Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 1121 Lin Tian engages in a verbal battle with a group of haters, each of them delivering a s

For the broadcasting companies, the first happy thing that night was that all the players from the Chinese and American teams finished their warm-up, walked off the court, and received a pep talk from their head coaches.

The commentators can finally end their awkward small talk and no longer have to introduce local customs, the diverse guests, and the big-name audience members.

Basketball, for the next two hours or so, it will only be basketball!

"I don't want to say anything more," Old Nelson said simply and directly after gathering everyone together. "All our previous efforts have been for this moment! For this game!"

"Let's shock the world once again!"

"clear!"

For Team USA, Coach K's final words were equally simple and direct: "Go and let the world feel our fury! Prove to the world that we are the strongest!"

"yes!"

Almost simultaneously, roars erupted from both sides. Then, the key players from both sides turned to face the field and walked step by step to the center of the field.

"The match is about to begin!" Yu Jia once again became the commentator for the sports channel tonight, but his partner was changed to another commentator, Zhang Weiping: "Coach Zhang, what are your thoughts on the starting lineups for both sides?"

"When it comes to the starting lineup, because we have Lin Tian, ​​I think our starting lineup will not be at a disadvantage under any circumstances! This is the change and confidence that Lin Tian can bring to a team."

"Yi Jianlian, Zhu Fangyu, Xu Yong, Sun Yue, Lin Tian! On the final stage, Don Nelson is still using the same big man and four small men lineup that he has been using in the previous few games. Needless to say, this lineup is all about running, shooting, and fast transition."

"Coincidentally, the US team also used a big man and four small men lineup, but they changed the lineup they had been using most often in the past period."

"Howard, Durant, James, Allen, and Paul."

"Coach K replaced 'Flash' Dwyane Wade with defensive specialist Tony Allen as the starter tonight! This is quite a surprising change, considering that Allen is one of the best defenders in the NBA."

"But in this Olympics, he was definitely the least famous, lowest-ranking, and least popular player on the team. In the first few games of this Olympics, he basically only appeared during garbage time."

"The only time Coach K used Allen to limit Ginobili was in the last game against Argentina, and it worked quite well. I think that's why Allen started tonight."

"The US team hopes he can replicate his amazing defense from the last game and limit Lin Tian! After all, although Wade's defense is also very good, Wade is better at help defense and rotation. His one-on-one biting ability is obviously not as good as Allen's."

"However, even without Wade as a scoring option, Team USA's starting lineup is not lacking in scorers. Durant, James, Paul, Howard—aren't they all excellent scorers and core members of their teams?"

"Next, we'll have to see how we respond."

"Coach Zhang is right." As soon as Zhang Weiping finished speaking, Yu Jia quickly chimed in, "Even if the US team has a very strong starting lineup, they may not necessarily have the advantage against our young men."

"Their advantage definitely lies in their second unit! Especially after Wade went to the bench, the firepower of Team USA's second unit became even more terrifying!"

"Excellent!" Zhang Weiping nodded. "On the US team's bench, besides the newly drafted number one pick Anthony Davis, who's here to gain experience and broaden his horizons, and Jason Kidd, who's practically an assistant coach, the rest are all formidable!"

"The backcourt duo of Westbrook and Wade has an unparalleled and terrifying impact; their ability to penetrate and draw fouls is frighteningly strong."

"Bosh, Anthony, and Kevin Love can perfectly fill the gaps in these two players' inconsistent shooting ability and lack of outside accuracy. All three have extremely strong off-ball skills and catch-and-shoot three-point ability."

"The only weakness of this US team roster is that, apart from Howard, they lack a player with true absolute height and the ability to post up in the paint. Furthermore, they are not good at defending opposing big men who excel at post-up play."

"If Yao Ming were here..."

Yu Jia didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.

With Yao Ming on the team, there's an extra absolute strength, allowing Yao to dominate Howard from the inside and revitalize the entire offensive line.

But now, the Chinese team doesn't have Yao Ming. Although Yi Jianlian and Wang Zhizhi are also good, neither of them are strong offensive-type inside players. Neither of them is good at using their bodies and back-to-the-basket moves to punish opponents, nor can they punish Howard.

China's only advantage now lies with Lin Tian...

No matter how loudly they shout slogans before the competition, or how confident they appear, when they actually arrive at the competition venue and the competition is about to begin, they all seem to suddenly realize their mistake.

Is the American team really that strong?

This match is so difficult!

Of course, this is the opinion of the fans and commentators; the Chinese players on the field do not think this way at all.

They have absolute self-confidence.

No matter who the opponent is, no matter how reasonable their lineup and tactics are, no matter how determined they are to get revenge, the young men of the Chinese team are not afraid!

They believed they could win.

"Ready to lose, Lin?" Paul rubbed his hands together, looking at the mountain in front of him that he could never climb in his lifetime, and couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.

"Change your lines, you've said this so many times already." Lin Tian waved his hand impatiently. "If you change your lines, I can change mine too. Otherwise, I'll just keep repeating the same boring lines like you."

"So, baby, think of some new trash talk for me."

"Don't talk to him, Chris," James said, turning his head to look at him. "We all know how terrible this guy's trash talk is."

"No, you don't know." Lin Tian shook his head and said, "You've only lost to me a few times, how would you know my trash-talking skills? I suggest you go to the sidelines and ask Kobe later. He's lost to me the most times, has the most experience, and is the most qualified to speak on this."

"But if you want to experience what it feels like to lose to me in a row, I suggest you switch teams again. The Mavericks may not have a chance anymore. Anyway, you are very good at letting your talent fly around the United States."

"Lin, Kobe's one of us," Durant couldn't help but say. "Don't fight amongst yourselves."

"Are you changing your clothes?" Lin Tian asked Durant. "If you put on a Chinese jersey, I'll immediately call you one of my own."

"This is London, not Los Angeles. Who are you talking to?"

Lin Tian showed no mercy to his Lakers teammates.

"How heartless, Lin! Aren't you afraid of hurting Kevin's feelings by saying that?" Howard, who was already standing in the center circle, had also joined the battle.

"When you leave those women, leaving them only with your DNA and their loneliness, aren't you heartless? Can you even count how many children you have, Dwight? Let me give you a friendly reminder: save more money, or you'll go bankrupt very soon."

"At that time, you might have to go to Mongolia or Kenya to find a job."

Awesome.

This was the only reaction from Yi Jianlian, Xu Yong, and others who could understand the English conversation between these people.

What a debate with all the scholars!

That's one against five!

Lin Tian's single sentence silenced the entire American team.

What is the king of trash talk?

Then, after spraying his mouth around, Lin Tian looked at Alan, who hadn't said a word, and said with a smile, "Want me a word?"

"I'm not interested; I'd rather beat you on the court." Allen seemed unfazed by the situation, indicating that he didn't engage in trash talk and was all about being honest.

"Then you'll be thirsty for the rest of your life." Lin Tian shrugged. He always responded to such taciturn people with silence.

Everyone remained silent, waiting to see who would break down first.

At this moment, the referee had also walked onto the court, holding a basketball, and signaled Yi Jianlian and Howard to stand in the center circle to prepare for the jump ball.

After everyone quickly got into the zone, staring intently at the basketball and ready to start the game, the referee glanced at his watch one last time, then blew his whistle and tossed the basketball into the air.

"Snapped!"

Howard displayed his unparalleled talent from the very first basket. Even though Yi Jianlian is also known for his exceptional talent, his talent paled in comparison to Howard's.

Paul took the basketball and calmly moved to the frontcourt, turning his body to block Lin Tian while observing the situation on the court. He was waiting for an opportunity.

Waiting to play the first round as Coach K instructed.

Soon, both teams' players quickly took their positions. The Chinese team started with a one-man defense. After everyone was in position, Paul suddenly waved his hand and called a play, then quickly passed the ball to James.

James dribbled quickly to one side, then bounced the ball off the ground and passed it to Durant, who was back in position on the wing.

After Durant received the ball with his back to the basket, all the US team players immediately spread out to the other side, clearing a fairly wide space for him.

The person guarding Durant from behind was Xu Yong.

Durant feinted a few times with his back to the basket to test Xu Yong's defensive position, then suddenly turned quickly to face the basket. Durant took a half step forward, but his toes touched the floor and then quickly pushed backward.

Durant unleashed his full power, leaping more than a meter backward before taking a signature mid-range jump shot!

Given Durant's range of motion, physical attributes, and shooting ability, Xu Yong simply couldn't keep up with or defend against this shot. He could only symbolically jump and reach out to see if he could slightly disrupt Durant's shot.

"Whoosh!"

Then came a crisp sound as the basketball cleanly swished through the hoop.

Lin Tian frowned as he watched the American team's playing style. Then he called over his teammates and said, "Next round, Xiao Zhu and Yongzi will switch defenses. Yongzi will guard James, and then we'll see how they play."

"clear!"

Xu Yong and Zhu Fangyu nodded quickly. They had always followed Lin Tian's lead without question.

Before Lin Tian could even receive the ball during China's attack, Allen had already quickly closed in. Judging from his appearance, it was clear that the American team intended to press the entire court, rather than just going through the motions of defense.

"Attrition!" Zhang Weiping said directly, "The American team is going to wear Lin Tian down from the very first second of the game. They have plenty of players, plenty of players who can step onto the court and go head-to-head with Lin Tian, ​​so they can afford to wear him down!"

"And they are certainly prepared for a long war. Their efforts to wear down Lin Tian will likely be relentless and escalate continuously. They don't expect to see results in the first quarter, the first half, or even the first 35 minutes of the game."

"I think if the US team can make Lin Tian's legs go weak and his stamina fail in the last 3-5 minutes, then they will have achieved their mission and strategic goal."

"Let's see how the Chinese team responds."

Lin Tian didn't take Allen's close defense seriously. He turned his body to the side, received the ball as usual, then suddenly turned around, made a crossover to create space, and then accelerated to attack.

Although Allen held on tightly and changed his pace immediately to prevent Lin Tian from leaving him behind, he was indeed unable to significantly disrupt Lin Tian's advance.

In less than 5 seconds, Lin Tian had already reached the frontcourt.

However, judging from Allen and the rest of the US team's appearance and expressions, it was clear that all of this was within their expectations.

It's impossible to shut down Lin Tian right from the start, preventing him from even getting past the halfway line, and it's also impossible to completely block the Chinese team's and Lin Tian's attacks from the very beginning.

They were prepared for a 40-minute battle. Being overtaken once was nothing. Not to mention that although Allen couldn't withstand Lin Tian this round, he successfully put pressure on him, forcing him to make a few more moves and forcibly accelerate to overtake.

The effect is obviously not obvious after one round, but what about two rounds, three rounds, or every round?

Lin Tian, ​​you must get tired eventually, right?

As for Allen, he certainly gets tired too. Players expend far more physical and mental energy when defending than when attacking.

But Allen still has Wade and Westbrook behind him, and even if the old man Kidd only plays for 1-2 minutes, that's not a problem either.

Allen has the support of the entire American team!

What's behind you, Lin Tian?

Guo Ailun? Sun Yue? Or Xu Yong?

If they can advance and organize, then it's basically a guarantee that Hebei China Fortune will lose this match!

In the Chinese team, only Lin Tian can take on and support the team's organization and development.

"The US team's strategy has been initially revealed. Now, let's see how we respond!"

After arriving at the frontcourt, Lin Tian was not in a hurry to attack. He turned sideways to block Allen while observing the situation on the field.

Paul was matched up against Sun Yue, while James was matched up against Xu Yong.

Without any instructions from Lin Tian, ​​Xu Yong and Sun Yue quickly approached and provided each other with solid cover.

"Change!"

Seeing that he couldn't squeeze through, Paul had no choice but to shout.

James reacted quickly and took over the defense against Sun Yue, while Lin Tian passed the ball to Xu Yong.

Two steps inside the three-point line, as Sun Yue drew James away, Xu Yong was matched up against Paul, who was about 20 centimeters shorter than him.

After a series of feints, Xu Yong dribbled to the side, used his shoulder to make a head-on collision with Paul, and then suddenly turned around again. Relying on his longer stride and completely overwhelming physical advantage, he brushed past Paul in two steps and forced his way into the paint.

Then, before Howard could pounce, he suddenly stopped and launched a floater. The basketball hit the backboard, bounced, and went into the basket!

"Xu Yong is an NBA All-Star caliber player!" Yu Jia exclaimed excitedly after seeing the play. "Don't underestimate him! He'll cause the US team a lot of trouble!"

"Then, just like the American team, the Chinese team also needs to target their weaknesses."

"Paul!" Zhang Weiping shouted, "Paul is Nelson's primary target; he's the weakness of the American team!"

"Paul is a regular on the All-Defensive Team. His defensive ability, his subtle defensive moves, and his speed in stealing the ball are all top-notch in the league. His weight and strength are also comparable to many shooting guards in the league. But in the end, he is still short, too short."

"In the NBA, Paul would generally be facing the opposing point guard, so his size disadvantage wouldn't be so blatant. Except for a very few point guards who are huge or much taller than him, he wouldn't be bullied by height against 1% of the guards in the league."

"But tonight, because Allen is guarding Lin Tian, ​​Paul has to guard our shooting guard, which is a mismatch in itself. If the shooting guard and the small forward set a screen and switch, then Paul will have to guard the small forward."

"Xu Yong is an All-Star! A genuine All-Star. You could put him against Durant or James, and he might not be a match, but if you put him one-on-one against Paul, he'd have no problem!"

"Old Nelson's opening strategy was quite clear! Not only clear, but also effective! Perhaps Xu Yong will be our hero tonight."

Yu Jia said, "I'm starting to look forward to it too. We'll meet every challenge head-on! Only when both coaches adapt their strategies and tactics constantly will the match be truly exciting to watch!"

As the two were talking, the American team's attack had already begun. The Chinese team did not press the defense tightly, as their physical fitness was much more important than that of the American team.

After all, if the starting lineup of the US team is a 10, then their bench strength must be at least an 8 or 8.5.

But the Chinese team is different. Their current starting lineup is at most an 8, and that's only because Lin Tian and Xu Yong have significantly raised the average level. Their bench players are lucky to be at least a 4.

The American team was getting more and more energetic and had an advantage as the game progressed. Everyone knew that as soon as the Chinese team started to rotate their players, the American team might seize the opportunity to launch a scoring run.

Therefore, the Chinese team cannot press too hard. They can only try to keep their defense within their own three-point line. They need to use positional defense and more positional attacks to conserve their energy as much as possible.

The US team's offense was the same as the previous round, and it was quite simple.

Paul held the ball at the top of the key, observed the area, and then quickly passed the ball to James.

James is facing off against Xu Yong!

Compared to Durant, James's style of play is not as smooth and elegant; he has a completely different style.

Hold the ball, lower your center of gravity, then suddenly accelerate while using your shoulder to drive your body directly towards the inside!

After a fierce attack, James finally made it to the paint. He couldn't shake off Xu Yong, who was focused on defense, but James wasn't in a hurry. Instead of forcing his way in, he quickly found Durant and passed the ball out.

After dribbling the ball once, Durant suddenly stopped and pulled up for a mid-range jump shot.

"Whoosh!"

That works too! (End of Chapter)