"Defense! Defense!"

Korolev's three-pointer also stirred up the atmosphere in the arena.

The Chinese fans in attendance shouted "Defense" in unison, truly treating the Brazilian venue as the Chinese team's home court!

The Chinese team was gaining momentum!

The cheers of the fans greatly stimulated the adrenaline of the Chinese team players, and they defended Argentina so well that they almost ran out the 24-second shot clock.

Ginobili made a difficult shot over Tang Tian at the last moment.

The ball hit the rim, bounced a few times, and then went in!

"In good times, look to Parker; in adversity, to Duncan; in desperate situations, to Ginobili."

This saying, originally used for the Spurs, was now proving true for Argentina.

Although the point difference wasn't large, if the Chinese team's momentum wasn't checked, Argentina might be swept away in one fell swoop!

Those two points were crucial!

The momentum of the Chinese fans in the arena was about to be broken.

In China's attack, Tang Tian broke through a four-man包夹 (bao jia, encirclement) and passed the ball to Zhou Peng this time.

Zhou Peng was 0 for 3 from beyond the arc in the first half, his touch ice cold.

However, his rhythm and feel for the ball looked good when he received it.

Tang Tian's pep talk at halftime had completely relaxed him.

"Swish!"

With a crisp sound, Zhou Peng's three-pointer went in!

The cheers, which had weakened, instantly erupted again!

Korolev with one, Zhou Peng with another. After a cold performance in the first half, the Chinese team had finally found its touch!

This was definitely the best news for Chinese fans at the stadium and watching on TV!

Ginobili tried to force a response, but this time Tang Tian defended it, and Tang Tian also grabbed the rebound.

Back on offense, Tang Tian continued to drive to the basket.

Argentina continued to collapse their defense, two three-pointers weren't enough to make them adjust their defensive strategy.

Tang Tian continued to pass, switching hands behind his back in the air, passing the ball to Zhao Jiwei at the right 45-degree angle.

Zhao Jiwei took a three-pointer.

"Swish!"

Another crisp sound, Zhao Jiwei's three-pointer also went in!

Counting Zhou Peng's shot at the start of the second half, the Chinese team had shot 1 for 12 from beyond the arc, a success rate of 8.3%.

But in the past three possessions, they had made three three-pointers in a row!

Although the touch came a little late, it had finally arrived!

Hernangomez raised his hand and called a timeout, and unlike his happy expression earlier, he looked quite serious at this moment.

If China's outside game opened up, the game would be completely different.

Tang Tian, with his opened-up group of shooters, could win a championship in the NBA and defeat the American team in the Olympics!

These were things that had already happened!

When play resumed after the timeout, Ginobili once again broke through and passed to Scola, who made a mid-range shot.

Those two points were critical.

But in response, they didn't dare collapse the defense, and Tang Tian broke past Delfino to score a dunk at the basket!

It was terrifying when China's outside shooters opened up, but the consequences of not double-teaming Tang Tian were just as terrifying!

The Argentinian players deeply understood the American team's experience.

China's one-star-four-shooter strategy was very simple: the shooters spread out to create space, and the star used that space to score aggressively. It was so simple that many people could understand it.

But because they had Tang Tian, and because of China's targeted player selection, it was truly somewhat unsolvable!

Ginobili was trying hard to lead his team to chase points, but the point difference was still widening little by little.

With only five minutes left in the game, they were already behind China by 15 points.

The outcome was no longer in much doubt.

Many of the Chinese fans in the arena had already stood up in advance, preparing to welcome the historic moment for the Chinese team.

But Argentina's starters were still on the court.

This was not only Ginobili's last Olympics, but also likely the last for Scola, Nocioni, and Delfino.

For them, these were likely their last five minutes on the Olympic stage.

Ginobili's mid-to-long-range shots led the team to a 7-0 run.

But Tang Tian personally unleashed a despairing 5-0 run.

With two minutes left in the game, his step-back three-pointer directly took away any suspense.

The final buzzer sounded, and the score on the court was finally frozen at 88 to 75.

The Chinese team defeated Argentina by 13 points, making history and advancing to the Olympic semifinals!

The Chinese fans in the arena had completely erupted, and many were wiping away tears.

The Chinese men's basketball team had finally reached the Olympic semifinals!

No matter how the next game went, this was already satisfying for everyone!

Especially the older fans, who had experienced repeated anticipation and repeated disappointment.

Reaching the quarterfinals would have made them excited for the entire summer, even for several years.

But now, there was no disappointment, the Chinese team had really won!

While soccer was still fighting with all its might to qualify from the group stage in Asian competitions, Chinese basketball had already advanced to the Olympic semifinals!

At this moment, as basketball fans, they felt an unprecedented sense of happiness!

At this moment, as basketball fans, they were so proud to hold their heads high!

"The five-star red flag flutters in the wind, how loud the victory song is…"

No one knew who started it first, but this song, which had once resonated in London, was now ringing out again in Brazil.

And this time, the singing was even louder than last time, because this time the Chinese team was not just tying, but breaking history!

The Chinese team players, who had been celebrating on the court, stopped one after another after hearing the singing and joined in, singing in unison.

This was the pride of the Chinese people!

While the Chinese team was celebrating, on the other side of the court, the Argentinian players were embracing each other, their eyes showing some loneliness.

Stopping in the quarterfinals was not a perfect ending for the last few members of the former golden generation.

The singing at the scene ended, followed by deafening cheers.

No amount of celebration could satisfy the Chinese fans in attendance.

While the fans were celebrating, the players from both teams were doing the final handshake on the court.

When Tang Tian shook hands with Ginobili, they smiled at each other, then hugged tightly.

Losing was regrettable, but for Ginobili, losing to Tang Tian was something he could accept more easily.

"I will stay in Rio, I hope to see you finally stand on the podium."

After separating, Ginobili said with a smile.

The outcome of the game couldn't be changed, and although there was regret, he was no longer thinking about it, he could only place his own regret on Tang Tian.

Tang Tian nodded.

"I will stand on the highest podium, just like you did back then."

He then said seriously.

Ginobili was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a smile.

This smile was not mocking, but happy and expectant.

With Tang Tian, anything was possible, especially since Tang Tian had already led this weak team once in the group stage.

All they had to do was complete it once more in the knockout stage.