The Yugoslavian team, lacking a dominant offensive presence in the paint due to Divac's absence due to injury, still possessed an abundance of talented basketball players. Without Divac, they could still penetrate China's defenses and attack the basket through rapid ball movement, skillful coordination, and the tacit understanding between teammates!
Indeed! Bodiroga, realizing his team's average shooting touch in the early stages of the game, decisively changed tactics, leading them to adopt a strategy of driving to the basket!
Yugoslavia's first basket of the game came from Bodiroga, who used a teammate's screen to drive and dish to Stojakovic on the wing. Stojakovic faked a three-point shot, successfully drawing Liu Yudong's attention. With a pump fake, he drove into the paint, executed a second drive, and successfully finished with a floater over Yao Ming!
At the beginning of this World Championship, Stojakovic was initially Bodiroga's backup. However, as the tournament progressed, Stojakovic's exceptional performance off the bench led the head coach to elevate him to the starting lineup, forming a dynamic backcourt duo with Bodiroga.
Bodiroga, who originally played small forward, now dropped back to shooting guard, creating a more pronounced one-on-one advantage against Li Nan. Stojakovic, meanwhile, took over Bodiroga's former position on the wing, roaming, hitting clutch shots, driving to the basket, and cutting for layups...
As the epitome of European basketball, Yugoslavia's defining characteristic was its team-oriented play! Through synchronized coordination, fluid passing, and precise shooting, Yugoslavia had once been the only superpower capable of challenging the American Dream Team.
Of course, this current Yugoslavian squad was not as formidable. With Divac absent and Stojakovic still developing, Bodiroga was, in essence, the sole absolute core of the Yugoslavian team. However, Bodiroga's shooting touch also seemed off in the early stages, similar to He Xi Meng. While his shots weren't falling, his drives to the basket remained unaffected. Two teams, renowned for their shooting prowess in this championship, were now locked in a battle of who could better attack the paint...
The Chinese team primarily utilized their height advantage in the paint, playing positional offense. The Yugoslavian team, on the other hand, employed their skillful coordination to run cut-and-drive plays. The scores see-sawed back and forth, with the first half of the game being a closely contested affair.
Not long after the third quarter began, Yugoslavia suddenly intensified their offensive and defensive intensity, initiating a full-court press! On defense, they implemented a tight double-team on He Xi Meng, attempting to stifle China's overall offense by containing him. On offense, Bodiroga transformed into a point-forward, executing consecutive drives and assists. Stojakovic seized opportunities, hitting two consecutive three-pointers from beyond the left arc!
Seeing Yugoslavia gain momentum, He Xi Meng was understandably anxious. The third quarter was a crucial transitional period, where most players experienced their first dip in stamina and shooting touch. Many coaches preferred to exert pressure during this time, actively pushing the pace to shift from a passive to an active stance. This was because the fatigue affected not only their own players but also the opponents. Therefore, whoever possessed stronger willpower and a greater desire for victory would gain the upper hand during this transition, potentially laying the foundation for their win.
He Xi Meng was well aware of the importance of this phase. Thus, he responded immediately to Yugoslavia's change in strategy! Due to Yugoslavia's resolute double-team tactic, which significantly impacted He Xi Meng's ball-handling and passing, he attempted to pass the ball to Li Nan, enabling Li Nan, Liu Yudong, Da Zhi, and Yao Ming to exploit a three-on-four advantage. However, He Xi Meng had overestimated Li Nan's playmaking ability. Li Nan's previous role in his team primarily involved spot-up shooting, similar to Zheng Wu. Both were excellent "cold-blooded assassins" but not particularly adept organizers.
The Chinese team suffered a 24-second violation once and a turnover during a pass back to He Xi Meng, which was intercepted by the opponent. Their offensive rhythm came to a grinding halt. Coach Zhang Bing paced anxiously on the sidelines. While contemplating substitutions, He Xi Meng gestured to him, signaling for a timeout. Yugoslavia had extended their lead to six points, and China needed an effective response. If the score gap widened to double digits, a comeback would become nearly impossible, as China's overall strength was already inferior to their opponent's.
Upon seeing He Xi Meng's signal, Zhang Bing immediately called for a timeout. He Xi Meng called this timeout not only to disrupt Yugoslavia's momentum and allow his teammates and himself to catch their breath but also because the current Chinese team desperately needed another offensive threat and playmaker besides himself! In other words, He Xi Meng urgently required a helper! His ideal candidate was Hu Weidong!
"Old Hu, can you play?" He Xi Meng went straight to Hu Weidong upon returning to the bench. Hu Weidong had played six minutes in the first half, shooting 2 for 4, displaying stable form, and his old ankle injury showed no signs of discomfort. Hearing He Xi Meng's question, Old Hu smiled, "I've been ready for a while! Just waiting for your signal!"
"Excellent! I need you to help me orchestrate the offense. When I'm double-teamed, you'll organize everyone to score! Attack hard, score hard! Only when you guys attack fiercely and hurt Yugoslavia will they ease up on the double-teams. Otherwise, they'll just trap me tighter and tighter... and our offense will fall into a dead end..."
"Understood! I'll act as if you don't exist, and we'll play four-on-three! I think we can do it!" Hu Weidong said confidently.
"Li Nan, you can rest for a bit. Old Hu will replace you. Coach, is this substitution alright?" While arranging player changes, He Xi Meng still remembered to consult Head Coach Zhang Bing.
"Yes! No problem. If you hadn't said anything, I was already preparing to make a change." Zhang Bing immediately affirmed.
"Once Old Hu is on the court, everyone must ensure the ball moves. We have a numerical advantage with four-on-three. No matter how good their defense is, we'll find open shots! When you're open, don't hesitate, shoot the ball..."
It was the final game, and He Xi Meng was too tired to pretend. He took over the coaching reins, leaving Zhang Bing to the side. Zhang Bing didn't seem annoyed. He earnestly held the tactical board, stood beside He Xi Meng, and listened as He Xi Meng explained the strategy to the other players...