Krzyzewski's expression changed drastically. He no longer had the calmness he had just now, and stood up from his seat suddenly.
"How could this happen? We were overtaken!" Krzyzewski didn't fully react for a while. He thought that after Dayao retired due to injury, the US team would quickly widen the score gap and win an overwhelming victory.
However, the result did not go according to Krzyzewski's script. Instead of widening the gap, the American team was overtaken by one point by the Chinese team.
In normal times, the one-point difference is completely negligible, but at this moment, the Chinese team, which was originally at a psychological disadvantage, suddenly discovered that even if it lost Dayao, the team could still overtake the score. This undoubtedly represents The Chinese team still has hope of winning; on the other hand, the American team originally thought they could crush it and win, but after a few rounds they were overtaken by the score. This kind of blow to morale is very serious, especially for young players. Said, it will definitely cause doubts about oneself, and even affect the mentality of the next game.
"Timeout!" Krzyzewski called a timeout decisively. There was nothing he could do about it. If it was the Dream Team, Krzyzewski wouldn't have to call a timeout at all. He believed that the players could adjust themselves, but Krzyzewski Shefsky does not believe that the young players of the Dream Nine Team have this ability.
Although these young people represent the strongest talent in the NBA, they are not used to winning yet. For example, Durant and Westbrook just led the Thunder back to the playoffs last season; Rose's Bulls have just completed their reconstruction; and the Timberwolves under Love are still a weak team. The Philadelphia 76ers, where Iguodala belongs, have had a tepid record in recent years. It can be said that except for Billups and Odom, two players who hold championship rings, most other players are not used to winning.
When the young men of the Dream Nine were drafted, almost all of them were in the top ten or even the top five. Rose was the top pick and Durant was the second pick. The teams that can select the top picks will naturally compare their records. A bad team, so after entering the NBA, these talented young people first face a three or four-year career as an underdog. They are used to losing, so although they have the potential to be leaders, they Don't know how to help the team win. A more typical example is Love. His personal data can soar, but he has never been able to lead the Timberwolves into the playoffs.
This is where Krzyzewski worries most. When the score is leading, it's okay to say that young people can play better and smoother. When the score falls behind, or when they lose confidence, young people don't know how to win. Instead, they will become a "data brush" like in the NBA. ".
But now, with Zhang Guan's counterattack, some of the players on the Dream Nine team showed signs of losing confidence, and Krzyzewski decisively called a timeout.
…
Rose walked to the bench in a daze, still recalling Zhang Guan's aerial interception in his mind.
"How did Zhang Guan do it when he suddenly jumped to grab the ball while running so fast, and immediately exerted force in the opposite direction when he landed? Can his knee joints bear it? Can his ankle joints bear it? How strong is this? My body can complete this kind of action! At least I can't do this. I originally thought that Zhang Guan was just faster than me and shot more accurately than me, but I didn't expect that I was not as good as him physically!"
Ross shook his head. As a top breakthrough player, he certainly knew that the kind of action Zhang Guan had just done was almost impossible for humans to complete. At such a fast speed, when landing after jumping, the knee joints and ankles will be under relatively large pressure at the moment of landing. Normal people will make a forward movement at this time to cushion.
However, Zhang Guan made a movement in the opposite direction when he landed. This means that while his body is overcoming inertia, it also has to exert force in the opposite direction. Let's not talk about whether ordinary people can do it. Even if they can, Yes, the knee joints and ankles may not be able to withstand this kind of force.
Next to Rose, Westbrook's expression was equally solemn.
Westbrook's physical fitness can be said to be the best among NBA guards, but he was also shocked by Zhang Guan's action just now. He asked himself, even if he could do the same action, he would never dare to try it.
"That move just now was too dangerous. Is Zhang Guan really not afraid of getting hurt? Or does he have absolute confidence in himself?" Westbrook subconsciously looked at the Chinese team's bench. At this time, he already felt that in terms of strength, In other words, Zhang Guan is indeed better than himself.
Unconsciously, both Rose and Westbrook put themselves in a weak position, which is something that has never happened in the NBA. These two people are the proud ones in the NBA, and they never feel that they are weaker than others. But today, Zhang Guan planted a seed for them both, a seed of a weakling.
…
For Zhang Guan, what he just did was not a routine move. He only used it once in a while. If he used it frequently, he would definitely be injured. After all, he is a human being, not steel. No matter how strong his body is, there is no guarantee that he will not be injured.
But now it seems that the action just now was worth it. Although the action was very difficult and there was a certain risk in completing it, the high risk can bring high rewards. It led to a one-point lead and allowed teammates to see the victory. Hopefully, at least the Chinese players are no longer as confused as they were at the beginning of the third quarter.
"It turns out that without Yao, we can still lead the US team!" This is the thought in the minds of the Chinese team players.
At this moment, they found their backbone again, and the confidence they had lost was rebuilt, which is crucial for the current Chinese team. After all, the third quarter of the game has just started, and there is still a long way to go.
After the timeout, the Chinese team's performance gradually returned to normal. Although there is still a gap in the strength of the players on both sides, normal performance will not hold back.
After all, the U.S. team has the advantage, and Krzyzewski also has the world's top coaching level. So in the next game, the U.S. team began to gradually accumulate advantages. After most of the third quarter, the score between the two sides reached 64. At 59, the U.S. team gained another five-point advantage. .
As for the Chinese team, Zhang Guan is obviously the main scoring point. He is responsible for almost two-thirds of the Chinese team's scoring.
"Zhang Guan made another shot. This is already his 29th point! One more goal and his score will break 30! The third quarter is not over yet. It seems that Zhang Guan will hit 40 points today. Gone." Krzyzewski sighed in his heart.
In fact, Zhang Guan's scoring efficiency so far is about the same as Durant's. After all, when Yao was here, Zhang Guan's most important task was to break the full-court press, and his free-hand scoring only started in the second half.
Durant currently plays 15 minutes but scored 20 points. He is worthy of being the core of the US team.
Zhang Guan has been on the court since the start of the game and has not rested for a minute except for timeouts.
It's not that Deng Huade doesn't want to make substitutions, but that there is no one to replace. The Chinese team's backcourt is still too weak, and Deng Huade also prefers forward players. Almost all the new players he has discovered are forwards, so when facing the American team, Sometimes, Zhang Guan can only be allowed to fight for a while.
After Dayao retired from injury, Zhang Guan was even less likely to be substituted. The opponent was the United States team. The young Arab League was unable to support himself and could only be used as a supplement to his firepower. Zhang Guan became an indispensable presence on the court. Deng Huade even realized To be sure, once Zhang Guan is replaced, even for just one minute, the Chinese team will collapse.
At the end of the third quarter, the American team had scored 70 points, and the Dream Nine team showed strong offensive firepower.
The Chinese team relied on Zhang Guan's three-pointer at the buzzer in the third quarter to barely control the point difference to 5 points.
…
"Zhang Guan hasn't rested yet, he played the first three quarters!" Krzyzewski looked at the technical statistics and fell into deep thought.
Compared with Zhang Guan, the US team's playing time is much more average. Except for Curry, who has not yet had a chance to play, everyone else has already appeared on the court. Among them, Odom has the most playing time, reaching 20 minutes. This is also because Odom can handle multiple positions, almost from the first to the fifth position, and in terms of game experience, he has already played in the NBA playoffs. Odom, who has proven himself in the game, is more able to gain Krzyzewski's trust.
"In the fourth quarter, we can let Odom rest for a while, and let Granger and Iguodala play for a while first!" Krzyzewski couldn't help but look at the Chinese team's bench next to him, his face A contemptuous smile appeared.
"Deng Huade has run out of skills. The Chinese team has no depth at all, and our Dream Nine team can put together a luxurious lineup with just one player! I think the next fourth quarter will be when the Chinese team collapses. , because your physical strength will definitely not be able to hold on!"
…
The most tiring person in the Chinese team is not Zhang Guan. Zhang Guan's endurance is already beyond ordinary. Coupled with the supplement of stamina potion, there is no problem even if he plays the whole game.
But Ah Lian and Sun Yue were already sitting on the bench out of breath.
As Krzyzewski said, the Chinese team has no bench depth, especially players who have played in the NBA, and they are Deng Huade's biggest guard of honor.
After all, UAE is a starting-level player in the NBA, so he will naturally be reused. At work, Ah Lian rested for less than five minutes, but since Dayao injured his leg, Ah Lian has not rested for a minute and has been playing until now. As for Sun Yue, although it is best to only watch the water cooler in the NBA, his defensive ability is still highly valued by Deng Huade. Especially when the Chinese team's backcourt is weak, Sun Yue also gets more playing time.
In the first few minutes of the fourth quarter, the Chinese team played very impressively and held on to the score firmly. However, as time went by, the Chinese team's physical problems gradually became apparent.
"Yi's movements have begun to show sluggishness. It's time to replace him!" Krzyzewski smiled slightly and replaced Durant and other main players.
Durant and others walked onto the court in full swing, which immediately increased the pressure on the Chinese team. Although the Arab League can still barely keep up, in terms of physical confrontation, it has begun to fall into a disadvantage.
"Oops, can't you hold on anymore?" Coach Deng Huade looked solemn. He knew that his disciples needed to rest now. Even if they only rest for three minutes, they can recover a lot of physical strength.
However, now, Deng Huade does not dare to make a substitution, not even for a minute.
The U.S. team seemed to have noticed the Chinese team's physical disadvantage and continuously increased the pace of the game. The original 24-second attack was completed within 15 seconds, and the fast-break counterattack was faster. Although this pursuit The speed of the offensive hit rate is lower, but the physical consumption is more than the Chinese team can bear.
"Durant hit a jumper, 83 to 72, and the U.S. team once again established a double-digit lead! There are only four minutes left in the third quarter, and it seems that it is impossible for the Chinese team to win!" the commentator said.
Zhang Guan looked at the score. The 11-point gap was not impossible to recover in the last four minutes. However, the gasps around him cast a shadow over Zhang Guan's heart.
"Everyone is tired!" Zhang Guan looked at his teammates around him. A look of exhaustion appeared on each of their faces.
But they didn't give up, they were still persisting, even if they really couldn't run anymore, they would continue to fight until the last moment.
"We need to let them relax a little. Now it can only be one against five!" Zhang Guan thought of this and said to Ah Lian and others: "Next time you attack, don't go past halftime."
"Not even halftime? What do you mean?" Ah Lian asked.
"Rest in the back, I can handle it all by myself." Zhang Guan stretched out his hand to signal his teammates to serve.
…
"The Chinese team can't run anymore. Look, they are moving very slowly. They can't even keep up with Zhang Guan's rhythm!"
"Yes, usually at this time, when the defender dribbles the ball across the center line, the center should have reached a position near the three-second zone, but if you look at the Chinese team, their center is still walking towards the frontcourt, and has not even reached the center line yet. Pass!"
"Let's go! We really have to walk! Are they really too lazy to even run?"
While people were talking, Zhang Guan had already arrived one meter outside the three-point line.
Rose stood at the front of the three-point line, guarding against Zhang Guan's breakthrough.
"The Chinese team's physical strength is almost exhausted. Their center and forward players have just reached the midline. Zhang Guan will definitely dribble here and wait for his teammates to get in position!" Rose thought of this, but saw Zhang Guan Jump and shoot.
"What? Shot! Didn't you wait for your teammates?" Rose was shocked. He never expected that Zhang Guan's shot would be so sudden, because at this time, within the three-point line, there were all players from the US team, and several other players from the Chinese team had not even passed halftime.
"What is this? Shooting by yourself? If you can't make a shot, you won't even get a rebound! Is this considered an attack? Or are you giving up on yourself after falling too far behind?" Rose was surprised and looked back, only to see the basketball flying evenly. into the basket.
"The ball is in!" Rose turned his head and looked again at the position where Zhang Guanzhan was just now.
"Halfway outside the three-point line, which is equivalent to the position of the NBA three-point line. Zhang Guan has never shot a three-pointer from such a far position before. It seems that he has the shooting ability of an NBA three-pointer. What follows? The defensive range is going to be expanded, and we can no longer defend from the three-point line." Rose thought silently, with a hint of envy in his eyes.
Rose's three-point shooting percentage is not high. In his rookie season, he only shot 22.2% of his three-pointers. Last season, his three-point shooting percentage was only 26.7%, which still did not exceed 30%. This is considered unqualified in the NBA. , so he will be more envious of those who can shoot three-pointers more accurately.
On the next ball, Westbrook fouled and made one of two free throws. The score became 84 to 75, and there was still a 9-point difference between the two sides.
"Give me the ball, you guys have a rest!" Zhang Guan continued, and then he dribbled the ball quickly through half the court.
"Zhang Guan still has plenty of physical strength and can still run such a distance, but he doesn't seem to notice that his teammates haven't caught up and are still walking in the backcourt!" the commentator said.
Rose learned the lesson this time. He stopped one meter outside the three-point line, which is almost the distance of the NBA three-point line.
Zhang Guan also suddenly stopped one meter away from Rose. This position is equivalent to one meter outside the NBA three-pointer.
"Shoot directly! Zhang Guan didn't wait for his teammates! Is this a deliberate bet on a three-pointer?" Rose looked back and saw the basketball flying into the basket again.
"Go in again!" Ross looked at the score, 84 to 78. The 11-point difference turned into 6 points in less than a minute.
"There are three minutes left and there is only six points between the two sides. Why do I think the Chinese team is in trouble again!" the commentator sighed.
(End of chapter)