Champion, please stay!

Chapter 278, Section 276: The Emperor vs. Death!

During the group stage of the World Championships held in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye, the Turkish team was booed, a rare sight indeed.

Sixty percent of the fans at the stadium were Greek and Russian. Throughout the day, they waved euros outside the stadium to buy tickets, and scalpers were also helping to collect tickets and make a profit.

Turkish fans who had initially bought most of the tickets were quite assertive while waving their keyboards, but their actions betrayed them when they saw the euro; it wasn't just Turkish fans, many fans from other countries also sold their tickets—there was just too much demand…

The match between the Chinese team and the Turkish team began at 8 pm.

Turkey's starting lineup: Krim Tuseri, Omar Anan, Hedo Turkoglu, Ilyasova, Asik.

China's starting lineup: Sun Yue, Wang Shipeng, Yi Shui, Yi Jianlian, Yao Ming.

Turkey's frontcourt is actually quite strong. In addition to the three NBA players in the starting lineup, there is also power forward Furkan Aldemir, who is only 19 years old and has already attracted NBA attention in the Turkish league; Semi Elden, a skinny center who was selected by the Celtics in the late first round of 2008 but has not yet entered the NBA; and Sink Akyo, who was selected by the Hawks in the second round of 2005.

Even if Okur is unable to participate in this World Championship due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, the Turkish team still has an 'all-NBA' frontcourt. Even with a few particularly poor guards, they are still quite competitive on the international stage and can reach the quarterfinals of the EuroBasket.

But they encountered the frontcourt trio of Yi Shui, Yi Jianlian, and Yao Ming... Yi Shui and Yao Ming posed a greater threat to the Turkish team's few NBA players than to a team without an NBA center!
Yao Ming played the role of transition ball tonight, using his height advantage to pass the ball from mid-to-long range on both wings to get the ball to the right person.

Yi Shui's high-post one-on-one attack and pass, Yao Ming's mid-range pass, Yi Jianlian's main attack, Wang Shipeng, Sun Yue, and substitute Zhu Fangyu's long-range shots.

Asik, who was protecting the rim, was about to become depressed. He didn't need to extend his defense with Yao Ming, as Ilyasova could stick to Yao Ming's shot. But if he stayed under the basket and could cover Yi Jianlian, he couldn't cover Yi Shui's breakthrough. If he paid attention to Yi Shui's breakthrough, Yi Jianlian would drive into the paint... It was better to extend his defense and cover Yao Ming's shot.

The key issue is that the defenders in the elbow area can't stop these two muscular men. Tuseri, Annan, and the substitutes Aslan and Sinangul are all lacking in defensive ability.

On the defensive end, Yao Ming's rim protection was terrifyingly dominant even without the FIBA ​​three-second rule. Looking at the international arena over the past 20 years, perhaps only Shaquille O'Neal in 94 had a stronger rim protection threat than him.

Hedo Turkoglu couldn't even pass the ball to the other side when facing Yao Ming's rim protection, Yi Jianlian's mid-range block, Yi Jianlian's high-post interception, and Sun Yue's one-on-one defense.

If Okur were playing, forming a shooting-oriented frontcourt with Ilyasova could have disrupted the Chinese team's interior defense, but Okur is out for the season...

But most importantly, the referee only made biased calls tonight, not biased calls.

The referee still favored Turkey, but he started blowing the whistle for Turkey's obvious fouls in the past few games, such as slapping arms, pulling, or even bumping into players when they couldn't defend them.
Turkey's ability to draw fouls with the slightest touch during a shot was gone tonight. Although they would still get free throws in situations where the call was ambiguous, it was nowhere near as many as against Greece and Russia, where they would go to the free-throw line five or six times in a single quarter!

首节24比17、第二节22比18，中国队在上半场以46比35取得11分领先优势！
After halftime, Turkoglu stepped up, first hitting a three-pointer over Yi Jianlian who was caught off guard by a screen, then assisting substitute Sinangul on two consecutive three-pointers. With his teammates able to create space, Turkoglu drove into the paint and drew a foul from Yao Ming, making both free throws.

In the first four possessions of the second half, Turkoglu scored 5 points and 2 assists, sparking an 11-4 run that brought the score to 46-50, narrowing the gap to 4 points and forcing the Chinese team to call a timeout!
With just two more goals, Turkey could catch up or even take the lead!
But after the timeout, it wasn't a Turkish player who scored again...

Yi Shui received the ball at a 45-degree angle on the right side, more than a meter away from the three-point line, and shot directly against Turkoglu's defense, making the three-pointer!
Then Yi Shui and Yi Jianlian double-teamed Aldimir, who cut in to receive the ball, in the right elbow area. Yi Shui made the steal, switched to offense and defense, and faced the defense of Sinangul in a mismatch. He overpowered him and drove hard, then stepped back and, facing the Turkish players who were closing in, took a long-range three-pointer... and it went in!
The point difference has widened back to 10 points!
When Turkey attacked, Turkoglu tried to respond with a three-pointer after a screen... but his touch was off. Yao Ming secured the defensive rebound, Liu Wei advanced to the frontcourt and passed to Yi Shui, and Tuseri immediately double-teamed Yi Shui.

Yi Shui didn't pass the ball. He took a step forward, grabbed the ball, pushed off the ground and floated backward, avoiding the interference of two opponents, and then launched a three-pointer... and it went in again!
Yishui launched a fierce attack, widening the gap to 13 points, 59 to 46, which was even larger than at the end of the first half!
Just when you thought you had a chance to turn things around, you were completely shut down by an opposing player. This kind of blow is even more despairing than having no hope at all.

在易水单节15分3助攻带领下，中国队第三节打出了25比20的比分，末节17比16……后面的一节半时间，土耳其队未能组织起有效反扑。

At 9:47 p.m., the final whistle blew.

首节8分、第二节6分、第三节15分、末节6分，易水21投11中，其中三分球9中6，加上7中7的罚球，狂轰35分10板6助攻2抢断3盖帽，率领中国队以88比71大胜土耳其队，以小组第一的身份晋级16强！
The Chinese team won, and the Greeks and Russians at the stadium were even happier than the Chinese fans. They didn't care who won, as long as Turkey lost...

...

With the group stage concluded, all 16 teams that have advanced have been determined.

A组：塞尔威亚队在最后一战以84比82险胜阿根廷队，4胜1负拿下小组第一，阿根廷队4胜1负第二、澳大利亚3胜2负第三、安哥拉2胜3负第四。

B组，美国队99比77轻取斯洛文尼亚，5战全胜第一，斯洛文尼亚4胜1负第二、巴西3胜2负第三、克罗地亚2胜3负第四。

C组，中国队5胜0负第一、土耳其队4胜1负第二、俄罗斯队3胜2负第三、希腊队2胜3负第四。

D组，立陶宛队压哨三分绝杀西班牙队，73比70险胜，5胜0负第一，西班牙队3胜2负第二、法国队队3胜2负第三、新西兰队2胜3负第四。

The knockout stage matchups and progression map have been released.

The first and fourth place teams, and the second and third place teams from Group A and Group B will play each other in a crossover format, as will the teams from Group C and Group D.

Each team will have one or two days of rest. Groups A and B will begin their round of 16 on the 6th, while Groups C and D will begin their round of 16 on the 7th.

The group stage statistics are out.

易水首战26分、第二战61分、第三战17分、第四战14分、第五战35分，5场比赛场均30.6分7.2板5.2助攻1.8抢断3.2盖帽。

First in scoring, third in assists, and first in blocks!

This surpasses the national team record of 25.3 points per game set by Zhang Weiping in the group stage of the first World Championship in 1978, when the Chinese men's basketball team participated.

Durant is second on the scoring list, averaging 28.6 points per game in 5 games; Scola is third, averaging 27.8 points per game in 5 games.

In the rebounding rankings, Yi Jianlian ranks first with an average of 9.6 rebounds per game, Milicic ranks second with an average of 8.6 rebounds per game, and Chandler ranks third with an average of 8.4 rebounds per game.

In the assists rankings, Slovenian defender Dragic leads with 6.2 assists per game, while Spanish defender Calderon is second with 5.8 assists per game.

In the steals rankings, Rose leads with 2.6 steals per game, Westbrook is second with 2.4 steals per game, and Rubio is third with 2.2 steals per game.

In the blocks rankings, Yao Ming is second with an average of 2.6 blocks per game, and Argentine center Oberto is third with an average of 2.4 blocks per game.

The Chinese team is known as the strongest rim protector, with a significantly higher average number of blocks per game compared to other teams; the American team is known as the best perimeter defender, with an unparalleled ability to pressure defense and steals.

However, on this rest day, fans were not interested in the 17th to 24th place playoffs, and there was not much discussion about the individual performances of star players, which are usually a hot topic.

The hottest topic online is that the referee wasn't so harsh when Türkiye played against China!
Although the refereeing was still outrageous compared to a normal game, it was almost normal compared to the previous games against Greece and Russia. Yi Jianlian and Yi Shui combined for 15 free throws, which would have been impossible in the previous games against Turkey.

Some people mentioned that Turkey added a promotional video for the Chinese team during the group stage... Fans felt that this made sense. Other countries might not do such a thing, but Turkey does whatever it wants.

But since the referee didn't have a 'change of heart,' Turkey's next opponent, France, who finished third in Group D, is in trouble...

The final round of the competition began on the morning of the 6th.

All the games were played at the São Vincent Arena in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest stadium, which has 15500 seats and 72 boxes of various sizes, making it a true Olympic-standard basketball venue.

十六进八的比赛，1天4战，早上10点、下午3点、晚上8点、晚上10点，连着打。

Serbia, the top team in Group A, narrowly defeated Croatia, the fourth team in Group B, 73-72, thanks to a key putback by Kostic.

Argentina, the second-place team in Group A, withstood a counterattack from the Brazilian pitchers at a crucial moment and narrowly defeated Brazil, the third-place team in Group B, 93-89.
The United States, the top team in Group B, crushed Angola, the fourth-place team in Group A, 121-66, a 55-point margin that set a new record for the largest point difference in this World Championship.
Slovenia, the runner-up in Group B, easily defeated Australia, the third-place team in Group A, 87-58.

On the 7th, the final round matches for Groups C and D will begin.

早上11点50分，中国队与新西兰队的比赛结束，易水19投11中，其中三分球9中5，加上6中6的罚球，狂砍33分7板4助攻1抢断3盖帽，率队以88比75稳稳击败新西兰队，晋级八强。

The Russian team had the misfortune of facing the Spanish team, and was overwhelmed by the Spanish shooters' barrage of attacks. The Spanish team played exceptionally well, even explosively, scoring 92 points, but conceding over 100... The Spanish team defeated the Russian team 104-92 and advanced to the quarterfinals.

During the prime-time evening match between Turkey and France, another conflict broke out, something fans are used to. Ultimately, Turkey easily defeated France 95-77 to advance to the quarterfinals, even after two French players were sent off for malicious fouls.

The match between Lithuania, the top team in Group D, and Greece, the fourth-placed team in Group C, that evening was the most intense of all the matches in the round of 16.

It wasn't as intense as the match between Serbia and Croatia, nor as eye-catching as Brazil's furious counterattack against Argentina, nor did it have the kind of conflict that shouldn't belong in a game, like the match between Turkey and France. It was just pure physical combat and fouls.

Ultimately, the stronger Lithuanian team defeated Greece 52-44 to advance to the quarterfinals, setting a new low for the tournament.

After the round of 16 matches, the teams that advanced will have a day off on the 8th, while teams ranked 9th to 16th will play the first round of ranking matches.

The 9th is the day for the quarterfinals.

Continuing with the crossover matches, at 10:00 AM, Serbia, the top team in Group A, faced off against Spain, the second-place team in Group D. Without Pau Gasol, the Spanish team couldn't withstand the Serbian frontcourt. Krstic fired from both inside and outside, shooting 14 of 21 and scoring a whopping 37 points, leading Serbia to a 95-89 victory over Spain and becoming the first team to advance to the semifinals.

At 3 p.m., the Chinese team faced off against the Lithuanian team. This was the toughest match the Chinese team had played since the start of the World Championships.

Unlike the Greek team, the Lithuanian team was not at a loss. They had already gathered sufficient intelligence and were prepared for an early defensive blunder, focusing on a war of attrition.

在首节以16比25落后9分的情况下，立陶宛队第二节打出了19比17的比分、第三节打出了16比12的比分，三节打完时，立陶宛队将比分追至51比54，分差缩小到了3分，且在末节开局靠着当家球星利纳斯-克雷扎的抢断反击2+1，将比分追至54比54平！
At the crucial moment, Yao Ming stepped up first, scoring against two opponents in the low post and drawing a foul, which he also made on the free throw, giving the Chinese team a 3-point lead again.

Yi Shui then hit a long two-pointer from the high post, and the Emperor-Giant duo began to take over the game with their individual abilities. Yi Jianlian drove to the baseline and pulled away to shoot, switching to the style of play he was most familiar with in the NBA, assisting the two in the offense. With the other teammates on the wing exhausted and afraid to shoot, he solved the problem of having to take on long-range shots. Although he didn't score many, he helped the Emperor-Giant duo to run the tactics smoothly.

易水末节7投3中，其中三分球3中1，加上2中2的罚球，拿到9分；姚明末节4投3中，加上3中3的罚球，也拿到9分。

The two combined for 18 points, leading their team to a 24-19 quarter score!
易水全场20投9中，其中三分球7中2，加上7中6的罚球，拿到26分8板3助攻3盖帽；姚明12投8中，其中三分球1中1，加上7中7的罚球，拿到24分7板2助攻2盖帽。

The two combined for 50 points, leading their team to a 78-70 victory over Lithuania and advancing to the semifinals!
At 8 p.m., the highly anticipated match between Turkey, the second-place team in Group C, and the United States, the first-place team in Group B, began. As predicted by the media and fans, the refereeing was 'normal' again. Then, led by Durant's 26 points in three quarters, the United States led Turkey 64-48 by 16 points.

The US team continued to dominate Turkey despite biased refereeing, which was expected, but the halftime score difference of only 10 points was unexpected.

Offensively, besides Durant, only Curry, Granger, and Odom performed reasonably well.

Westbrook, Rose, and Iguodala were practically invisible on offense against Turkey's attacking trio. Billups tried a few one-on-one plays in the first half but couldn't get going and could only focus on defense.

Players like Evans, David Lee, and Love, who need space and are not good at defense, were basically benched after the first quarter. When Chandler rested, Odom had to fill in at center.

最终，靠着杜兰特单场33分、奥多姆12分9板6助攻、库里14分、格兰杰13分，美国队4人得分上双，以81比63击败土耳其队。

In the final game of the evening, Argentina, the second-place team in Group A, faced Slovenia, the second-place team in Group B. Slovenia's star player, Goran Dragic, scored a whopping 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 11 assists, becoming the only player in this World Championship to record 20 points and 10 assists in a single game, leading his team to a 103-97 victory over Argentina in a high-scoring battle.

Serbia, the United States, Slovenia, and China have all advanced to the semifinals! Only Group B has two semifinal teams. Brazil and Croatia, who finished third and fourth in Group B, have been incredibly strong in the knockout stage, making the group truly deserving of the title "Group of Death."

However, after the quarterfinals, the hottest topic online was not Yi Shui and Yao Ming's combined 50 points against Lithuania, nor Durant's 33 points that crushed Turkey, nor Dragic's crazy performance of 25+5+10.

And finally, we don't have to see the Turkish team anymore! Tonight's Dream Team is even more popular than the Dream Team of '92.

AFP headline: "The sky has finally cleared over Eurasia; the fall of the Ottoman Empire was God's most correct will."

...

On the 10th, the teams that advanced had a day off, and the first round of the 5th-8th place playoffs took place in the losers' bracket.

At 7 p.m. on the 11th, the United States team and the Serbian team started the semi-finals.

This was the toughest start for the US team since their 70-68 victory over Brazil. After trailing 9-15 at the beginning of the first quarter, Serbia relied on their inside advantage to launch a 16-9 run at the end of the quarter, taking a 26-25 lead over the US team into the second quarter.

However, in the second quarter, facing a Serbian team with a much stronger perimeter defense than Turkey, Billups got hot, hitting two three-pointers in a row to help the US team take a 5-point lead. Under Billups' leadership, Curry, Granger, and Durant were on fire, and the US team made 6 three-pointers and 4 long two-pointers in the quarter. With Chandler and Odom taking turns to attack the basket, the US team outscored Serbia 33-21 in the second quarter, leading Serbia 58-47 by 11 points going into halftime.

比卢普斯带动的这波猛攻对美国队来说太关键了，第三节和第四节，塞尔维亚队分别打出了23比21和24比20的比分，下半场以47比41压着美国队打。

The team's poor shooting in the second half was also due to Billups, Curry, and Durant playing too much time and attacking too aggressively.

Although they won by 6 points in the second half, Serbia was too far behind in the first half and was unable to complete the comeback.

Ultimately, the United States team narrowly defeated Serbia team 99-94, becoming the first team to advance to the final.

At 10 p.m., the semi-final match between China and Slovenia began.

The two teams are old rivals. In the 06 World Championships, the team Wang Shipeng scored the winning goal against was Slovenia.

The Slovenian team at that time was a young team, but now it has begun to enter its golden age, and it reached the semi-finals of last year's European Championship.

The two core players, Goran Dragic and Primoz Brezek, both performed exceptionally well at this World Championship.

24岁的德拉季奇前7场比赛，场均18.3分3.3板6.7助攻，稳居助攻榜第一；

31岁、身高216公分的大中锋布雷泽克，场均13.3分7板1.3助攻1.7盖帽，命中率达到了六成。

Slovenia is the best offensive opponent that Yishui has faced in the eight games of this World Championship. They have a lot of wing shooters, and Dragic's pick-and-roll and drive-and-kick, along with three shooters and a big center rushing the ball, have disrupted the defense that the Chinese team had not been able to break through in the first seven games.

Fortunately, Slovenia's defense couldn't withstand the onslaught from Yi Shui and Yi Jianlian. In the first quarter, Slovenia relied on a barrage of shots from the wings to take a 27-25 lead over China. In the second quarter, China scored an extra three-pointer, outscoring China 26-23 to take a 51-50 lead into the final quarter. The two teams were evenly matched in the third quarter, tied at 24-24, with the score at 75-74 after three quarters.

In the final quarter, Yi Shui, who had rested for half of the third quarter, returned and brought four teammates who could shoot—Wang Shipeng, Zhu Fangyu, Yi Jianlian, and Wang Zhizhi—onto the court, unleashing a frenzy of one-on-one attacks, and the gap in skill immediately became apparent.

迎着防守强投、中距离急停跳投、突破攻框、反击强吃……前三节拿到16分的易水，末节9投6中，其中三分球2中2，加上3中3的罚球，狂轰17分外加3次助攻！
Curry, Durant, David Lee, Chandler, Rose, Westbrook, and others, after the game and finishing their post-game tasks, did not leave the Dome Arena but returned to the stands to watch the Yishui game.

Seeing Yi Shui's unreasonable series of goals in the final quarter, single-handedly dominating the Slovenian team, Curry, Durant, David Lee, and Chandler were alright.

Rose, Westbrook, Evans, and others, who were tormented by the Turkish team's attacking lineup the day before yesterday and didn't get much playing time in tonight's match against Serbia, are in a terrible state.

When they reached the knockout stage, they played terribly, so badly that even they couldn't stand it.

Despite facing an unrestricted double-team from the opposing team, Ke Yi Shui was still able to score even after being surrounded by a bunch of people after breaking in!

Especially during his strong counter-attacks, after receiving the pass, even Dragic couldn't stop Yi Shui, who still jumped up and slammed the ball into the basket for a 2+1 play, which made them all feel depressed.

Why is there such a huge difference between people?

Led by Yi Shui, the Chinese team dominated the final quarter, outscoring the Slovenian team 31-26, who were on fire tonight.

最终，靠着易水单场33分8板5助攻3盖帽，中国队以106比100力克斯洛文尼亚队！

...

The Chinese team and the American team will meet in the final, which is what everyone expected.

Spain and Argentina are also favorites to win the championship, but Pau Gasol did not participate, which made Spain much less consistent. When they faced Serbia, their inside game was dominated.

Argentina suffered even greater losses in this World Championship. The absence of Ginobili, the world's top point guard, meant that when they faced the onslaught of Dragic, no one stepped up to respond as effectively as Durant did in the group stage or Yi Shui did in the semifinals.

Although both teams lost by single-digit margins in the quarterfinals, people believed that without Pau Gasol and Manu Ginobili, they would not be a match for the Chinese and American teams even if they made it to the semifinals.

The 12th is the day the final teams prepare, and it's also the day of the third-place match.

After the daytime preparations were completed, Yi Shui, Yi Jianlian, and Zhu Fangyu, along with tomorrow's opponents Curry, David Lee, and Chandler, went to the Dome Arena to watch the bronze medal match between Serbia and Slovenia.

With Goran Dragic hitting two consecutive three-pointers in the final moments, Serbia narrowly held on to their victory, defeating Slovenia 92-88 to take the bronze medal.

Yi Shui said to Curry, "Luckily we didn't face the Serbian team. They don't have as many shooters as you guys who can shoot over the defense. It would have been much harder to beat them. Even with Dragic's teammates being such good shooters, they still couldn't beat Serbia."

Curry rolled his eyes, tilted his head and looked up at Yi Shui, squeezing out a sentence: "That day, Kevin, Chauncey, and I scored 62 points together, which is a little more than your 61 points."

Yi Shui: "It's just 61 points, right? You'll definitely get that many points in the future. You'll become the greatest three-point shooter in history, and I'll have to rely on you."

Curry: "Get lost!"

Lianmei, standing to the side: Ha, the Emperor's mouth is a lying devil! It's not enough that he fooled me into thinking I'm the best center in the World Championships, he even fooled a primary school student!

The next day, at 7:30 p.m., all 15,000 seats in the Dome Arena were filled, and all 72 VIP boxes were also sold out.

As both teams entered the stadium, the fans cheered wildly.

In the previous eight matches, Yi Shui could only hear people calling him by his nickname. This time was different; many people were calling him "Death God."

The US team faced three dangerous situations in this World Championship, and each time Durant stepped up, defeating his opponents with one shot after another, earning him the nickname "The Reaper".

The showdown between the Chinese Emperor and the American Grim Reaper has been eagerly anticipated by fans since the group stage, and the day has finally arrived!
The atmosphere between the two teams was quite good when they greeted each other. Yi Shui, Curry, and David Lee had just won the NBA championship together.

Yao Ming is highly regarded among players and is very strong. This summer, he was sought after by many teams. Except for a very few players, every perimeter player wanted to team up with such a big center.

For Yao Ming, since he was going to change teams, apart from the Bay Area, which is home to many Chinese and is wealthy, and major cities like Los Angeles and Chicago, no other cities were on his list of considerations, including New York. The commercial value of two Chinese players would be too mutually detrimental... and he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Without Artest, he couldn't even get past the first round, and the Knicks had just won the championship, so going to New York would just be 'riding on the coattails of an old veteran'.

When the pre-match preparation time ended and the starting lineups of both teams came onto the field, the atmosphere changed 180 degrees. Both teams' players were focused and serious, not daring to be distracted in the slightest.

Team USA starting lineup: Billups, Curry, Durant, Odom, Chandler.

China's starting lineup: Sun Yue, Wang Shipeng, Yi Shui, Yi Jianlian, Yao Ming.

On the Chinese side, facing the world's number one basketball team, the United States, despite the boost in confidence from winning an Olympic silver medal and reaching the finals with an eight-game winning streak in the World Championships, the pressure is still immense.

The US team is also under considerable pressure. With Yi Shui, Yao Ming, and the incredibly talented Yi Jianlian, their interior defense faces a formidable challenge against these three…

At 8 p.m., the game began, and the two teams started with a star-studded showdown: Billups and Durant versus Yi Shui and Yao Ming!
The closer you are to the basket, the easier it is to score. This statement holds even more truth on the international stage than in the NBA.

姚明在内线一对一打钱德勒，半节多时间里3投2中加上3中3的罚球，狂砍7分！
Yi Shui and Durant both did a great job of interfering with each other's outside shots, but Yi Shui didn't necessarily have to shoot from the outside. His shot selection ratio was very even. Although there were a few games where he needed to take a lot of shots in a certain area, after 8 World Championship games, his three-point, high post, close range, and layup shots were basically in a 2-3-2-3 ratio.

Tonight, when Durant was interfering with his shots and his outside shooting opportunities were limited, he drove aggressively to the basket!
Durant wasn't unwilling to drive, but with Yi Shui and Yao Ming nearby, he couldn't make it!
After more than seven minutes of play in the first quarter, the US team called a timeout.

20-14, China's lead has reached 6 points!
Yi Shui and Yao Ming combined for 13 points during this period!
After personally playing against the American team, Yi Shui finally understood why the American team, with such a strong lineup, almost lost two games in the group stage and why they were dominated by the Serbian team in the second half of the semi-final.

With Chandler and Odom on the court, aside from Curry and Chandler running a pick-and-roll once, Billups and Rose, who came off the bench, didn't even attempt a single offensive play using screens in the first seven minutes; they just swung the ball around.

Yao Ming doesn't even need to leave the paint on the defensive end!
Sun Yue's height and mobility made him very good at disrupting Billups' shots. When Rose had the ball, he would drive in and face Yao Ming's rim protection and Yi Shui's interference with the pass. He would basically run around the baseline and pass to Durant, who would then take the ball and go one-on-one.

On offense, apart from offensive rebounding, Chandler's screen setting and driving ability were completely useless!
After the timeout, Jonas, at Yi Shui's request, substituted Liu Wei, Sun Yue, Wang Shipeng, Yi Shui, and Yi Jianlian.

Just as Yi Shui predicted, Coach K on the opposing team opted not to use other players and instead paired Durant and Odom in the paint.

However, in the perimeter rotation, instead of bringing in Billups and Curry, who were playing relatively better, they brought in Westbrook, Rose, and Iguodala, three players who had only made 3 three-pointers combined in the first 8 games.

Soon, Yi Shui understood the opponent's intentions... Turtle, Rose, and Little AI launched a crazy pressure and tight defense, and the Chinese team made a series of mistakes on the outside!

Previously, Yi Shui made other teams' players look like they were in slow motion; tonight, the Mei-Gui duo made the Chinese team's outside shooting look like a bunch of old men taking a walk!

The US team launched four fast breaks in two minutes. Rose drove up for two dunks, Westbrook drove back and scored a layup over the retreating Yi Shui, and Durant followed up with a long two-pointer. The US team went on an 8-2 run to tie the score at 22-22!

When it was the US team's turn to attack, Rose drove to the basket, drawing the attention of Yi Shui's defense. He then suddenly stopped and changed direction, circling halfway around the three-second zone to create passing space. He passed the ball to Durant on the wing, who caught it and made a mid-range jumper. 24-22, the US team took the lead!

When it was China's turn to attack, Yi Shui stayed in the backcourt to receive the serve and advance the ball. Westbrook rushed to the center circle to press, but Yi Shui pushed him aside with a single stride and charged forward like a tank!

Yi Shui rushed all the way to the three-point line, grabbed the ball and passed it to the right... Durant, who came to cover, quickly went to the right 45-degree angle to cover Wang Shipeng, who had been missed by Westbrook. Tonight, the only three-pointer made by the Chinese team's backcourt was by Wang Shipeng.

But Durant lunged forward, and the ball didn't follow! The sound of the ball hitting the rim, the referee's whistle, and the deafening cheers of the fans reached his ears.

He turned his head and saw Yi Shui land just as Odom fell outside the baseline!
Durant looked at the big screen, which was playing Yi Shui's attack. In the video, Yi Shui pushed the ball out with his right hand, but held on tightly. He took three big steps from the three-point line, knocked away Odom who was rushing back to the basket, and slammed the ball into the rim with one hand for a 2+1 play!

(End of this chapter)