Mountain Peak System: a Path to NBA-Chapter 753 - 269: When All Who Intend to Reach the Mountain Peak Are Ruthlessly Kicked Off the Cliff

After the timeout, Coach K, desperate for solutions, sent Rose and Westbrook to partner in the backcourt, attempting to solve the Chinese Team's impenetrable zone defense by speeding up for transition offense.

Facing the Chinese Team's "three-tower" lineup of Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, and Qin Yue, this was indeed a theoretically viable strategy.

But in theory, remains theory, as the United States team, which lost a significant number of defensive rebounds in the latter half of the first quarter, couldn't execute the fast break they aimed for.

In the United States team's paint area, with Howard facing Yao Ming in front, Yi Jianlian behind, and Qin Yue looming overhead like a Celestial God Descending, the question arises: even if Howard could summon the spirit of O'Neal, how could he take on three defenders at once?

The frequent loss of defensive rebounds at the London Olympic Basketball Arena directly led to the United States team losing their crucial source of launching fast break offenses.

Then, how about scoring quickly by inbounding the ball fast?

In the latter half of the first quarter, the United States team indeed executed several impressive quick inbounds attacks, thanks to Rose and Westbrook's blistering pace.

However, in moments when Qin Yue returned to his half of the court, the United States team's hastily executed attacks indirectly highlighted Qin Yue's extraordinary reputation.

On the court, the "Turtle and Rose" pairing, facilitating rebounds and blocks, seemed like Qin Yue's long-lost "brothers" in the United States.

That evening, the Chinese Team's strategy was clear.

Simply put, as long as they didn't allow Anthony and Durant to shoot from the perimeter, no matter how others from the United States Team charged, Qin Yue and Yao Ming would handle them all.

As a result, after a quarter, the seemingly lively United States Team lagged 19 to 28, trailing the Chinese Team by 9 points.

Qin Yue specifically praised Sun Yue at the end of the first quarter.

Looking only at the technical stats, Sun Yue had zero points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist from 0 for 1 shooting in the first quarter.

Yet on the court, Sun Yue, who shadowed Anthony wherever he went, had managed to restrict Anthony to just one three-point attempt from the outside up to that point. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Adopting a strategy of guarding against the shot rather than the drive, Sun Yue never intended to completely shut down Anthony.

Because as long as Anthony was not firing from the outside, Sun Yue had achieved most of his defensive goals.

As for Durant, whom Coach K relied most on in the finals?

Of course, Qin Yue was personally tasked with handling him.

During the first quarter, Durant, consistently drained by Qin Yue's single-out tactics, still scored 7 points for the United States Team.

However, when the burden of attacking fell squarely on Durant, he immediately felt an internal frustration, as if his strength was rendered useless.

Yes, this is precisely the fatal flaw of the United States Team on the international stage.

Even considering the same period in history, the United States team under Coach K, which swept the global basketball scene, rarely felt like a team from another dimension despite their star-studded roster.

Instead, during Coach K's tenure, American Basketball gradually formed a reliance on Durant.

So much so that whether with or without Durant, the United States Team always gave an impression of being two completely different teams.

In essence, this is the so-called star trap.

While a team with more star players indeed has stronger apparent strength in basketball contests,

in actual games, with only one basketball on the court at all times, creating synergy among star players requires ensuring the team's lineup can coexist smoothly.

Going back to why in Paris later, it was Devin Booker who became a quality partner beside Zhan Duku in the United States squad?

Because at that time, Booker willingly sacrificed and undertook a large amount of role-player duties on the court.

Similarly, in 1992,

were it not for Jordan willingly relinquishing power and leading on defense during games, the Dream Team, which swept across the global basketball scene with unmatched might, couldn't possibly demonstrate such daunting dominance.

After three unsuccessful tournaments, Coach K indeed found a path for the revival of American Basketball.

Unfortunately, Durant, just a step shy of Qin Yue in terms of star quality, met his sole nemesis this evening.

Originally, Coach K had another ace up his sleeve.

Yet...

Even in the second quarter, Coach K showed no inclination to play that ace.

And on the court, even across half-court, Curry's visible resentment emanated from deep within, which instantly made Qin Yue feel what is meant by destiny's calling.

In this life, Qin Yue's arrival changed many people and events.

But some things Qin Yue is destined never to change.

For instance, Coach K's deep-rooted prejudice against Curry.

After all, the accomplished Curry effectively represented a critique of Coach K's lack of foresight back in the day.

However, from Curry's perspective, if Coach K truly detested him, then why bring him to London?

Could it be merely due to public pressure?

At that moment, Curry guessed correctly.

Though many fans holding proper values could never fathom why, at the Olympic finals of all settings, Coach K, bearing the hopes of redeeming American Basketball, would still leisure to target Curry.

Yet this precisely is part of competitive sports.

Because in various sports events, it's not uncommon to see cases where coaches bench players they dislike.