|
Reader LL asks:
"The Chinese team got all the bounces of the ball. Is this correct English?"
My comments:
It is technically correct English. However, it suffices to say that they "got all the bounces" if you mean that "the ball always seemed to have bounced their way." A team of basketball or soccer can get all the bounces with the referees, too. That's when the calls (judgments) all seem to go their way against their opponents.
It's the same as: they got all the breaks (and were lucky to win).
Here's an example:
China won gold medal as Yao Ming made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lead China to a 100-99 victory over the United States in the basketball final at 2008 Beijing Olympics.
A few controversial calls in the final moments went the Chinese way and they definitely needed all the breaks they got to taste their first ever win against a USA team composed of NBA stars. And to do that in the Olympic final, it could not have come at a more opportune time!
First, the United States was not at full strength as Shaquille O'Neal declined to make the trip to avoid Kobe Bryant.
Bryant himself left for good only 35 seconds into the game after spraining his left ankle. On the play, Bryant, trying to help USA center Elton Brand in double-teaming Yao, inadvertently stepped on Brand's right food. He did not return.
The rest of the team did not fare much better either. They made only 30 percent of their shots and never led more than 5 throughout the match.
And then in the closing seconds, the most questionable call in a match featuring no less than a handful of controversial calls went against the Americans.
Leading 99-97 with 20 seconds to go, LeBron James brought the ball up court needing only to dribble out the clock to win the match. But with five seconds left, Chinese point guard Liu Wei pushed him in an attempt to foul him to stop the clock. James fell awkwardly back on the floor and was called for travel.
USA Coach Mike Krzyzewski protested vehemently that James was fouled, which looks every bit the case on video replay. But after a conference between the three referees, the travel call was upheld, giving the Chinese a last chance to win the game with a 3-point shot, or tie with a 2.
After a timeout, USA chose to guard Chinese perimeters to prevent a three. Yao set a screen for Zhu Fangyu, China's most reliable 3-point shooter and the team's first option, but ended up getting the ball from near the 3-point line when Zhu failed to break free. Yao, with the ball raised above the head, inspected the court, unable to find any shooter for a pass.
With the clock ticking and all 20,100 spectators holding their breath, Yao took a step back and heaved a desperate 3-point shot with Brand in his face. The shot went in as the horn sounded and fans erupted in frenzy as Yao was mobbed by teammates.
Yao, who had not scored a 3-pointer all year, hit this one nothing but net. He said after the game: "We got all the bounces. The Americans had an off night; their shots weren't falling and our shots were; we got a lot of loose balls I don't think we would normally get; a few calls also went our way. You may say we were lucky to win an Olympic gold medal this way but we'll take it. After going through all these years of failures and heartbreaks, I think we are long time overdue a break of our own."
And what a break that was!
Why not? It's a fantasy, anyway.
|
