88 to 91!

Yi Jianlian's three-pointer helped the Chinese team close the gap back to 3 points.

A crucial basket!

A life-saving basket!

The fans on the sidelines shouted excitedly, their eyes a little red.

It felt like being held underwater, then suddenly pulled out to breathe, giving them hope to continue living!

"Defense! Defense!"

The atmosphere at the Wukesong Arena was ignited by the three-pointer, and fans cheered for the Chinese team in unison.

The Chinese players on the court seemed to be injected with chicken blood, and the US team's continuous movements didn't create any opportunities!

With little time left on the shot clock, the ball ended up in Durant's hands, who had been the most consistent player for the US team tonight.

Durant dribbled against Yi Jianlian, then pulled up for a contested fadeaway jumper.

Yi Jianlian judged the play well, and his outstretched defense completely blocked Durant's shooting vision.

It was almost an instinctive shot.

"Swish!"

But the ball went in!

A clutch shot, a killer's instinct!

The qualities that Tang Tian had said Durant possessed when he chose him in the summer, qualities that would make him a leader, were on display on the FIBA court!

The gap returned to 5 points!

The crowd stirred; they had just taken a breath when Durant pushed them back underwater.

Tang Tian drove to the basket again and passed it out to Abudushalamu.

This time, Abudushalamu didn't hesitate and shot a three-pointer before George's help defense arrived.

"Swish!"

He shot, and it went in!

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Abudushalamu had won them another chance to breathe!

91 to 93!

The gap was only 2 points!

A one-possession game!

"Huff, huff~"

Many fans gasped for air. With just over two minutes left in the game, it was a true do-or-die moment.

Amid the fans' cheers, the Chinese team put together another high-quality defensive possession.

The US team didn't get any good offensive opportunities, and the ball ended up in Durant's hands again at the last moment.

But this time, Tang Tian was guarding Durant!

A company executive, facing off against the company boss!

Tang Tian's defensive pressure was unmatched by Yi Jianlian, and his defense had always been effective against Durant.

Durant was forced to use a difficult turnaround fadeaway at the last second.

The buzzer sounded as the ball left his hand, barely clearing Tang Tian's fingertips.

This shot was SSS-level difficulty.

"Swish!"

But the ball ultimately grazed the front of the rim and went in!

An incredible shot!

Durant's killer instinct!

95 to 91!

The gap was widened to 4 points again!

After the basket, Durant pounded his chest and roared, a rare sight, and the US team's bench erupted in celebration.

Curry's two three-pointers greatly increased the US team's chances of winning, and Durant's late-game scoring was ensuring that the US team would take home the championship!

Just like his consistent performance in the semi-final against Spain.

It's no exaggeration to say that he is the strongest active player on the US team in the FIBA arena!

At this moment, on American social media, fans were already praising Durant to the heavens.

Calling him things like "the strongest player in FIBA history," "Tang Tian's successor," "the next number one player in the league," and so on.

This was probably the peak of Durant's popularity since his debut.

But their cheers didn't last long, because Tang Tian drove and dished to Fang Shuo on the perimeter, who caught the ball and hit a James Harden-esque step-back three-pointer!

This time, it was the Chinese fans who exploded.

Fang Chaoju's (Super Fang) basket was something he could brag about for the rest of his life!

94 to 95.

A one-point gap!

A little over a minute left in the game!

The US team's offense; this time Tang Tian stuck to Durant like glue, preventing him from getting the ball. Leonard shook off his defender on the perimeter and shot a contested three-pointer.

"Clank!"

It missed!

Yi Jianlian jumped high and grabbed the defensive rebound.

Tang Tian continued to drive and dish on the offensive end, this time passing the ball to Ding Yanyuhang, who pump-faked Thompson before shooting.

Thompson didn't bite on the fake, and fouled Ding Yanyuhang's arm as he went up, but the latter still managed to get the shot off.

The referee on the sideline blew his whistle, indicating a defensive foul on Thompson.

"Swish!"

And the next second, the ball went in!

3+1!

Madness!

The fans inside the Wukesong Arena, the fans in front of their TVs, and even those overseas fans watching the game, all went crazy at this moment!

Ding Yanyuhang's 3+1 put the Chinese team ahead!

It felt like finally breaking free from that hand, surfacing, and finally being able to breathe deeply!

Thompson held his head in his hands, his eyes full of remorse.

This basket was almost fatal for the US team.

Ding Yanyuhang lost his balance and fell to the ground after the shot, and Yi Jianlian and Tang Tian went over to help him up.

The look of confidence on his face was at its peak.

After this World Cup, when he returns to the NBA, he might be more than just a bench player averaging less than ten minutes per game like he was last season!

He stepped to the free throw line, took a deep breath to adjust, and calmly made the free throw.

98 to 95!

The Chinese team had overtaken the US team by 3 points!

With only 40 seconds left in the game!

Popovich called a timeout.

After one offensive and defensive possession, the US team's situation had become very passive.

If they were only down by 2 points, the situation would just be passive, but now they were down by 3 points.

In other words, this would likely force the US team to shoot a three-pointer.

When the timeout ended, Popovich made a substitution, taking Thompson and George out, and putting Harden and Curry in.

It seemed that Popovich was going to gamble on the three.

Curry dribbled the ball up the court, and ran off-ball on the weak side. His eyes were on Durant, and it looked like Popovich had arranged for Durant to take the final shot.

This was a reasonable arrangement, seeking stability at the last moment, and Durant possessed that strength and temperament.

Li Chunjiang shouted loudly from the sidelines, and the Chinese team's defensive focus also shifted towards Durant.

But at that moment, something completely unexpected happened on the court.

Curry suddenly dribbled towards the basket.

The Chinese team didn't expect this at all, but judging from the pick-and-roll along Curry's path to the basket, this was Popovich's tactical arrangement!

Popovich showed off his mischievous side, pulling off an unexpected move at the end.

Go for 2 points, and rely on free throws. Popovich knew that besides Tang Tian, the free throw shooting of the other Chinese players wasn't stable.

This move of his was very clever, and the tactic played out perfectly.

Curry charged into the paint, and the others didn't have time to defend.

He took off in the free throw lane and chose to finish with a dunk.

This was seeking stability, and also a personal preference.

"Bang!"

But to everyone's surprise, including Curry himself.

He missed the uncontested dunk...

Golden State LaVine, careless and losing Jingzhou (a major strategic blunder)!

The fans in the arena burst out laughing.

The Chinese team had been hitting all sorts of incredible three-pointers from the outside, and Durant had been making all sorts of killer baskets.

It was a battle of the gods.

But no one expected a Maitreya Buddha (laughing Buddha) to pop up at the end.

Was he trying to ease the tension of the game and relax the fans' emotions?