Drummond stepped up to the free-throw line, the boos still deafening.

This time he made one of two, finally getting a point on the board.

Tang Tian couldn't help but feel sorry for his junior teammate as he watched Drummond exhale deeply after making the second free throw.

Of course, he also had to give Li Chunjiang credit; the latter's coaching ability was somewhat unexpected.

For the last possession of the half, Tang Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, crossed over, and pulled up for a contested buzzer-beater.

Halftime arrived, the score frozen at 46-41, with China leading by 5 points!

The players from both teams returned to the locker rooms to rest, and at that moment, the fans on the internet went wild.

"We came back from 20 points down three years ago, now we're leading by 5 at halftime, tell me loudly, who will be the world champion?!"

"China!!!"

"Speaking of which, Li Chunjiang's moves before halftime were really slick, just based on that series of plays, he outmaneuvered Popovich."

"Seriously, he won using Popovich's methods, if China really wins in the end, Li Chunjiang will become famous overnight!"

"Don't you guys think Li Chunjiang is just a younger, CBA version of Popovich? Whether it's Guangdong or Guangsha, he can develop young players, and they both have fiery tempers, plus this tactical brilliance."

"You know what, it's true, according to you, this is the CBA's Popovich beating the NBA's Popovich? [Manual doge]"

"o(╥﹏╥)o I never thought my great CBA would have a day to defeat the NBA."

…

Chinese fans were overjoyed, ecstatic beyond belief.

However, on American social media, the mood was obviously not so good.

"We're down by 5 points to China at halftime! And Popovich was outcoached by some unknown coach before halftime!"

"Sure enough, our NBA, touted as the best league in the world, is just not suited for FIBA, whether it's the players or the coaches."

"Exactly, what's Curry even doing? How many three-pointers has he made in this World Cup?"

"I know Curry might just be having a slump, he was really good in the World Cup when he was younger, but can't Popovich put someone else in the starting lineup?"

"I think Popovich's on-the-spot adjustments are really not good, although he is really great, he is really much worse than Coach K!"

"Why not let Kerr take over?"

"Kerr is even worse, his adjustments are worse than Popovich, I think Spoelstra and Carlisle are more suitable."

"And Drummond, what's he doing, is it that hard to make a free throw?"

"That's because he doesn't practice enough! Shooting, free throws, if you're not accurate, it means you don't practice enough!"

"In the end, it's because our country's interior talent is declining, as soon as AD can't play, there's no one to take his place, that damned Adam Silver, ruined a batch of inside players!"

"If we lose this time, Silver must be held responsible!"

"He's in a mental hospital, how can he be responsible, let's see how they adjust in the second half, if they lose the World Cup too, then don't call them the Dream Team anymore!"

…

After the defeat at the Olympics three years ago, the American Basketball Association sent out almost their strongest lineup this time.

If they really lose, then there's no more excuse.

Just like the fans said on social media, it might not be appropriate to call them the Dream Team anymore.

Coming back from halftime, the American team didn't adjust their starting lineup, but their defensive intensity on the court obviously increased.

Judging from Popovich's flushed face when he came back, he must have been furious in the locker room during halftime.

Under the American team's high-pressure defense, China's tactical plays were basically impossible to execute.

Just like how NBA playoff games eventually turn into superstar isolation plays, tactics lose their meaning when there is a large gap in individual ability.

Tang Tian began to switch to individual offense mode.

The others had done enough in the first half, it was time for him to step up.

Pull-up jumpers, turnaround fadeaways, ultra-long three-pointers, fast break continuous crossovers and dunks…

Popovich couldn't defend Tang Tian when he was with the Spurs, and the Dream Team's restrictions on Tang Tian were also limited.

Tang Tian scored 20 points in the third quarter alone, helping the Chinese team tie the American team 76-76 at the end of the third quarter.

A tie after three quarters, both sides returned to the same starting line!

The emotions of the fans at the scene were tense and excited.

Tense because the scores were tied, excited because as the game time continued to decrease, the possibility of the Chinese team winning also increased little by little.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, during the bench rotation, both teams made substitutions one after another.

The American team's lineup on the court: Lillard, Harden, George, Leonard, and Turner.

Popovich also began to tighten the rotation.

On the Chinese team's side, Tang Tian was also subbed off by Li Chunjiang to rest.

China had relied almost entirely on Tang Tian to hold on in the third quarter, even for someone made of iron, this kind of high-intensity game was tiring.

However, Li Chunjiang also knew that this bench rotation was very crucial, he had already subbed off Ding Yanyu Hang and Yi Jianlian to rest in the third quarter.

Now, they were all back on.

Wu Qian and Ding Yanyu Hang on the outside, Zhou Peng and Yi Jianlian on the front line, and Shen Zijie at center.

He did the opposite of what he did in the first half, expanding the rotation lineup.

Returning to the fourth quarter, the fans at the scene and in front of the TV were incredibly nervous.

This quarter was the decisive one.

The scene of the Spanish team running out of energy at the end was still vivid in their minds, no one knew how the Chinese team would perform.

If they fell in the last twenty meters of the 100-meter sprint like the Spanish team, such a result would be considered a glorious defeat, but psychologically it would still be difficult to accept.

So that kind of tension came from the bottom of their hearts, their hands moving involuntarily, their bodies trembling slightly.

China attacked first, Ding Yanyu Hang held the ball on the outside and ran a pick-and-roll with Yi Jianlian.

After the screen, he bent down and rushed inside, playing with unusual determination.

After two years of experience in the NBA and so many World Cup games, he knew exactly what he had to do now.

Turner helped defend inside, and after a collision between the two, he knocked Ding Yanyu Hang to the ground.

The referee called a defensive foul on Turner, and Ding Yanyu Hang got two free throw opportunities.

He fell hard, but Yi Jianlian and Zhou Peng immediately went over to help him up, he waved his hand to indicate that he was okay.

After adjusting his breathing, he made both free throws, helping the Chinese team get the first two points of this quarter.

During the timeout, Popovich called Harden to his side and gave him a few specific instructions.

The American team attacked to the frontcourt, Harden held the ball and signaled to spread out, directly isolating Ding Yanyu Hang.

Obviously, Popovich knew that the main offensive point on the Chinese team was Ding Yanyu Hang, and he began to target him on both offense and defense.

Ding Yanyu Hang struggled to defend Harden, and Harden, under Popovich's instructions, kept looking for contact with his body, and finally forced a shot to the basket and scored.

There was a stir on the sidelines, this was obviously a bit of bullying.

And returning to the defensive end, Ding Yanyu Hang was double-teamed again when he broke through.

Popovich didn't care who you were when he started targeting someone.

Ding Yanyu Hang barely managed to pass the ball to Yi Jianlian in the double team.

George had already helped defend, and Yi Jianlian didn't have time to shoot.

Fortunately, he didn't stop the ball, and immediately passed it to Zhou Peng in the corner.

Double teams will definitely have a player that is left open, and Zhou Peng was that player.

The reason was simple, Zhou Peng hadn't played much before, and the chances of him making a shot were not high.

Zhou Peng chose to shoot, Li Chunjiang had specifically instructed him before the game to shoot decisively if he had the opportunity.

"Do what a veteran should do."

Li Chunjiang had specifically instructed him.

Zhou Peng's release speed was not fast, even a little slow, but the American team's help defenders were far away, and Zhou Peng had already completed his shot when they arrived.

Everyone at the scene held their breath, this shot was very crucial.

If Zhou Peng couldn't make the shot, then the American team's double teams on Ding Yanyu Hang and Yi Jianlian would be even more frantic.

If the Chinese team was pulled apart in this period, or forced to bring Tang Tian on early, then the situation would likely collapse in an instant.

"Swish!"

A crisp sound.

In the expectant eyes of the fans, Zhou Peng made the shot!