NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

Amidst the players' confident and resounding shouts, Jonas nodded in satisfaction, signaling that the starting players could take the field!
Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Zhu Fangyu, Sun Yue, and Lin Tian!
These five players constitute the starting five for the Chinese team, which is also the strongest lineup that the Chinese team can field.

Hmm, maybe that's the strongest lineup.

Because their bench also has veterans like Da Zhi with many years of NBA experience and erratic shooter Wang Shipeng, among others.

It's worth mentioning that in the latter half of the warm-up matches, the team's small forward and veteran Li Nan suffered an ankle injury. After diagnosis and evaluation by various medical parties, the medical team determined that Li Nan would be unable to return to the field and participate in this Olympic Games.

No matter how reluctant or unwilling Li Nan and everyone else are, ultimately, if he can't play, the men's basketball team has to make a replacement.

Fortunately, Li Nan himself was quite understanding. Although he was unwilling to miss the home Olympics, he still took the initiative to apply to leave the team.

Fortunately, he was injured relatively early, giving the men's basketball team time to make final adjustments.

Therefore, Xu Yong, who had just finished the Summer League and performed well in it, averaging 14 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists per game, was added to the team as the twelfth player.

It's hard to say at this point how this new NBA lottery pick compares to Zhu Fangyu in terms of ability.

Regardless, the Chinese men's basketball team still has a fairly complete roster. In terms of depth and strength, they are only inferior to the US team!

Argentina has also fielded its strongest lineup to date!
Oberto, Scola, Nocioni, Ginobili, Prigioni.

Of these five, four are active NBA players, while the only one who hasn't played in the NBA, Prigioni, was the MVP of the Spanish Super League just last season. Although Prigioni is not an NBA player now, he will be in four years.

At the age of 35, Prigioni joined the NBA and became the oldest rookie in NBA history!

Delfino, who is also on the bench, plays for an NBA team.

Argentina's roster is absolutely luxurious in the world of basketball today!
However, they were still no match for the Chinese team!
With the referee's whistle, the basketball was tossed high into the air, and Yao Ming easily defeated the blue-collar center Oberto, giving the Chinese team the first possession!
"Zhuang'er Radio! Zhuang'er Radio!" At the same time, Coach Sun Weiping's voice came from the television: "The first match of Group A in the Men's Basketball Group Stage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics has officially begun!"

"The players in red jerseys are our Chinese lads, and the players on the other side in white jerseys are the Argentinian team!"

"Both teams have multiple NBA players on their rosters, so this is definitely an NBA-level matchup! Mr. Su, what are your thoughts on this game?"

"China's advantage is still very obvious! With Lin Tian and Yao Ming as their core inside and outside players, there are few teams in the world that can compare with them. I think this game will be a tough battle, but China will still win in the end!"

"What I'm most looking forward to in this game is the performance of Yi Jianlian, Sun Yue, and Xu Yong! Because if Hebei China Fortune wants to defend their title and continue their pursuit of the championship, then the strength of the team's new players is extremely important!"

"These three are all NBA players now, and I really hope they can perform up to their price tag and inject truly effective fresh blood into the team!"

"Haha, Teacher Su's opinion is obviously the opinion of fans all over the country. Xu Yong, who just temporarily joined the team, is definitely attracting more attention. After all, everyone believes that he will be the leader of the Chinese team for the next 10 years."

"I wonder how much screen time he'll get under Jonas's system?"

As the two commentators analyzed the game and the 18000 fans in the Wukesong Arena cheered, Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt.

On the first attack, he didn't even think twice before switching to Sun Yue on the wing. After receiving the ball, Sun Yue immediately lobbed it to Yao Ming.

Yao Ming leaned against Oberto with his back to him, probed him a couple of times, and then suddenly turned and dribbled towards the basket, leaving Oberto behind. Scola, who was in front of him, was limited by his height and did not come forward to defend. Instead, he watched Yao Ming jump up and dunk, completing the first offensive play for the Chinese team!
2: 0!

"That was a beautiful dunk! Yao Ming has really become more and more consistent and reliable in the last two years! With him in the paint, the Chinese team's inside offense has never disappointed! And since the Chinese team established his dual-core lineup with Lin Tian, ​​it has become our usual practice to focus on the inside from the start!"

China started strong inside and scored 2 points, but Argentina quickly responded. After a pick-and-roll between Prigioni and Scola, a behind-the-back pass was made to "Diamond," who received the ball at the high post and immediately pulled up for a jump shot.

"Shh!"

After the crisp sound, both sides played quite smoothly at the start, scoring points with their signature skills!
In the next few minutes, it was as if both sides had agreed beforehand. The Chinese team focused on Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, relying on their height and toughness to attack the basket with their absolute advantage in the paint.

Meanwhile, Argentina relied on Scola, using his footwork, skills, high-post shooting, and ability to facilitate his teammates to score points, keeping the game close with the Chinese team.

As for the leaders of both sides, Lin Tian and Ginobili, they chose to keep a low profile at this time, not rushing to attack, but directing their teammates to attack first, and taking charge of passing, organizing and controlling the overall situation.

It wasn't until five minutes remained in the first quarter that Ginobili finally took his first shot, a wide-open three-pointer that he felt embarrassed not to take.

"Shh!"

With a crisp sound, Ginobili scored 3 points, helping Argentina narrow the gap to 1 point!
However, Argentina suddenly went through a scoring drought, failing to score in five consecutive attacks. Meanwhile, China's Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian took turns attacking the paint and scoring repeatedly.

With only two minutes left in the first quarter, the Chinese team had extended their lead to seven points!

At this moment, Ginobili finally fired his first shot!
This guy drove inside and shot outside, dunking and shooting, scoring 9 points in the last two minutes of the first quarter, leading his team to tie the score!

25: 25!

At the end of the first quarter, the score was tied, making it difficult to determine a winner!

When Ginobili exploded, Jonas made a bold substitution, taking Yao Ming and Lin Tian off the court and replacing them with players like Da Wang and Liu Wei. This led to Ginobili's outburst, and when he was scoring like crazy, no one on the Chinese team could match him.

"It's hard to say whether Jonas was too bold or too conservative," Su Qun said, shaking his head during the first quarter break. "He took both Yao Ming and Lin Tian out at the same time to conserve their energy and make the team's rotation more reasonable and varied."

"Whether it's about nurturing new talent and giving them enough time for the future or preparing for future competitions, I can completely understand this bold approach to personnel selection."

"But against a strong opponent like Argentina, taking Yao Ming and Lin Tian off the court at the same time created a two-minute 'core vacuum' on the court, which allowed Argentina to go on a scoring run. Wasn't this too conservative?"

"But no matter what, Jonas's player selection in the last two minutes of this quarter is questionable. Fortunately, Argentina has only temporarily tied the score, and there are still 30 minutes left in the game. Everything is still possible!"

As the commentators questioned and speculated, the second quarter began, and Jonas finally got Lin Tian back. However, Yao Ming did not play this time. Instead, Yi Jianlian, Du Feng, Xu Yong, and Wang Shipeng took to the court with Lin Tian.
"This is a big man and four small men lineup! Although Du Feng is listed as a power forward, his playing style, positioning, and skills are more like those of a small forward! Jonas made another very bold substitution in the second quarter!"

"This small lineup is definitely more mobile than the starting lineup! I think Jonas is trying to utilize Lin Tian's ability and talent in fast breaks, getting the whole team moving!" Sun Weiping also said, "It's worth mentioning that this is also Xu Yong's first time representing the national team in an official match! Let's see what kind of performance this hottest young player can deliver tonight!"

Lin Tian quickly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt. Having only taken two shots in the first quarter but not scored a single point, Lin Tian was clearly going to change his playing style and increase his offensive power at the beginning of the second quarter!
Facing the mediocre Pruginho, Lin Tian showed him no mercy and without hesitation, accelerated and made a strong breakthrough, easily getting past the experienced and incredibly steady traditional point guard in one step!

Priginho simply couldn't keep up with Lin Tian; he couldn't even make a turn. The difference in speed and ability between the two was too obvious!

Lin Tian blew past him and drove into the paint. He wasn't afraid at all when facing Argentina's starting center, Oberto. He jumped up forcefully and collided with Oberto fiercely. Then, as the referee blew the whistle, he suddenly flicked his wrist.

"Shh!"

After a crisp sound, Lin Tian's strong attack under the basket turned into a 2+1!

"Pay attention to defense! With Ginobili out, let's run and crush them!" Lin Tian reminded his teammates as he walked towards the free-throw line. Clearly, the Chinese team was going to play fast!

Then, Lin Tian noticed that Argentina reacted quickly. As soon as the head coach saw the lineup of the Chinese team and Lin Tian's playing style, he immediately sent Ginobili on. Ginobili played the entire first quarter and only rested for ten seconds before returning to the court!
"With Ginobili here, let's go all out! Hand Ginobili over to me! I'll take him down, and we'll crush them just the same!" Lin Tian said as he walked to the free-throw line and calmly sank the ball!

His streak of consecutive free throws continues!
"I bet you guys are trying to push the pace, Lin!" Ginobili had just received the baseline pass from his teammate and said with a smile to Lin, who was rushing over to defend him, "Boss, I know you too well! I know how you're going to play, but none of that works on me!"

"Is that so, Manu? Have you forgotten how you lost the Eastern Conference Finals?" Lin Tian chuckled. "Maybe you can guess what we're up to, but it's not because you're so great, it's because we never intended to hide anything!"

“We need to get going and charge ahead. Do you think you can stop us? Besides, do you think I don’t know what you’re thinking?” Lin Tian said, suddenly increasing his defensive intensity, pressing himself almost completely against Ginobili.

"You knew you were not physically fit, and you wanted to play steadily and save your energy for the fourth quarter, right? But you didn't expect that if you didn't take the shot, you would almost collapse in the first quarter. If you weren't on the court, your coach would be so scared that he would make you come back immediately after just one possession."

"Conserve your energy? What makes you think you can afford to conserve your energy when fighting us?"

"If I were you, I would quickly give it my all and exhaust all my energy as soon as possible. Otherwise, you can save your energy for the second game! You won't need to use it before we beat you up."

While Lin Tian was trash-talking, his focus on defense didn't waver at all. He continued to press hard, sticking to Ginobili and not giving him any easy chance to handle the ball.

When Ginobili finally got to the frontcourt, he couldn't organize an attack. It was only because Scola and he had such good chemistry that Scola quickly stepped up to set a screen for him, which allowed Ginobili to catch his breath a little. Then he quickly passed the ball to Delfino on the other side.

Delfino is a shooter similar to JR Smith, but his accuracy, explosiveness, and scoring consistency are at least a level below JR Smith. This is why one of them is an ace sixth man, known as a highlight reel version of Jordan, while the other is just an ordinary rotation player.

After receiving the ball, Delfino dribbled past Xu Yong's defense at lightning speed and then suddenly pulled up for a shot.

This was definitely sudden enough. Xu Yong couldn't keep up immediately, but his shot was also quite absurd. He barely touched the rim before Yi Jianlian grabbed him.

That's the awkward thing about using Delfino: you expect his firepower, but you also have to put up with his erratic shot selection!

After receiving the ball, Yi Jianlian quickly passed it to Lin Tian, ​​who then sprinted forward at high speed. In today's basketball world, who doesn't know how terrifying Lin Tian's driving ability is? Ginobili and Prigioni quickly blocked his path, trying to stop his fast break.

Lin Tian completely disregarded the double-team, dribbling the ball between Priginho's legs with a nutmeg. Then, Lin Tian spun around and gracefully passed between the two. After getting the ball again, Lin Tian didn't even look at it and slapped it forward with one hand!
Xu Yong, who was running fast, grabbed the basketball and continued to sprint. With a change of direction and a shoulder collision, he pushed past Delfino in front of him, broke through, and pulled up for a one-handed dunk!
"boom!"

"Great shot! Great shot!" Su Qun shouted excitedly, "Xu Yong's progress during this trip to the United States is obvious to the naked eye! Two months ago, he wasn't using his body and advantages this well! This move is definitely Lin Tian's doing!"

“I really helped Lin Tian a lot during those few days of special training.”

"Great dunk!" Lin Tian reached out and touched Xu Yong, who was returning to defense, before moving forward again and sticking close to Ginobili once more.

Priginho no longer passed the ball to Ginobili, but instead passed it to Delfino.

This gave it to me and then another problem arose!
Players like Delfino, regardless of their level or ability, all have one thing in common!

She has a strong sense of self-esteem and is extremely concerned about saving face!

Whether it's JR Smith, Jamal Crawford, Lou Williams, or anyone else, if they play like this, they're bound to be extremely self-centered!
Delfino was no exception. He had just been almost airballed by the defense and then Xu Yong shoved him past for a dunk. Naturally, he wanted to get back at Xu Yong. After dribbling to the frontcourt, he didn't pass the ball at all and continued to dribble and force his way through, aiming for a layup.

Although Xu Yong couldn't block the shot, he tried his best to push Delfino towards the baseline, compressing his shooting angle, and then firmly blocking his position.

This gave Yi Jianlian, who had been waiting under the basket for a long time, plenty of room to perform!

"Snapped!"

With a resounding block, this NBA lottery-level rookie, who had played quite well last season, blocked Delfino's layup.

Du Feng reacted quickly, grabbed the basketball, and then passed it to Lin Tian again.

This time, Lin Tian didn't pass the ball. Instead, he dribbled all the way and in the blink of an eye, he shook off the Argentine team's defense again and slammed it down with another powerful dunk!
"boom!"

Less than two minutes into the second quarter, the Chinese team went on a 7-0 run! They quickly widened the gap!
"You're not calling a timeout?" After the dunk, Lin Tian looked at his younger brother Ginobili with a half-smile and said, "Even if you don't call a timeout, would you dare to let someone else control the ball? Hmm?"

Lin Tian was right. Delfino's two mis-attacks had crossed the Argentine coach's line. He substituted Delfino with Nocioni. Although Nocioni was steady, his ball control was not as ruthless as Delfino's.

Since Prigioni has little offensive ability, Ginobili simply dribbles the ball himself and advances it up the court!

But this meant that he was now facing Lin Tian's meticulous care and constant close attention!
Lin Tiantai was well aware of his younger brother's shortcomings.

Why is he the 20-minute Jordan and not the 25-minute or 30-minute Jordan?
Isn't it just that I lack stamina and can only maintain top-level output and performance for 20 minutes?
Whether it's Popovich in a parallel universe or Rivers in this one, the reason he's made the sixth man isn't to suppress his offensive ability and talent, but because the sixth man is the role that suits him best!

He is a substitute player with limited playing time who can match up against opponents, and he can maintain his offensive firepower when the team needs him to contribute in the fourth quarter.

But in Argentina, Ginobili clearly doesn't receive the same treatment, because he no longer has Parker and Howard to share the burden. Against a formidable opponent like China, he has to carry the team on his shoulders at all times and fight tooth and nail! (End of Chapter)