"You are highly respected in the Dragon Country."
This was the thing that touched Swift the most today.
She knew Tang Long was popular, just like celebrities in the NBA or even Hollywood, they had countless fans. But she had never seen so many people look at a celebrity with such a kind, respectful, and even doting gaze.
"Our country is a bit different from yours."
Tang Long thought for a moment and said, "You guys tend to emphasize individual heroism, which is why your big movies are all about superheroes. But we are more about collective heroism. For example, with LeBron James, people say he's an NBA star, not a 'Hua Qi Country' star. In the Dragon Country, they would say, 'I am a Dragon Country player playing in Hua Qi Country.'"
"That seems to make sense."
Swift pondered for a moment and then nodded.
"I'm really sorry, I originally planned to take you to see Hangzhou today, but I didn't expect the fans to be so enthusiastic..."
Tang Long himself felt a little embarrassed.
"It's okay, I'm happy to see how popular you are."
Tang Long was taken aback. While he was thinking, Swift had already closed the door.
Hmm.
Tang Long was still outside the door.
"Tang, you have a game tomorrow, hurry back. I don't want to be the reason you guys lose."
"How could that happen? It's just Angola."
Tang Long truly didn't take Angola seriously. In his eyes, only the Pampas, the Iberian Peninsula, and Hua Qi Country were rivals that could threaten the Dragon Country.
This was not underestimation, but confidence.
However, there was clearly only a thin line between confidence and arrogance.
...
The second match of the Stankovic Cup, Angola versus the Dragon Country team.
Angola immediately put pressure on the Dragon Country team. Cipriano, who was only 1.92 meters tall, used his speed advantage to score the first point.
Yunas seemed determined to minimize the use of Tang Long and Yao Ming in the Stankovic Cup. Although the starting lineup was adjusted, Zhou Peng and Ding Mianhui were brought in, while the team's two main cores remained on the sidelines.
After Cipriano scored, the Dragon Country team launched a counterattack. At this moment, Yi Jian's advantage was fully utilized. He received the ball in the post, faced his defender with full confidence, pushed him away, turned and shot for two points, returning Angola's score.
In contrast, the Angolan players clearly played with more excitement. After reorganizing their offense, Mingas made a layup for two points, followed by Gomez who also made a layup. Angola started with a 6-2 lead, with the players evidently more enthusiastic than those of the Dragon Country.
Later, Sun Yue attempted a three-pointer, but the ball missed the rim. Fortunately, they secured the offensive rebound. However, Yi Jian, who was playing outside at the moment, received a pass from his teammate and also attempted a three-pointer. This time, he missed, and the rebound went to Angola.
Gomez then performed another mid-range shot.
With the score becoming 8-2, the players clearly became a bit impatient. After reorganizing their offense, as soon as the ball crossed half-court, Da Zhi was called for a violation.
Subsequently, Gomez received an assist from his teammate and scored another two points.
This opening spell caught everyone by surprise. Angola's drives to the basket put significant pressure on the defenders, especially Gomez, who was incredibly difficult to handle.
The stadium, which had been roaring with cheers, was now eerily silent. The fans wanted to cheer for their players, but seeing the score on the scoreboard and the passive situation, their enthusiasm waned.
"Coach, should we substitute someone?"
Guo Qiang's face turned green.
The overwhelming victory against Slavonia in the previous match had made him a little too complacent. This match against Angola brought him back to reality, and he quickly reminded Yunas to make a substitution.
Tang Long's pre-game interview had already built up immense expectations from the audience. At this point, besides the Dream Team, losing to anyone would be unacceptable, let alone a team like Angola.
"Guo, don't be so anxious. Give the players some time. The game has just begun."
"I'm just worried about the score gap becoming too large. Even if Tang Long and Yao Ming come on, they might not be able to turn the tide."
Guo Qiang said, glancing at Yunas.
He was still a bit worried that Yunas would insist on the same game plan as the previous match, giving Tang Long and Yao Ming limited playing time. If the deficit grew too large, it would indeed be dangerous.
"Let's watch for now. If necessary, I will let Tang and Yao play."
At this moment, Angola made a turnover on the inbound pass, and Zhu Fangyu seized the opportunity to hit a long-range shot. The Dragon Country team trailed 4-11, down by six points.
Afterward, the Dragon Country team increased their tempo, and Chen Jianghua drove to the basket for a layup.
Following that, Sun Yue directly stole the ball from Angola during their inbound pass and quickly drove to Angola's basket. He made the shot and was fouled by an Angolan player.
He made the free throw.
The Dragon Country team now trailed by only one point, 10-11.
Yunas winked at Guo Qiang, his meaning clear: you should trust me, and even more so, trust our players.
However, before the Dragon Country team could stabilize, Angola's player Costa stepped up again. Facing Sun Yue's defense, Costa was confident and made consecutive drives.
The Angolan players played with great chemistry and were fierce on offense, even managing to maintain pressure on the Dragon Country team.
With just over 3 minutes left in the first quarter, Yunas looked at the bench.
His eyes darted between Tang Long and Yao Ming, and finally, he waved to Yao Ming, signaling him to come onto the court.
After Yao Ming came on, the situation stabilized somewhat. However, Angola's tactical intention was clear: to continue accelerating the pace, exploiting the slowness of the big men in their turns.
Fortunately, with Yao Ming in the paint, the inside game became more stable. A dunk from him immediately showed the Angolan players the strength of an NBA center.
The first quarter ended with the score tied at 19-19.
In the second quarter, Yunas continued to adjust the lineup, this time replacing Yao Ming with Li Nan. Wang Shipeng also played in the second quarter.
Angola still intended to get off to a fast start, with Mingas scoring repeatedly. At the same time, with Yao Ming off the court, rebounding became an issue, and Angola secured consecutive offensive rebounds.
Wang Shipeng managed to draw a foul from an opponent, but he missed both free throws. Cipriano then responded with a three-pointer.
Not long after the second quarter began, the Dragon Country team trailed again, 21-26.
Yunas called a timeout this time.
"Yi Jian, you can't keep drifting to the perimeter. We won't be able to get rebounds this way. You need to consistently play inside. This will ensure rebounds and also relieve some pressure on your teammates."
The Dragon Country team didn't have many shooters. If everyone was on the perimeter, and their shots weren't falling, with no offensive rebounds, this game would be over before it even started.
What angered Yunas even more was that they weren't just failing to get offensive rebounds, but they weren't getting defensive rebounds either.
After reprimanding his players, the game resumed.
After this timeout, the situation stabilized somewhat, but the players began to make more errors. Chen Jianghua was called for a travel violation, giving the offensive possession back to Angola.