Chapter 855: Securing a Winning Start

Chapter 855: Chapter 855: Securing a Winning Start

Chapter 855: Securing a Winning Start

Spain called timeout.

When play resumed, Juan Carlos Navarro checked into the game with an obvious mandate to attack.

José Calderón went to the bench for a rest.

Navarro wasted no time showing why the coaching staff had sent him in.

Pau Gasol came up to set a screen.

Navarro used it, took 1 hard dribble, and suddenly pulled up near the free throw line.

Jumper.

Swish!

87 to 80.

China came back down.

Chen Yan brought the ball across half court.

Spain had finally abandoned its full court pressure.

There was little point pressing Chen.

He could break the defense calmly, and worse, aggressive pressure often allowed him to identify openings before Spain could recover into its half court structure.

Spain remained in a zone.

Rudy Fernández picked Chen up at the top.

Isolation.

Chen drove right.

Rudy stayed with him.

Chen paused.

Then accelerated again.

Another change of pace.

Rudy handled the rhythm changes well and remained attached.

His stance was low.

His eyes were locked on Chen’s waist.

Left?

Right?

Drive?

Rudy waited for the next move.

Chen ignored all of it.

Pullup.

Rudy reacted instantly.

Contest.

But he could not be too aggressive.

Getting underneath Chen or invading his landing space could easily result in a foul.

Chen leaned slightly backward.

Rise.

Release over Rudy’s outstretched hand.

Swish!

89 to 80.

Pure superstar basketball.

Chen had 52 points.

The margin was once again threatening to reach double digits, yet Spain showed no panic.

They continued executing their offense.

Pass.

Screen.

Movement.

Eventually, Pau Gasol found space near the free throw line.

Mid range jumper.

Good.

89 to 82.

The margin was still significant.

But Spain’s ability to keep scoring continued putting pressure on China.

On the next Chinese possession, Sun Yue tried to swing the ball toward Zhu Fangyu on the perimeter.

The 2 were not on the same page.

Rudy read it.

Steal.

He immediately passed ahead to Navarro.

Fast break.

Navarro raced toward the basket.

Chen came flying from behind.

Long strides.

Closing fast.

Navarro went up.

Chen jumped with him.

Smack!

The ball was hammered against the backboard.

Beep!

Whistle.

Defensive foul on Chen.

Chen bit down on the front of his jersey.

Then clapped his hands once and walked away.

He wanted to argue.

Badly.

But he forced himself to stop.

Losing control and receiving a technical foul at this stage would hurt China far more than the questionable call itself.

Chinese fans watching from home were far less restrained.

Many had already grown frustrated with what they believed was a whistle favoring Spain.

Chen now had 3 personal fouls.

That mattered.

Under international rules, 5 fouls meant disqualification.

Normally, once a star picked up a 4th foul, his coach would seriously consider taking him out temporarily.

Chen knew that could not happen tonight.

If he left the floor, China might collapse.

The lead looked stable on the scoreboard.

In reality, Chen was carrying most of its weight.

Navarro went to the line.

First free throw.

Good.

Second.

Good.

89 to 84.

China came back down.

Chen handled the ball himself.

At this point, he was effectively China’s point guard.

He was the only player Jonas completely trusted to bring the ball across half court safely and consistently against Spain’s pressure.

There was no need for flashy moves.

Stability came first.

Chen used 2 spin dribbles to cross half court.

The moment he got over the line, Yao Ming came up to screen.

Yao’s stamina was fading too.

He had played hard all night.

But he still stepped into position without hesitation.

Beating a team like Spain required everyone.

Yao set the screen.

Spain switched.

Pau Gasol stepped out onto Chen.

Chen gave him a quick scissor step.

Then pushed hard off his left foot.

Explosion.

He went right past Pau.

Pau retreated immediately.

It did not matter.

Some players could be slowed down.

Chen, once he had gained that first half step, was almost impossible to recover against.

Navarro rotated over.

Chen saw him.

Pass.

Sun Yue.

Wide open.

Chen shouted immediately.

"Shoot!"

That voice carried confidence with it.

Sun Yue rose.

3 pointer.

The ball hit the rim.

Rolled.

Then dropped.

92 to 84.

Chen immediately ran over and slapped Sun Yue’s hand.

"Beautiful!"

Sun Yue grinned.

The shot meant a lot to him.

It was his first made 3 pointer of the night.

At the broadcast table, Charles Barkley leaned forward.

"That is a huge shot from Sun Yue."

Kenny Smith nodded.

"And Chen created all of it. He beat the switch, forced the help, and made the simple pass."

Barkley laughed.

"You’re giving Chen most of the credit now?"

Kenny smiled.

"On that possession? Absolutely."

Spain returned to offense.

Chen immediately shouted at his teammates.

"Defense!"

Spain tried to run a pass and cut action.

Rudy used a screen and cut toward the lane.

Chen fought around the screen and recovered to his side.

Pau, who had been facilitating from the high post, could no longer make the pass.

He redirected the ball to Navarro.

Navarro attacked Sun Yue.

Drive.

Sun Yue used his size and length to stay attached.

The shot clock was running down.

Navarro forced the issue.

He drove deeper.

Hung in the air.

Layup.

He managed to evade Sun Yue.

Not Yi Jianlian.

Yi came flying over from the side.

2 long steps.

Jump.

Smack!

Block!

The play electrified the Chinese bench.

Chen was already gone.

Sprint.

Fast break.

Zhu Fangyu collected the loose ball and immediately launched it upcourt.

Long pass.

Chen was already 2 steps ahead of every Spanish defender.

Catch.

Layup.

Good.

94 to 84.

54 points.

The lead was back to double digits.

Several Spanish fans in the arena covered their mouths.

No matter what Spain did, China seemed to answer.

A basket at one end.

Chen responded.

A defensive stop.

China responded.

A run.

Chen stopped it.

For Spain, it was beginning to feel as if nothing was enough.

But surrender was not part of their identity.

Pau Gasol came back to the high post.

Ball in his hands.

Survey.

Navarro ran past him.

Fake handoff.

Pau kept the ball.

1 dribble.

Long step into the paint.

High release.

Layup.

Good.

94 to 86.

Even Pau was beginning to force the issue now.

Spain knew time was disappearing.

China came back down.

And once again, everyone knew where the ball was going.

Isolation.

Chen versus Rudy.

Rudy looked exhausted mentally as much as physically.

He was not an elite perimeter stopper.

But Spain did not have a better option.

Tonight, he had been given the most difficult assignment imaginable.

Guard Chen Yan.

And Chen already had 54.

Rudy understood what came next.

2 more points.

That would surpass the Olympic single game scoring record.

If Chen did it against him, Rudy’s name would forever be attached to the moment.

The thought crept into his mind.

Too much.

He started thinking instead of reacting.

Chen immediately punished him.

Between the legs.

Again.

Burst.

Rudy was late.

Chen drove toward the right elbow.

Spain’s help defense was waiting deeper inside.

Chen knew it.

He did not continue toward the rim.

Stop.

Rise.

Mid range jumper.

Swish!

96 to 86.

56 points.

Chen had done it.

Spain immediately called timeout.

2 minutes and 46 seconds remained.

The arena was buzzing.

Spain still technically had time.

But something had changed.

Their resistance no longer carried the same force.

Chen had answered too many times.

Every run.

Every adjustment.

Every defensive change.

He had broken through them all.

And now, with only a few minutes remaining, he had also broken the Olympic single game scoring record.

After the timeout, Spain tried one final time to close the gap.

They could not.

China remained composed.

Possession by possession, the remaining seconds disappeared.

Then the final buzzer sounded.

102 to 90.

China had done it.

Their first game of the London Olympics ended with a victory.

Not against an easy opponent.

Not against a team they were expected to beat.

They had defeated Spain.

The reigning European champions.

And with that, the Chinese men’s basketball team had secured the perfect start to its Olympic campaign.

....

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