That is to say, if the red team wins 2:0, and the blue team does not score more than 10 points in any game, then Kobe and Tyronn Lue win! Kobe gets $70, and Tyronn Lue gets $10.
Conversely! As soon as the blue team scores more than 10 points in any game, regardless of whether they win or lose, Kobe and Tyronn Lue are considered to have lost! Kobe loses $70, and Tyronn Lue loses $10.
"You also favor the red team?" Kobe asked Tyronn Lue.
Tyronn Lue shook his head, "I don't know them well! I just favor you..."
"Good insight!" Kobe sincerely gave Tyronn Lue a thumbs up.
The international team's internal competition was about to begin.
The first to take the court for the red team was the starting lineup proposed by Bobby Jones: Gasol, Nowitzki, Kirilenko, Ginobili, and He Ximeng, with Da Zhi as the sixth man.
For the blue team, the first five players were Nesterović, Radocaj, Turkoglu, Yuta Tabuse, and Liang Donggen, with Stepačić as the sixth man.
Gasol beat Nesterović in the tip-off, and the red team got the first offensive opportunity.
He Ximeng brought the ball past half-court, and Yuta Tabuse tried to steal it with his quick hands, but He Ximeng used it to his advantage, faking and then quickly turning, easily getting past him!
He Ximeng had a chance to shoot from three-point range, but he didn't shoot. Instead, he drove in, drawing a defensive rotation from Nesterović. He Ximeng then seized the opportunity to make a precise pass to Gasol in the paint. Gasol turned and made a simple layup for two points!
The American team on the sidelines let out a small cheer, enjoying the spectacle.
Kobe, however, pouted, very displeased with He Ximeng's choice just now!
"Again? He had a chance to shoot, but he insisted on passing to someone else..."
Kobe's low murmur was heard by Tyronn Lue beside him.
"Although I don't agree with He Ximeng's choice, that pass at the end was perfectly timed..."
Tyronn Lue spoke up for He Ximeng.
Turning around, it was the blue team's turn to attack. Yuta Tabuse dribbled the ball forward, wanting to retaliate against He Ximeng's drive, but He Ximeng anticipated it, nearly stealing the ball.
Finally managing to control the ball, Yuta Tabuse turned and tried to change direction again... and lost the ball!
While Yuta Tabuse and He Ximeng were entangled, Ginobili had quietly moved over from the left. Just as Yuta Tabuse turned, he snatched the ball away!
After losing the ball, Yuta Tabuse refused to give up, chasing after Ginobili, trying to get the ball back. Ginobili immediately passed to He Ximeng, who was driving up the middle!
He Ximeng accelerated in the middle, a clear path ahead!
If Kobe were on the court, he would have surely pulled off a spectacular dunk!
But He Ximeng glanced back and saw Kirilenko catching up from the left!
He Ximeng decisively gave up his layup and made a side-pass off the backboard. The ball bounced to Kirilenko, who was following behind. Kirilenko caught it in mid-air and slammed it down with both hands!
"This guy is too selfless! Isn't he worried about his stats looking bad?" Kobe muttered to himself again from the sidelines.
This time, Tyronn Lue agreed with Kobe. Even for a point guard, you should score when you have the opportunity!
On the court, with this beautiful assist, He Ximeng instantly closed the gap between himself and Kirilenko. Before this, He Ximeng had already established a preliminary friendship with Paul and Nowitzki. Kirilenko, on the other hand, was more often seen with Nesterović, Radocaj, and Stepačić, these Eastern European players. Their English was terrible, but they all seemed to speak Russian.
4:0, the red team scored two consecutive baskets.
The blue team continued their offense. This time, Yuta Tabuse dared not overplay and honestly chose to advance the ball and pass it to Nesterović in the paint! Nesterović turned and powered through Gasol, but his pump fake failed, and Gasol blocked his shot!
He Ximeng grabbed the loose ball. Facing the double-team defense from Yuta Tabuse and Liang Donggen, he retreated a step, creating distance between them. Then, he launched a long pass to Ginobili, who was driving on the right wing!
Ginobili didn't slow down as he moved. He switched from the right to the middle, chasing after the big men of the blue team who were retreating. He seemed to be heading straight for the basket, but as he approached the three-point line, he pulled up and shot!
7:0, Ginobili hit a beautiful pull-up three-pointer!
The blue team finally realized that the gap between them and the red team was quite large!
Turning around, Yuta Tabuse passed the ball back and forth with Liang Donggen beyond the three-point line. Turkoglu drifted to the wing to catch the ball and shoot, wanting to hit a three-pointer back at the red team! But Kirilenko's long arms were not just for show! With a desperate lunge, Turkoglu's shot was interfered with by Kirilenko's fingertips, resulting in a complete miss!
Nowitzki easily grabbed the rebound and immediately passed it to He Ximeng!
This time, the blue team learned their lesson. To prevent the red team from launching a fast break, they didn't even contest the rebound after Turkoglu's shot and quickly retreated to defense!
Seeing that a fast break was unlikely, He Ximeng decided to advance the ball slowly.
After crossing half-court, He Ximeng called for a high screen from Gasol. Shaking off Yuta Tabuse, he accelerated and drove at Nesterović!
Nesterović's footwork couldn't keep up with He Ximeng. Radocaj on the weak side quickly rotated to help defend. In the crowd, He Ximeng passed the ball to Nowitzki, whom Radocaj had abandoned. Nowitzki cut to the basket and made an easy layup, 9:0!
"This is killing me! It's completely one-sided!"
"This shouldn't be happening! The blue team shouldn't be this weak..."
"By the way, has everyone on the red team scored?"
"No! That Chinese point guard hasn't scored yet!"
"Really?"
"Yes! But he already has three assists... and one play wasn't an assist, but it also came from his brilliant pass..."
The game continued. This time, Liang Donggen finally hit a three-pointer from the perimeter under the defense of Ginobili, breaking the blue team's scoring drought!
But immediately after, Liang Donggen was scored on twice by a somewhat enraged Ginobili!
One was a back-door cut, where Ginobili received a pass from He Ximeng and hit an answer ball from the top of the arc, responding to Liang Donggen's shot!
The second was when Liang Donggen wanted to maintain his rhythm and shot from three-point range again, but Ginobili stripped him of the ball. The stealer, Ginobili, unlike He Ximeng, didn't hesitate. He went on a fast break all the way and threw down a one-handed dunk!
After scoring five consecutive points, Ginobili instantly extended the lead to 14:3...