Basketball: The Path to the Extraordinary

Over the next two days, everyone recovered.

The Pac-10 regular season is about to begin. Their first opponent isn't USC's arch-rival, but the Oregon Ducks.

This game is an away game for the University of Southern California, and the venue is MacArthur Stadium, the home stadium of the University of Oregon.

Since winning the championship in the 1938-1939 season, the Oregon Ducks have never reached the Final Four and rarely made it to the national championships. Therefore, their overall strength is not particularly formidable. Unless something unexpected happens, they are likely to miss the NCAA Tournament. In the highly competitive Pac-10 Conference, their preseason record of 6 wins and 6 losses in 12 games is somewhat underwhelming.

The game was held at MacArthur Field on Friday, January 2, 2009.

Lian Dao and his teammates entered the gymnasium. Lian Dao had trained there that morning to familiarize himself with the venue, and the gymnasium was empty at the time.

Looking around, the stands were packed with spectators. Although this was the Oregon Ducks' home arena, USC fans wearing red jerseys were still scattered throughout. Among them, Lian Dao immediately spotted several fans wearing his jersey number, holding up cheering signs.

Upon entering the stadium, Lian Dao first waved to his supporters. Some of them may have saved up for months to come see one of his matches.

Lian Dao is determined not to disappoint these loyal fans.

During the warm-up, Lian Dao hit several long-range three-pointers in a row. DeRozan, assisted by Lian Dao, also ignited the crowd with two 360-degree dunks, pushing the atmosphere to a climax.

The starting lineup for USC in this game was: point guard Daniel Hackett, shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, small forward Linda Lindau, power forward Ty Gibson, and center Nikola Vucevic.

This was Vucevic's debut, and he was both nervous and excited, occasionally letting out rapid breathing on the sidelines as he tried to calm himself down. Seeing Vucevic's nervous expression, Lian Dao walked over and patted him on the back.

"Relax, buddy. I'll set up the defense for you. Just focus, and when I pass you the ball, shoot it. Believe in yourself!"

Lian Dao's words reassured Vucevic considerably. He nodded in response, his tense emotions visibly easing.

Needless to say, Lian Dao understands that everyone faces similar pressures. Overcoming these moments is crucial to moving forward.

The Oregon Ducks have also announced their starting lineup: point guard Tajuan Porter (168 cm), shooting guard Garrett Simm (188 cm), small forward Lekendrick Langmaier (196 cm), power forward Jovin Cateron (198 cm), and center Michael Dunnegan (206 cm).

Overall, the Oregon Ducks players are generally shorter than those at USC. Vucevic is 213 cm tall, Gibson is 206 cm, and Lian Dao is 204 cm. Guard Daniel Hackett is 196 cm tall, while DeRozan's official height is 201 cm.

This game perfectly illustrates that basketball is a sport dominated by giants.

As the players lined up for the jump ball, Oregon center Michael Dunnigan hesitated for a moment before leaping. As the tallest player on the Oregon team, he had no other choice.

After the referee tossed a coin to decide who would start, Vucevic deftly flicked the ball to Daniel. Even when Dunnigan jumped to his highest point, he only touched Vucevic's wrist.

This series of rounds highlights a fundamental truth: talent is crucial in basketball.

At the start of the game, Daniel dribbled past midfield and passed the ball to Liandao, once again establishing Liandao as the team's offensive core. Tim also acknowledged Liandao's crucial role and unanimously expressed his support.

Lian Dao's first move after entering the game was to sink a three-pointer over Lekendrick Langmaier. Lian Dao's amazing wingspan clearly surprised Langmaier, who could only watch with envy.

On the defensive end, after USC substituted Vucevic, their defensive agility and speed improved significantly, thus countering Oregon's smaller and faster lineup.

Oregon's point guard Tajuan Porter observed USC's rapid retreat on defense and instead of launching a fast break, slowed down the pace and organized a half-court offense.

Porter's speed is a major advantage, compensating for his height of only 168 centimeters. He quickly broke through Daniel's defense and scored a layup.

However, Vucevic disrupted Porter's shot, blocked his attempt, and used his height advantage to grab the rebound.

This series of moves showcased a brilliant offensive and defensive play: an elegant layup followed by a decisive block.

After securing the rebound, Vucevic quickly passed the ball to Lian Dao, who launched a fast break. Oregon's speed advantage was obvious, and they quickly retreated on defense.

Facing a double-team, Lian Dao noticed Oregon coach Ernie Kent's defensive adjustment. Kent knew that Lian Dao had a 52.3% three-point shooting percentage, so he chose to double-team him to force him to pass the ball.

Lian Dao cleverly faked a three-pointer to draw a double team, then passed the ball to DeRozan, who was cutting to the basket for a layup. DeRozan leaped high and dunked over George Chrollo. After the dunk, DeRozan looked down at Chrollo, arms crossed, striking a pose of superiority and asserting his dominance.

Caterpillar was caught off guard and could only marvel at the power of DeRozan's dunk, wondering if there were springs in his shoes.

Despite Caterpillar's attempt to block, the ball still went in, and DeRozan completed a "2+1" play—scoring the point while drawing a foul.

DeRozan calmly converted the free throw.

Just one minute into the game, the University of Southern California took a 6-0 lead, which unsettled Oregon Ducks head coach Ernie Kent. While he anticipated a tough game, he didn't want a humiliating home defeat that could become the biggest margin of defeat in franchise history.

Meanwhile, the composed and experienced coach Tim observed the game with the ease of a seasoned strategist, almost like a spectator enjoying the match with a coffee in hand. Although he should have been anxious, the team's strength and talent spoke for themselves.

Next, the Oregon Ducks missed a three-pointer, and Gibson grabbed the defensive rebound. Instead of a fast break, USC passed the ball to point guard Daniel.

They advanced slowly.

Seeing that Lian Dao was heavily guarded and not asking for the ball, Daniel decided to step up. Using DeRozan's screen, he faked out Tajuan Porter Jr. and drove straight to the basket. Lian Dao understood perfectly, tossed the ball towards the backboard, cut to the basket, leaped high, spread his arms, caught the rebound, and then completed a dunk.

Although Lian Dao's dunks lack technique due to his average jumping ability, his raw power and aggression make them a feast of strength and beauty.

The dunk silenced the stands for a moment, before erupting into cheers and applause.

Lian Dao was surprised by the reaction from the crowd. After all, this was an away game, not at the Gallen Center at USC.

Did that dunk cause Oregon Ducks fans to turn against them?

Although he only scored two points, Lian Dao's dunk dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the Oregon Ducks.

Coach Ernie Ken had no choice but to call a timeout immediately.

The Oregon Ducks players left the stadium disappointed, not expecting their home fans to treat them this way.

This was a major setback for them.

Ernie Kent attempted to boost the morale of his demoralized players with an inspiring speech, but a few words of encouragement were insufficient to bridge the gap in skill between the two sides. Meanwhile, at USC, the players and coaches enjoyed a harmonious relationship, and the bench was filled with laughter and joy.