Australia inbounded the ball.
But as soon as they did, China Team went straight into a full-court press.
And they pressed them fiercely.
Every player on China Team seemed to have an opponent locked in a deathly embrace.
Australia was caught off guard.
As soon as Irving got the ball, Cui Yongxi was all over him.
Drawing on his experience, Irving tried to use his body to shield Cui Yongxi as he slowly dribbled upcourt.
But as he dribbled, Zhang Jiacheng suddenly rushed in from the side and reached for the ball.
Fortunately, Irving was experienced. He immediately gathered the ball in both hands and stopped, looking for a pass, while Zhang Jiacheng joined Cui Yongxi to double-team him.
Even Delavedova could hardly believe what he was seeing.
We've taken seven fewer shots than Australia.
The physical clash threw Zhang Jiacheng off balance, but he still got the shot off.
After releasing the ball, Cui Yongxi slid straight out of bounds.
That left only Cui Yongxi and Wang Yi from the starting lineup on the court.
He stole the ball outright.
And every player had to avoid staying on the court too long, which meant they needed to make substitutions more frequently.
But China Team's coaches knew that with the way they were playing today, they had to extend their rotation.
These were special Olympic shoes Anta had designed specifically for the Games.
On the other hand, if they were trailing in the first half, turning the game around against China Team later would be even harder.
After stealing the ball, he clutched it in both hands and slid out of bounds.
Of everyone on the team, only Cui Yongxi, Wang Yi, and Wu Huifeng had good stamina.
Why are they playing so hard against us?
Aren't they supposed to