Returning to the Spurs' locker room, Duncan and Ginobili immediately came over.
"You did a great job in the Olympics! You almost took down Dream Team IV, impressive!" Duncan said, reaching out to pat He Xi Meng's head, but He Xi Meng agilely dodged.
"It was just a bit short, wasn't it! Dream Team, they are still Dream Team!" He Xi Meng was not convinced by the loss, but he recognized the strength of Dream Team IV.
"Was the Olympics fun? Honestly, I'm thinking of going to see the Olympics myself..."
"Fun? To see? Hmm..." He Xi Meng confirmed Duncan wasn't joking, took a deep breath, and said slowly, "Well, you get to see a lot of big names from other fields. It's a great chance for autographs!"
"Autographs? I don't chase stars. Where's the next Olympics again?"
"Athens! Athens, Greece, the birthplace of the Olympics..."
"I know Athens is in Greece!" Duncan said with a scornful look. "That's a place with history, I want to see it..."
He Xi Meng realized he was being ignored and decisively ended the conversation with the seemingly clueless, yet cultured, number 21 rookie.
"By the way, why didn't we see you guys in the Olympics this year?" He Xi Meng turned to ask Ginobili.
Ginobili said with a wry smile, "We were careless and couldn't get Olympic tickets!"
"That's a shame! If you had made Group B, I think you would have had a shot at a medal!"
"Thank you for your kind words. In four years, we'll try harder!"
...
After seeing He Xi Meng finish his chat with Duncan and Ginobili, this year's rookie, Reid, came forward proactively.
"Hi, Xi Meng, my name is Michael, Michael Reid! I've watched every one of your NCAA games, you're my idol..."
"Hi, Michael! I'm very happy you're coming to the Spurs and will be my teammate! In fact, I suggested to the coaching staff that we select you in the draft..." He Xi Meng winked at Reid, who looked a bit confused.
"The draft? Isn't the draft the coaching staff's job?"
"Well... it is the coaching staff's job. But, I'm a little special. Stick with the Spurs, train well, play well, and you'll understand what I mean today. I'm definitely not lying to you, trust me! I'm very optimistic about your scoring ability... especially your three-point shooting..."
Reid still didn't understand what He Xi Meng meant by special. Was it possible that He Xi Meng was both a player and a member of the Spurs' coaching staff? But that didn't make sense! He hadn't heard of anyone in the league being both a player and a coach...
However, one good thing about Reid was that if he couldn't figure something out, he wouldn't dwell on it. He Xi Meng had said that as long as he integrated into the Spurs' team, he would naturally understand the meaning of He Xi Meng's words... Since He Xi Meng had said so, he would just train hard...
In the upcoming preseason games, the Spurs fielded a starting lineup with Duncan as the core, supported by Brad Miller, Ginobili, and Reid as key contributors.
Veteran David Robinson and Elliott did not play. He Xi Meng was supposed to play, but due to his participation in the Olympics, he had consumed a lot of energy. Popovich, to prevent He Xi Meng from overexerting himself and risking injury, did not let him play, but instead had him sit with the coaching staff to offer advice.
He Xi Meng suggested to Popovich: have Duncan move to the high post to act as a playmaker, have Brad Miller play in the post to carry the load, let Ginobili manage the ball distribution, and give Reid some freedom to shoot...
This set of adjustments pushed Brad Miller, Ginobili, and Reid to the forefront, responsible for leading the Spurs' charge!
Despite the ups and downs in the performance of the three, with Duncan anchoring the team, the Spurs were incredibly stable in the preseason! They went undefeated in eight preseason games, starting the new season on a high note.
On October 31, 2000, the 2000-2001 season, the battle reignited!
The Spurs' opening game was an away match against the Los Angeles Lakers!
As their biggest rivals last season, the Lakers this season were also gearing up, determined to get off to a winning start and signal a good omen for their playoff victory over the Spurs!
And as the defending champions, the Spurs clearly did not want to let the Lakers have their way.
"We won't make the same mistake twice!" Before the game, Kobe couldn't help but make a bold statement while hugging He Xi Meng.
He Xi Meng was not to be outdone and retorted, "We beat you last season, and we can beat you again this season..."
As the game was about to begin, the Zen Master's starting lineup for the Lakers in the new season was: center O'Neal, power forward "Cobra" Grant, small forward Fox, shooting guard Kobe, and point guard Harper.
Among them, Grant and Harper were veterans coached by the Zen Master. Grant was a key member of the Bulls' first three-peat, the third-highest scorer on the team, and, along with Jordan and Pippen, formed the Bulls' first triangle offense.
This summer, the Lakers brought Grant over from the SuperSonics at the Zen Master's behest, wanting Grant to mentor O'Neal and Kobe and build the Lakers' triangle offense.
On the Spurs' side, Popovich's starting lineup for the new season was: center David Robinson, power forward Duncan, small forward Elliott, shooting guard Bowen, and point guard He Xi Meng.
In fact, before the new season started, Popovich was struggling to decide on the starting shooting guard and small forward.
Popovich was considering promoting Ginobili to the starting lineup as the shooting guard and moving Bowen to small forward.
Although Kidney Warrior Elliott had returned at full strength, his two kidneys were not original and could not be used as if he were unharmed. Popovich intended to move Elliott to a secondary role and develop new talent.
However, He Xi Meng disagreed with Popovich's idea of promoting Ginobili to the starting lineup. This was because Ginobili was not a player who followed conventional tactics. His effectiveness would be greatly diminished within standard tactical schemes. The most suitable position for Ginobili was as the sixth man off the bench! Give him the ball, give him the freedom to shoot, and let him unleash his talent during his rotation minutes! In this way, Ginobili could play with the intensity of Jordan for 20 minutes...
He Xi Meng's suggestion was to directly bring this year's rookie, Reid, into the starting lineup to partner with him! This was because, in the preseason, Reid had shown very steady outside three-point shooting ability.
If Reid's scoring potential were unlocked, paired with Bowen's offense and defense, he could definitely become a reliable arm beside He Xi Meng! Add to that the twin towers in the paint... this lineup, with no weaknesses inside or out, who could contend?