Chapter 1 Talking with Durant

After chatting with Durant, Tang Tian also took the initiative to greet Popovich.

The two were both teacher and friend, and now they had become opponents in the FIBA competition. No matter what the final result, it would be a great story.

After the warm-up, the opening ceremony began.

Tang Tian's head-touch killed the audience, and the starting lineups of the two teams also came out.

For the Chinese team, it was Fang Shuo and Ding Yanyuhang on the outside, Tang Tian and Abudushalamu on the front line, and Yi Jianlian at center.

Li Chunjiang made adjustments to the starting lineup, arranging a lineup with one big and four small players.

Moreover, these few people on the court were the best performers on the offensive end of the team from the group stage to the knockout stage.

Obviously, they were going to compete with the American team in offense.

This was also the right choice. No matter what lineup the Chinese team used, their defense would basically be blown up.

Judging from the group stage matches, there was a good chance of winning by attacking despite being the weaker team.

The American team also made changes.

Curry and Thompson on the outside, Durant and Leonard on the front line, and Drummond at center.

Harden didn't appear in the starting lineup.

This was in line with Popovich's character. He liked to be unexpected in key games.

The game was about to begin, and the starting players from both sides took the court one after another amid the cheers of the fans.

Drummond won the opportunity to attack first for the American team.

The American team ran an elevator door tactic as soon as they came up.

The head coach of this American men's basketball team was Popovich, but the chief assistant coach was Kerr.

Curry, Thompson, and Durant were teammates, and this tactic was very successful.

This may also be the purpose of Popovich's change to this starting lineup.

But unfortunately, Curry's three-pointer didn't go in, and it was a bit off.

Curry shook his head when he saw the ball didn't go in.

His touch hadn't been good since the World Cup started. It felt like someone had stolen his three-point skill pack.

Turning around, Tang Tian took a three-point shot from the outside, facing Curry.

"Swish!"

Unlike Curry, Tang Tian's three-pointer went directly into the net, clean.

It felt like he was saying to Curry, "That's right, it's me."

One defense and one offense, Tang Tian slightly outplayed Curry, and also ignited the emotions of the fans in the audience.

Putting aside strength, the game temperament Tang Tian showed at the start was enough to excite people.

Curry didn't run the elevator door again after his first shot didn't go in, but started to transition from finishing to organizing.

Because he possessed the most outstanding shooting skills, Curry's organization was easily overlooked.

A fan's description was very apt: Curry was the Nash of the new century, but he had a stronger desire to attack than Nash.

High post pick-and-rolls, off-ball cuts on the side, Curry broke through and passed to Durant, who went around Leonard's screen and took a mid-range shot after receiving the ball.

"Swish!"

Abudushalamu, who was helping on defense, couldn't keep up with the speed at all, and Durant's mid-range shot hit steadily.

2 to 3, both teams played a beautiful offense at the start.

This also set a very good start for the final.

No matter who's fans they were, no one wanted to watch a one-sided game in the final.

The charm of competitive sports lies in the fact that anything is possible.

Tang Tian broke through and passed to the frontcourt, but Fang Shuo's catch-and-shoot three-pointer was interfered with by Leonard and didn't go in.

Popovich had Thompson replace Harden as the starting shooting guard. The offense had declined somewhat, but the defense had increased a lot.

Drummond protected the defensive rebound with his long arms.

The Chinese team's small lineup retreated quickly, and the American team's fast break didn't get going and turned into a positional attack.

It was Durant again, who took the ball and leaned back over Yi Jianlian for another mid-range shot.

The American fans in attendance cheered.

Curry's three-pointer was off, but Durant was exceptionally steady.

Speaking of which, in the last game against Spain, it was also thanks to Durant's stable output at the last moment that the American team was able to make a run and win the game.

4 to 3, the American team took the lead.

Back on the defensive end, with Popovich waving his hand on the sidelines, Leonard and Thompson began to double-team Tang Tian.

Curry and Durant were also ready to double-team at any time.

Popovich had never fought such a rich battle in his life. This was letting Tang Tian enjoy the defensive treatment beyond even the Spurs ahead of time.

Tang Tian didn't have a chance to shoot in the double-team, and passed the ball to Fang Shuo on the weak side.

This was an opportunity, but Thompson's return defense was very fast, and the opportunity was fleeting.

Fang Shuo... chose to shoot quickly.

It was obvious that after experiencing this World Cup, Fang Shuo was completely different from the hesitant Fang Shuo during the warm-up games.

This was the confidence and growth brought by the experience of the big stage.

And as Tang Tian said, his mental fortitude was really strong.

You had to know that he had just missed a three-pointer before.

"Clang!"

Thompson still interfered, and Fang Shuo's three-pointer hit the front of the rim.

But after the ball bounced up, it fell directly into the net on the second try.

Drummond almost slapped the ball out.

Confident people have good luck!

This sentence applied in any situation!

6 to 4!

The Chinese team took the lead again!

Cheers erupted in the audience.

Fang Chaoju (Super Fang) was once used by them to joke about Fang Shuo, but this time in the World Cup, this nickname was really well-deserved!

Li Chunjiang also waved his fist hard on the sidelines.

Fang Shuo's three-pointer was very crucial, because it would directly affect the intensity of the American team's defense on Tang Tian later.

In the American team's positional attack in the frontcourt, Durant continued to receive the ball using Leonard's screen.

Tang Tian's ability to go around screens was top-notch, but he was still somewhat restricted when he met Leonard. After all, no matter how strong the ability, the one going around the screen was always passive.

This time, Durant chose to cut to the basket.

Yi Jianlian helped on defense.

Both were rookies from the 2007 draft, and plus they had played against each other a lot in the regular season, he was quite familiar with Durant and knew that the latter was not a player who loved to pass the ball.

But Durant's choice was beyond his expectation. He didn't rush to shoot, but passed the ball in stride to the basket before the two made contact.

The quality of the pass was very good. Drummond caught the ball with no one defending him and directly dunked hard with both hands to score.

Abudushalamu, who was helping on defense, wanted to stop him, but instead committed a foul.

Drummond roared excitedly after dunking, and the American team's bench was also in an uproar.

Li Chunjiang rarely didn't scold Abudushalamu, he also knew that after Durant passed the ball, there was a high chance that the ball couldn't be stopped.

Drummond had a chance to make a free throw.

Tang Tian looked up at Durant at this time.

He saw a transformation in Durant.

It wasn't an increase in ability, but in temperament, a leader's temperament.

Perhaps the experiences with the Warriors and the Lakers had made him realize that he could only truly win the respect of others by relying on himself.

Or perhaps Popovich's team-oriented style of play forced him to stand up.

In any case, this Durant in the World Cup was the strongest and best Durant he had ever seen in all the years he had known him.