socalfunplaces Chapter 57 Another Victory Over Australia! 2
Chapter 57 Another Victory Over Australia! 2
In the next possession, Australia's offense stalled, and Yao Ming grabbed the rebound and launched a long pass down the frontcourt. But this time, Lin Hao didn't make a fast break himself. Instead, he circled back to the top of the arc and gave Yao Ming another "1" pick-and-roll signal.
"He still wants a one-on-one!" The Australian assistant coach on the sidelines looked surprised.
Hogan stuck to him tightly. This time, he learned his lesson and was willing to commit a foul to hold onto Lin Hao when he went around the screen—but Lin Hao didn't even wait for the screen to fully form. The instant Hogan reached out to grab his left arm, Lin Hao lowered his right shoulder, executed a crossover, and then pulled off a Shamgod fake move—
Hogan was completely fooled and veered half a step to the left.
Half a step is enough.
Lin Hao gathered the ball and took three big steps, using a Euro step to cut into the penalty area. Facing the center who was covering, he attempted a shot off the backboard—"Hand foul!" This time it was finally—the referee pointed his finger into the air, a foul!
The layup was made, and the free throw was also made.
35 is better than 30!
After Lin Hao finished his free throw, he passed by Hogan and said something in Chinese very softly. Hogan couldn't understand it, but the smile was more piercing than any trash talk.
With two and a half minutes left in the game, Australian coach Gold desperately yelled at his players from the sidelines: "Don't give him any more space! Double-team him—no, wait, don't double-team, lock down the others—" His plans were completely messed up, and his tactics had been shattered by Lin Hao alone.
Australia attempted a double-team – Lin Hao delivered a brilliant bounce pass to Yao Ming, who slammed it home with both hands, making it 37-32.
Australia switched back to one-on-one play—Lin Hao seized the slight opening, received the ball, faked a move, stepped back, and pulled up for a three-pointer near the logo—
"Whoosh!"
Another swivel! 40 to 32!
With 1 minute and 10 seconds remaining, Lin Hao signaled to pass the ball to Yao Ming for a one-on-one play to run down the clock, while he retreated to the backcourt to participate in delaying defense, and did not add any more points. The Chinese team patiently controlled the offensive time, and Yao Ming was fouled when he went up for a strong drive, making both free throws—42-32.
Australia hit a buzzer-beating, long-range three-pointer, finally a face-saving shot.
At halftime, the score was finalized—China 45-42 Australia, leading by 3 points.
林昊第二节出战整节，单节砍下6分5助攻，半场数据为6分12助攻3抢断；姚明半场18分8篮板，内线予取予求。而澳大利亚全队在上半场赔上9次无谓犯规，霍根被单挑得体能下降、眼里第一次出现了不确定。
As they walked back to the players' tunnel, Jiang Xingquan patted Lin Hao on the back, offering little praise, only saying, "Save some energy; they'll likely mount a comeback in the second half."
Yao Ming ruffled Lin Hao's hair with his sweaty hand and grinned, "You little rascal, finally willing to ease off the accelerator?"
"They attacked first." Lin Hao casually draped a towel around his neck, glanced at the scoreboard, and said calmly, "In the second half, we'll widen the gap so they can't catch up."
Zhang Yunsong, who was on the bench, muttered to himself, "Damn, I got goosebumps during those last few rounds..."
The suona horns hadn't sounded yet—that's an intermission performance—but the twelve thousand people were already ignited.
The halftime whistle blew, and the score was 45-42. The Harbin Convention and Exhibition Center Gymnasium did not quiet down because of the brief suspension of the game. On the contrary, the atmosphere was hot because of the momentum of "frustration followed by a comeback" in the second quarter.
Lin Hao walked off the court, took a towel from a staff member, and hastily wiped the sweat from his face. He didn't immediately return to the locker room, but instead walked straight to the center of the court.
There, Zhang Qingying, dressed in red, had been waiting for a long time. She stood under the spotlight, like a blooming camellia. And at her feet, there was her signature suona, wrapped in red silk.
"Next, let's welcome the 'national treasure' singer Zhang Qingying to bring you the Asian Championships theme song - 'Charge'!" The DJ's voice was high-pitched and passionate.
The music began with a rousing drumbeat. Zhang Qingying picked up the microphone, her clear voice piercing through the noise:
"Facing the wind, charging forward, we are invincible heroes..."
The singing was melodious, but all the fans knew that it was just an appetizer.
When the chorus began—"For the glory of our motherland, we fight side by side!"—Zhang Qingying suddenly pointed to Lin Hao on the sidelines.
The spotlight instantly shone on Lin Hao. He held the glittering golden suona to his lips with one hand.
The next second, a metallic roar that ripped through eardrums suddenly exploded!
"Beep beep—tap—beep—!"
That wasn't gentle folk music; it was a battle cry! It was Guan Yu's roar before he mounted his horse, sword in hand!
The suona's sharp, domineering, and unreasonable sound instantly drowned out the chorus of tens of thousands of people in the stadium. That sense of awakening, ingrained in the very bones of the Chinese people, sent chills down the spines of all the fans, and the seated spectators all stood up in unison.
The Australian players were drinking water with their heads down when they heard the noise, and they were so startled that they almost dropped their bottles.
"What the hell is this thing?!" Australian center Anderson exclaimed in horror, covering his ears.
"That's a megaphone... but it sounds like a war cry." The defender next to him looked completely bewildered.
Lin Hao closed his eyes, puffed out his cheeks, and his fingers danced rapidly across the tone holes. The suona's sound rose and fell, sometimes like a vast army, sometimes like a lone hero.
Zhang Qingying's singing voice intertwined with the sound of the suona, creating an invisible aura that firmly suppressed the Australian team.
Sitting on the bench, Yao Ming tapped his foot to the rhythm of the suona, a smile playing on his lips: "Haozi is playing psychological warfare on them."
"That's so mean," Battier chuckled. "Look at that Australian coach, his face turned green."
Coach Gold couldn't sit still any longer. He yelled at the scorer's table, "What is this? Is this a basketball game or a concert? This is noise pollution!"
The referee shrugged: "It's part of Chinese culture, coach, just bear with it."
After that suona piece was played, the Australian team's morale completely collapsed. They returned to the locker room with ringing in their ears, and the atmosphere on the field was now completely tense.
At the start of the second half, Coach Gold made what he thought was a clever adjustment. Since one-on-one defense couldn't stop Lin Hao, he decided to double-team him again!
"Once he crosses half-court, two guys go up there! Cut off his connection with Yao Ming at all costs!" Gold roared from the sidelines.
At the start of the third quarter, as soon as Lin Hao dribbled the ball across the center line, Australia's Hogan and substitute point guard pounced on him like hungry wolves.
"Here we go again?" The commentator was taken aback.
Facing a double-team, Lin Hao remained calm. He didn't even slow down, dribbling, behind-the-back crossover, and spinning—a dazzling dribbling routine that completely bypassed the two defenders!
Hogan collided with his teammate and both fell to the ground.
Lin Hao broke into the paint, and the Australian center came to help defend. Just when everyone thought he was going to go for a layup, he flicked his wrist, and the ball, as if it had eyes, passed under the armpits of the two giants and rolled precisely towards Yao Ming under the basket.
Yao Ming easily retrieved the ball and scored. "2+1!" He made the free throw, making it 50-44.
"That pass was incredible!" the commentator exclaimed. "Australia's double-teaming strategy has completely failed. Whenever they dare to double-team Lin Hao, they're essentially handing China an open space!"
The next few minutes became Lin Hao's "personal assist show".
He no longer focused on scoring, but instead transformed into a court commander. Whenever Australia dared to double-team, he would deliver the ball to Zhu Fangyu or Li Nan, who were open, within 0.5 seconds.
With five minutes left in the third quarter, Lin Hao had the ball at the top of the arc. This time, the Australian team dared not double-team him; they were afraid of being brainwashed by that suona horn again, and also afraid of being humiliated by the pass again.
Hogan defends one-on-one.
Lin Hao moved. He executed three consecutive crossover dribbles, his rhythm changing so fast it was dazzling. Hogan stared intently at the ball, leaning his weight backward.
Suddenly, Lin Hao accelerated and instantly passed Hogan by half a body length!
Australia's power forward on the weak side, Crawford, quickly came to help defend. Lin Hao leaped into the air, making a move as if he was about to attempt a layup, but instead hooked the ball back in mid-air, slipping it from the left side of the backboard back into Yao Ming's hands on the right!
Yao Ming understood perfectly and executed an alley-oop dunk!
"Clang!"
60 to 50! The difference is now 10 points!
Coach Gold called a timeout in despair. He held his head in his hands, staring at the score in disbelief. His whiteboard was covered with arrows, but against Lin Hao's visionary approach, all his defensive strategies were worthless.
After the timeout, the Australian team was completely thrown into disarray. They started playing individualistic, defiantly, only to have their shots blocked by Yao Ming or stolen by Lin Hao.
With one minute left in the third quarter, Lin Hao made a steal and launched a fast break. Instead of dunking, he jumped from the free-throw line, hung in the air like Jordan, glided through the air, and then gently placed the ball into the basket with one hand.
64:54.
The fourth quarter became garbage time. The Australian team lost their composure and became increasingly aggressive, but this only gave the Chinese team more free throw opportunities.
After playing for 3 minutes, Lin Hao gracefully walked off the court at Jiang Xingquan's signal.
The entire audience stood up, applauded, and chanted his name.
"Lin Hao! MVP!"
"Lin Hao! MVP!"
The big screen displayed the full game stats: Lin Hao, 32 minutes played, 16 points, 18 assists, 4 steals.
18 assists! This is more than just a number; it's proof that he brought the whole team together. Although Yao Ming only scored 22 points, he drew countless double teams, creating space for the outside shooters.
The final whistle blew, and the score was 92-82.
Lin Hao's 18 assists throughout the game were like a resounding slap in the face to all the foreign media who had been pessimistic about the Chinese team before the game.
The Australian players collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Their pride in physical strength seemed clumsy and laughable in the face of Lin Hao's "magic".
Coach Gold walked dejectedly toward the players' tunnel. As he passed the Chinese team's bench, he stopped and said something heartfelt to Lin Hao, who was tying his shoelaces:
"Lin, is your Chinese team blessed by God? That instrument at halftime just now... reminded me of a bugle call in a WWII movie. My players were completely terrified."
Lin Hao raised his head, revealing his white teeth, and replied in English with a smile:
"No, Coach. That's called a suona. Where I'm from, this thing is usually played during weddings or... funerals. When the suona sounds, the whole event is over. Congratulations, you've experienced both today."
Gold: "..."
The veteran Australian coach fled in disarray.
At the post-match press conference, a reporter asked Lin Hao, "Lin Hao, the Asian Championships officials have now designated the Chinese team as the top favorite to win the title. What's your opinion?"
Lin Hao toyed with the microphone in his hand, his eyes sharp as an eagle's:
"The favorites? No, we don't care about the odds. We only care about the gold medal. As for the South Korean team..." He paused, a cold smile playing on his lips, "Let them bring it on. Whoever comes, we'll crush their confidence with basketball."
"The odds are all just numbers." Lin Hao put on his jacket, his tone calm yet firm. "The Korean team is currently the runner-up because they haven't faced us yet. When we get to the finals, I will personally turn those odds into a gleaming gold medal."
The stage lights flashed everywhere.
The night outside the window in Harbin was deep and dark, but the flames of war in Lin Hao's heart burned bright red. The lingering sound of the suona seemed to still echo, a battle horn and a triumphant song.