Chapter 651 [Be ruthless when you should be ruthless]
The schedule in the second half is relatively simple. In the semifinals, the Chinese men's basketball team defeated Lithuania 99-87 and entered the Olympic finals as never before.
The way the Chinese team won was exactly the same as in the group stage. The big man couldn't defend near the penalty area, making it impossible for the opponent to score easily in the penalty area. Yang Jian was responsible for marking Lithuania's leading outside scorer, and his teammates let others shoot in the mid-to-long range.
, interfere as much as possible.
On the defensive end, the Lithuanian team faces the same dilemma as the Australian team, with high center forward Sabonis unable to play.
As long as Sabonis plays, Yang Jian runs to catch the ball and shoot, and he can get an easy shot opportunity after a pick-and-roll and a pull-up jumper. Sabonis cannot completely miss it. The backup center is not as strong as him, and Lithuania's offense will become worse.
Lithuania's backup center Julius Zukauskas, who was violently abused by Yang Jian, was selected by the SuperSonics with the 54th pick in 1995. He did not receive an NBA contract, and he can be regarded as a rookie with Yang Jian.
When commentators from various countries were commenting on the game, they all pulled out Harvard basketball coach Tim and whipped him to death.
Tim is recognized as the only person in the world who can prevent Yang Jian from dying. When he said "I am not impressed by Yang Jian", it became a big joke. His physical fitness is invincible, he is also the only Chinese on the team, and he has many coaches.
Would you have to be blind to not be impressed by him?
Now, Yang Jian, an undrafted NBA rookie, is about to bring the Chinese men's basketball team, which could not advance to the top 8, to the top of the world. Fans from all over the world think that the Chinese team may win the gold medal, mainly depending on how good Yang Jian's performance is.
At the post-match press conference, the reporter asked Yang Jian to talk about the upcoming finals.
Yang Jian said seriously: "I hope to lead the Chinese team to win the gold medal. At this point, no matter who the opponent is or how strong the lineup is, we must defeat the opponent. Second place means you are the number one loser. I don't want to win."
runner up."
The reporter asked: "The other semi-final will be held later. Which team do you think will advance to the final?"
"Of course it's the American team. If there is a team that can beat this all-star American team, I think it must be the Chinese team." Yang Jian smiled. He knew that the opponent's lineup was not as good as the parallel world and was not invincible.
He is a killer as a guest point guard. The only point guard who can compete with him in the US team is Jason Kidd. The other two point guards are defensive black holes. In his peak period, Payton did not enter the national team. A change is possible.
As a result, the U.S. team ended in despair.
Regardless of whether he wins the gold or silver medal, Yang Jian has led the Chinese men's basketball team to create a milestone record. But if he wins, he can also change the history of many NBA stars and will have a bumper harvest of points. He does not want to miss this opportunity.
The U.S. team was in terrible shape in the semifinals. The winner was not decided until the last 2 minutes, defeating Italy 88-78.
Ray Allen and Vince Carter's three-pointers helped the team exceed the score, which had been a tight score before. The American team players made crazy mid-range shots and mainly relied on their physical fitness to hit backs and grab offensive rebounds for secondary offenses to score.
Raheem, Vin Baker, and Mourning are said to be able to make mid-range shots, but in fact, they are basically shot after being pulled out to play pick-and-rolls. Not to mention three-pointers, inside players can be released at will if they are pulled out.
The only interior players on the U.S. team who are good at mid-range shooting are Garnett and McDyess. These two cannot play together. They are both lanky interior players who cannot play center.
Garnett was in a sluggish state and had no stable mid-range shooting. After entering the knockout round, his statistics dropped sharply, averaging only 10.7 points per game. The team's top scorer became Vince Carter, who averaged 14.5 points per game.
Only three players on the U.S. team averaged double figures per game, with Mourning scoring 10.3 points.
Tomjanovich has a serious problem as a head coach. He lets the players share playing time and number of shots, playing too selflessly. This American team has reached the finals, and it has not yet been established who is the team's No. 1 player.
A core. Carter, who scored the most points, is not like a core. He just has amazing talent and a strong desire to perform.
As soon as the news came out the next day, many media were optimistic that the Chinese team would win the championship.
The overall strength of the U.S. team is slightly better, but many people want to see Yang Jian lead the Chinese team to create miracles. Yang Jian's statistics in this Olympics have exploded, attracting fans even more.
On September 30, the Chinese men's basketball team took a break, and Yang Jian treated him to a feast at a famous local restaurant.
Yang Jian specializes in ordering expensive items, such as Australian steak, German pork trotters, king crab, etc.
He also ordered a portion of kangaroo meat, which tastes somewhat similar to beef, is dark purple-red, and has a slight odor. This is purely for fun for curious teammates, as many people don't know that kangaroos can be eaten.
This is probably the most miserable national treasure in history. The Australian government calls on everyone to eat kangaroos. Because this thing has no natural predators and its population is huge, it has triggered an ecological crisis.
During the meal, Yang Jian, Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi sat together.
The three of them cooperate the most and chat often during domestic training. Yang Jian communicates with his teammates. Besides the stadium and locker room, the best place for Yang Jian to communicate with his teammates is in a hotel.
Talking about the final, Yang Jian gave some advice to Yao Ming. "Be careful during the game tomorrow. Even if your opponent scores a goal, don't foul easily. Just stick to the opponent in the penalty area and raise your hands to interfere. If you are sent off,
, it will be difficult for us to fight.”
Yao Ming said a little embarrassedly: "What if they attack my point?"
"That's because they know you are in trouble on the court and want to beat you down. If you don't come off the court, our chance of winning will increase by 20%. You don't need to attack too much, just defend well." Yang Jian played this time
It was more comfortable than the 1998 World Championships, just because there was another Yao Ming on the team.
He can clearly feel that Yao Ming has improved the overall strength of the team. In the international arena, his defensive role is very important. Because only the NBA has a three-second defensive rule, Yao Ming can stand in the penalty area and defend as much as he wants, waiting for others to attack.
.
Even in the NBA, there is only one inside player who can easily back up Yao Ming, O'Neal. The Dream Team 4 does not have such a low-post singles expert.
In a parallel world, the Chinese men's basketball team without Yang Jian is actually not weak, as demonstrated by its victory over the Italian team. They did not qualify in the group, mainly because they were in the group of death. If they were in Group B, they would at least be able to advance.
Top eight.
Yao Ming asked: "Then I will try not to foul?"
"It's not about not fouling, it's about committing less fouls. If you have to commit, be ruthless. The same goes for Dazhi. Be ruthless when you should be ruthless. You should have experienced it after playing in the Rockets for a season. As long as you are ruthless enough, even if it is malicious
If you commit a foul, fans will like you, which is at least better than being bullied."
Wang Zhizhi was also a little embarrassed to be called by Yang Jian. During his rookie season in the NBA, the media repeatedly said that he was a softie. He knew that Yang Jian was really ruthless. He could sometimes sneak attack and block the opponent's inside players, and he could also personally defend against outside players.
Take advantage.
However, not everyone can be as fierce as Yang Jian.
Yang Jian said calmly: "I understand Vince Carter's character. He plays with passion and likes to use dunks to boost his morale. I blocked him in the last game. In order to regain the field, he will probably want to dunk tomorrow.
You guys, be prepared, if something like this happens, you will foul him hard and pull him down."
Wang Zhizhi sweated: "What if he is injured?"
"That's why you are weak. If I were you, what I would consider is what if I get dunked by him? What if he jumps over my head? In order not to become a laughing stock, he'd better be in the background.
Lie on the ground for a while."
Yao Ming smiled awkwardly, feeling like he had learned something. "Is this why you have never been dunked in the NBA?"
"No, I haven't been dunked in the NBA because I usually don't go to the basket to make up defense. That's not my job. When the team is far ahead, I don't even defend on the outside, let alone the inside. You are different.
It's your job to defend the penalty area, do it well."
Yang Jian reminded the two of them that if they were still blocked by Carter or had a "death buckle", then Carter was destined to be brilliant.
Rather than watching Carter pretend to be bad, Yang Jian prefers to watch him be unlucky. This is not a personal grudge. Who made them rivals?