"That's the way to play! Don't worry about your stamina right now, just unleash all the power you've got!"
As they ran back on defense, Yao Ming high-fived He Xi Meng, who followed up with a few more words of encouragement.
Zhang Bing, watching from the sidelines, was momentarily stunned by Yao Ming's newfound "dominance."
In his memory, Yao Ming had never been particularly assertive or aggressive offensively. This was mainly because, on the Shanghai youth team, he was primarily used as a defensive anchor and a rebounding machine. In He Xi Meng's view, this was a waste of talent.
While Yao Ming's height gave him an obvious advantage in protecting the rim and grabbing rebounds, his offensive threat was also outstanding! What he needed was tactical support, complementary teammates, and a boost in confidence!
Energized, Yao Ming turned around and delivered a massive block to an Australian guard driving to the basket.
He Xi Meng secured the rebound and initiated a fast break.
However, Australia's defense was quick to regroup. Anticipating He Xi Meng's solo drive to the basket, all their defenders converged on the right side of the court, aiming to stop him.
He Xi Meng deliberately slowed the tempo, then executed a no-look lob pass to the left edge of the paint.
Zheng Wu, already known as the "White Clad Swordsman," arrived swiftly, caught the ball, and finished with a layup, a seamless play.
With two quick assists from He Xi Meng, the Chinese team immediately stabilized their position and rattled the Australian team.
After all, He Xi Meng had scored 20 points in the first quarter. This quarter, the Australians had instinctively assumed He Xi Meng would continue his barrage from beyond the arc, attacking their basket, given how hot his shooting hand had been.
To their surprise, He Xi Meng showed no regard for his previous quarter's hot streak, focusing entirely on setting up his teammates.
After assisting Yao Ming and Zheng Wu, He Xi Meng then helped Yao Ming hit a mid-range jump shot in a set play and assisted Li Nan on a three-pointer from the left corner.
Under He Xi Meng's guidance, China went on a 10-3 run against Australia. Although He Xi Meng scored no points, he dished out 4 assists!
By halftime, He Xi Meng had amassed 22 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals, plus 1 block!
This performance finally showed Zhang Bing his true lethal capability. Zhang Bing now understood why Elder Dragon had gone to such lengths, leveraging "fraternal connections" and even involving Zhang Yide, to ensure He Xi Meng was brought back from across the ocean…
Indeed, even after just one game, Zhang Bing was convinced: the Chinese team with He Xi Meng and the team without him were worlds apart!
At the end of the game, the score was 60-43, with China extending their lead to 17 points!
The Australian team was utterly bewildered.
Before this game, Australia had been brimming with confidence, expecting to beat China by at least 10 points. Instead, from the opening tip, they were thoroughly dominated by China… or, more accurately, by China's number 4 player.
During the halftime break, the head coach encouraged his players: "The Chinese team's stamina is fading! Don't be fooled by their energetic play in the first half; they won't be able to maintain such fluid offense in the second! So, don't get discouraged, don't give up! We still have a chance…"
The Australian coach's assessment wasn't entirely wrong. The Chinese team had a history of this problem – strong first halves, weak second halves. Their world-class performance in the first half would often devolve into a local-level display in the second, frustrating Chinese fans.
Especially for the guards, once their stamina dropped, they were frequently stalled by opponents near the half-court line, struggling even to cross into the offensive half.
In his previous life, He Xi Meng, when coaching the Chinese team, had been frustrated by the lack of a reliable point guard to pass to Yao Ming. That's why he had gone to great lengths to naturalize Jeremy Lin, persuading him to play for China, which eventually led the team to the podium…
As a head coach, He Xi Meng had worn many championship rings in his past life, but leading the Chinese team still gave him headaches!
This life was much better. He Xi Meng had directly donned the point guard's jersey. Would he allow the Chinese team to relapse into their old bad habits?
If Australia hoped to find an opening in the second half, they would have to get past He Xi Meng first!
Upon returning for the third quarter, Australia increased their defensive intensity, attempting to force turnovers. However, He Xi Meng's ball-handling skills and physical strength clearly exceeded Australia's expectations.
Not only did Australia fail to force turnovers, but He Xi Meng also capitalized on opportunities, executing continuous drive-and-kick plays.
He delivered a hand-off to Da Zhi in the post, assisting him on a spin-and-scoop shot!
He passed to Liu Yudong, who cut to the basket, assisting "Old Liu" on a mid-range pull-up jumper!
Another pass went to Hu Weidong on the wing, assisting "Old Hu" on a corner three-pointer!
When Hu Weidong's shot was hot, his scoring ability was no less than He Xi Meng's…
After a few minutes, the anticipated collapse of the Chinese team due to fading stamina did not materialize for Australia. Instead, they were on the verge of breakdown, realizing with despair that the deficit had already widened to over 20 points!
Every offensive possession by Australia was met with an equivalent counter-attack by China, which was the most demoralizing aspect for them.
Finally, at the end of the third quarter, Australia completely crumbled. Led by He Xi Meng, China had extended their lead to a staggering 25 points!
He Xi Meng finished his work in three quarters, scoring a game-high 36 points while also dishing out 14 assists!
His final stat line: 36 points, 14 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks!
He Xi Meng's performance in the World Championships was legendary, stunning all 15 other participating teams!
Those who knew He Xi Meng realized that the Chinese team, under his playmaking this year, was poised for a qualitative leap.
Those who didn't know him, however, scoffed at the Australian team's abysmal performance, being routed by China by a margin of 22 points!
As the final buzzer sounded, all the Chinese players rushed towards the bench to embrace He Xi Meng, who was wearing a white towel.
Fearing accidental injury, He Xi Meng immediately suggested, "How about we throw Coach Zhang up in the air to celebrate?"
He Xi Meng was adept at this kind of "deflection" tactic.
Thus, the image broadcast to Chinese fans on television was of a group of Chinese players enthusiastically tossing their head coach, Zhang Bing, into the air…
Zhang Bing felt a little scared but was beaming with joy!
After all, to start his coaching career in an international tournament with such a resounding victory? He had never dreamed of such a wonderful outcome…