So, as the enthusiastic applause gradually gave way to intermittent shouts of "He Xi Meng" from the crowd, He Xi Meng himself was quite surprised. He had originally thought such treatment was reserved only for the future Yao Ming. To his surprise, he was paving the way, becoming Yao Ming's forerunner...
Unintentionally, He Xi Meng made another appearance on the Olympic stage. Nike, of course, wouldn't miss such a prime opportunity and consequently launched the second generation of the He Xi Meng series of sneakers, "Simon Dynasty · Qin"! The Qin series featured a primary dark black color scheme, with the design incorporating elements of the Great Wall and the Terracotta Army, giving it an ancient yet imposing aura...
The new generation of team shoes, propelled by the Olympic effect, sold out in a wave. They were not only popular in China but also incredibly hot in Southeast Asia and North America...
Of course, He Xi Meng himself was unaware of the current sales surge of his sneakers, as all his attention was focused on the Olympic competition. The first opponent for the Chinese men's basketball team in the group stage was the American men's basketball team, also known as the Dream Team IV!
Given the "Dream Team" prefix, there was no doubt about the strength of this American team!
The starting lineup included center Mourning, power forward Garnett, small forward Carter, shooting guard Ray Allen, and point guard Kidd! Five All-Star players, all top-tier All-Stars at their respective positions.
The bench boasted players like Payton, Rahim, McDyess, Van Exel, Allan Houston, Steve Smith, and Tim Hardaway, all of whom were All-Stars or near-All-Stars.
Positionally, the point guard trio of Kidd, Payton, and Tim Hardaway was absolutely unparalleled, with no other team in the world able to match it.
The shooting guard rotation of Ray Allen, Allan Houston, and Steve Smith was also a top-tier lineup.
The small forward position was essentially manned by Carter alone.
The power forward position featured Garnett, McDyess, and Rahim, while the center position was held by Mourning and Van Exel.
Overall, the Dream Team IV possessed exceptional strength, especially in the backcourt, posing a nightmare for nearly all other strong international teams. However, this Dream Team IV was not without its weaknesses. While the five big men in the paint, Mourning and Garnett, were formidable, they couldn't play the entire game. Once the rotation time came, the combination of Rahim, McDyess, and Van Exel no longer held a dominant advantage.
The league's strongest interior players this season, O'Neal and Duncan, had not accepted the call-up to the US team.
The season's strongest scorers, Iverson and Kobe, had also not joined this Dream Team IV.
...
Before the start of this group stage match, He Xi Meng, on behalf of head coach Zhang Bin, conducted a pre-game analysis for the entire team.
The Chinese players had grown accustomed to He Xi Meng occasionally stepping in to "usurp" the position that rightfully belonged to the head coach.
"If Zhang Bin doesn't have any objections, what right do we have to object? We just need to listen carefully..."
After dissecting the American team position by position, the daunting feeling that once loomed began to dissipate significantly, giving the Chinese men's basketball team the impression that perhaps this Dream Team IV wasn't unbeatable after all...
This was the effect He Xi Meng aimed to achieve!
If you fear defeat before the battle even begins, how can you play a brilliant game? Although, in his heart, He Xi Meng didn't believe the Chinese men's basketball team had a great chance of defeating this Dream Team IV, regardless of the final outcome, they had to at least play with spirit and create an atmosphere of courage and determination for the upcoming group stage matches...
Before the game officially commenced, He Xi Meng first greeted Ray Allen, Kidd, Payton, and others. Among this Dream Team IV, He Xi Meng was most familiar with Ray Allen, as they had been rivals since their college days.
His acquaintance with Kidd and Payton stemmed from positional matchups. Over the past few seasons, He Xi Meng, Kidd, and Payton had essentially been the top three point guards in the league!
Three years ago, the league's strongest point guard was likely Payton!
In the last two years, Kidd had surpassed Payton, subtly inheriting the position of the league's strongest point guard.
However, Kidd's reign as the strongest point guard hadn't been cemented before he encountered He Xi Meng's formidable challenge in the last two seasons!
While He Xi Meng hadn't necessarily surpassed Kidd yet, they were at least on equal footing now. Especially considering He Xi Meng had won two championship rings in the last two seasons...
After greeting the trio, He Xi Meng also exchanged pleasantries with Carter and Garnett.
His relationships with the latter two primarily originated from All-Star Weekend. This season, both He Xi Meng and Garnett were Western Conference starters. Moreover, when Marbury was on the Timberwolves, he had clashed with He Xi Meng numerous times. Although Garnett hadn't been directly involved in the confrontation between He Xi Meng and Marbury, after Marbury and Garnett fell out, Garnett inexplicably developed a sense of mutual appreciation for He Xi Meng...
The "Wolf King" was known to be a rather aloof player, but perhaps due to the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" dynamic, he had inadvertently established a non-trivial relationship with He Xi Meng.
As for Carter, he was the Slam Dunk Contest champion this year, while He Xi Meng was the Three-Point King.
Carter envied He Xi Meng's incredibly consistent three-point shooting ability, while He Xi Meng admired Carter's unparalleled dunking skills and seemingly indestructible physique.
After all, after missing that 360-degree spin dunk imitation of Carter in the All-Star Game, He Xi Meng had gained a nickname among fans: "Carter of the Holy City"...
They were mutually appreciative and sought advice from each other. He Xi Meng would break down the key points of three-point shooting for Carter, while Carter would explain the finer points of executing a beautiful dunk to He Xi Meng.
In essence, half of the Dream Team IV were He Xi Meng's friends, and the other half, while not exactly friends, were not strangers either.
After the pleasantries, the game was ready to begin.
The starting lineup for the Chinese team consisted of center Yao Ming, power forward Da Zhi, small forward Liu Yu Dong, shooting guard Hu Wei Dong, and point guard He Xi Meng.
Yao Ming and Mourning contested the tip-off. Mourning, at 2.08 meters, was seeing Yao Ming for the first time and silently mused.
"He's f***ing tall... But I'm here to play against tall guys like you..."
As a result, Mourning leaped with all his might, while Yao Ming jumped lightly... The basketball was gently nudged by Yao Ming's fingertips and flew into He Xi Meng's hands.
"Go, China!"
Cheers erupted from the stadium in support of the Chinese men's basketball team.
This exhibition match between the Chinese and American men's basketball teams had attracted a multitude of fans to the venue. This Chinese men's basketball team was no pushover; they were the reigning champions of the World Championships and, along with Yugoslavia and Lithuania, were considered the most threatening teams to the United States.
Many athletes participating in the Sydney Olympics, including those from the Chinese and American delegations, who had no games scheduled for the following day, had come to witness what was predicted to be the most exciting matchup of the group stage!