14 to 22.
After Xu Yong scored 6 points in a row, the Devils team widened the score again.
The effect that Sandek wanted was achieved perfectly.
The pressure suddenly came to the Tigers, or Evans.
The Devils' starting lineup and substitutes were very active in defense tonight, especially in this period of home court. In this situation, only Evans could break through.
Now the hopes of the whole village rest on him.
Evans once again did not disappoint. He made a series of large changes of direction with a low center of gravity to pass DeRozan, and before Xu Yong could help defend, he took a long European step to the right, confronted Boateng, and put the ball into the basket, causing Boateng to commit a defensive foul.
Mature skills, tough confrontation, and letting him play as a substitute, this is Zhao Weilun in the U19 World Youth Championship, what a waste of talent!
Evans, who scored 2+1, looked very calm and just stretched out his hand and clenched his fist.
In addition to his physical and technical qualities, he is also very strong mentally.
After hitting the free throw despite the interference from the crowd, Evans' personal score reached 9 points, second only to Xu Yong's 10 points.
What’s more important is that after he scored these three points in a row, the score difference on the field returned to 5 points, and the suspense of the game was brought back.
Xu Yong continued to hold the ball in the frontcourt, and at this time the Tigers' defensive focus was all on him.
In fact, it is not an exaggeration to say that Evans' performance after he stood up from the bench was that of a savior.
If it weren't for Xu Yong's continued performance after returning to the court, he would have led the team to catch up with the score difference by now.
Therefore, the key for them now is to limit Xu Yong's scoring. If they fail to do so, they will have no chance of turning the point around.
Xu Yong held the ball with one hand and prepared to start with a falling step.
This is actually a triple threat posture. Xu Yong has continuously demonstrated his current shooting and breakthrough level.
But this time he neither broke through nor shot, but directly threw the ball above the basket.
Three threats, but there is still a pass!
He attracted the defensive attention of the Tigers, while DeRozan took the opportunity to rush to the basket with Boateng's off-ball pick-and-roll.
Leading the way with the ball, DeRozan soared into the air and even did a windmill move after catching the ball in the air.
“Bang!”
The moment the ball went into the basket, the Wells Fargo Arena was boiling!
DeRozan is a Southern California native, and while he’s a local celebrity, he’s still a stranger to most people in Tempe and even Phoenix.
Moreover, DeRozan showed more skills before, but this alley-oop showed physical fitness that is comparable to Xu Yong!
DeRozan high-fived Xu Yong while retreating to defense, with a look of joy on his face.
Although compared with Harden, the time he played with Xu Yong was limited, but he gave Xu Yong a dunk at the beginning of the game, and Xu Yong returned the favor with one. Perhaps it was because both of them were dunkers, so they had a natural understanding.
This dunk also reignited the enthusiasm of the fans, and the shouts of "defense" once again resounded throughout the stadium.
Evans used the same European step to get to the basket, but this time Xu Yong took advantage of Boateng's body to jump up and gave Evans a solid block!
The rebound was protected by Boateng and then quickly passed to Xu Yong, who counterattacked with the ball.
DeRozan on the outside also turned around and rushed down the court immediately.
Xu Yong made a long pass after leaving the three-point line.
There was a defender in front of DeRozan. He dribbled the ball forward while observing Xu Yong's follow-up position.
By the time he advanced to the front three-point line, Xu Yong had already passed the midfield.
Seeing this, he accelerated towards the basket, then suddenly threw the ball towards the backboard.
This choice confused the defender. Is DeRozan possessed by Tim Duncan and trying to throw the ball high and rebound?
But the distance is too far!
Before the defender could figure out what was going on, he turned around and saw another figure flying past him.
Cheers had already been heard at the scene in advance.
DeRozan didn't shoot off the bank, he dunked off the bank!
In the past I only heard of throwing the ball to yourself and dunking it by yourself, but now it’s me throwing the ball and you dunking it, and the cheese is rising!
The center of gravity of the basketball was low after it bounced off the backboard. After Xu Yong received the ball, he swung it up from a low point and made a windmill-like two-handed slam dunk.
“Bang!”
The ball was slammed into the basket heavily, and the huge muffled sound came through the loudspeaker, which was so powerful!
The Wells Fargo Arena was in complete chaos.
What a magical combination!
The Tigers called a timeout immediately.
In the past two rounds, Xu Yong and DeRozan were no longer playing basketball, but having fun. They did not treat the Tigers as human beings.
DeRozan was also extremely excited at this time. He ran to Xu Yong and jumped up and bumped his chest with him.
The attempt just now was actually very risky, because it was just a judgment he made in a split second. If Xu Yong didn't understand it, it would most likely be a mistake.
But the facts proved that he and Xu Yongzhen had a natural understanding. The moment he threw the ball, Xu Yong had already taken a run-up and jumped.
What is the tacit understanding that as soon as I give you a look, you say “go, go into the house”?
This ball will make the front page headlines of today's NCAA news!
On the Devils' bench, Harden looked even more excited than Xu Yong and DeRozan. He walked up to them and high-fived them vigorously, and also swung his hands in a big circle to imitate the windmill move that Xu Yong had just made for the dunk.
At the same time, the action was also replayed on the large LED screen on site, causing another round of cheers from the audience.
There is a topic that is often discussed by fans, which is what it would be like if McGrady and Kobe played together.
This was most discussed in the summer of 2004, when McGrady was about to leave the Magic.
But in the end, McGrady went to the Rockets, and the two's collaboration ultimately came to nothing.
Fans who are still looking forward to this can only go to the amateur league to look for highlights of the two players' cooperation.
But tonight, [Kobe's 7-pointer] DeRozan and [McCaw's successor] Xu Yong, the cooperation between the two gave people a glimpse of Kobe and McGrady playing together.
That means there is a flight attendant in the stadium. You throw the ball and then I throw it. It’s the city of alley-oops!
…
In the end, the Devils defeated the Tigers 86-66 in the season opener.
For the Devils team, Xu Yong contributed a team-high 22 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, Harden scored 16 points and 5 assists, and DeRozan scored 12 points and 3 assists.
On the Tigers side, Evans became the lone hero, scoring a team-high 21 points, plus 5 rebounds and 7 assists.
Although this was just an invitational tournament and there was no question of revenge, Sandek achieved his goal and even exceeded expectations.
This game not only helped the players of the Devil's team get rid of psychological pressure, but also helped them build up strong self-confidence.
Although Ross is no longer on the Tigers, Evans' strength is obvious to all. And after all, this is a match between the 9th and 12th in the survey. Before the game, no one expected it to be such a one-sided situation.
All I can say is that the Devils showed too many unexpected things in the opening game.
Therefore, it is foreseeable that if they continue to perform like this, their ranking may continue to rise when the new survey list comes out.
After the game, the players went back to the locker room one after another. After taking a shower and changing clothes, it was time to go back and rest.
Xu Yong and Harden walked out of the locker room together. Just as they came out, a man in a suit and tie stood at the door and looked at them with a smile.
Both of them were stunned for a moment because they recognized each other.
"I'm Steve Kerr, Xu, can we sit down and talk?" Just when Xu Yong thought that the other party was looking for Harden, Kerr smiled and extended his hand to him.