Despite Nowitzki’s game-high 30 points and 11 rebounds, and Bradley’s 22 points and 9 rebounds, one man cannot fight four. The German team ultimately could not escape China’s swarm tactics, losing their second group stage game and being pushed to the brink of elimination.
After the game, Nowitzki, looking helpless, came to congratulate He Xi Meng and Da Zhi on their early advancement.
With China’s two wins, even if they lost their last group stage game to Italy, they would still advance to the quarterfinals as group runner-up, entering the top 12.
Advancing from the group stage had never been a problem for He Xi Meng, not from the beginning. It was entirely within his predictions and plans. With China’s current top-tier lineup, plus He Xi Meng’s driving force, if they couldn’t advance from the group, He Xi Meng should have just packed up and returned to the other side of the ocean, never to serve the country again…
China’s final opponent in the group stage was Italy, who also had two wins. The winner would advance as the group leader.
Italy’s pre-tournament ranking was not low. In their first two group stage games, Italy had shown considerable strength and aggressive play. Their three-point shooting, in particular, lived up to the moniker of “Italian Cannons!”
Some domestic “veteran commentators,” after learning about the strength of the current Italian team, voiced their opinions, advising China to play it safe, conserve strength, show weakness to the enemy, and plan for later…
In essence, they brought the essence of Sun Tzu’s Art of War to the basketball court, believing that China might not be able to defeat Italy and should save their energy for the quarterfinals, which were more crucial.
Head coach Zhang Bing’s stance seemed to be similar.
These suggestions, at first glance, all seemed reasonable, but they completely overlooked the issue of team morale and confidence.
Playing basketball is very much like warfare, requiring both tactics and strategy.
However, basketball and warfare are also different. Warfare is about fighting for one’s life; there is no retreat, and one must explode when necessary. Basketball, on the other hand, allows for retreat, and it’s easy to retreat further and further. Once accustomed to retreating, one cannot charge forward. It’s like people who have knelt for too long, never knowing the feeling of standing up and running…
He Xi Meng was not an aggressive player. His style of play with the Lakers showed that He Xi Meng was actually quite conservative.
However, when faced with the national team’s tendency to “strategically give up,” He Xi Meng felt that the term “conservative” was no longer applicable; this was simply “fear of battle!”
Yes, often players dare to fight, but coaches are afraid. They hesitate and want too much, ultimately getting nothing.
When He Xi Meng was a fan, the news he dreaded most was advancing with a draw…
Of course, that was in football. Basketball has no draws, so the most feared news was advancing with a small loss, based on point difference…
In such situations, it seems good but is actually dangerous! Because if players become fearful, they might not even achieve the minimum requirement of a “small loss,” and a good hand of cards would be played poorly…
In this game, He Xi Meng privately approached head coach Zhang Bing and requested command of the match!
Zhang Bing earnestly persuaded He Xi Meng, “Think about it again! We have successfully completed our goal for the first stage. In the last group game, there is no need for us to fight Italy to the death…”
“That won’t do, Coach! Firstly, the group stage results will be counted towards the quarterfinals. For us now, every win counts. Every game we fight for brings cumulative benefits to the next stage! Secondly, since our goal for this World Championship is the top eight, we must maintain high morale and a winning belief! When paths cross narrowly, the brave wins! Every game, we must approach with a winning belief, fight hard, and only then can we win! In the next stage, the opponents will only get stronger! If we are afraid to fight this and afraid to play that, how can we win? Besides, if we ourselves don’t believe we can win, how can the opponent let us win?”
“Hmm… If you want to fight, I won’t stop you! But I have a bottom line: the interior players must conserve their energy for me! We must rely on the interior for the tough games ahead…”
“Interior players? Okay!” It turned out Zhang Bing thought He Xi Meng would have China use its interior advantage to clash with Italy’s quick and agile players.
“Don’t worry, Coach! I’m not counting on the interior players at all. In this game, I want to organize my teammates to use quick and agile play against Italy’s quick and agile play, and have China’s ‘artillery’ duel Italy’s ‘artillery’…”
“You mean…”
“A three-point shootout!”
Yes! Anyway, the coaching staff didn’t care about the outcome of this game. For the coaching staff, advancing from the group stage into the top 12 had already completed the basic task. Entering the top eight in the next 12 would be ideal. If they couldn’t reach the top eight, as long as they got as close as possible, they would have something to report back and at least wouldn’t be held accountable.
For He Xi Meng, this was a perfect opportunity to test his own ideas and see if China’s perimeter players could carry the team and demonstrate strength not inferior to the interior players!
Before the game, head coach Zhang Bing fully delegated his authority, stating frankly, “Everyone, just do your best in this game! Don’t worry too much about the outcome. My only requirement is: do not get injured! As for how to play, you can listen to Simon’s suggestions…”
He Xi Meng didn’t stand on ceremony. He immediately took the invisible coaching baton from Zhang Bing and began to outline the tactical priorities for the game!
In the starting lineup, Da Zhi was moved to the three-point line by He Xi Meng to shoot threes, while Gong Xiao Bin and Liu Yu Dong were assigned to rebound.
After all, the Italian team had no center; they were all forwards of similar height to Gong Xiao Bin and Liu Yu Dong, so it would come down to who had more intensity.
Da Zhi, Hu Wei Dong, and He Xi Meng lined up outside the three-point arc. If there was an opportunity, they would shoot threes without hesitation!
During the rotation, Li Nan, upon coming on, was also given an important task by He Xi Meng, who instructed him to shoot decisively regardless of the consequences…
China’s aggressive play completely stunned Italy!
Before this, Italy had been the most prolific three-point shooting team in the World Championship!
In their first two games, Italy attempted 28 and 26 three-pointers, averaging 27 attempts per game, making 10 per game, with a 37% three-point shooting percentage!
In their first two games, China averaged 20 three-point attempts per game, but about half of those were taken by He Xi Meng.
China averaged 20 attempts and made 8 shots per game, with a 40% three-point percentage. Although their average attempts were lower than Italy’s, their average makes were actually slightly higher than Italy’s.
As a result, in this game, China's attempts nearly doubled, soaring to 41! Even more deadly was that their shooting percentage remained at a high level of around 40%, making 17 three-pointers! On three-pointers alone, China scored 51 points, completely overwhelming Italy!
Throughout the game, viewers in front of their television screens could hear He Xi Meng constantly urging his perimeter teammates on the court: “Shoot! Shoot! Shoot decisively! Don’t hesitate, knock them out with your shots…”