Champion, please stay!

Chapter 279, Section 277: World Champion!

As Yi Shui went to the free-throw line, Coach K substituted Curry and Granger, and put Rose, Durant, and Odom on for the last possession of the first quarter.

Jonas didn't waste the dead ball opportunity, substituting Yao Ming and Zhou Peng, along with Sun Yue, Wang Shipeng, and Yi Shui.

Yi Shui made the free throw, and the Chinese team regained a one-point lead.

With 19 seconds left in the first quarter, Team USA is on offense.

Curry and Granger spread the floor, Odom rushed to the baseline to create space, Rose drove and passed the ball around... but couldn't get it through!

Zhou Peng did an excellent job defending Durant off the ball in this possession, using a combination of pulling, grabbing, and pushing, relying solely on subtle movements to keep him glued to the ball.

Rose's other pass target, Odom, successfully made a run to create space, but was blocked by Yi Shui who had moved in from the sideline. Rose tried to find Granger, but was blocked by both of them.

Time was running out. Rose looked at Yao Ming crouching under the basket, grabbed the ball, took a step, jumped, and, facing the onrushing Yao Ming, leaned back and pulled up with a layup, successfully avoiding Yao Ming's hand. He then tossed the ball toward the basket while lying down... Just as he threw the ball, Rose saw Yi Shui's chin appear in his line of sight and slapped the ball away!

The ball hit Yao Ming in the face, and he felt like he had been slapped.

But he couldn't worry about that. He quickly caught the ball that bounced back to Rose's face and then bounced up again. He also used his hand to brace himself against Yi Shui, who was rushing towards him, and handed the ball to Yi Shui.

Yi Shui bypassed the fallen Rose, drove over Curry who was blocking his way, and rushed out to the three-point line. He took a three-pointer at the buzzer from the backcourt... The direction was not bad, but unfortunately the force was too great, and it hit the middle of the backboard, resulting in a missed shot.

After the first quarter, the Chinese team led the American team 25-24 by 1 point!
Hearing the wild cheers and laughter of the more than 10,000 fans in the stadium, Rose fell to the ground, rolled over, and lay there, unwilling to get up.

He wasn't injured; he fell hard on his butt and his face hurt, but nothing compared to the pain in his heart.

He had just landed a backhand layup, which should have just resulted in a thud on his backside, but the rebounding ball hit him in the face, causing him to graze against Yi Shui's waist in mid-air and fall to the ground... He saw it; the big screen was replaying Yi Shui's block, and the last image was Yi Shui flying over him and being caught by Yao Ming...

Rose could imagine that, regardless of who wins or loses tonight, this play would definitely make the news, and might even become a classic moment of this World Championship, just like Carter's leap over the center in 2000!
Practice shooting! I absolutely must practice shooting! I'll start practicing shooting as soon as I get back from the World Championships! First, I'll work on my floater!

...

During the break, the players from both teams gathered around the coaching staff. Both teams were under immense pressure, as a single mistake could affect the final result, and neither dared to be careless.

The only difference is the style of the two sides. Coach K writes, draws, and talks on his own; while Jonas, to simplify the translation process, points out and talks from the side. Yi Shui listens to a few sentences, then writes, draws, and talks on his tactics board, sometimes discussing things with Jonas...

The fans at the stadium were just as tense and excited. Although this game didn't feature players scoring 30+ points in a single quarter like the Spanish and Slovenian teams, the performances of the Chinese and American teams were even more exciting.

A clash of the best stars, the coach's on-the-spot adjustments, and the superstars using their individual abilities to forcefully interrupt the opponent's momentum... Yi Shui's block on Rose brought tears to the eyes of fans both at the stadium and watching on television!
Rose took a step from the left high post, jumped from the top left corner of the free throw line, and swatted the ball away after 'leaping' and lying down!

The replay showed the ball slapping the giant and the rose twice, which made the fans burst into laughter.

Commentators from various television stations are also making the most of their time to analyze the performance of the players and coaches from both teams in the first quarter.

Yi Shui, Yao Ming, and Durant's performances were highly praised.

As for the team, although the US team doesn't have a second player who can match up with the Emperor-Gianluigi duo, or even anyone who can match up with Yi Jianlian, the US team has too many top-tier players!
Even if some players' styles are not suited to the international arena, they still have top-notch abilities to offer. The perimeter pressure and tight defense formation composed of Westbrook, Rose, and Iguodala is extremely effective against the Chinese team's perimeter players, who mostly only have shooting and hustle as their strengths.

When Yi Shui stepped to the free-throw line with 19 seconds left, Jonas made adjustments to strengthen the defense by rotating his players, which was praised for its decisiveness and targeted substitutions.

The commentators were discussing how Jonas would break the deadlock. Although Yi Shui's strong dunk and block on Rose at the end of the first quarter interrupted the US team's momentum to take the lead, it was still a huge advantage for the US team.

However, this wasn't what Coach K and Jonas were concerned about during the break.

After the break, both teams rotated their lineups.

Team USA fielded a lineup of Rose, Iguodala, Durant, David Lee, and Chandler.

The Chinese team fielded a lineup of Sun Yue, Zhu Fangyu, Yi Shui, Yi Jianlian, and Wang Zhizhi.

China attacked first. As Coach K predicted, Sun Yue, despite Rose's close defense, passed the ball to Yi Shui before even reaching the three-point line.

Their pressing and tight defensive formation is not unsolvable against the Chinese team in recent years; on the contrary, it is easy to break through. Just give the ball to Yi Shui.

But that's exactly what Coach K wanted!
Before Yi Shui even received the ball, Iguodala initiated a physical battle. Coach K's strategy against Yi Shui was to wage a war of attrition.

This was a strategy Coach K had planned long ago, but he didn't want to use it. In his view, how could the American team use such "shameless" tactics? They should win "fairly and squarely," and that's what makes them a "Dream Team."

But in a head-to-head contest, Yao Ming is alright, but Durant's performance would give him the upper hand.

But if Yi Jianlian is added, they won't have an advantage in the frontcourt.

In the NBA, Yi Jianlian is just an ordinary starter and role player for a weak team. But on the international stage, the only American big men that Coach K can think of who can rival Yi Jianlian are Bosh and Stoudemire, but neither of them have come to the NBA.

Moreover, the opposing team not only has two towers, but also Yi Shui!
This guy is even more of a freak on the international stage than he is in the NCAA and NBA!

In Yishui's outside isolation plays, Durant can still manage to put up a decent fight, but Yishui also has top-notch ball-handling and penetration skills.

Although Yi Shui's breakthroughs are still a bit inferior to Rose's, Rose is better than Yi Shui in terms of explosive speed and sudden stops and changes of direction while moving, but Yi Shui's breakthroughs are also at the level of Westbrook.

The combination of Durant and Westbrook is already enough to achieve 50 wins and make the playoffs in the NBA Western Conference. Yi Shui is like a combination of the two, and an excellent version of that combination!

However, Yi Shui and Jonas had already anticipated during the break that Coach K might use this strategy.

After Yi Shui and his teammates were in position, he lobbed the ball to Wang Zhizhi, who was leaning against David Lee on the right side of the basket.

Wang Zhizhi received the ball, turned to the right, tricked David Lee into pressing forward, grabbed the ball, pivoted on his left foot, turned back to face the baseline, stuck out his buttocks to block Chandler's double-team, stepped his right foot to the left to press forward, squeezed David Lee into the paint, jumped, and pushed the ball towards the backboard... a clean layup!
When the US team attacked, Rose advanced to the frontcourt and was surprised to see Yi Shui guarding him!

He decisively passed the ball to Durant.

After playing eight games, Rose knew long ago that he was not suited for the international stage. His previous ideas about leading the team to sweep the world were just wishful thinking.

Aside from pressuring the defense, breaking through to disrupt the opponent's formation, and launching counterattacks, everything else he does is a hindrance. Durant is the real patriarch of this Dream Team.

At first, Rose was a little unwilling, but when she saw that Turtle was not even as good as her, she felt much better.

As for elementary school students... they are NBA champions, skilled in shooting, so it's okay if they can't beat them on the international stage.

Sun Yue aggressively battled to defend Durant. In terms of height and wingspan, he was at a smaller disadvantage than Iguodala was when defending Yi Jianlian, but the intensity of the confrontation was far inferior. Durant, with Sun Yue on his back, changed direction and pulled to the side, hitting a long two-pointer from the left 45-degree angle!
When it was China's turn to attack, Wang Zhizhi continued to post up, but the defender changed! Chandler was right next to him!
Wang Zhizhi gestured towards the outside, leaning against Chandler to call for the ball.

In terms of explosiveness, Wang Zhizhi is not as good as Chandler, but his size advantage is very large. He steadily held off Chandler's attempt to front and intercept him, received the ball, took a step back, turned and returned the turn, but this time he did not squeeze into the inside, but instead dribbled the ball away from the three-second sideline during the turn and lifted the ball!

Chandler quickly pressed forward, and Wang Zhizhi pushed the ball out after Chandler left the basket...

Chandler reached out to block, but didn't touch the ball; the ball's trajectory wasn't towards the basket! He turned his head and saw Yi Jianlian on the left side of the three-second zone turn past David Lee, catch the ball, and slam it into the basket with both hands.

The CCTV commentator exclaimed, "Young man chasing the wind!"

Domestic fans watching on TV reminisced about Wang Zhizhi, the spirited young player from the late 20th century. Standing at 215 cm tall and weighing 120 kg, he possessed not only elegant footwork but also a smooth shooting touch and solid passing fundamentals, earning him a spot in the NBA. Unfortunately, by the time he actually entered the NBA, his developmental period had passed, and that was the end of that.

During the break, the CCTV commentators were also analyzing how the Chinese team would deal with the American team's pressing defense.

The only solution we could think of was to let Yi Shui have the ball to ensure it wouldn't be stolen. But having to handle both ball possession and shooting opportunities was a challenge, especially in international competitions where the physicality is far greater than in the NBA. Even Yi Shui couldn't withstand that for the entire game. Yao Ming, including his last defensive play at the end of the first quarter, had already played for eight minutes. He needed to rest for more than half a quarter in the second quarter to ensure he had the stamina for the main players' playing time in the second half.

Commentators Zhang Weiping, Yang Yi, and Yang Jian speculated that Yi Jianlian would become the main offensive target, helping to relieve pressure on Yao Ming during his rest. Yi Jianlian has performed exceptionally well in this World Championship, and teams like Greece, Turkey, and Lithuania, with their strong inside presence, have been unable to contain him.

Fans felt that the commentators' analysis made a lot of sense this time... Unexpectedly, the player who stepped up to attack against the US team was Wang Zhizhi, who had been Yao Ming's substitute and Yi Jianlian and Yi Shui's assistant in the previous 8 games!
In fact, this was a preparation that the Chinese team had made long before the World Championships began!

The Chinese men's basketball team has high ambitions for this World Championship. Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi are at the tail end of their peak, Yi Shui and Yi Jianlian are in their prime, and the shooting group is also in their prime. This is their best chance to win the world championship.

They started preparing for the game against the US team early on, analyzing how the opponent might deal with them. If they couldn't solve a problem, they wouldn't bother thinking about it, since they couldn't compete with the US team in terms of lineup.

The combination of pressing and attrition warfare was a well-prepared strategy by Jonas, Yi Jianlian, Deng Huade, and others. Initially, they also planned to have Yi Jianlian as the main attacker, but this would have been very taxing for him. For their team, Yi Jianlian's role was not much less important than Yi Shui and Yao Ming, and he would need to play at least 30 minutes in the game against the United States. In the end, they turned their attention to Wang Zhizhi, who was practicing footwork with Yao Ming.

If it's a Bosh + Howard inside combination, Wang Zhizhi can't score, but the opponent only has Chandler, plus Yi Jianlian as a support, and the outside is spread out, two against two, that's enough!

With a score of 29-26, the Chinese team regained a 3-point lead.

When it was the US team's turn to attack, Coach K stood on the sidelines, urging his players to intensify their attack.

Wang Zhizhi launched an attack from the low post and scored in both rounds, much to Coach K's surprise.

He hadn't expected the Chinese team to have such a figure. At the Olympics two years ago, Wang Zhizhi hadn't left much of an impression on him. Facing the inside group of James, Anthony, Bosh, and Howard, apart from Yao Ming, Yi Shui, and Yi Jianlian, the rest of the Chinese team could only shoot from the outside... However, at that time, Yi Jianlian was just a decent starting player at the Olympics. This year, he's an international superstar who needs Chandler or Odom to specifically guard him to contain him.

Coach K's plan is to wear down either Yi Shui or Yi Jianlian, or both of them together. If the opponent comes up with a surprise weapon... that's fine too.

The established strategy can be adjusted as needed.

A full-scale attack!

To reduce the consumption of water, the opposing team assigned a tall guard to defend Durant. With Yao Ming off the court, Rose's penetration and passing were able to generate opportunities, which was their chance to gain an advantage!
In the next four minutes, Wang Zhizhi and Yi Jianlian led the team together. Yi Jianlian controlled the ball and created space at the top of the arc, Wang Zhizhi initiated the attack, Yi Jianlian finished the pass, Sun Yue received the pass and passed the ball, and Zhu Fangyu received the pass on the sideline. They scored 9 points, which was quite efficient against the American team.

However, it was still difficult to stop the US team's comeback. Rose made a pass, Durant scored on the outside, David Lee made a mid-range shot, Chandler followed up with the shot, and Iguodala made a strong fast break... During this period, the US team scored 15 points, taking a 41-38 lead over the Chinese team by 3 points.

When it was Team USA's turn to attack, David Lee and Chandler, the twin towers of the NBA championship, combined their skills. David Lee dribbled the ball and faced Yi Jianlian, driving along the baseline and passing to the middle under the basket. Chandler received the ball one step inside the free throw line, took a step and made the layup, drawing a foul from Zhu Fangyu on the wing. He made the free throw, completing a 2+1 play.

The US team took a 6-point lead, 44 to 38.

Just as the US team was preparing to press on and widen the gap, Yi Shui leaned past Iguodala at the right 45-degree angle three-point line, turned and stepped back, and hit a long-range three-pointer!
Then Rose broke through the baseline and sprang up, scoring a layup over Wang Zhizhi before Yi Shui could collapse into position;

Turning around, Yi Shui made a crossover dribble past Iguodala, took a step to the right side of the three-second zone, avoided the collapsing Durant's block, and made a layup over David Lee, drawing a foul from his old teammate and making the free throw, completing a 2+1 play!

When it was Team USA's turn to attack, Durant went one-on-one against Sun Yue, used a crossover dribble followed by a step-back, and hit a three-pointer!

When it was China's turn to attack, Yi Shui continued his drive, but was blocked in the elbow area. Yi Jianlian set a screen on the wing to block Durant, and Wang Zhizhi moved to the high post to receive a pass from Yi Shui, making a long two-pointer. With 7 minutes and 15 seconds left in the second quarter, the US team called a timeout!

Coach K was terrified. He made a last-minute adjustment, played a back-and-forth game, won, and took the lead. After taking the lead, he launched an offensive surge, making 3 of 3 shots and scoring 8 points... but the point difference was still only 3 points, leading only 49 to 46.

The opposing team's star player, who had been coasting for most of the quarter, took possession of the ball and attacked for three possessions, scoring 6 points and 1 assist, helping the Chinese team stay close in the score!

Given the Emperor's momentum, he had no choice but to call a halt.

After the players returned to the bench, Coach K had a headache; Durant was already catching his breath!

He started to miss the number 10 guard who was always shooting poorly... In fact, Durant played for more than 17 minutes and was the main offensive option the whole time. He scored 18 points in less than halftime, one point more than the opposing Embiid. He also defended Yi Shui for a long time in the first quarter, which was already very good. It was much better than his expectations for Durant's stamina before the World Championship.

But after coaching that one, I felt he was just average. Not to mention that one, even the opposing Embiid, with the same playing time and a heavier burden, was in much better physical condition than Durant.

After much hesitation, Coach K decided to keep Durant on the court, with Iguodala and Chandler remaining, and Curry and Granger brought in instead.

On the other side, the Chinese team substituted Liu Wei, Wang Shipeng, and Yao Ming, while Yi Shui and Yi Jianlian remained on the court.

After the timeout, Team USA launched an attack. Curry and Chandler initiated the offense with a pick-and-roll, but were intercepted in the middle by Yi Jianlian and Yi Shui. Granger circled around to the high post from the left sideline, and Iguodala made a run to receive the pass from Curry. The ball was then passed to Granger from the right sideline.

Granger received the ball at the top of the arc, jumped, and launched a three-pointer over Yi Jianlian who was closing in... and it went in!
Coach K was very satisfied with this play. The Curry-Chandler pick-and-roll wasn't particularly impressive; Chandler didn't have a jump shot, and Curry lacked explosiveness, but it was practical! The simpler this kind of basic play is, the harder it is to defend. The opponent can only follow the switch defensively in a rigid manner, and gaps in the defense will naturally appear.

Unfortunately, they have two centers who can run pick-and-rolls, but only one point guard with pick-and-roll offensive capabilities.

When it was China's turn to attack, they didn't have such complicated tactics... Yao Ming received the ball in the low post, backed down Chandler, took two steps, turned around and slammed the ball into the basket while pressing down on Chandler, and also drew a foul on Chandler. He made the free throw, and responded to Granger's three-pointer with a 2+1!

Curry then made a close-range floater; Yao Ming drew a double team in the low post and passed to the high post, Yi Shui received the pass and passed to Yi Jianlian, who then made a close-range jump shot from the left baseline.

In the transition between offense and defense, Durant, who had been waiting for two possessions, attacked Yi Shui from the high post and hit a long fadeaway two-pointer.

When it was China's turn to attack, Yi Shui received the ball at the free-throw line and pushed it to the left side of the basket. Iguodala suddenly stepped back.

Although Iguodala stopped immediately after seeing Yi Shui hold onto the ball tightly, he was still faked out. Yi Shui got rid of the lower body interference, pulled up and threw... and made the jump shot from the free throw line.

The two teams traded baskets for 7 points to tie the score at 56-53, with the US team still only leading by 3 points. On the next possession, Durant called for the ball and went one-on-one against Yi Shui, but his fadeaway three-pointer missed!

Seeing Yi Jianlian holding his position and Yao Ming grabbing the defensive rebound, Yi Shui turned around and rushed past Durant to the frontcourt. Durant tried to block him, but he lacked the strength and was directly pushed aside by Yi Shui, who activated "Charge Ahead" and started at top speed.

Iguodala had excellent defensive awareness and rushed out early, but he couldn't stop Yi Shui. He could only stick close behind Yi Shui and try to intercept the pass, but Yao Ming, who grabbed the rebound, used the ball to lead the way and lobbed the ball in front of Yi Shui!

Yi Shui rushed to the opposite three-point line, received the ball, dribbled out one step, grabbed the ball, and dunked it in three steps!

The stadium erupted after that shot!
But it wasn't because of Yi Shui's fast break dunk, but because of Yao Ming's quarterback-style long pass!

There were elderly fans from Eastern Europe at the scene, and they thought of one person: the extraordinary international basketball giant, the roof of the world—Domantas Sabonis!
This shot has a bit of Sabonis's style!
As Curry's step-back three-pointer against Liu Wei slid off the rim, the first half ended.

55-56, China has narrowed the gap to 1 point!
...

At halftime, the two head coaches had completely different moods.

Jonas excitedly high-fived each of his teammates, his mind filled with only one thought—Go America! Go America!

In the fall of 08, he rejected a higher-paying contract from the Greek team and signed a two-year extension with the Chinese team, all because he wanted to beat the American team!
The most dangerous period for this American team right now is the second quarter.

Team USA is fiercely competitive. After a full quarter of intense physical battles, their opponents' wing shooters often have their shooting touch severely depleted, while top mid-range and long-range shooters like Durant, Granger, David Lee, Curry, and Billups are in top form, often able to overwhelm their opponents in one go.

Just like in the quarter that just ended, the US team found their rhythm after playing for a little over a minute and then scored 15 points in 4 minutes, racking up 32 points in the quarter!
But they held on! In the last four minutes, Yi Shui scored 10 points and 2 assists, Yao Ming scored 3 points and 1 assist, and Wang Zhizhi and Yi Jianlian each scored a basket, racking up 17 points and 30 points in the quarter!
Moreover, Yi Shui only had a few possessions and attacks in this quarter; most of the time, it was Wang Zhizhi and Yao Ming who initiated the offense...

On the other side, Coach K didn't seem to be in such a good mood. He had executed everything he wanted on offense, but they only won by two points in the quarter, and Durant hadn't rested for a second in the first half!
However, he noticed that his teammates' emotions were quite different from his own. Many of them looked relieved, and Durant, David Lee, Chandler, and others were saying things like "We finally withstood Big's offense"... He had mixed feelings.

It's a good thing that the opposing team's 30-point performance in a single quarter didn't affect their mentality. Back in the locker room, there was no need to make a fuss about helping the players adjust their mindset.

but!

They're the dream team!
Although Coach K has been a veteran of the basketball world for many years and has seen countless talents, he still doesn't quite understand just how powerful Yi Shui's influence is among the new generation of NBA superstars...

After halftime, the two teams switched halves and resumed play.

Team USA fielded a lineup of Billups, Curry, Durant, Odom, and Chandler.

The Chinese team fielded a lineup of Sun Yue, Wang Shipeng, Yi Shui, Yi Jianlian, and Yao Ming.

After the start of the third quarter, both teams entered a star-studded scoring mode!

For the Chinese team, at this point in the game, they can no longer rely on wing pitchers, so they can only rely on their star players.

Jonas sent Wang Shipeng on because this veteran pitcher dares to throw any pitch, has a stable mentality, and can ensure the smooth operation of the tactics.

On the American side, the problem is that they don't have any other opposite shooters besides Granger. Their tactical coordination can only be done when Yao Ming is not there and the Emperor-Giannis duo's sweeping defense is not working. The Chinese team's overall style is very similar to an NBA team. If the score is close in the third quarter, they will definitely have to compete on star players... So Coach K will compete on star players with the other team!
In the first half, the two teams were evenly matched, with the Chinese team having a clear advantage in the paint. The trio of Yi Shui, Yi Jianlian, and Yao Ming gave Durant, Odom, and Chandler a hard time.

The US team had a clear advantage on the perimeter. Billups and Curry showed no mercy at this point. Billups's one-on-one shots and Curry's pick-and-roll offense with Chandler were also very well executed.

Of course, the most crucial moment was when Durant returned from halftime and went toe-to-toe with Yi Shui's combination of drives and shots in long-range offense.

With 6 minutes and 58 seconds left in the third quarter, the score was 21-20. The US team scored one more point on a second attack, bringing the score to 77-75, giving them a slight advantage.

When it was China's turn to attack, Sun Yue passed the ball to Yao Ming, who was a step outside the free-throw line. Yi Shui circled around the baseline, and after Yao Ming passed the ball hand-off, he blocked Durant's pursuit. Yi Shui then drove around the cones and, like a sharp blade, pierced straight into the basket, stopping Odom who was coming to help, and scored a layup.

77-77, China has tied the score!

In the transition between offense and defense, Durant received the ball and went one-on-one. He faked a drive, stepped back, shook off Yi Shui's contact, raised the ball, and launched a fadeaway three-pointer over the onrushing Yi Shui... It went too short!
The ball grazed the front edge of the rim, close to the net, and bounced vertically downwards into Yao Ming's arms!
Seeing Curry, Odom, and Billups rushing towards the backcourt, Yi Shui received a pass from Yao Ming and passed it to Liu Wei. Instead of launching a fast break, he knew the opportunity had arrived and he couldn't rush it.

Liu Wei advanced to the frontcourt, shielded the ball with his buttocks sticking out from Billups, and passed it to Yi Shui, who had run to the right 45-degree angle.

Yi Shui feinted, but couldn't shake Durant, who was taller than him. However, he took a step forward, stopped and started abruptly, and Durant couldn't keep up with his footwork no matter how hard he tried!

Yi Shui blew past Durant and came to the right side of the free throw line. Facing Odom who was helping on defense, he pulled up and took a jump shot... and it went in!
79-77, China takes the lead!

Yi Shui scored 9 points in the quarter, bringing his total to 30 points, surpassing Durant's 29 points and becoming the highest scorer in the game!
He missed his shot and Yi Shui scored, causing the score to be reversed... When the US team attacked, Durant continued to ask for the ball and go one-on-one!

However, Durant missed his next two shots, while on the other side, Yi Shui continued to play high post with Yao Ming. Yi Shui made a pull-up jumper after receiving a handoff, and Yao Ming made a fake pass that tricked Chandler and Durant into double-teaming Yi Shui before turning around and shooting a long two-pointer... China's lead widened to 6 points!
In the final moments of the quarter, Billups himself came into play, dribbling and stepping back, then hitting a fadeaway three-pointer over Sun Yue's interference.

But then, Yi Jianlian called for the ball and faced up to attack, shaking off Odom and driving into the paint for a layup!

This time, Curry missed a three-pointer in the first half... After three quarters, the Chinese team led the American team 86-80!
This is not over yet!

Unwilling to accept that his team had been overtaken because of him, Durant continued to demand the ball and attack relentlessly after the break.

But the performance he delivered...

They launched four consecutive attacks at the start, but only made one of their three shots, including a forced floater from close range. They were also intercepted by Yi Shui once!
Although the Chinese team only scored one point in three set plays, with Wang Shipeng hitting a three-pointer from the wing, Yi Shui stole the ball and launched a counterattack. Yi Jianlian followed up with a dunk for two points and drew a foul from Rossla, making the free throw...

中国队末节开局4个回合打出6比2的比分，总比分来到92比82，分差拉开到10分，打停美国队！
...

Coach K was about to explode!
Durant is willing to take responsibility and dares to take one-on-one when behind, which is good, but his performance has declined... no, it should be said that he has collapsed, and the collapse was too sudden!

在第三节那次暂停前，杜兰特打了27分钟，首节10分、第二节11分、第三节前7分钟拿到8分，15投10中！其中三分球7中4！加上5中5的罚球！投篮命中率过六成、三分命中率过五成、罚球命中率百分百！
After this run of 6 shots, making only 1, his shooting percentage dropped to 11 of 21, almost falling below 50%!

Seeing Yi Shui return to the bench, he was panting and wiping away sweat, but his condition was much better than Durant's. It was just the normal performance expected in the final quarter... Wait, Coach K remembered the last moments of the second quarter when he didn't dare to substitute Durant because Yi Shui had taken possession of the ball and scored 6 points and 1 assist...

Their strategy of wearing down Yi Shui failed, and the opposing team countered their strategy by bringing out Wang Zhizhi as a surprise weapon. Conversely, their Durant was also worn down by the opposing team's star players? How could that Jonas think that far ahead?
This time, Coach K really overthought things. The current situation is simply a normal backlash from his strategy failing, and Durant's stamina couldn't keep up as he launched a relentless attack for three quarters in an international game, throwing up over 20 shots...

Team USA made no substitutions, continuing with the lineup of Billups, Curry, Durant, Odom, and Chandler.

Coach K was at his wit's end; he had no one to score the points!

Using Rose, Westbrook, and Iguodala at this point? His mind is filled with nightmarish images from the 06 World Championship.

For the Chinese team, they substituted in a combination of Sun Yue, Yi Shui, Zhou Peng, Yi Jianlian, and Yao Ming.

After the timeout, the game turned into... a duel between Yi Shui and Curry!

Billups will be 36 in about ten days, and he didn't rest for a second in the second half, so he's already too tired to play recklessly; Durant couldn't play recklessly anymore by the end of the third quarter; and it's unrealistic to expect Odom and Chandler to catch up.

It's Curry now!
For the Chinese team, Yao Ming played 13 minutes in the first half and didn't rest for a second in the second half, reaching 25 minutes of playing time. His rim protection was okay, but his offense consisted mainly of passing, receiving, and shooting. Yi Jianlian, like Yi Shui, didn't rest for a second. It was good enough that he could help the Emperor-Julius duo maintain the defense. Zhou Peng came up to help Yi Shui relieve the defensive pressure and torment Durant.

Only the Yi River can be attacked!
The two players went head-to-head, eliciting wild cheers from fans from both China and the United States who were present at the scene.

Curry faced Yi Shui's direct defense without fear, and instead played very aggressively. After a pick-and-roll with Chandler, he took consecutive shots, hitting two three-pointers in the middle of the quarter. In addition, after missing a three-pointer, Odom made a putback, and they went on an 8-2 run, narrowing the gap to 4 points at one point!
But then, facing Durant's faltering defense, Yi Shui broke into the paint twice in a row, once scoring with a hook shot over Chandler's help defense, and the other time drawing a foul on Curry on the wing and making both free throws, widening the gap back to 8 points... withstanding the last wave of counterattack from the American team launched by the elementary school student!
At 9:58 PM, the final buzzer sounded as Durant missed a three-pointer against Zhou Peng, Chandler grabbed a rebound and threw it out, and Curry's three-pointer was blocked by Yi Shui's defense...

The cheers from the fans reached an extreme, as if they were about to lift the ceiling of the Dome Arena!
At this moment, fans from the United States are also cheering for Yishui!
Curry and Durant, already exhausted, looked at the scorer's table, unwilling to accept the reality, but the bright red score told them that they had lost!

Durant took 24 shots tonight, making 11, including 4 of 10 three-pointers, plus 7 of 7 free throws, for a total of 33 points.

库里22投10中，其中三分球12中5，加上4中4的罚球，拿到29分。

We lost again!

首节9分、第二节12分、第三节11分、末节13分……34投15中，其中三分球13中6，加上10中9的罚球，易水狂轰45分！
加上姚明的18分8板6助攻、易建联的17分13板1助攻2盖帽、王治郅的9分4板4助攻……中国队以107比102险胜美国队！
On the other side, after the final whistle blew, the entire Chinese team ran towards the "Big Three" in the frontcourt, surrounded them, and shouted: "We are the world champions!"

(End of this chapter)