When the game ended, most of the players rushed to the court to celebrate, and Xu Yong and Yao Ming were also shouting excitedly on the bench.
Reaching the semi-finals seemed like a natural outcome, but the final, which had only been a scene of expectation and imagination, was finally achieved by them!
Domestic fans are going even crazier. The World Series finals, a term that has always been associated with women’s basketball, will finally be with the men’s basketball team this time. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event!
Of course, while they were excited, they didn't feel that surprised.
Because compared to the 2008 men's basketball team, Yao Ming's strength has declined but not much. Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue have grown to their peak. Zhu Fangyu, Liu Wei and Wang Zhizhi are also on par with them before. Coupled with Wang Shipeng's hot form, the overall strength is obviously much stronger.
In fact, in the history that Xu Yong lived in, this Chinese men's basketball team (the version without Yao Ming) only won one game, and the media people led by Yang Yi wantonly smeared Durant, which led to the fans having a very bad impression of them, and few people really paid attention to how they played.
However, if you look closely at their results, you will find that they beat Greece 81-89, Cote d'Ivoire 83-73, Puerto Rico 76-84, Russia 80-89, and Lithuania 67-78.
If Yao Ming had not been injured, it would have been a high probability that the men's basketball team would have made it to the quarterfinals, and the chance of breaking history would also have been great.
Of course, the most important thing now is that Xu Yong, who was almost a supporting role in 2008, is now the best rookie in the NBA. He is a potential star who is competing against James and completing the black eight. Even his playing style is as killer as Durant in FIBA.
In addition, the quality of each team in this year's World Championships, including the US team, is much weaker than in the 2008 Olympics. This result can be said to be entirely the result of the Chinese team's normal performance.
You might think that defeating the United States in the group stage was a surprise, but in fact it was a reflection of our strength.
In the stands, Durant looked excited.
This is his first time participating in the World Series this year, so he doesn't know anything about the 2008 men's basketball team, or who is stronger or weaker. He just thinks that the Chinese team has made it to the finals, and that is the result he wants most.
The World Championships have never been well received by domestic fans, and stars were reluctant to participate. In the end, the Dream Team 9 had the worst lineup in history.
Therefore, fans in the United States do not feel that they can do anything.
Therefore, Durant’s first and only goal in this World Championship is to lead this dream team to the top.
But losing to the Chinese team in the opening match of the group stage was a heavy blow to them.
Although they quickly adjusted and regained their form later, they always felt that something was missing.
Now he understood that what he lacked was a chance to win back.
Now, everything is God's best arrangement.
Thinking of this, and seeing that the Chinese team's celebration was almost over, Durant went straight down the court to find Xu Yong.
Xu Yong had just finished chatting with Zhang Weiping and was about to look for Thibodeau in the stands, but when he looked up, he saw Durant walking towards him.
He was a little surprised.
"Great show." Durant walked closer and praised his performance tonight.
"Thank you." Xu Yong thanked politely.
"But the championship is ours. I told you, I won't make the same mistake a second time," Durant continued.
Xu Yong now knew what Durant was here for. It seemed that he felt that he had finally gotten a chance for revenge, and his impatience was very Durant.
He was not angry, but still smiled and said: "Someone is going to win the championship, why can't it be us?"
Durant was stunned for a moment. Xu Yong's neither arrogant nor humble answer was completely beyond his expectations.
After coming to his senses, he said "See you in the final" and turned and left.
"What did he talk to you about?" The next second, Yao Ming noticed what was happening here and came over to ask.
Xu Yong saw that it was Yao Ming and didn't want to cause trouble for him, so he smiled and replied, "Nothing, he asked me to be gentle."
Yao Ming was stunned for a moment, then rolled his eyes at Xu Yong and said, "I don't believe you."
But he was so smart that he probably guessed what Durant was here for. He looked up in Durant's direction and said, "This is our best chance."
Xu Yong also looked in Durant's direction and nodded.
To defeat the Dream Team, especially in the knockout stage, besides being strong enough, it also depends on the quality of the Dream Team.
As for the Dream Team, even if you are a big shot, it may not be of any use.
But the Dream Team 5 and Dream Team 6, which were defeated later, were much inferior in quality.
This Dream Team is the worst in history. The clear division of roles is all fake. If you take Durant away, it's nothing.
What's more, the Chinese team won the opponent in the group stage, so they also have a psychological advantage.
As for the London Olympics, Kobe, James and Anthony will all return to the team, and with Durant, the Chinese team's chances are slim.
So just like Yao Ming said, this is the best opportunity, and if you miss it, you will miss it forever.
"Brother Yao, I have something to discuss with you." After retracting his gaze, Xu Yong spoke.
…
The World Championships final, a battle between China and the United States.
These few words alone are enough to attract the attention of domestic fans.
Whether you were watching the game or not, everyone stayed up all night in front of the TV.
This is the final of the men's three major ball events!
If he really wins the championship, the achievement will be no less than a Chinese winning the gold medal in the men's 100-meter race. It will not only create history, but will also mark history!
At the final venue in Istanbul, 80% of the fans were Chinese.
The Chinese team’s “home court” returned after disappearing for just one night.
However, in addition to the fans, there were also many players from other national teams at the scene, some of whom were national team coaches leading their entire team.
The strength of the Chinese team in this World Championships is obvious to all. They are also the only team that has defeated the United States. If anyone can beat this dream team, it must be them.
Half an hour before the start of the game, players from both sides entered the field one after another to begin the final warm-up, followed by the opening ceremony.
When the American team came on the court, cheers broke out from the audience.
The NBA's influence is now at its peak worldwide, especially in China because of Xu Yong and Yao Ming. So when looking at these familiar stars, cheering is instinctive.
Even the most inconspicuous Curry enjoyed a wave of cheers.
This made the players of the US team feel very good, and Durant even smiled and seemed to be enjoying it a little.
But when the Chinese team came on the court, the difference in decibels made him quickly put away his smile.
Especially the appearance of Xu Yong and Yao Ming was deafening.
Feeling the enthusiasm of the fans, Xu Yong and Yao Ming looked at each other after they came on the court, and then nodded at the same time.
After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of the two teams were announced one after another.
Chinese team: Sun Yue, Xu Yong, Zhu Fangyu, Yi Jianlian, Yao Ming;
Team USA: Billups, Iguodala, Durant, Odom, Chandler.
Because it was the second match, the American team sent out the best lineup that performed against the Chinese team in the previous group stage, which also shows that Old K attached great importance to the team in a completely different way than in the group stage.
"beep!"
As the whistle sounded, Yao Ming passed the ball back to the Chinese team's half and the game officially started.
The Chinese team still played against Yao Ming at the beginning, while the American team resolutely double-teamed him, and Yao Ming decisively passed the ball to Zhu Fangyu on the outside.
Zhu Fangyu received the ball and shot a three-pointer.
“Swish!”
The knife fell with a sudden movement.
In the last semi-final, the Turks fully enjoyed the home advantage, and this time it is the Chinese team's turn.
In the transition from offense to defense, Durant ran an off-ball tactic, but Xu Yong used puppy steps to follow him closely. When he was unable to run outside the three-point line to receive the ball, Xu Yong still defended him closely and did not give him space to move freely.
After he tried for a while without any chance to pass the ball back to Billups, he tried to run without the ball, but Xu Yong continued to stick to him like a dog-skin plaster and he couldn't get rid of him.
This is a much tighter defense than during the group stage, and it doesn't take physical energy into account.
He finally stopped helplessly and looked at Xu Yong speechlessly: You are not going to score tonight, right?
Xu Yong ignored Durant's gaze and just maintained his defensive pressure.
The US team's attack in this round was ultimately unsuccessful, and the rebound was protected by Yao Ming.
However, the American team learned their lesson after being beaten once. Instead of rushing to grab frontcourt rebounds, they quickly retreated and did not give the Chinese team a chance to counterattack.
There is nothing wrong with this choice, but it gives a different feeling from the perspective of other team members.
After all, the only team in this World Championships that can push the American team to this point is the Chinese team.
The two sides entered into a positional battle. The Chinese team's playing style did not change much from before. They used Yao Ming's restraining power in the interior to create opportunities for the outside. The American team's response was to double-team Yao Ming and then pinch a few key points.
The only difference is that they did not miss Zhu Fangyu like they did in the last round.
However, there will always be someone left out when double-teaming, and this time it was Yi Jianlian who was left open.
Yao Ming passed the ball, Yi Jianlian took a look at the three-point line and took a three-point shot.
His shooting speed was not fast to begin with, and this habitual movement made it even slower. However, the American team seemed to know that he could not make the shot, and did not rotate to him immediately.
He made some mistakes in and out, and by the time Iguodala pounced, Yi Jianlian had already made his shot.
“Swish!”
Yi Jianlian made the shot!
When Xu Yong saw this, a smile appeared on his face.
The strategy he had discussed with Yao Ming before was actually very simple, that is, he would be responsible for locking down Durant, and Yao Ming would be responsible for leading the team's offense.
Because after the running-in, this dream team is indeed a level stronger than it was in the group stage, but they still cannot get rid of the problem of over-reliance on Durant.
So limiting Durant is more useful than doing anything else.
The Lithuanian team actually thinks so too, but they don't have players like the Chinese team who can limit Durant.
Judging from the first two rounds, the effect was better than expected because of the Chinese team's hot three-point shooting from the outside.
Durant didn't believe it, so he ran around half the court after reaching the front court. But when he turned around and looked carefully, Xu Yong's handsome face was still in front of him.
This is really the case of "you run and I chase, you can't fly away even if you have wings."
But now he was in a passive position at the start and he could only fight hard.
After taking the initiative to receive the ball at the three-point line, he shot directly at Xu Yongyan without any unnecessary movements.
However, Xu Yong's ball showed another defensive move of Tony Allen, bouncing the ball.
When you are shooting, try to dribble the ball. It would be best if you can drop the ball and steal the ball. If you can't, your shot will be incoherent.
This strategy was indeed effective. Although Durant's core strength allowed him to control the ball steadily, the force of his shot was obviously too strong.
The ball finally hit the back edge of the basket and missed the target, but the rebound was successfully secured by Yi Jianlian.
The US team failed to score in two consecutive rounds at the beginning!
"Hey, Xiao Xu restricted Durant today. The American team is a bit helpless~" Zhang Weiping said happily at the commentary booth.
At this time, people who understand football have actually seen through the Chinese team's strategy. Zhang Weiping can see it, and Old K naturally knows it too.
But being able to see it and being able to respond to it are two different things.
Because the pick-and-roll screen didn't work for Xu Yong, Durant's one-on-one effect didn't look very good tonight.
Moreover, when a person only focuses on defense, his defensive effect is actually stronger than normal.
This is just like what Zhang Weiping said, there is nothing we can do.
During the Chinese team's offense, Yi Jianlian got another chance to make a three-pointer. However, this time the American team switched defense quickly and he did not have a direct chance to shoot.
He passed the ball to Sun Yue at the top of the arc, and then went over to set a pick-and-roll.
Sun Yue took advantage of Yi Jianlian's pick-and-roll and shot a three-pointer against Odom's defense.
“Swish!”
There is actually more!
The Chinese team made three consecutive three-pointers at the start!
They made up for all the three-pointers they missed in the previous game in tonight's game!
A blessing in disguise.
Old K couldn't help but wipe his sweat on the sidelines. He could never have imagined that the Chinese team would score these three points.
And then Old K stood up and signaled a tactical adjustment. After attacking the frontcourt, the US team gave up attacking Durant.
Billups was organizing the game, and Iguodala came out with the help of a screen to receive the ball without the ball, and then attacked the basket after receiving the ball. Shooting is not his specialty.
However, facing the basket guarded by Yao Ming, Iguodala's jump shot finally went wide of the basket.
At this time, there were already some noises of booing at the scene.
The dream team couldn't even get any points!
Moreover, after consecutive offensive and defensive failures, the morale of the American team was obviously somewhat collapsed, and the speed of retreat was far slower than before.
This gave the Chinese team an opportunity, and Yao Ming grabbed the defensive rebound and passed it to Xu Yong.
After Xu Yong quickly attacked the frontcourt, he passed the ball to Sun Yue who was following up, and at the same time pushed Billups out of the baseline.
Sun Yue knew that this was his chance to perform, so he jumped high with the ball and slammed it into the basket with both hands.
11 to 0!
The Chinese team beat the American team 11-0 at the start of the World Championship final!
Not only were the fans at the scene excited, but Zhang Weiping at the commentary booth couldn't care less at this moment.
"Someone has to win, why can't it be us!"
Yes, he was standing aside when Xu Yong was chatting with Durant!