron followed up with a three-pointer. 18:25, the lead extended to 7 points.
"I can't hold on much longer!"
After restarting the game, Sun Yue wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling that this game was much tougher than the group stage.
In the group stage, there were still opportunities to break through, but in the finals, he was given no chance to execute. If he forced his way inside, he was easily stripped, forcing him to pass.
However, the passes were all from the perimeter, with no good opportunities, so everyone could only resort to shooting.
This meant the shooting percentage couldn't be guaranteed.
"Dragon Country team, come on!"
The fans in the arena also noticed the team's struggles and shouted encouragement.
Amidst the roar of the home crowd, the disheartened players rekindled their fighting spirit. Tang Long received a pass from Sun Yue and, facing LeBron's defense, chose to drive inside again.
This time, Tang Long played with great determination, using a series of fakes to advance to the free-throw line.
LeBron realized he couldn't stop Tang Long's drive this time and was preparing to commit a foul to stop him. Deron, playing mid-range, also came to assist in the defense.
As Deron stepped out, Tang Long spotted Da Zhi in a more advantageous position. He took a step forward and immediately jumped, but as LeBron and Deron jumped, he passed the ball to the better-positioned Da Zhi.
Bosh had already noticed Tang Long's movement and immediately came out from under the basket, positioning himself in the passing lane.
"Tang Long's turnover!"
"Tang Long is under too much pressure. This turnover is unavoidable."
"Why pass? Just shoot it yourself."
Just as the audience's complaints began to rise, they saw Tang Long inexplicably retract the ball mid-air.
At this moment, only Yao Ming was under the basket.
Tang Long made a lob pass, and Yao Ming leaped up, catching the thrown ball with both hands, and comfortably dunked it.
"Beautiful, that alley-oop was spectacular."
"It had to be Tang Long."
"That play was truly magical. How did Tang Long do it?"
The voices that had previously criticized Tang Long seemed to linger, but the mood immediately shifted to one of admiration for Tang Long.
This spectacular alley-oop completely enraged the Team USA players.
They would never allow anyone to pull off such a stunt right above their heads!