Play resumed, and most of the fans in the arena had stood up.

The fans in the front row were unable to contain their excitement, while the audience in the back stood up because the front row was blocking their view.

Yao Ming also stood up, his tall figure quite eye-catching even in the crowd.

But it was tough for the audience behind him; they couldn't see anything even standing up.

The American team made a substitution after the timeout, with DeAndre Jordan and Carmelo Anthony replacing Green and Butler.

Jordan camped under the basket, while Durant, Thompson, and Anthony spread out on three sides, giving Irving the opportunity to go one-on-one against Guo Ailun.

The American team wasn't just Durant; Coach K's preparations for the final were much more thorough than during the group stage.

Irving moved his feet repeatedly. Guo Ailun was already a top guard in China, but he still couldn't keep up.

He broke through to the free throw line, attracting Zhou Qi's help defense, and directly passed the ball to Anthony.

Irving wasn't known for his passing; this was clearly Coach K's tactical arrangement.

Anthony took the ball and shot a three-pointer directly.

The offensive choice was somewhat sudden, given that Anthony hadn't played much in this game, and this ball was crucial.

"Swish!"

The ball went in clean!

A critical three-pointer made!

Melo was sweet!

With 1 minute and 45 seconds left in the game, the American team once again widened the gap to 8 points!

It was a very safe score, and the American team had already secured half of the gold medal!

Yao Ming couldn't help but reach out and wipe his face.

He recalled the moment against the Spanish team in 2008, the ball where he was willing to break his leg to stop Gasol.

The feeling of fighting an entire game and losing at the last moment was the most despairing.

Fortunately, the Chinese team had Tang Tian, who broke through a triple-team to send the ball into the basket!

6 points! 1 minute and 30 seconds, there was still a chance!

"Defense! Defense!"

The fans in the arena cheered for the Chinese team again.

Far across the ocean, countless fans were also cheering for the Chinese team.

Inspired, the Chinese team's players on the court successfully defended for the first 20 seconds.

But at the last moment, Anthony caught the ball and made a difficult fadeaway shot!

An Lü Bu! (reference to a powerful warrior)

First Durant, now Anthony, the American team's two major weapons on the international stage were unleashing their power!

An 8-point difference with one minute left!

The balance of victory had completely tilted towards the American team.

The Chinese team basically had no hope of winning.

At this time, Li Nan didn't know where he got a bottle of freshly opened water. He took a sip, then signaled Zhou Qi to bump into him at close range.

So, as the Chinese team advanced to the front court, Zhou Qi accidentally bumped into Li Nan, and Li Nan's water slipped out of his hand and spilled onto the court.

The water gurgled out of the bottle, quickly wetting a large area of the floor.

The referee didn't know about Li Nan's little trick, so he signaled a timeout and gave Li Nan a warning whistle.

The game was forced to stop.

Ball boys entered the court to wipe the floor, and Li Nan secretly handed the tactical board to Tang Tian, telling him to seize the time to arrange tactics.

It was then that Tang Tian realized what Li Nan's method was.

This was really... inspired.

It was very difficult to chase an 8-point difference in 1 minute, but it wasn't impossible. As long as they made a three-pointer and defended a wave, there would still be time.

Tang Tian seized the opportunity to arrange a tactic.

The floor was wiped clean, and the game continued.

The Chinese team made a substitution at this time, with Zhao Jiwei replacing Guo Ailun.

Tang Tian dribbled past halftime but didn't attack, instead passing the ball to Zhao Jiwei.

Tang Tian and Ding Yanyuhang were both running off-ball, using screens, and Yi Jianlian was also dropping to the baseline after setting a screen.

It was a very Spurs-style off-ball tactic.

Tang Tian attracted most of the American team's defensive attention, and Zhao Jiwei made a no-look pass to Yi Jianlian in the corner.

It was an open opportunity!

The Chinese team had successfully executed a tactic!

Durant lunged at Yi Jianlian, who shot a three-pointer.

"Swish!"

"Beep!"

Durant's lunge was very aggressive, infringing on Yi Jianlian's cylinder, drawing a whistle from the referee.

And Yi Jianlian maintained his shooting form after being fouled, making the open three-pointer!

Just like the final moment against Spain in 2008, Yi Jianlian made a key shot, except this time it was a three-pointer!

A quality NBA 3&D player!

Durant hugged his head in disbelief.

After being stolen by Tang Tian, he fell into confusion again.

Coach K also reached out and supported his forehead.

This 3+1 directly brought the game, which had no suspense, back to suspense!

Zhou Qi and Ding Yanyuhang were very excited and rushed to Yi Jianlian, roaring loudly.

Yi Jianlian appeared very calm, walking to the free throw line to adjust his breathing.

When they lost to Spain, Yao Ming wanted to break his leg. He was the same; he really wanted to win.

This time, he seized the opportunity, and now he needed to make the opportunity even bigger.

Adjusting his breathing, he took the free throw.

There were only sporadic jeers in the arena; most fans didn't dare breathe too loudly.

"Clang!"

A crucial free throw, huge psychological pressure, Yi Jianlian's extra throw missed!

But at this moment, Zhou Qi flicked the basketball with his long arms while being squeezed away by Anthony.

After being flicked, the basketball fell into the net with a "swish!"

A crucial putback!

The missed free throw turned into 2 points. The Chinese team chased 5 points in one possession. The 8-point difference was only 3 points in the blink of an eye!

Zhou Qi roared, and the Chinese fans in the arena went crazy.

With 40 seconds left, the Chinese team had a chance to tie the score!

They really had a chance to win!

After chasing the entire second half, they finally chased out this opportunity!

Coach K called another timeout!

Although the Chinese team had chased out the opportunity, if the American team scored this last ball, victory would still be theirs.

Fans in the arena unconsciously accelerated their breathing.

This was a truly suffocating moment.

In the arena's broadcasting booth, including Zhang Weiping, many commentators couldn't control the tremor in their voices.

No one thought that the Chinese team would really catch up. This China-U.S. battle could be called the most classic game in international basketball history.

Play resumed after the timeout. For the American team's offense, Green replaced Thompson, a lineup with two inside players.

Jordan camped under the basket to fight for offensive rebounds, and Green organized the offense at the arc.

Durant and Anthony ran on both sides. This was somewhat imitating the Chinese team's offense.

Anthony had scored 5 consecutive points, attracting most of the Chinese team's defensive attention, and Durant got a chance to catch the ball.

He caught the ball and turned to shoot, then saw Tang Tian rushing towards him.

The distance between the two was a bit far, but at the moment Durant shot, he instinctively felt a little fear in his heart, and the shot had a very slight tremor.

"Clang!"

With a crisp sound, Durant failed to seize the opportunity, and the basketball bounced off the rim!

Yi Jianlian boxed out Jordan, and Zhou Qi fought hard to protect the defensive rebound.

With the last 20 seconds, the Chinese team had a chance to tie the score!