Team America had too many defensive weapons, and they were too strong.
They had top-tier Pick and Roll options.
Their Pick and Roll plays were also incredibly varied, often leaving opponents unable to defend against them.
After the three coaches on China Team had studied the problem, they concluded that the 3-2 Zone Defense was the best way to stop Team America's Pick and Roll.
Before the game, Wang Jianhua and the two assistant coaches had told the players to start with man-to-man defense and see how Team America was playing that day.
If two or three of their players were having an off day, they would stick with man-to-man defense.
But if every one of them was playing aggressively, they would switch to a zone defense.
A zone defense could stop the other team's drives and defend against their Pick and Roll.
Team America now had Edwards and Antetokounmpo running a Pick and Roll.
After using Antetokounmpo's screen, Edwards drove straight toward China's interior.
As he charged in, Zhang Yu and Zhang Jiacheng, who had been positioned on either side, immediately collapsed toward the free-throw line and formed a circle around him with Wang Yi, trapping Edwards in the middle.
For a moment, Edwards couldn't find a way to pass the ball. All he could do was try to hold it against his chest and keep China from stealing it.
Wang Yi reacted in a flash. Seeing Edwards about to pull the ball into his chest, he risked a foul and made a hard swipe at it.
Smack!
The crack rang out, and the ball was knocked away.
Zhang Yu saw the loose ball and took off downcourt.
King Arthur and Aleksandar chased after him from either side, but Zhang Yu was no slouch in the speed department. And