Chapter 853: Leading the Way

Chapter 853: Chapter 853: Leading the Way

Chapter 853: Leading the Way

"We played an excellent 1st half."

Inside the locker room, Jonas raised his voice as he looked around at the players.

"In the 2nd half, there is only 1 thing we need to do."

"Keep playing the way we played before."

He pointed toward the floor.

"Do not think about winning the game yet. Think about winning every offensive possession and every defensive possession."

The players listened carefully.

Jonas had no intention of changing the basic strategy.

Chen Yan would remain China’s primary offensive weapon.

It was the safest and most effective option available.

During his years coaching in China, Jonas had learned a saying that he had come to appreciate.

When everything around you changes, sometimes the best response is to remain unchanged.

Spain, however, adjusted its rotation.

Pau Gasol had played heavy minutes in the 1st half, so he began the 2nd half on the bench.

Spain used Serge Ibaka alongside Marc Gasol inside, strengthening the interior defense at the cost of some offensive firepower.

Spain had the first possession.

China opened in a standard 3 2 zone.

With Pau temporarily resting, China’s defensive attention naturally shifted more toward the perimeter.

Rudy Fernández called for a double screen at the top.

Yi Jianlian switched onto him.

Yi’s lateral speed was excellent for a big man.

But he was still a frontcourt player with a higher center of gravity, which made defending quick perimeter drives more difficult.

Rudy attacked immediately.

Acceleration.

Drive.

Yi tried to stay attached.

Rudy reached the paint, adjusted his body in the air, and finished with a reverse layup.

58 to 48.

As he ran back on defense, Rudy angrily pumped his arms and shouted.

His 1st half had been disappointing.

He needed that basket.

China came back down.

Sun Yue received the quick inbound and pushed across half court.

China did not suddenly slow the game to a crawl simply because it held a lead.

Trying to burn clock too early would only destroy its own rhythm.

Sun Yue stopped at the left wing, near the 3 point line.

Chen moved without the ball toward the top.

Sun Yue pretended to survey the floor.

Then lowered his body.

Drive.

Spain’s defensive attention had been locked onto Chen.

That gave Sun Yue a lane.

He attacked the paint.

Ibaka rotated.

Sun Yue raised the ball.

Not a shot.

Hook pass.

Yi had already drifted toward the free throw line.

Catch.

Mid range jumper.

Swish!

60 to 48.

Yi’s shooting touch had been good all night.

He simply had not received many opportunities because China’s offense was running so heavily through Chen.

Spain came back down.

Another double screen.

Ibaka and Marc Gasol both stepped outside.

Both big men were capable of making mid range shots, which meant the defense could not simply ignore them.

Calderón moved laterally around the screens, searching for space beyond the arc.

Sun Yue fought through and recovered.

The contest was not especially strong.

Calderón simply failed to take advantage.

3 pointer.

Clang!

Miss.

Chen grabbed the rebound.

Immediately, he pushed.

2 dribbles.

Then a 1 handed pass launched beyond half court.

Sun Yue caught it in stride.

Extra pass.

Wang Shipeng received the ball on the wing.

In this lineup, Chen had shifted to small forward while Wang occupied the shooting guard spot.

Wang rose immediately.

3 pointer.

Swish!

63 to 48.

That trailing 3 was one of Wang’s favorite shots.

It was also the kind of shot he trusted most.

Years earlier, he had beaten Serbia with a similar opportunity.

Spain’s coaching staff was beginning to look uneasy.

Chen dominating was already difficult enough.

If the rest of China’s perimeter players found their rhythm too, the game could begin slipping completely out of Spain’s control.

Spain returned to offense.

Calderón crossed half court and fed Marc Gasol inside.

With Pau still resting, Marc had become Spain’s primary interior option.

Yao Ming handled the matchup.

After losing weight, Yao no longer possessed quite the same lower body strength he once had.

Marc could move him slightly more than before.

But weight loss had done nothing to change Yao’s height.

Marc lowered his stance.

Bump.

Yao absorbed it.

Marc turned toward the lane.

Hook shot.

Yao stretched out his arm.

Heavy contest.

The ball hit the backboard.

Then bounced away.

Miss.

Yi secured the rebound and passed toward Chen.

Rudy gambled.

Reach.

Smack!

His hand hit Chen’s arm loudly enough that the sound carried through the arena.

Beep!

Foul.

Common foul.

Chen immediately turned toward the referee.

He disagreed.

Rudy had clearly been trying to stop the fast break.

From Chen’s perspective, the play deserved an unsportsmanlike foul rather than an ordinary one.

He argued for several seconds.

Chen knew perfectly well that the official was unlikely to reverse the decision.

That was not the point.

He wanted the referee to know that China was paying attention.

If nobody protested questionable calls, the whistle could continue moving in Spain’s favor.

Back in China, fans watching on television were much less restrained.

"What kind of call is that?"

"That was obviously intentional!"

"Terrible whistle!"

The complaints poured out in living rooms and bars across the country.

China prepared to inbound from the sideline.

Sun Yue crossed half court and immediately passed to Yao.

Yao caught it in the low post.

Clear out.

Everyone moved away.

For a moment, it looked as though China was going directly into a traditional Yao Ming post isolation.

Back to the basket.

1 bump.

Then another.

Marc braced himself.

Suddenly, Yao flicked the ball backward over his shoulder.

What?

The pass seemed to come from nowhere.

Then everyone saw Chen.

Back cut.

Perfect timing.

The chemistry between Yao and Chen had been flawless.

Chen caught the ball already moving toward the rim.

The crowd began rising before he even took off.

Everyone knew what was coming.

1 step.

Jump.

Ibaka had already dropped toward the paint.

Too late.

Chen glided past him in the air.

Reverse dunk!

Boom!

65 to 48.

Ibaka never even had the chance to challenge at the summit.

Chen had taken off too quickly and from too clean an angle.

Before dropping from the rim, Chen pulled hard on it.

Then slapped the backboard.

"Ah!"

A roar exploded from his chest.

Some of the frustration from the previous foul call came out with it.

Beep!

The referee reacted instantly.

Technical foul.

Chen stared for a moment.

The fans watching from China erupted all over again.

Calderón walked to the free throw line for Spain.

Swish.

65 to 49.

The broadcast booth could not resist the irony.

"Spain finally scores."

There was a hint of sarcasm in the observation.

Around 3 and a half minutes into the 3rd quarter, Pau Gasol returned.

By that point, China had pushed the lead as high as 20.

Spain was in danger.

But as the quarter moved toward its later stages, China’s earlier defensive intensity began to take a toll.

The legs grew heavier.

Rotations became a little slower.

Spain recognized the opportunity.

Run.

Basket.

Stop.

Another basket.

The lead began shrinking.

Eventually, the margin fell back to 11.

Spain could breathe again.

China needed an answer.

Chen provided it.

Next possession.

Drive.

Contact.

Whistle.

Free throws.

Then again.

Another attack.

Another foul.

Across the 2 possessions, Chen made 3 of 4 from the line.

That brought him to 40 points.

Spain’s strategy had become increasingly obvious.

If Chen was going to score, then make him do it himself.

Stay attached to everyone else.

Do not allow his individual dominance to become collective momentum.

From the outside, it looked like desperation.

In reality, Spain had little choice.

They simply could not stop Chen.

The final possession of the 3rd quarter arrived.

Chen isolated Rudy.

Left hand dribble.

Pause.

Hesitation.

Rudy froze.

Chen rose.

Jumper.

Swish!

2 more.

The buzzer sounded shortly afterward.

After 3 quarters, Chen’s stat line was staggering.

45 points.

9 assists.

8 rebounds.

3 steals.

And China still controlled the game.

81 to 70.

11 point lead.

From the opening tip through the end of the 3rd quarter, China had never surrendered control.

Spain had made runs.

Spain had adjusted.

Spain had attacked the paint, changed defenders, used double teams, and tried to isolate Chen from the rest of the offense.

Nothing had been enough.

With 1 quarter remaining, China was still leading the way.

.....

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