Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 1110 Old Rivals Clash Again! An Even Stronger Spanish Team!

The starting lineup for the Chinese team was already fully formed, with Yi Jianlian anchoring the paint, followed by three forwards over 2 meters tall: Xu Yong, Zhu Fangyu, and Sun Yue, and finally Lin Tian at point guard.

This is a highly versatile lineup where all five players can switch positions. Lin Tian and Sun Yue can play positions 1-3, Zhu Fangyu and Xu Yong can play positions 2-4, and Yi Jianlian is a swingman who can play positions 4-5.

Of course, when facing Spain, Zhu Fangyu and Xu Yong's ability to play the power forward position was just that—ability.

Expecting them to withstand the Gasol brothers and Ibaka's inside combination is truly asking the impossible.

Therefore, the advantage of the Chinese team still lies in the outside shooting, or rather, in Lin Tian!

Only when Lin Tian leads the team to run and charge, only when Lin Tian can get the whole team moving in the game, can their lineup maximize their strength.

As for the Spanish team, they still played with the most traditional five-man lineup.

The Gasol brothers still anchor the frontcourt, while Fernandez is the team's best-built player at small forward. Add to that Navarro, the team's core perimeter player for the past decade, and this starting lineup is exactly the same as the Spanish team's lineup at the Beijing Olympics four years ago.

The only change in the starting five is Rubio. Four years ago, when he was only 18, he was just a backup guard on the team, and his job was to assist Calderon.

But four years later, he has grown into the starting point guard for the Spanish team and has played quite well in the first few games. In the five group stage games and one knockout game, Rubio averaged 11 points, 9 assists and 2 steals. More importantly, he only had 1.5 turnovers per game, making him the point guard with the best assist-to-turnover ratio in this tournament.

He is also the player with the second-highest average assists per game in this Olympics, demonstrating both quality and quantity. In addition, because Lin Tian played one less game than him, he is the player with the most total assists.

This year, Rubio can be considered one of the world's top point guards. What's even more remarkable is that his shooting problem, which has been criticized in the Spanish league for years, seems to have improved. In 6 games, Rubio's three-point shooting percentage exceeded 44%, showing the characteristics of a top shooter.

The happiest people about his performance at this Olympics are definitely everyone at the Timberwolves, from fans to management, because this 09 rookie is finally going to officially join the NBA after this year's offseason.

The Timberwolves have been waiting for him for two whole years. Seeing their fans waiting so patiently, and seeing the guy who could be the team's savior making significant progress, no one would be unhappy.

The whole of Minnesota couldn't wait.

"Aren't you starting?" With the game about to start, Lin Tian hadn't let his old acquaintances off the hook. While adjusting his shorts, he looked at Calderon sitting on the sidelines and said, "If you're not starting, what were you doing here earlier?"

"A waste of time."

Lin Tian's disdainful remark made Calderon, who had been sitting on the bench, stand up again, cursing all the while.

Of course, the guy wouldn't be dissatisfied with Rubio or the team's arrangements just because he lost his starting position.

I was simply disgusted by Lin Tian.

I'm a substitute, what's it to you!

Lin Tian: Nothing more than being public-spirited and righteous!

With the players from both sides taking to the field, this highly anticipated semi-final match is about to officially begin.

Yi Jianlian and Marc Gasol stood on either side of the center circle. Neither of them were the talkative type, and they were both staring intently at the basketball in the referee's hand, clearly fully focused on the game.

With a whistle from the referee, the basketball was tossed high into the air. Marc Gasol, with his height advantage, slapped the ball away and passed it to Rubio behind him. Spain began their attack!

"Zhuang'er Radio, Zhuang'er Radio!" Yu Jia's voice immediately came from the televisions of Chinese fans: "Welcome everyone to Zhuang'er Radio's live broadcast of the London Olympics men's basketball games."

"The two teams facing off are Hebei China Fortune and Spain. Mr. Yang, what are your thoughts on this match? Who do you think will win?"

"Of course we're favored!" Lin Tian's old acquaintance Yang Yi's voice came from the TV: "And even if we set aside our positions and ignore those subjective emotions, and only look at the players' strength and the lineup, I'm still more optimistic about us."

"Our perimeter players have a clear advantage. Lin Tian's level and ability are beyond question. At 40 years old, he was able to win both the MVP and FMVP in one season, which is a unique achievement in NBA history."

"Lin Tian is the kind of guy who can single-handedly change a team's temperament, strength, and energy. He's a born leader. Judging from the previous few games, everyone's situation has changed since Lin Tian joined!"

"The most significant improvement is in efficiency. Let's not talk about those particularly in-depth, high-level data, but just the most basic data that we can see at a glance."

"After Lin Tian joined, the Chinese team's average score increased by 24 points, average assists increased by 9, average field goal percentage increased by 8%, and three-point percentage increased by 13%. These basic statistic improvements alone are not enough to say that the Chinese team has improved to a higher level after Lin Tian joined."

"After Lin Tian arrived, the Chinese team was completely different from before."

"Lin Tian's contribution to the team is too great and too obvious. He has brought an all-round improvement to the team, from offense to defense. Without Lin Tian, ​​we might be a team that barely made it into the knockout stage."

"But with Lin Tian, ​​we are the world's number one team!"

Yang Yi's simple and direct analysis naturally pleased the Chinese fans. This commentary is truly professional!

Chinese football fans watching the game on TV were thrilled to hear Yang Yi's words.

Meanwhile, the Spanish players on the field couldn't hear Yang Yi's analysis. Even if they did, they certainly wouldn't take it to heart. Right now, all they had on their minds was the game!

After Rubio brought the ball to the frontcourt, the Spanish players immediately began their complex but clear tactical runs. Rubio waited a moment and then passed the ball to Navarro, who then passed it to Fernandez, who dribbled towards the basket.

Then, as he reached the edge of the three-second zone, he suddenly made a two-handed through ball, throwing it towards the three-point line again.

The player standing there receiving the ball is Marc Gasol!

Marc Gasol dribbled up and launched a three-pointer!

Judging from his posture and his demeanor after receiving the ball, you can tell that this guy, who never shoots three-pointers in the NBA, must have practiced his shooting diligently in the two months after the season ended. Otherwise, he would never have been so confident in taking a shot as soon as he received the ball on the court.

"Whoosh!"

Then came a crisp sound, and the Spanish team took the lead!

Yi Jianlian grabbed the basketball, immediately went to the baseline, and quickly passed the ball to Lin Tian.

Lin Tian didn't hesitate after getting the ball. The starting lineup that Old Nelson has equipped him with, regardless of its strength and actual combat ability, is almost a replica of the Knicks team back then in terms of style.

All five players on the team can run, jump, and shoot, so why not get moving?

In the blink of an eye, Lin Tian had already dribbled the ball and rushed to the frontcourt. Then, he looked to the left, but the basketball was already flying to the right.

When the basketball was about 5 meters away from the basket, Xu Yong had already arrived, grabbed the basketball with one hand and slammed it heavily onto the floor. After taking a step, he immediately jumped up.

Xu Yong's flight demonstrated physical abilities far exceeding those of people of Asian descent; both his posture in the air and the distance he glided were nothing short of art.

"boom!"

Then came a crisp sound as Xu Yong slammed the ball in with one hand, adding 2 points to the Chinese team's tally!

"No need to rush, let's ignore them and play steadily!" The young Rubio was clear about his team's strengths and weaknesses, waved to signal everyone not to rush, and then dribbled the ball slowly towards the frontcourt.

"It looks like tonight will be a battle of pace! We want to go fast, while the Spanish team wants to slow down and utilize their inside advantage." Yu Jia immediately said upon seeing this situation, "Let's see who can gain the upper hand."

"This Rubio does look pretty good," Yang Yi said. "Because of copyright issues, we rarely see European basketball games in China, and not many people know about European basketball. So I think many people's impression of Rubio is still that of the green young man from the Beijing Olympics four years ago."

"But I recently watched a lot of Rubio's game videos and highlights from the Spanish league and the Champions League, and I found that this kid is improving very quickly!"

"In the past four years, his biggest improvement has been in his physical strength and muscle mass. He is no longer the kid who would be easily pushed aside by an adult athlete four years ago."

"At the same time, his ability to read the game has also improved significantly; the timing, angle, and vision of his passes have all improved remarkably."

"The only puzzling thing is that he wasn't accurate with three-pointers when he was playing in the league this year, so how come he suddenly became accurate at the Olympics?"

"Haha, let's see if Rubio's prediction is accurate or not tonight." Yu Jia chuckled, bringing the topic back to the game.

After arriving at the frontcourt, Rubio first called for a screen, asking Gasol to come up and set a screen for him. However, when he saw Lin Tian immediately forcefully squeeze through the screen and continue to press him, Rubio immediately passed the ball without any hesitation.

After receiving the basketball on the other side, Navarro faked a move and immediately accelerated to break through, leaving Zhu Fangyu behind in one step.

To be fair, Navarro's speed isn't top-tier, and his moves aren't flashy. This is just a simple fake shot followed by a drive, but his fakes are incredibly convincing. Plus, his reputation for accurate shooting is well-known worldwide, so it's easy to be fooled when defending him.

Navarro's fame wasn't solely due to his scoring ability and the floater that earned him the nickname "The Bomb."

As a shooting guard, his calm mind and beautiful, precise passing are the real reasons why he has been able to establish himself in the Spanish team and is known as one of the strongest shooting guards in Europe.

After sprinting all the way to the mid-range area, Navarro didn't stop. Instead, he suddenly grabbed the basketball with his left hand and threw it towards the top of the key.

Standing there is Pau Gasol, who is currently without any available players.

It's no wonder that Yi Jianlian left Gasol open and didn't closely guard him, instead dropping back to help defend Navarro near the free-throw line.

After all, that position is not Gasol's shooting area at all. Like his brother, he has hardly ever attempted a three-pointer throughout his NBA career and the first few games of the Olympics.

"No way, after the younger brother does one, the older brother is going to do one too?" Yu Jia couldn't help but exclaim, after all, he really hadn't expected the Spanish team to play like this.

Unfortunately, Yu Jia's words came true.

This time, after receiving the ball, Gasol took a quick look and shot in the same manner.

"Whoosh!"

Another crisp sound, and the Gasol brothers, both inside players, each sank a three-pointer right from the start.

"Put some pressure on them!" Old Nelson roared from the sidelines. "Pressure! Don't let them have it so easy!"

Old Nelson's call to action received little response, because the Chinese team simply didn't have the time. Although Spain scored two consecutive three-pointers, their players' attacking ability and fast-break awareness remained undiminished.

This time, Sun Yue quickly reached the baseline and immediately threw the ball out.

After receiving the ball, Lin Tian charged forward without even looking up.

Unfortunately, the Spanish team's defensive retreat was quite effective, preventing the Chinese team from launching another counter-attack.

Lin Tian wasn't in a hurry. Seeing that the opportunity wasn't good, he immediately stopped, turned his back to Rubio, and then made a fake shoulder shrug. After that, he immediately turned around and accelerated, trying to force his way past Rubio.

But as soon as Lin Tian turned around, he realized that he was no longer being defended by one person.

Fernandez is here!

"They're double-teaming Lin Tian! In the second round! They're already double-teaming Lin Tian in the second round!" Yang Yi exclaimed in surprise, "This must be the earliest I've ever seen Lin Tian double-teamed. And it's only the second round!"

"But double-teaming Lin Tian isn't always the right choice," Yu Jia said. "His passing ability is absolutely world-class!"

"The question is, can his teammate who receives the ball make the shot?" Yang Yi pursed his lips, feeling that he had grasped the Spanish team's intentions.

Lin Tian on the court did not get entangled with the two guys. Instead, he immediately made a low cross pass to Sun Yue, who had been left behind by Fernandez on the other side. Sun Yue received the ball and acted just as decisively, pulling up for a three-pointer.

"Bang!"

Unfortunately, shooting has never been Sun Yue's strong suit. The main reason he was unable to establish himself in the NBA and stay there for a long time was that his shooting was very inconsistent.

If a role player can't capitalize on an open shot passed to him by the team's star player, it will be very difficult for him to establish himself in the NBA.

This time, Sun Yue failed to capitalize on his opportunity.

Pau Gasol grabbed the rebound, glanced at it, and then immediately delivered a long pass to Rubio.

Rubio, despite Lin Tian's defense, accelerated and charged along the sideline.

He was unable to shake off Lin Tian's defense and was almost forced to make mistakes several times by Lin Tian.

Although Rubio couldn't get rid of the ball with speed and skill, his passing was quite unpredictable. After getting to the frontcourt, he suddenly made a behind-the-back pass, sending the ball to Pau Gasol at the top of the key.

Pau Gasol raised the ball, feigning another shot. This time, Yi Jianlian didn't let him go, but stepped forward and spread his arms to contest the shot. However, Gasol immediately bent down and executed Navarro's signature step-back drive. (End of Chapter)