NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 710 Excellent Support Lee Kai'er

After the timeout, the US men's basketball team increased their teamwork. They no longer easily went for one-on-one attacks, but instead used pick-and-rolls and ball movement to find open shots.

If they try to force their way through the paint, Dilraba Dilmurat and Durant will obviously find it difficult. The Chinese men's basketball team has ample height in the paint. Both Art Mayork and Yi Jianlian, though past their prime, are incredibly athletic and in excellent form, capable of running, jumping, and possessing exceptional athleticism. This is probably the most athletic frontcourt duo in the history of the Chinese men's basketball team.

Back when Chairman Yao led the Chinese men's basketball team, we had four great inside players: three centers plus Yi Jianlian, representing the golden age of the team's inside game. However, none of the three centers were particularly athletic; they were all about technique, strength, and height, but their running and jumping abilities were somewhat lacking.

The US men's basketball team began to double-team Jia Fei on the defensive end, leaving Li Ke'er open for three-point shots.

The Chinese men's basketball team made adjustments very quickly, as if they had anticipated this. Their countermeasures included Jia Fei starting to play off-ball, Li Ke'er starting to handle the ball and organize the offense, setting pick-and-rolls with Yi Jianlian and Art Mayok, and Jia Fei and Paul from Anshan acting as spacers to tear apart the opponent's defense.

This adjustment made the US men's basketball team uncomfortable; their double-teaming seemed ineffective. Lee Kyle's ball-handling and playmaking abilities are outstanding, as proven in the NBA. You're a very good support player, not the absolute best, but at least a high-quality one. Supports who don't tank damage thrive. Besides Jia Fei, no one else on the Chinese men's basketball team can both tank damage and perfectly play support.

Yi Jianlian can be used as a secondary scorer. Don't let him orchestrate the offense; instead, let him finish at the rim or catch and shoot. He'll maintain good efficiency and his execution will be decent. If you make him the primary scorer, neither his output nor his efficiency will be as good as when he's a secondary scorer. If a team needs Yi Jianlian as their primary scorer, then that team's offensive ceiling is probably limited.

Art Mayork's role is that of a role player in the paint, providing rim protection, rebounding, and other defensive duties. He does the dirty work, provides solid screens, and adds energy. He can handle some open shots and layups, but his ability to finish plays is limited, unlike Yi Jianlian. He can serve as the team's fourth or fifth offensive option.

Li Kai'er is an excellent support player, serving as the team's third or fourth offensive option, second ball-handler, and primary defensive anchor on the wing. He plays a crucial role in high-level games for the Chinese men's basketball team. In the 2019 FIBA ​​Basketball World Cup, despite Jia Fei's explosive performance, the team still lost, largely due to the opponent's relentless double-teaming of him. Besides Jia Fei, no one else on the Chinese team could truly control the ball. Li Kai'er's arrival was intended to alleviate Jia Fei's burden, providing the team with another ball-handler and increasing the versatility of their offense.

Paul from Anshan is also a support player; his offense is completely inadequate at this level of competition. His job is to provide good defense, dribble the ball across half-court to reduce the burden on Jia Fei, and make open three-pointers if he can.

As for the bench, DeMarcus Clyde is the main offensive option and interior defender; he will be the primary backup center, giving Art Mayork and Yi Jianlian valuable rest. Other players will be largely unused. Veteran Zhou Peng could be used; he's a decent 3-and-D player.

The Dream Team quickly found their offensive rhythm. Durant hit a three-pointer over Lee Kyle, Lillard hit a three-pointer over Paul Anshan, and Booker made a jump shot, allowing them to quickly narrow the gap.

However, the Chinese men's basketball team never allowed the Dream Team to speed up their pace; they steadily maintained their rhythm and played a positional game.

The Chinese men's basketball team fully utilized their height advantage in the paint, constantly attacking the opponent's restricted area!

Soon, Dilraba committed two fouls, at which point only a little over six minutes had passed in the first quarter.

Dilraba fouled out, and Draymond Green came on instead.

Green plays center, but his defense is truly outstanding; he even managed to limit Yi Jianlian when he came on the court.

The Chinese men's basketball team is also making personnel adjustments, with Da Neezi replacing Anshan Paul, whose physical exertion was too great.

The Chinese men's basketball team consistently played at a slower pace, sometimes preferring to play until the 24-second shot clock expired rather than commit a turnover or miss a shot. This is because a turnover on a live ball would allow the opponent to launch a fast break, and the Chinese team's defense wouldn't have enough time to recover.

The score was very close, with the Chinese men's basketball team maintaining a slight lead, which made the Dream Team a little frustrated, and they launched even more aggressive attacks.

With just over two minutes left in the first quarter, Yi Jianlian went to the bench to rest, and Da Mo Wang came on; Li Kai'er also went to the bench to rest, and Zhou Peng came on.

The Dream Team also made constant substitutions, with Beal, LaVine, and Tatum all taking turns on the court.

Although my nephew isn't good at shooting, he's decent at handling the ball, and he can keep control of it.

The US men's basketball team in this Olympics was the Dream Team XIII. The only true defensive stalwart on the perimeter was Holiday, who was firmly contained by Jia Fei. Therefore, there was no defensive stalwart to pressure Anshan Paul and his nephew.

Whether it's Lillard, Beal, or LaVine, they are all offensively strong but defensively weak, and there are no particularly tough defenders on the wing. The team's strongest defenders are Holiday and Green.

Jia Fei played the entire first quarter without a single second of rest. Before the game, he had discussed his playing time with the coaching staff. He stated that unless the game reached garbage time, he would play the entire match!

Yes, unless he plays the entire game, it's simply impossible for the Chinese men's basketball team to beat the Dream Team. He has to go all in this game!

With Jia Fei controlling the game, the first quarter ended with the score at 23-22, and the Chinese men's basketball team leading by 1 point!

The Chinese men's basketball team has never won a game against the US men's basketball team in Olympic history. The smallest score difference was in the 08 Olympics, when they lost by 31 points.

The Chinese men's basketball team, when facing the American men's basketball team, habitually struggles defensively. Their offense is actually quite good, managing to score an average number of points, but their defense simply can't contain their opponents. However, judging from the first quarter, while the Chinese team's offense wasn't as explosive as in the past, their defense was significantly stronger. They failed to capitalize on the opponent's strength in transition, and the game's pace was slowed considerably.

Judging from the first quarter, the Chinese men's basketball team's strategy was successful.

Jia Fei and Li Kai'er's continuous possession of the ball made the opponent's strategy of double-teaming Jia Fei not very effective. Although Jia Fei played the entire first quarter, his stamina was actually not too bad. He often played off the ball. He only launched a fierce attack at the beginning of the first quarter, and then constantly switched between on and off the ball to confuse the opponent's defense.