Sure enough, bringing those two back in had an immediate effect.
Zhang Yu hit a three-pointer as soon as he stepped onto the court.
When Japan Team came back on offense, Shan He, who wasn't known for his defense, fought relentlessly and managed to steal the ball.
He raced down the court on a fast break and threw down a spectacular double-clutch dunk.
The lead quickly grew to 42 points.
When Japan Team tried to attack again, China Team hit them with another suffocating defensive effort.
No matter where the ball went, a China Team player quickly locked down the receiver.
Japan Team kept trying to disrupt China Team's defense with rotations, cuts, and off-ball movement, but apart from Shan He, every player on China Team was excellent at man-to-man defense.
In the NBA, Pang Bo might seem a little cumbersome, but on the international stage, next to these Japanese players, he looked quite agile.
He could not only protect the paint but also switch to the perimeter when necessary to guard Japan Team's smaller players.
That allowed China Team's lineup to use Unlimited Switching Defense.
Against teams that relied on lots of movement and cuts, Unlimited Switching Defense was the best option.
At their peak, Harden's Rockets had been capable of using Unlimited Switching Defense.
That was also the era when the Warriors were known as the Cosmic Warriors.
The Warriors' superstars not only had tremendous individual ability, but their off-ball movement and cuts were also among the best in the league.
Often, their superstars didn't even need to do much; the Warriors could overwhelm opponents with cuts and off-ball movement alone.
Even under those circumstances, the Rockets could go toe-to-toe with the Warriors and had even pushed them to a Game 7 in the Playoffs.
The reason was