He Xi Meng turned around, dribbled the ball past half-court, and saw that the Australian team had indeed switched to isolation defense. He feigned a drive and then pulled back, sinking another step-back three-pointer!
It had to be said, He Xi Meng’s shooting touch today was excellent! He had made both of his three-point attempts in the first quarter.
The Australian team was at a loss! When they relaxed, he scored; when they double-teamed, he passed. How were they supposed to defend him? Should they double-team or play isolation? If they double-teamed, they’d leave China’s other players open. If they played isolation, with He Xi Meng’s current form, they couldn’t stop him. They could only wait for his shooting percentage to naturally decline…
The Australian head coach, looking like he had a toothache, after a moment of thought, gritted his teeth and made a decision. He decided to abandon the double-team and stick to their established tactics, focusing on containing the other Chinese players. As for He Xi Meng, they would see how many points he could score on his own…
He Xi Meng would bet that the Australian head coach hadn't watched all of his game footage with the Lakers. Although He Xi Meng was a pass-first point guard, if he was allowed to go on a scoring spree, even most NBA players couldn't handle it. Was he sure his Australian team could?
Seeing that Australia hadn’t made any new adjustments, He Xi Meng decided not to waste his hot hand today and immediately switched to his strongest scoring mode, launching wild three-pointers!
Honestly, it wasn’t just the fans who were stunned; even head coach Zhang Bing on the sidelines was shocked: "My pre-game strategy didn't seem to be this, did it?"
But the head coach’s tactical arrangements were clearly no longer important. Over the next six minutes, He Xi Meng went on a three-point shooting spree! If he had an opportunity to shoot, he took it. If he didn’t, he created one!
With his scorching hot hand, He Xi Meng shot 7-of-10 from the field in the first quarter, including 6-of-9 from three-point range, plus an opening dunk. He single-handedly scored 20 points! He completely stunned Australia!
What was even more critical was that during his own frantic shooting spree, He Xi Meng didn't forget to dish out assists to his teammates. He also had 3 assists in the first quarter, the highest on the court!
Under He Xi Meng's leadership, the Chinese team unleashed a dominant 38:21 run in the first quarter, establishing a 17-point lead!
"This is too exciting! Like slicing through tofu!"
"China is crushing Australia!"
"A dream start for Chinese basketball!"
…
All the Chinese fans were in a state of ecstatic celebration! Cheers and shouts echoed incessantly.
Even at the Atlanta Olympics, China hadn’t shown such a dominant performance.
At the start of the second quarter, the radiant coach Zhang Bing subbed out all the starters, bringing in the bench players for rotation.
As a result, the Australian team, fueled by pent-up frustration, mounted a strong comeback!
Their center, Da Ba, was too slow in the paint, and their guard, Adi Jiang, passed too conservatively and lacked height.
Australia went on a 10:3 run, successfully narrowing the deficit to 10 points!
Coach Zhang Bing was startled and quickly called a timeout, bringing He Xi Meng back onto the court to stabilize the situation.
He Xi Meng also requested that the third center, Yao Ming, replace Da Ba.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Da Ba. In terms of overall ability, Da Ba was currently superior to Yao Ming. However, Da Ba’s style didn't mesh well with He Xi Meng’s. Da Ba had strength but was slow-moving and preferred to dribble and create his own opportunities rather than go for direct alley-oops…
In contrast, Yao Ming’s mobility was better suited to He Xi Meng’s passing and ball-handling rhythm.
Zhang Bing agreed to He Xi Meng’s request! After having such a glorious first quarter, Zhang Bing didn't want to see China’s strong position in the second quarter be eroded by Australia.
He believed He Xi Meng’s presence was key. As for the players other than He Xi Meng, Zhang Bing felt that as long as He Xi Meng was playing comfortably, that was enough.
Thus, He Xi Meng took the court with Yao Ming, Sun Jun, Zheng Wu, and Li Nan, forming a lineup that was almost one big man and four small guards.
On the first play after returning, He Xi Meng directly called for Yao Ming to set a screen for him at the top of the arc!
Having a 2.20-meter center come out to the three-point line to set a screen? China had gone crazy! Australia chose not to guard the screen!
The moment He Xi Meng and Yao Ming separated after the pick-and-roll, they aggressively defended He Xi Meng, abandoning Yao Ming who was supposed to roll towards the middle of the free-throw line.
He Xi Meng, in turn, passed the ball back to Yao Ming and loudly reminded him, "Shoot! Shoot decisively!"
At this moment, Yao Ming was still very young. This was his first game with the national team, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous.
But during previous training sessions, He Xi Meng had often sought him out, proactively working with him on plays and tactics. Yao Ming didn’t know why He Xi Meng was so good to him…
Even when head coach Zhang Bing felt that Yao Ming's post-up game was too weak against the world’s top centers, He Xi Meng steadfastly believed in him and encouraged him, saying, "Strength can be developed over time, but touch is innate! You have a physique that the world envies, but that’s not the most precious thing! What’s most precious is that, with such height, you also possess such incredible shooting touch…”
Yes, He Xi Meng used the word "incredible"!
Under He Xi Meng’s "professional" training, Yao Ming’s high-post pick-and-roll technique became increasingly refined, and his mid-range catch-and-shoot improved steadily!
The only regret was that the training camp was too short, and He Xi Meng could only focus on improving this one aspect for Yao Ming.
"After the World Championships, if you have time, come find me in Los Angeles. I’ll help you focus on improving your strength training. Once you shore up this weakness, you’ll be able to soar without any worries…”
Yao Ming smiled sincerely, "Thank you, Xi Meng. I don’t know how to thank you enough…”
"No need to be formal!" He Xi Meng patted Yao Ming on the waist. "We have plenty of time to play together in the future! I need you to draw attention in the paint for me, and you need me to pass you the ball from the outside… We’ll have a complementary relationship in the future. The stronger you become, the easier it will be for me to play in the national team…”
"Why me, and not someone else? Da Zhi's skills are clearly more refined than mine."
"Da Zhi is Da Zhi, and you are you! To be honest, in my eyes, your ceiling is the highest in all of China… Da Zhi can’t compare, and neither can I…”
With gratitude in his heart, Yao Ming, upon receiving the pass from He Xi Meng, desperately wanted to make the mid-range pull-up jumper. But sometimes, the more you anticipate something, the more the outcome goes in the opposite direction.
The arc was fine, the angle was fine, but the power seemed to be a little too much.
Yao Ming’s first shot for the national team bounced off the rim.
"Again!" He Xi Meng, who had already crashed to the basket, leaped high and, above the head of Australia’s big center, tipped the ball to Yao Ming, who was driving into the middle, also looking to grab the rebound!
Yao Ming caught the ball, took one step, drove straight to the basket, and then leaped into the air, finishing his first points for the national team with a thunderous two-handed dunk, a slam that exuded immense power!