匿名游客
When Rui Hachimura is fouled out for his second technical foul, there are still 8 minutes and 31 seconds left in the game.
The outcome of the foul cannot be changed and according to the rules, the player who is fouled out is not allowed to stay on the court, Hachimura walks towards the player's tunnel with a disappointed look, leaving behind a melancholic image for the fans and teammates.
The score at this moment is 70-72, with Japan trailing by 2 points and Hachimura, who has made 10 out of 16 shots, has already scored 24 points, accounting for one-third of the team's total. From the perspective of the fans, the game seems to have ended the moment the technical foul was confirmed.
But not everyone feels the same way. Yuki Tategawa gathers his teammates together and says, "The game isn't over yet! How can we fight against such a strong team without the desire to win?"
Two minutes later, Yuki Tategawa turns around at a 45-degree angle on the right side, avoiding Rudy Gobert, and shoots a three-pointer before being knocked down by Nicolas Batum. The ball goes through the hoop, and he is awarded the additional free throw!
Do you also remember this shot?
Even though Japan takes the lead a few times, there are not many people who actually believe they can win. After Hachimura leaves the court, it's hard to imagine who else can step up and save the team - Yoichi Watanabe has played for 40 minutes, but he has lost his athletic abilities and can only play a blue-collar role; Yudai Baba has been plagued by injuries and is benched by the coach in this game; Kosuke Fujinaga, who just returned from the NCAA, can't handle the intensity of the competition.
Even Yuki Tategawa doesn't have the exceptional skills to save the game. The incredible three-pointer from beyond the arc in the third quarter was a rushed shot due to fear of Gobert. The Japanese team has been making extraordinary shots, but it only evens the score, while the opponents seem to be calmly executing their game plan.
When you see Batum effortlessly tapping the rim after a layup attempt, it surely feels despairing. There is no other frontcourt combination like Gobert and Batum in the world. France has eight players who have played in the NBA, while Japan, what do they have? Yoichi Watanabe, who was just eliminated from the NBA? Rui Hachimura, who played four years in the NCAA before returning to Japan? Or Yuta Watanabe, who is only 5'5" tall, or Yuki Tategawa, who is 5'8" tall?
At least they live up to the "勇" (courage) in their names. At least they never give up. At least when Batum backs down in the post, all the perimeter players come over to try to disrupt him, even though they know it won't make much of a difference. Commentators from the same era as Wilt Chamberlain said, "When he grabs the ball in the post and passes it to his teammate, it's like a bulldozer standing in a pile of bicycles." But the bicycles are still trying their best to reach the bulldozer's arm.
Then, Baba blocks Batum's layup attempt outside the rim.
78-77, this score remains from 5 minutes and 8 seconds until 1 minute and 6 seconds remaining in the game. Baba increases the lead to 3 points with a hook shot, and then Nicolas Fournier's three-pointer ties the game. At this moment, there are only 50 seconds left in the game.
But what happened in those 4 minutes?
It was Baba and Yoichi Watanabe who stopped Vincent Poirier's two layup attempts. It was Yuki Tategawa who fearlessly challenged Rudy Gobert in the post and got blocked. They didn't feel discouraged at all and immediately got back on defense.
When Batum smartly passes to Gobert under the basket, Yoichi Watanabe really flew up from behind him and forcefully blocked the dunk attempt!
You will always remember this play, just like Tetsuo Shoji's block on Kaede Rukawa in "Slam Dunk".
Every time France wasted an opportunity, it turned into two free throws for Japan. Yuki Tategawa stands at the free-throw line and makes all four free throws.
With 10 seconds left, before the final defensive possession, Japan is leading by 4 points.
Whether the foul should have been called in the final moments is indeed questionable. Perhaps the organizers would prefer a more dramatic scene in the heat of the game. Yes, this sudden whistle prevented Japan from experiencing a sensational upset after 10 seconds, but at the end of the game, every single person on the team did not dwell on whether the call ruined the game or not.
Japan's Head Coach Julio Lamas said, "That possession was really intense and crazy. The opponent made an excellent finish, and I think Yuki Tategawa was really tight on defense."
Yoichi Watanabe said, "We didn't want to foul. I think my teammates did a great job. We shouldn't blame or criticize them."
Yuki Tategawa said, "As a point guard, I couldn't control the game and didn't lead the team to victory. That's an area where I need to continue to grow. We fought until the last moment, but the reason we lost should be attributed to my mistake."
Real warriors never make excuses.
In the end, they didn't win the game. The terrifying talent shown by Batum in overtime is something that ordinary people cannot contend with. But in overtime, Yuki Tategawa and Shintaro Shimizu still hit two golden three-pointers. Shimizu's three-pointer brings the score to 90-92 with 8 seconds remaining. Yes, they persisted until the last second, not losing their suspense for a single second in the 45-minute game. When the final buzzer sounded, the entire arena erupted with thunderous applause, both for the host team, France, who won the game, and for the most respected opponent, Japan.
During the lineup to shake hands, Batum looks sincerely at Yuki Tategawa, then gives him a big hug. The 1988-born captain of the French team shows the utmost respect to this 2001-born young brother. Of course, this is also earned by Yuki Tategawa and his teammates.
So, if someone asks, "Even if they went into overtime, it is still a loss. Losing in the first quarter also means a loss. And they can't win on the home court. How would you answer if you were on the court?" Japan gave the best answer - we fought hard, the result is not that important. Every battle we fought is for the future, so that when we grow old, we can proudly say to ourselves whenever we think of this game, we gave it our all, and we have no regrets.
Takehiko Inoue, the author of "Slam Dunk," said, "It was a great game. I am proud of Japan's performance. The whole world thinks that even though we lost, we fought with honor. The challenge to reach the quarterfinals continues, and congratulations to the French team for their excellent performance!"
They have been fighting because they know that once they give up, the game is over.
Do you like playing basketball?
If you do, you would love this game.
Because all the precious passion and emotions in basketball games are here.
We will continue to love basketball,
Until the end of the world.
