NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

After arriving at the frontcourt, Lin Tian did not attack himself, but instead let his teammates create space, forming a 2-on-2 situation with Yao Ming on one side. Then he lobbed the ball into the paint, letting Yao Ming go one-on-one with Marc Gasol.

Although Marc Gasol has not yet entered the NBA, his size and defensive skills have already been on full display. This guy's playing style is completely opposite to his brother's. With relatively average physical attributes, Marc Gasol relies on his height, thickness, and size!

After a fierce battle in the low post, Yao Ming turned and threw the ball with a hook shot, but due to the intense contact, the shot didn't go in. It was Yao Ming's experience that made him realize the shot was unlikely to go in when he released the ball.

Then he quickly moved sideways forward, raised his hand and tapped the basketball into the hoop.

Yao Ming still has an advantage over Marc Gasol, but it will be a very difficult game for him.

After Yao Ming scored on a putback, Marc Gasol wasn't discouraged at all. Instead, he turned and ran towards the frontcourt. Yao Ming had no choice but to speed up and try to keep up with him. Gasol then immediately reached the baseline and inbounded the ball.

The moment Rubio received the ball, Lin Tian had already completed his press, sticking tightly to the 18-year-old 'golden boy'!
I let you steal one just now, which made Master Lin relax. If I let you retaliate in front of me, would Master Lin still have any face left?
However, Rubio truly deserves his reputation as the most popular and most talked-about rookie of the 09 draft class. His fame is not solely due to his handsome appearance; his ball-handling skills are indeed top-notch, and he also possesses quick reflexes and a remarkably stable mentality.

For example, when Lin Tian approached him so closely, he wasn't nervous at all, nor did he have the same eagerness as other teenagers who wanted to challenge Lin Tian to a duel to show off their strength.

Knowing he would have a hard time getting past Lin Tian to make the run, Rubio quickly delivered another behind-the-back pass, sending the ball to Fernandez on the other side.

After receiving the ball, Fernandez immediately sprinted at full speed. His physical attributes are top-notch even among the 2-3 positions in the NBA. At the very least, Sun Yue and Zhu Fangyu really couldn't contain him!
This guy received the ball near the center circle and started advancing, almost without stopping, and in the blink of an eye, he was under the basket of the Chinese team. He dodged Sun Yue's block and sent the ball into the basket with a high bank shot.

"No need to rush, take your time." Lin Tian remained unhurried, suppressing Sun Yue's urge to quickly pass the ball and continue the back-and-forth attack, indicating that they should continue with positional warfare.

After just these two rounds, Lin Tian already understood the Spanish team's strategy and the reasons for their substitutions.

This is a conspiracy!
What Lin Tian is facing now is actually a dilemma.

If he insists on playing fast, then Yao Ming's advantages and his role as a strong point under the basket will be completely weakened.

However, if Lin Tian doesn't follow along, Spain's twin towers and two 7-foot tall interior players will make it quite difficult for Yao Ming to score in the paint.

In short, it's really uncomfortable!

Of course, this predicament is difficult for the Chinese team to solve, and it is also a huge problem for Spain.

By having their players just follow Rubio around, the Gasol brothers' advantage in strong drives to the basket and half-court offense was wasted. It was a style of play that hurt the enemy a thousand times, but also caused at least a thousand damage to themselves.

The Spanish coach's move is truly a desperate measure, indicating that he's going to fight with his back against the wall from the very beginning.

He wanted to force the Chinese team to drink a poisoned bottle right from the start, not giving them a chance to slowly test the waters and find their rhythm.

Clearly, what the Spanish coach needs to focus on is the depth and breadth of the squad! This is also what everyone agrees is the biggest weakness of the Chinese team.

He was betting that the main players of the Chinese team, apart from Lin Tian, ​​would be exhausted and worn out first.

Then, when the crucial moment of the game arrives, although the Gasol brothers and others will certainly be exhausted, the Spanish team will definitely bring out their reserve forces to surround and suppress Lin Tian!

Their roster is deeper, and they have more players who can contribute in these situations!
The Spanish team has that confidence.

In the next few minutes, Lin Tian did not rush to try to break the deadlock, but continued to play steadily, wanting to see if Spain had any other tricks up its sleeve.

The Chinese team continued to use Yao Ming as the core for low-post isolation plays. If Spain double-teamed them, Yao Ming would pass the ball to Lin Tian. Even if Lin Tian didn't have an open shot when he received the ball, he would definitely be able to find the weakness in the Spanish team's defense as soon as possible, and then pass the ball to an open teammate.

In the first few minutes of the first quarter, the efficiency of both sides was comparable, neither was particularly high, but it was definitely not low either. The Spanish team did their best, even at the expense of the Gasol brothers' advantage under the basket, in order to play at a high speed and constantly use speed to attack the Chinese team's defense.

Rubio and Fernandez do indeed have the ability. Lin Tian can keep Rubio under control and prevent him from participating in fast breaks, but Sun Yue and Zhu Fangyu really can't keep up with Fernandez and others.

The difference in talent is still quite obvious.

13: 14!

Six minutes into the first quarter, the game remained close, with both sides showcasing their strengths and strategies, but neither achieving the desired tactical effect.

During this phase, both sides, from coaches to players, were evenly matched.

For both coaches, they are now in a difficult position.

Logically speaking, this would be a more appropriate time to replace their tallest players.

The problem is that both coaches are worried that if they lose their core inside player, the opposing team will immediately switch to focusing their attack on the inside and exploiting their weaknesses.

They dared not make substitutions, nor did they dare let Yao Ming or the Gasol brothers rest. So, for the two coaches, without daring to take any risks, they could only wait.

Wait until the opposing team can't hold on, and pray that your own players can hold on.

Besides that, they really didn't have any better options.

Looking at the situation on the court, Lin Tian had figured out Rubio and Fernandez's strengths and weaknesses after a few minutes.

Rubio's talent is indeed top-notch. He is a natural point guard with excellent vision, passing skills, and mentality.

However, he has almost no shooting ability, and because he is too young now, his body is not even fully developed. So he can dominate in youth games with his physical strength, but now he is being physically bullied by adults. Being young has its advantages, but it also has its pains.

As for Fernandez, he is also quite excellent, a top-tier all-rounder. He has first-class physical qualities and comprehensive skills. He may not have any single skill that is top-notch, but he can do almost everything that a perimeter player should do.

Ball handling, off-ball movement, driving, shooting, defense, advancing...

This guy can perform quite well with anyone, let alone Rubio. He's the kind of indispensable filler and all-rounder alongside top stars.

However, of course, if you ask him to be the team leader and carry the team's perimeter offense and core role, he really can't do it. He's good at many things, but he's lacking in many aspects.

That's exactly why I'm hitting you – you're just a little bit off!
Having ascertained the true strength of his opponent, Lin Tian had made up his mind!

Spain, you want to wage a war of attrition against us, to make Yao Ming and other key players overwork themselves and run around, and to make them expend a lot of energy in shuttle runs.

No problem!

as you wish.

When it comes to speed, I've never been afraid of anyone!
More importantly, Lin Tian has an ability that no one on the Spanish team can match.

Finishing ability!

Lin Tian alone can carry a fast break and run-and-gun system. The pressure and threat that Lin Tian brings into the frontcourt is enough to force Spain to devote all their energy to defense and chasing.

The Spanish team, however, doesn't have such a player. If they want to play fast and efficiently, they need to use a large number of players to participate in the fast break so that they can find enough opportunities and good enough shooting timings.

This difference stems from the absolute disparity in player talent.

This will also be the biggest weakness of the Spanish team's aggressive, close-quarters style of play.

"Yao Ming." As Lin Tian advanced to the frontcourt once again, he said to Yao Ming, "Don't worry about my rhythm or speed, or my playing style. Just play at your own pace."

"My rhythm?" Yao Ming was taken aback.

"I'm going to start sprinting, you just stroll around." Lin Tian didn't bother explaining and directly stated what he was going to do next and what he wanted Yao Ming to do. "I can handle it. You just need to rest and recuperate. Once I've crushed them, it'll be your time to shine!"

As Lin Tian finished speaking, he patted Yao Ming's butt and said, "Next round, you'll be sitting in the paint again this round."

Lin Tian's performance truly exuded confidence.

On the highest level of the Olympic stage, in the semi-finals, he said he would single-handedly crush Spain, one of the world's top teams.

His tone was so decisive and confident.

Unfortunately, Yao Ming also firmly believed this.

He has decided!

In the next few minutes, I won't be coming to the frontcourt in the first 7-8 seconds of the shot clock.

Let's take a stroll!

In this play, Lin Tian drove to the frontcourt and found Zhu Fangyu on one side through a screen, but Zhu Fangyu's three-pointer missed. Gasol grabbed the rebound and passed it to Rubio. Just as Rubio was about to dribble up the court, Lin Tian was already sticking to him again.

He immediately passed the ball to Fernandez. Although Rubio didn't have many direct attacks or individual scoring moments tonight, his ball-handling style and wide passing vision were still impressive.

Fernandez dribbled at breakneck speed, reaching the basket in the blink of an eye. Seeing that Sun Yue had already returned to defend, this guy, who had already been blocked by Sun Yue once that night, didn't rush to force a shot himself. Instead, he turned around and passed the ball to Rubio, who was cutting through the middle.

"What are you thinking!" Lin Tian suddenly appeared from behind Rubio and slapped Fernandez's pass. Zhu Fangyu, who had also returned to defense, grabbed the basketball and then tossed it to Lin Tian.

After receiving the ball, Lin Tian once again became a transit point, passing it to Yao Ming, who hadn't had time to get back on defense. Yao Ming caught the ball outside the three-second zone. Even though Marc Gasol was right in front of him, Yao Ming didn't hesitate at all, jumping up and throwing the ball into the basket.

15:14, China takes the lead by 1 point!
After Yao Ming scored this time, Lin Tian followed up with Rubio in advance, preventing Gasol on the baseline from passing the ball to the guard to advance. He hesitated for a moment before finally passing the ball to Fernandez, allowing the forward to continue dribbling forward.

Once they got to the frontcourt, Spain, having fallen into positional play, had plenty of ways to deal with the situation. They quickly executed a beautiful tactic, creating an open three-point opportunity for Angelo.

Angelo made a swift and decisive three-pointer, but sometimes decisiveness doesn't guarantee a basket.

"Boom!"

With a muffled thud, the basketball bounced off the rim.

"Mine!" Lin Tian shouted, reminding Yi Jianlian in front of him not to try to grab the rebound. Then, he jumped to the side, grabbed the rebound, turned around and pushed forward, throwing the basketball in front of him. He then sprinted like a rocket!
The entire Spanish team's defense was instantly thrown into chaos. The whole team accelerated frantically, turning around and retreating to try and catch up with Lin Tian to stop him from launching this fast break.

The players from the Chinese team also ran fast, scattering in all directions in an attempt to create as much space as possible for Lin Tian to attack.

This time, Yao Ming didn't accelerate; instead, he strolled around slowly.

Walk over there!
Fans who watched the game on TV didn't even see Yao Ming anymore; he was off-screen.

However, at this moment, everyone's attention was not on Yao Ming.

Well... or rather, almost everyone.

For example, the Spanish coach frowned, crossed his arms, and stared intently at Yao Ming, who was deliberately lagging behind.

His worst fears have come true.

In the frontcourt, Lin Tian took the lead and rushed to the Spanish team's basket in the blink of an eye. He then jumped and dodged, avoiding the double-team of Fernandez and Angelo under the basket. Then he suddenly made a low pass and passed the ball to Sun Yue, who was following up in the middle.

After receiving the ball, Sun Yue immediately pulled up. His physical attributes might be average in the NBA, but they are definitely top-notch among Asians!
After receiving the ball, Sun Yue fully extended his body, like a fully drawn bow, and then slammed the ball into the basket with one hand!

After this spectacular tomahawk dunk, China's lead had reached 3 points.

At this moment, Yao Ming had just reached the center line. After glancing at the situation, he turned around and continued to stroll around, preparing to return to his defensive position.

For several consecutive rounds, the Chinese team relentlessly pressured Spain's pace, forcing them to slow down and play a positional game. Regardless of whether Spain scored or not, they would quickly pass the ball to Lin Tian or have Lin Tian grab the rebound in the backcourt, then launch their own counterattack.

In short, the Chinese team played with completely different rhythms and styles on both the offensive and defensive ends.

They did everything they could to slow down Spain, while simultaneously launching a furious counterattack themselves!

Two highly disparate styles were displayed in a rather contradictory way in the Chinese team.

After all, in theory, fast-paced teams want their opponents to be fast too, so that it's more fun to rush around, while teams that play positional warfare want their opponents to drag out each possession for at least 20 seconds to feel comfortable.

But now the Chinese team is fragmented!
There are two reasons why they are able to play such a disjointed style.

Lin Tian's ability to drive, tear apart, and advance is unparalleled in the world. The Spanish team simply cannot contain him. In order to catch up with Lin Tian, ​​they must go all out and exert their full strength in every defense to stop Lin Tian's breakthrough.

Secondly, Yao Ming almost never goes to the frontcourt. He always stays at the back, unless Lin Tian fails to launch a fast break and has to retreat to a half-court position, then Yao Ming will drive to the basket to get the ball.

Otherwise, he would hardly participate in the team's offense, which allows him to return to his defensive position immediately.

This means that even if the Spanish team manages to quickly advance to the frontcourt and launch a fast counter-attack thanks to Fernandez or someone else's success, they still have to face Yao Ming's defense.

If they choose to shoot three-pointers or long-range two-pointers, then Yao Ming really doesn't have much of a way to deal with them. But if you play like that, what kind of success rate and efficiency can you expect?
But if they choose to attack the basket, facing Yao Ming, who has the best defensive efficiency under the basket in this tournament, what's the difference between that and suicide?
For the entire second half of the first quarter, Spain was completely dominated by the Chinese team.

Although Lin Tian wasn't strong enough to actually take on five opponents at once, he was able to draw everyone's attention and defense, forcing Spain to retreat with all their might every time.

While the Spanish team frantically retreated to surround Lin Tian, ​​Lin Tian was able to take the shot whenever he had the opportunity, and even when he didn't, he could steadily control the ball, preventing the Spanish team from forcing him into a mistake.

The main idea is to be both crazy and stable!
Because the Spanish team knows that if you dare to relax your defense against Lin Tian, ​​they will make you pay the price.

A huge price to pay!
He was exhausted! In this quarter, he single-handedly unleashed his full firepower, leaving the entire Spanish team breathless.

Under this rhythm, Spain was naturally completely overwhelmed for the remainder of the quarter.

24: 18!

The Chinese team had a 6-point lead by the end of the first quarter.

"I can keep playing!" During the break, Lin Tian looked at Jonas and said without hesitation, "Coach, I guarantee I can completely break them down!"

Jonas, who had great confidence in Lin Tian's physical abilities, nodded and said, "Yao Ming, rest. Xu, Liu, Wang, and Du, the four of you go up with Lin!"

Jonas quickly finalized the lineup for the second quarter!
Since the Gasol brothers played 9 and 10 minutes respectively in the first quarter, it means that both of them will definitely have to rest for a while in the second quarter, leaving the Spanish team's interior defense without a core player.

As for the substitutes, whether it's Gabajosa or Reyes, they are both excellent as supporting players, but can they really score strong points under the basket? They simply don't have that ability!

So Jonas confidently brought out a five-man squad with the strongest running ability, the best physical qualities, and the best ability to run and score!
While we outrun you, you have no way to retaliate against our interior defense when it's lacking in toughness and thickness.

I can exploit your weaknesses, but you can't exploit mine. The initiative in this stage of the competition is firmly in the hands of the Chinese team!
If Spain dares to let the Gasol brothers continue playing, Jonas will be even less afraid.

Do you really think everyone has the stamina to play the entire game?
If you overwork the Gasol brothers now, Yao Ming, with his full energy, will be able to crush your bunch of crippled players in the second half!
At this moment, Jonas completely shook off the slight panic he had at the start of the match and regained his confidence! (End of Chapter)