The basketball slipped from his hands, and along with his body which was already halfway up the air, he fell uncontrollably and crashed to the ground.
After landing, Sun Meng rolled over, dissipating most of the force, but felt a burning pain in her shoulder where she had been hit.
Lu Yu saw it clearly from a short distance away: Gesi lunged directly at Sun Meng's jumping position before even jumping to defend, a defensive foul that couldn't be clearer.
While the Chinese players were waiting for the referee to blow the whistle for a foul, Gesi grabbed the basketball and won the rebound.
Gesi tossed the ball to the opposite half of the court, where US point guard Phil catching it at a distance. He then sprinted towards the Chinese half, stopped beyond the three-point line, and made a light, easy three-pointer.
Cheers rose above the blue ocean.
The referee's lenient rulings had reached this point. Liu Du, who had been holding back his emotions for a long time, finally sighed and fell silent for a moment.
Zeng Ling, who was on the sidelines, immediately called a halt to the appeal.
Zeng Ling spoke fluent English, and her exaggerated gestures and subtle expressions revealed her anger and frustration at that moment.
The referee team's explanation was ridiculous, claiming that the collision occurred within the reasonable collision zone.
Zeng Ling continued to comment from the sidelines, saying, "Geshe's tackle was a moving tackle, not a vertical jump tackle. This is a foul even in the restricted area. The referee's statement is very unreasonable."
The referee team reviewed the video footage again, but ultimately rejected the Chinese team's appeal, giving a seemingly plausible reason for their judgment: Geshe jumped at the moment of the collision.
In order not to affect the players' mentality, Zeng Ling did not dare to waste too much time arguing with the referee team and was prepared to swallow his anger.
Before Zeng Ling could calm down, the scene was already in chaos.
Ji Yun and Ge Xi's argument got more and more heated, and Ji Yun was about to start a fight. Fortunately, other teammates pulled the two apart.
Inevitably, Ji Yun and Gexi each committed a violation.
Seeing that things were not going well, Zeng Ling immediately called a long timeout.
Both teams' players returned to the bench.
Team doctor Miao Li carefully examined Sun Meng's injuries. Fortunately, no bones or tendons were broken, which relieved Zeng Ling slightly.
Miao Li sprayed pain relief spray twice on Sun Meng's shoulder, which had been treated with ice, before Sun Meng's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a little.
As the camera panned across the screen, the redness and swelling on Sun Meng's shoulder remained remarkably noticeable.
The impactful visuals infuriated Chinese netizens thousands of miles away, resulting in a flood of comments in the live stream.
-Is Team America so fragile?-
- They resort to dirty tricks when the score is tied.
- What kind of person is Geshe?
- She's always played like this. The US team sent her on the court definitely to achieve their strategic goals.
-Hopefully Sun Meng's shoulder injury isn't serious.
-Does the American team have any sportsmanship at all?
-The legendary free and beautiful country, it just hasn't affected their interests yet.
- I agree with the comment above. If their hegemonic dominance is truly threatened, then they'll resort to any dirty tricks.
-The key issue is that with such lenient officiating, is there even room to stand under the basket?
Brothers and sisters, here's a slow-motion GIF. This isn't a foul, I'll eat my hat!
- Sun Meng's shoulder looks scary, it's all swollen. I'm so worried, I hope she's alright.
No matter how angry netizens are, they can't change the established outcome.
We still need to find a way to turn the tide on the field.
Zeng Ling pondered for a few seconds and made a decision, "Liu Min, Zhang Fan, warm up now."
Ji Yun watched Zhang Fan's back as he warmed up, her eyes stinging with tears.
During training camp, the Chinese team adjusted its lineup to deal with strong inside penetration and high-intensity collisions.
Center Luo Yan secured the rebounds, while power forward Liu Min and small forward Zhang Fan provided high-intensity defense to withstand the opponent's collisions.
To put it bluntly, Liu Min and Zhang Fan became punching bags, suppressing the interior defense no matter how the opponent charged at them.
Zeng Ling glanced at Ji Yun, who was pinned to the sidelines, looking indignant, and blurted out, "Ji Yun, wake up! This is the Olympic Finals, not a place for you to throw a tantrum. There are some things I can't say right now, but I must tell you, if you really get disqualified today, you'll regret it for the next four years!"
Zeng Ling's shouting was quite loud.
Chu Feiyu and Sun Meng glanced at Lu Yu immediately.
Lu Yu, who had been training like crazy to secure a spot on the provincial team's substitute roster, had been tormented by this feeling for far too long...
Lu Yu chuckled softly upon hearing Chu Feiyu and Sun Meng's thoughts, and silently patted Sun Meng on the shoulder.
In fact, what Zeng Ling couldn't say, each player probably understood to some extent.
In a US-China showdown, especially in the finals, the referees, whether out of a desire to avoid offending either side or to ensure the match's excitement, tend to be lenient in their rulings.
Unless it's an obvious foul, referees generally won't deliberately cause trouble. Frequent whistles also affect the viewing experience, which is a common occurrence in many finals.
Zhang Fan walked to Ji Yun's side and whispered, "Trust me."
Ji Yun wiped the water from her mouth, took Zhang Fan's wristband, and carefully put it on Zhang Fan's wrist.
No words are needed; all the encouragement and trust are conveyed through these silent actions.
Zeng Ling rearranged the tactics, saying, "Luo Yan, Liu Min, Zhang Fan, the three of you should try not to force layups in the restricted area. By the end of the second quarter, try to keep the score difference within 10 points, but don't force it. The first priority is to ensure your own safety, understand?"
The female basketball players who were about to take the court gathered around Zeng Ling, listening intently, and nodded in unison.
Zeng Ling specifically instructed Sun Meng, "Don't attempt a second layup in the second quarter."
He then added, "If Geshe hadn't been in the restricted area and had continued to charge like that, she would have been penalized. It would have been best if she had fouled out in the second quarter."
The whistle blew again.
Players from both sides gradually returned to the field.
"The Chinese team has made personnel changes," Liu Du said. "Ji Yun and Sun Meng have been replaced by small forward Zhang Fan and power forward Liu Min."
Meng Xiaotong speculated, "The situation on the field has suddenly changed, and Ji Yun doesn't seem to be in a good mood either. Coach Zeng Ling may be considering giving our main players some time to calm down."
"The second quarter is crucial. Once the American team pulls ahead by a large margin, it will be very difficult to catch up. The American players are particularly reliant on their performance on the court, so the Chinese team needs to grit their teeth and hold on," Feng Xu explained.
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