Ultimately, the script He Xi Meng helped Kayla choose was "The Hours," directed by Stephen Daldry! Kayla would play the role of English writer Virginia Woolf, a role that was originally meant for Nicole Kidman. In 2003, Nicole Kidman won the Oscar for Best Actress for this role…
With the script decided, Kayla and He Xi Meng spent a few intimate days together before Kayla plunged into work mode. She began continuous communication with director Stephen Daldry and the crew, delving into the script and preparing for the new film's shoot.
He Xi Meng then bid Kayla a temporary farewell and embarked on his return journey to China with Cui Pangzi.
Upon returning, He Xi Meng didn't immediately head to Liuzhou to join the national team. Instead, he returned to Zhuji to spend a week with Ms. He Fengting and met some old high school classmates, but did not encounter the Zhang siblings.
A week later, He Xi Meng bid farewell to his mother and flew to Liuzhou with Cui Pangzi to reunite with his teammates.
This iteration of the Chinese men's basketball team largely retained the lineup that won the World Championship two years prior.
The center position remained the immovable trio: Wang ZhiZhi, Ba Te Er, and Yao Ming.
The forward positions featured five players: Liu YuDong, Gong XiaoBin, Li Nan, Sun Jun, and Zheng Wu.
The guard positions were filled by four players: He Xi Meng, Hu WeiDong, Li Xiao Yong, and Zhang Jin Song.
The twelve-man roster saw only one change, with Zhang Jin Song replacing Adijiang, who had announced his retirement.
Changes in the coaching staff were also minimal. Zhang Bin remained the head coach! Having led the team to a historic breakthrough and championship in the 1998 World Championship, Zhang Bin's position remained secure.
The chief assistant coach was still Comrade Zhang Yi De, He Xi Meng's "mentor"! Additionally, He Xi Meng saw Wang Fei, who had returned from playing abroad, on the assistant coaching bench.
Cui Tian Ci continued to be a part of the national team's assistant coaching staff, accompanying them on their campaign.
With the experience of fighting side-by-side two years ago, this training camp proceeded without any hiccups. Over the past two years, He Xi Meng had won two consecutive NBA championships, and his fame had already reached across the ocean. If anyone dared to challenge He Xi Meng's status, they likely wouldn't have to face He Xi Meng himself; Da Zhi, who had benefited greatly from He Xi Meng's guidance, would be the first to step in to defend him!
Currently, within the Chinese team, there was virtually no one who could defeat Da Zhi in a one-on-one duel! Even Yao Ming and Ba Te Er would likely struggle to defeat Da Zhi, whose improvement had been significant. Da Ba possessed more strength than Da Zhi, but lacked Da Zhi's agility. Yao Ming had no issues with agility but was currently not as strong in physical confrontation as Da Zhi…
The training camp, lasting over a month, passed in a stable and joyful atmosphere. With He Xi Meng and Da Zhi leading the team, head coach Zhang Bin felt somewhat more at ease. Otherwise, he would have been genuinely worried about whether the Chinese team could successfully advance from the group stage! This was because the Chinese men's basketball team had been placed in a notoriously difficult group!
Group A, in which the Chinese men's basketball team was placed, included the United States, Lithuania, Italy, France, and New Zealand.
Historically, out of these six teams, only China and New Zealand were eliminated in the group stage. The remaining four teams swept the top three spots in the Olympic men's basketball tournament!
The United States took gold, France silver, and Lithuania bronze. Italy, the team with the worst performance, finished fifth!
This clearly demonstrated that the "group of death" was indeed living up to its name.
However, the Chinese team in the past was not without its chances. Back then, led by the three centers, the Chinese men's basketball team had defeated New Zealand and Italy. In the game against France, China had led by as much as 15 points with just 7 minutes left in the game!
Then, then-head coach Old Jiang substituted in Guo Shi Qiang. In 2000, Guo Shi Qiang couldn't even secure a starting position in the CBA, yet he was exceptionally promoted and selected for the national team by Old Jiang. Old Jiang originally intended to let young Guo gain some game experience and accumulate major tournament experience while China held a significant lead. However, this adjustment cost China the victory in that game and dashed their hopes of advancing.
After Guo Shi Qiang came onto the court, he committed three consecutive turnovers, and France capitalized on these turnovers by hitting three three-pointers…
If China had not lost to France in the end, they would have had a 3-3 record and, with the head-to-head advantage, eliminated France to advance to the quarterfinals as the third seed in the group!
Given the significant imbalance in strength between Groups A and B, the Chinese men's basketball team would have had a high probability of defeating their opponent in the quarterfinals and advancing to the semifinals! With a bit more luck, they might have even reached the finals, like France had.
Of course, history can never be rewritten. He Xi Meng could only sigh, reflecting that the Chinese men's basketball team of 2000 had missed a very good opportunity to create history.
"The opportunities missed in the past, I will make up for them in this timeline…"
On September 15, 2000, the 27th Olympic Games commenced in Sydney as scheduled.
He Xi Meng encountered many heroic figures of the Chinese delegation: Kong LingHui, Tian Liang, Wang Nan, Fu MingXia, Xiong Ni, Tao LuNa…
Just as He Xi Meng felt inexplicably excited to see so many gold medalists, the Olympians within the delegation were equally thrilled to see He Xi Meng! He Xi Meng never imagined that his fan base would include so many gold medalists from other sports! Among them, the majority were female… Well, even though most people knew He Xi Meng already had a girlfriend, having a girlfriend wasn't the same as being married… Besides, meeting He Xi Meng was purely out of admiration for his unparalleled basketball skills; there was absolutely no intention of poaching him…
Traditionally, the flag bearer for the Chinese Olympic delegation has been chosen from the men's basketball team! This is because basketball players are generally tall, handsome, and perfectly fit the image of a flag bearer. In this Olympic Games, the flag bearer for the Chinese delegation was originally intended to be the captain of the men's basketball team, Liu YuDong! His resolute demeanor, tall stature, and superb skills… Liu YuDong absolutely met the requirements for a flag bearer.
However, with the meteoric rise of He Xi Meng, not only domestically but also internationally, he had gained immense recognition. Therefore, after much deliberation, the delegation decided to have He Xi Meng serve as the flag bearer for the Chinese delegation at this Olympic Games!
He Xi Meng did not disappoint the trust of the Chinese delegation. As He Xi Meng emerged from the tunnel, clad in a red suit and carrying the five-starred red flag, he was met with thunderous cheers from tens of thousands of spectators from around the world!
Australia has a solid foundation for basketball, and He Xi Meng, while not a household name on this continent, was recognized by a significant number of fans. Furthermore, the opening ceremony was attended not only by Australian spectators but also by sports fans from all over the world. Among them were many American and Southeast Asian fans. He Xi Meng's fame had already been firmly established in North America, and he had amassed a large number of loyal fans in Southeast Asia, particularly in Japan and South Korea…