The fourth quarter had just begun. Normally, this was when both teams' Main Force Lineups would head to the bench to rest, and the second units would take the floor.
But today, things were different. Neither team's starters came off the court.
Brazil had only ten minutes left. If they couldn't close the gap in the first few minutes, they would have virtually no chance of winning. So talking about saving their energy for the final few minutes was clearly ridiculous.
China knew Brazil would give it everything they had in the final quarter. If Brazil was going all out, China couldn't afford to hold back either.
China took possession after the players returned to the court.
After dribbling past half court, Wang Yi planned to pass to Pang Bo in the post.
But Brazil was guarding Pang Bo tightly. He was facing more defensive pressure than ever before, and Wang Yi simply couldn't get the ball to him.
That left Brazil's perimeter defense much looser. Wang Yi easily passed to Sima Ming, who had a hot hand today.
With almost no pressure, Sima Ming launched a three from beyond the arc.
Swish!
The lead instantly grew to 21 points!
Yet Brazil seemed utterly unfazed by the enormous 21-point deficit.
The moment China made that three, every Brazilian player sprinted toward China's half.
They launched a fast break.
Wang Yi immediately moved to stop their Point Guard, Bruno.
Under Wang Yi's intense defensive pressure, Bruno had no choice but to pass. With no one else nearby, he could only pass to center Juan.
Juan took the ball and charged down the court in long strides, heading straight for the front court.
Zhou Qi raced after him and moved in front to block his path.
Everyone knew how high Juan could