On September 1, the match between the Chinese men's basketball team and the American Dream Team 5 finally started. When the Chinese team members arrived, another Group C match had already ended.
Algeria lost to Germany 70-102.
In other words, Group C has determined that China, the United States and Germany will qualify.
As the whistle sounded at the end of the match between Algeria and Germany, more and more fans began to pour into the arena. Most of them were local international students and overseas Chinese. There were also many American fans who appeared in the arena. Suddenly
In an ordinary group match, fans actually packed the entire stadium.
The interval between the two games was very short. After the on-site staff urgently cleaned up the traces left by the previous game in the arena, the Chinese team and the American team began to warm up.
In the interview area, Yao Ming looked relaxed and confident when being interviewed by CCTV reporter Yu Jia.
Yu Jia asked: "Seeing Dayao's expression, he must be very happy to know the news about qualifying?"
Yao Ming smiled and said: "Yes, of course I am happy to qualify, but what is even more happy is that I can play a game with the US team, and the game starts without any pressure!"
"As the United States is the strongest opponent in the AC group, have we made corresponding tactical arrangements?" Yu Jia then asked.
"Well... this is confidential. You can ask Wang Fei. He is the head coach. The tactics leaked by the head coach must be fake tactics."
"Haha, Dayao is really humorous. Last question, are you confident of entering the quarterfinals?"
"Of course." Yao Ming raised his chin, "Have you seen my beard? I told my teammates that I won't shave until I make it to the quarterfinals!"
Yu Jia was infected by his strong self-confidence and couldn't help but applaud him. Although his reason told him that it would be difficult for the Chinese men's basketball team to beat the United States in this game. After all, the American Dream Team has always been the number one team in the world.
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Although the Dream Team has begun to lose its invincible aura since the Sydney Olympics, their strength still cannot be underestimated.
But as a Chinese, Yu Jia believes that what the Chinese team needs at this time is encouragement, rather than preaching to tell them to recognize the reality.
"I look forward to your performance and the performance of the Chinese men's basketball team. I hope to see your clean chin at the closing ceremony of the World Championships. Chinese basketball fans stand behind you and cheer for you!"
Yao Ming nodded and said seriously: "Thank you! Definitely!"
Yao Ming did not reveal that in fact the team's goal is not the quarterfinals at all, but the final championship.
Yu Jia originally planned to interview Lu Yu, but Lu Yu refused.
Lu Yu just said calmly: "If you win the competition, come and interview me again..."
He knows the strength of the United States better than anyone else, so he is even more unwilling to be distracted before the game, even though this dream team has been called the worst dream team in history.
The head coach is Nuggets coach, George Karl.
Unlike in 2000, many top NBA players refused to play for their country, so the American Basketball Association had to choose to mainly compete with second-rate players.
But even if he is such a lame lion, he is still a lion...
Yu Jia ran from one end of the interview area to the other to interview Wang Fei, but Wang Fei just told him that if he wanted to be interviewed, please come back to the interview area after the game. By this time, he was about to enter the stadium.
There was no relaxed expression on Wang Fei's face at all.
Only he knows what kind of pressure he will face after this fight is over.
Sun Yiping took his seat in the live broadcast room early.
"CCTV……"
"CCTV……"
"Good evening everyone, I am currently broadcasting for you in the United States the match between the Chinese men's basketball team and the American men's basketball team in Group C of the men's basketball group stage of the World Basketball Championship."
"Actually, it's already 7 o'clock in the evening here in the United States, but I know it's morning in our country. Everyone is standing in front of the TV to support our Chinese men's basketball team. Yao Ming will challenge Ben Wallace's defense.
This will be the first time that Yao Ming faces top NBA defensive players...Today the Chinese team wears white jerseys and the American team wears black jerseys. From my visual inspection, the number of Chinese fans at the scene is half and half as many as American fans."
After all, in addition to domestic fans, there are also many Chinese Americans who come to support.
He cleared his throat and continued: "The Chinese team has four NBA players. This is the golden age of the Chinese men's basketball team. Not all players in the American men's basketball team are NBA players. For example, Nick Collison is a player at the University of Kansas.
, belongs to the NCAA professional league like Yi Jianlian of our Chinese men’s basketball team.”
"The game is about to begin. We see that the starting lineup of the Chinese team is center Yao Ming, power forward Wang Zhizhi, small forward Li Nan, shooting guard Lu Yu, and point guard Liu Wei."
"This is slightly different from what the media predicted before the game. No one expected that coach Wang Fei would mention Li Nan to the starting position. You must know that Hu Weidong was always the starting small forward. Lu Yu's position has not changed, and the point guard is still
It’s Liu Wei.”
"The arrangements made by men's basketball coach Wang Fei are beyond everyone's expectations, but overall the adjustment is not big."
Fans of the Chinese team chanted the names of Yao Ming and Lu Yu in the audience. The game had just started and the atmosphere in the stadium was already heated.
"The coach didn't let me start in the starting lineup because he was afraid that I would destroy the United States in a matter of seconds..." Zhu Fangyu thought quietly while sitting on the court.
In fact, he still wants to be able to start the game, but he knows that he is still a little worse than Li Nan in handling the ball. Just like Yi Jianlian next to him, in terms of physical talent, the two of them are definitely no worse than the veteran players of the team.
, it’s just that I have relatively little experience in competitions.
Yi Jianlian sat calmly on the stool, always preparing to play.
Although his playing opportunities are much smaller than Zhu Fangyu's.
There is actually not much competition for Zhu Fangyu's small forward position. The only three small forwards the team can play are Zhu Fangyu, Li Nan and Hu Weidong. Hu Weidong is still old, so physical strength is an issue.
The current national team competition between power forwards and centers is too fierce. Yao Ming, Battelle, Wang Zhizhi, Gong Xiaobin, Liu Yudong... even Battelle is a substitute, so he knows that he will not have much playing time.
Thinking of this, he envied Lu Yu on the court even more.
At this time, Lu Yu has become one of the leaders of the Chinese men's basketball team.
The referee threw the ball into the air and both sides jumped.
Yao Ming reached the ball with his fingertips when it reached the highest point. Ben Wallace missed it by just a little bit. Being tall is still useful.
Yao Ming easily passed the ball to Liu Wei.
In the future, Yao Ming may have a harder time jumping the ball against the jumping men in the NBA, but Ben Wallace obviously didn't take him to heart. As a result, he was careless and Yao Ming jumped to the ball.
Liu Wei quickly passed the half court with the ball and encountered an interception from the opposite side at the midline.
Standing in front of him is this year's NBA's 'assist king' - Andre Miller.
Andre Miller.
Height: 188 cm.
Weight: 91 kg.
Characteristics: Able to play singles in the low post, with flexible and changeable footsteps; not fast but able to organize fast breaks.
In the 2000-01 season, Andre Miller played in 82 games, starting all of them. He averaged 15.8 points, 8 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.45 steals per game. His assists per game ranked sixth in the league and first in the Eastern Conference.
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In the 2001-02 season, Andre Miller started all 81 games, averaging 16.5 points, 10.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.56 steals per game. He ranked first in the league in assists per game and total assists, becoming the league's assist king.
, ranking second in the league with 3 triple-doubles, and fifth in the league with 43 double-doubles.
If Reggie Miller is the spiritual leader of this Dream Five team, then Andre Miller is the brains of this team.
But no one knows that his best thing is not his passing, but his defense. Liu Wei struggled to face his defense, and after halftime, he quickly passed the ball to the three-point line.
Yao Ming.
Wang Fei frowned off the court. It was obvious that the team underestimated the opponent's defensive pressure.
Fortunately, after Yao Ming received the ball, he handed the ball over to Liu Wei. Yao Ming's offensive starting point was not at the three-point line. The reason why he brought it up was because he was too familiar with Liu Wei. From Liu Wei's dribbling movements, he could
We can see the defensive pressure Liu Wei faces.
This wave of reception relieved Liu Wei's pressure. Liu Wei took the ball and did not rush to dribble, but observed the situation on the court.
He didn't expect Andre Miller, who was guarding him, to directly increase his intensity. This was a bit unexpected.
With just one glance, Liu Wei understood his opponent's intention. The opponent simply pressed him after halftime and disrupted the offensive rhythm. As the team settled into position, the United States had already switched to a 2-3 zone defense formation.
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Team USA also plays a 2-3 zone defense?
Dream Team 5 head coach George Karl was also helpless. After playing a few games, he found that there was no particular advantage in playing one versus one, so he simply imitated European teams and played a zone defense.
Anyway, the NBA played a lot of zone defense last year.
Liu Wei couldn't help but regret a little. If he had noticed his opponent's intention immediately and directly found the shooter with the ball, there would have been an opening.
It's just that it's too late now, so we can only look for opportunities again.
"We can see that the U.S. team has set up a 2-3 zone defense formation... Let's take a look at the U.S. team's starting lineup." At this time, the list of starting players for both sides was displayed on the big screen, and the Chinese team's starting player Sun
Yiping has already introduced it before, he only needs to introduce the roster of the American team.
"The starting lineup for the United States: center Ben Wallace, power forward O'Neal Jr., small forward Paul Pierce, shooting guard Reggie Miller, and point guard Andre Miller."
"Comparing the lineups of the two sides, the Chinese team seems to be slightly inferior. On the inside, the Chinese team has the twin tower combination of Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi. Ben Wallace and O'Neal Jr. attack and defend. I don't know if the Yao-Wang combination can handle it.
Wow, I finally know why coach Wang Fei replaced Li Nan, because the small forward position is the strongest point of the US team, Paul Pierce. Maybe he wanted to hope that Li Nan, who has better defense, can slightly restrict the opponent, and the shooting guard went to land.
Yu is stronger than Reggie Miller, which Lu Yu has proven in the NBA, and Liu Wei's opponent is Andre Miller... Liu Wei passed the ball, and Li Nan directly passed the ball after receiving the ball.
The ball was passed to Wang Zhizhi, who stood in a high position and lobbed the ball directly to Yao Ming without stopping. Yao Ming scored and the Chinese team took the lead!"
The Chinese fans in the audience suddenly became excited. They gave this attack a warm applause and hoped that the Chinese team could continue to perform such wonderful performances.
Wang Zhizhi mentioned the position of the free throw line. The two defenders did not dare to shrink. Only O'Neal in the middle area stepped in. Once O'Neal came out, Yao Ming was given enough room to display in the interior.
The camera was now focused on Lu Yu. This wave of offensive basketball passed through the hands of four players and did not reach Lu Yu's hands at all.
What is Lu Yu doing?
He's running!
When Liu Wei passed the ball to Li Nan, he cut directly into the US team's defensive area from a 45-degree angle, forcing the US team to shrink its defense. When Wang Zhizhi received the ball, he slipped to the bottom corner again, because he
With excellent three-point ability, the US team's defensive area can only continue to expand, so Yao Ming can score the ball steadily.
Lu Yu was very calm under the camera. He was just running in and out according to Wang Fei's request. This time, Yao Ming had a chance to fight. If the opponent is too tight next time, it will be his turn to take action.
Wang Fei nodded with satisfaction. In terms of understanding of team tactics, no one on the Chinese team could surpass Lu Yu.
The most important thing is that every time Lu Yu runs, he can hit the timing very accurately.
George Karl, the head coach of the U.S. team, was stunned. A layman is watching the excitement, but an expert is watching the door. Only those who truly understand basketball will understand how fatal an excellent free-handed movement can be to a zone defense.
It’s not just shooting that can break a zone defense…
"Little O'Neal of the U.S. team asked for the ball under the basket." Sun Yiping shouted: "Andre Miller easily hit the ball and handed the ball to Little O'Neal's hands, and then he slipped past Little O'Neal and crossed the baseline.
, opened up space for O'Neal Jr.... O'Neal Jr. turned around and feinted, Wang Zhizhi didn't take advantage of his feint, he turned back again... Be careful, it's Andre Miller's air cut!"
Just when everyone thought that O'Neal Jr. would pass the ball to Pierce on the outside because he was unable to play, he actually made a sharp pass and passed the basketball to Andre Miller.
Andre Miller throws!
Hit!
Lu Yu chased behind Andre Miller and watched helplessly as the ball fell into the basket.
"Blame me!"
He took the initiative to indicate that he didn't guard the ball well. When he was blocked, Yao Ming actually wanted to make up for it, but Lu Yu shouted: "No change!"
That is to say, Lu Yu did not ask for a change of defense, but bypassed the defense and chased behind Andre Miller. He was worried that Yao Ming would suffer a loss in defending Andre Miller after the change.
To win this game, Wang Zhizhi and Yao Ming play a much greater role than him, so ensuring Yao Ming's physical strength is the most important thing.
The two sides tied at 2:2.
Liu Wei played for half of the game. This time he learned smartly and passed the ball directly to Li Nan who had already run out of the open space without any extra movements. As soon as Li Nan reached the 45-degree angle, his ball also arrived. Li Nan made a three-pointer.
The ball hit the basket and missed.
…
"Little O'Neal once again beat Yao Ming, and the strength of the two of them was evenly matched. He forced himself to the inside again, and one of them tried to squeeze Yao Ming away and get out of the shooting gap... He squeezed away, but his elbow swung.
The referee's whistle sounded, and O'Neal was called for an offensive foul. Yao Ming defended it really well!"
…
Yao Ming made a hook shot under the basket.
…
O'Neal Jr. immediately returned one.
…
"Yao Ming has played very well during this period, and the team's defense has also done well. However, the shooting percentages of other players on the Chinese team, especially the outside players, are not high. On the contrary, the American team has already hit the first three-pointer in the game.
Now we need one person to step forward and put pressure on the US team from the outside. Otherwise, if there is no pressure from the outside, the opponent will unscrupulously shrink the defense... Lu Yu! It was Lu Yu who stepped up!"
Before he finished speaking, Lu Yu, who understood the situation better than him on the court, was already ready to take action. Lu Yu shouted to Liu Wei when Liu Wei had just passed half-time:
"Give me the ball!"
Andre Miller narrowed his eyes. He knew that the most difficult outside player of the Chinese team finally showed his fangs at this time!
He took a step forward and left his defensive area.
The teammates behind him immediately understood, and the U.S. team's defensive formation instantly adjusted to man-to-man defense.
The head coach of the US team, George Karl, has already arranged that if it is man-to-man, the one who will defend Lu Yu will not be Reggie Miller. Reggie Miller is too old and cannot keep up with Lu Yu, so the one who will defend Lu Yu is
,Andre Miller.
Wang Fei stood up nervously. He knew that this attack was crucial, because Andre Miller wanted to personally stifle Lu Yu's attack!
