Chapter 857
I gave you a chance, but you were useless! Team America missed a golden opportunity!
"Don't worry, leave the rest to me." Lin Tian patted Yao Ming on the shoulder to comfort him, then asked, "How much force did he use? How many free throws do you think he can make?"
Yao Ming's face, which had been showing signs of utter despair, suddenly broke into a bitter smile: "I've done my best. This is the last thing I can do. Anyway, it's just a foul, so at least I should make him miss one free throw."
"Go all out?" Lin Tian said, "Then I think we'll miss both free throws! I believe you."
"This is terrible! This foul is really bad for us!" Yang Yi couldn't help but sigh. "Yao Ming fouled out, and we were already short-handed with players. This is really making things worse."
Yang Jian also said, "It's just that Yao Ming is missing. We were already relying almost entirely on Lin Tian and Yao Ming to score and break through defenses. Now, we're left with only Lin Tian! And this just happened when we were just gaining momentum and narrowing the gap to within 10 points."
"This foul could be fatal for us," Yang Yi said pessimistically. "Before this round, I thought our chances of turning the game around and winning were around 40%."
"But now that Yao Ming is out of the game, our chances of winning might only be around 15%."
"The American team will definitely use every means to double-team Lin Tian. They will definitely use the most frantic methods to surround and intercept Lin Tian. They will definitely make every time Lin Tian receives the ball extremely difficult."
"Next, we can only hope for a miracle. We can only hope that Lin Tian will give us another incredible, god-like solo performance."
"We have no other choice."
"But no matter what, let's stay with the Chinese team until the end, and let's still believe that a miracle will happen!"
"Furthermore, we shouldn't criticize Yao Ming for his lack of composure on defense this time. He was just doing what a center should do, and he already had 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks tonight! His performance was absolutely that of a world-class center! He gave it his all!"
The pessimism of the two commentators was no longer concealed, and their emotions essentially reflected the pessimistic mood across China today.
Has our championship run come to an end just like that? Is Lin Tian going to end his invincible career with a single defeat?
The cheers and shouts from the entire Wukesong Arena weakened and became disjointed at this moment, and countless fans fell into despair and disappointment.
The voices of the hundreds of American fans, who had been completely drowned out by the shouts of the Chinese fans and were almost inaudible, suddenly became loud and clear throughout the stadium.
"USA! USA! USA! USA!"
Hundreds of American fans excitedly waved their national flags and jerseys, knowing that their chance had finally officially arrived!
On the court, Wade, clutching his still burning right hand, walked to the free-throw line. Yao Ming's parting gift to him was truly impressive; at least the guy was still completely unable to recover.
Yao Ming's move won't injure him, which is a major weakness.
It hurts, it hurts for a few minutes, but once the pain passes, it's fine.
But those two free throws will definitely be affected.
"Boom!"
With a free throw percentage of 75%, Wade, a decent free throw shooter, unsurprisingly missed his first free throw!
Even sitting in the audience, Yao Ming didn't forget to pump his fist.
That move he just made wasn't for nothing!
Wade rubbed his arm in frustration, trying to slow down and buy himself some time.
But at that moment, the basketball was already flying towards him.
The referee once again subtly helped China in this detail, not giving Wade any time to rest and recover.
Helpless, Wade could only endure the lingering pain, take a deep breath, and then shoot the free throw.
"Boom!"
After another muffled thud, Wade missed both free throws!
Lin Tian grabbed the backboard and told his teammates to just run forward and not worry about anything else.
He looked at Wade, who was running towards him, and said, "This will be the beginning of your defeat!"
"Missing both free throws will cost you your lives!"
"Go ahead and give it a try!" Wade naturally didn't back down at all, lowering his center of gravity to defend Lin Tian while keeping his eyes fixed on him, ready to apply intensity to Lin Tian at any time.
This time, the US team's full-court press was not the same kind of defense used before, designed to suppress Lin Tian's speed of advance.
This time, as soon as Lin Tian stepped out of the Chinese team's three-point line, Wade's defensive pressure suddenly increased, and he immediately stuck to Lin Tian.
The reason Wade chose to press forward at this moment was because he noticed that Kobe and others behind him were already in position, ready to double-team Lin Tian at any time.
At this point, Wade was no longer afraid of being left behind by Lin Tian.
Because he knew very well that his teammates behind him could help him fill the gaps left by Lin Tian getting past him.
As for Lin Tian, he had already figured out the situation on the court when Wade rushed up.
With Wade in front, Kobe, James, and Battier, who had just entered the game, stood in a triangular formation on the court not far away, ready to launch a pursuit on Lin Tian at any time. Within the three-point line of the entire American team, only Howard stood alone, ready to defend against the attacks of the rest of the Chinese team.
The American team is going to surround and eliminate Lin Tian from the entire field!
To be honest, this encirclement-style defensive formation is full of flaws!
The other four players on the Chinese team were almost completely left open, each getting either a large or small gap.
At any other time, Lin Tian would have passed the ball to his teammate without hesitation at this moment.
But this time Lin Tian didn't send a message!
This is not the time to pass the ball.
After crossing the halfway line, Lin Tian suddenly stopped and then accelerated again. The sudden change of speed, combined with his terrifying speed, allowed him to completely pass Wade.
Kobe and Battier rushed over almost simultaneously, one on the left and one on the right, to close in on the defense.
When Lin Tian faced a double-team, he used two quick, low-altitude dribbling maneuvers to make the two defenders unsteady, unsure whether to continue closing the gap or spread out to defend.
Lin Tian seized this moment of hesitation, accelerated his attack, and first pulled his left hand out to the outside of his body, as if he was about to change direction and get past his opponent. Then, Lin Tian suddenly pulled the ball back and went around behind him.
Just when Kobe and the other man thought Lin Tian was going to dribble behind his back, Lin Tian suddenly changed his move again. The basketball flew forward through Lin Tian's legs, and he took a step forward, making a dangerous leap and forcefully squeezing through the two men's double-team!
Although it sounds slow, Lin Tian's movements were actually swift and effortless, so fast that many fans didn't even see how many times he dribbled the ball.
What is certain is that Lin Tian had broken through the encirclement of three people in the blink of an eye and reached a position two steps outside the three-point line.
James rushed forward to block him, trying to slow Lin Tian down and make him fall into positional warfare, but how could Lin Tian, who had already dribbled past 3 people, stop like that?
He completely ignored James' defense and chose to pull up from this position and launch a long-range three-pointer!
James never expected Lin Tian to be so crazy. He didn't have time to react at all and could only look back at the trajectory of the basketball.
Then, James saw the basketball streak through the air and fall straight into the basket!
"Shh!"
With a crisp sound, the basketball obediently went into the basket!
"Oh oh oh oh oh oh!"
"Crazy! Lin Tian! Crazy! He didn't give up! I knew it! Even if everyone, including us, thought it was impossible, that there was no chance, he wouldn't give up! He would still try his best to create opportunities and lead the team to victory!"
"This is Lin Tian's 68th point tonight! Let's see what else he can do tonight, and let's see how Lin Tian turns the tide for the team!"
Almost at the same moment Lin Tian scored, the fans in the entire Wukesong Arena came back to life!
The voices that had just been drowned out by the hundreds of American fans once again echoed throughout the arena.
"Lin Tian! Lin Tian! Lin Tian!"
"China Team, you will win! China Team, you will win!"
"Take down these Americans! Let them know how powerful we are!"
The fans roared wildly, their morale soaring.
From great sorrow to great joy, from despair to renewed vitality.
Lin Tian turned the tide in just one round!
In the first possession after Yao Ming left the court, Lin Tian single-handedly single-handedly defeated four opponents, restoring the confidence of the entire Chinese team, from players to fans! This is the kind of change that Lin Tian's energy and incredible abilities can bring to everyone!
100: 106!
With 4 minutes and 30 seconds left, the gap between the two sides had been narrowed to 6 points!
China definitely has a chance!
The 20-point lead that the US team had built at the start of the fourth quarter had almost completely disappeared.
"Score! This round, we have to score!" Coach K knew all too well how important this round was.
If the US team can't find their rhythm after Yao Ming leaves the court and instead misses several shots in a row, the blow to their morale will be absolutely enormous!
It has to hit!
Coach K, who had just jumped up from the bench to celebrate Yao Ming's departure, was now unable to sit still in his chair. He was pursing his lips so tightly that he almost bit them until they bled. He was more nervous than anyone else at that moment.
With such a favorable situation and such a large lead, he absolutely cannot afford to lose!
If they lose this game, it will be a devastating blow to American basketball.
Coach K's reputation and standing will certainly suffer a huge blow as a result.
We must win this game; we cannot afford to lose.
Wade dribbled to the frontcourt, surveyed the situation, and then waved for Howard to come up and screen for him.
The American team's strategy at this moment was quite clear: to avoid Lin Tian and launch an attack!
Seeing Lin Tian guarding Kobe, the offense is now up to Wade!
Howard has abandoned his so-called bottom line of "I'm a super center, I don't set screens for others." Now he obediently rushes to the top of the key, sets a screen for Wade against Sun Yue, and then quickly runs to the other side to create space.
When Wade was advancing with the ball, he was not greedy for credit. Just as he was about to move to the side and open his arms to block him, he threw the ball directly into the air.
Howard, who was following on the road, responded and sprang up into the air, holding the basketball with both hands, ready to smash it into the basket!
"Beat him to death!" Lin Tian roared. Sun Yue, who was standing next to Howard and was a little at a loss, reacted in time and almost immediately gave Howard a bear hug, grabbing him in mid-air as he was about to dunk and flipping him off the court.
Although Sun Yue tried his best to protect Howard and make sure he landed smoothly, the huge weight difference between the two, coupled with Howard's terrifying impact, meant that Sun Yue still couldn't hold on to him. The two of them fell to the ground almost at the same time, rolling around like tumbleweeds!
"FUXX!" Howard roared after rolling twice on the floor, then got up as if he was about to go and have a friendly discussion with Sun Yue about the ball.
"What's wrong?" Ke Lintian stepped in front of Sun Yue first, looking at Howard and saying, "It's just a regular foul. If you're not happy, you can do the same to me."
Seeing Lin Tian's aggressive and clearly unreasonable attitude of protecting his own, Howard calmed down quickly. After snorting, he turned around and found the referee, spreading his hands in protest: "He committed a malicious foul!"
"That's fucking a malicious foul! Disqualify him! If you're not idiots, disqualify him right now!"
Facing the aggressive Howard, the referee showed no mercy, ignoring the self-proclaimed best center in the world. The referee walked to the scorer's table and made the call without hesitation.
"Blocking foul, 2 free throws!"
It must be said that although the referee ejected Yao Ming tonight, he was quite lenient with the home team in several key calls.
This play deserves a flagrant foul.
If this Olympics were held in the United States or Europe, this would definitely be considered a malicious foul.
However, at home, this kind of ambiguous situation, where it's either given or not, constitutes a foul that, while involving large movements, also clearly involves protective actions and behaviors. Of course, it's just a regular blocking foul.
"Are you all idiots? How much money did you get? You're all damned Chinese! Even an idiot knows this is a malicious foul! A damn malicious foul!"
Howard didn't dare to vent his anger on Lin Tian, so he took it all out on the referee. But the referee wasn't going to tolerate this guy.
"You have three seconds to stand at the free-throw line and get ready to shoot." The referee stared blankly at Howard and said, "Otherwise, I'll show you what a technical foul is!"
Hearing the referee's direct threat, and with James cleverly stepping over to help Howard, giving the guy a way out, James realized the situation.
Howard then turned around aggressively, still muttering something under his breath, but at least he obediently walked to the free-throw line to prepare for the free throw.
"Only a coward would keep babbling at someone who would never lay a hand on him." Just as Howard got the basketball and was about to shoot, Lin Tian, who was standing next to him ready to grab the rebound, suddenly muttered to himself.
"What did you say?" Howard stared at Lin Tian, wide-eyed. "I'm a coward? You probably don't know what a coward is!"
"Maybe I don't know what a softie is, but I know if you don't shoot soon, you're going to commit a free throw violation. You're going to run out of time, Dwight! I wish you could last this long in bed!"
"FUXX!" Upon hearing Lin Tian's words, Howard didn't have time to refute how valiant he was in bed. He quickly looked up at the basket and hurriedly threw the ball out.
"Boom!"
Howard, who was already a poor free throw shooter, was further mocked by Lin Tian, which naturally made his free throws even more absurd.
The basketball barely touched the rim; it just grazed it before flying out of bounds.
"puff."
Seeing the almost airball free throw, Lin Tian immediately let out a snicker, full of mockery.
"What are you laughing at! FUXX!" Howard looked at Lin Tian and was still cursing.
"Dwight!"
Standing right next to him, Battier, who was also preparing to grab the rebound, said, "Calm down, don't talk to Lin, he's deliberately trying to provoke you. Take a deep breath and make the free throw!"
"Winning this match is the best way to retaliate against him!"
Battier, as expected of a veteran and leader with an extraordinary status in the team, made Howard immediately shut up after hearing those words. He looked at the basket, took a deep breath, dribbled the ball, found his rhythm, and then threw the free throw.
"Boom!"
Unfortunately, the basketball bounced off the rim and went wide!
This time, Lin Tian didn't waste any more words with Howard. Instead, he charged into the paint again, grabbed the rebound before anyone else could, and then immediately accelerated his attack, heading straight for the frontcourt!
His speed was unbelievable, not at all like someone who had played 36 minutes of high-intensity play. The American team once again launched a full-scale attack, rushing towards Lin Tian from all directions, trying to stop his advance.
Unfortunately, the American team could slow Lin Tian down, but they couldn't stop him!
But even when Lin Tian slowed down, he was still incredibly fast!
In the blink of an eye, he had already reached the US team's basket, and then, despite the defense of Kobe and Wade, he forced a jump, pulled up for a layup, and was about to ignore the defense and force a shot.
But just before Lin Tian made his move, he suddenly felt a figure behind him blocking the light shining down from the ceiling.
Someone tried to chase the hat down from behind!
In an instant, the basketball that Lin Tian was about to release, which had already undergone a large-scale reverse layup in the air, was once again pulled back into Lin Tian's hand.
"Oh!"
Then came a muffled thud. The people behind Lin Tian never expected that he could still catch the ball and adjust his angle under such circumstances. They couldn't brake in time and crashed heavily into Lin Tian from behind.
"Beep beep!" The referee's whistle blew immediately, and it was an obvious foul from behind.
At the same time, Lin Tian, who lost his balance from the impact, managed to gently toss the basketball out before landing.
"Shh!"
Then, there was another crisp sound!
Lin Tian made two layups in the air, dodging three players from the American team in a row. Even after being knocked over from behind by the last guy, he still managed to make an incredible layup that he couldn't even see the rim!
They forced a 2+1 score!
"Throughout history, only Zhao Zilong of Changshan has ever charged into battle to protect his lord in times of crisis!" Yang Yi roared excitedly, "Liu Bei had Zhao Yun, and we have Lin Tian!" (End of Chapter)