Thus, with three-point shots that were even more resolute than those of the Italian team, China secured a narrow victory of 102-98, winning by four points!
This might not have been the strongest lineup for the Chinese team, but it was certainly the most capable and daring when it came to shooting!
Under He Xi Meng's persuasive tactics, several of China's three-point sharpshooters delivered the most brilliant games of their national team careers!
He Xi Meng went 5-of-10 from beyond the arc, Hu Wei Dong 4-of-10, Da Zhi 4-of-9, and Li Nan 3-of-7...
Even Yao Ming, coming off the bench, managed to sink a three-pointer from the top of the arc!
"Damn it! Who t/
"Who the hell said China only had He Xi Meng as a three-point shooter?"
"Who the hell said China was useless without its big men in the paint?"
...
Italy, predicted to finish fourth in this World Championship, was defeated by China in the very style they excelled at, pulling off the first major upset of the tournament!
This was the first upset, but it certainly wouldn't be the last!
Head coach Zhang Bing sat calmly, observing the entire game, enjoying a similar experience to what Zhang Yi De once had: a win without breaking a sweat!
At the post-game press conference, a swarm of media pointed their microphones at Zhang Bing, asking him to share the secret to beating Italy.
Zhang Bing blurted out two words: "Trust..."
China defeated Italy and advanced to the second round as the top seed of Group D.
Germany also successfully defeated Australia and advanced to the second round as the third seed of Group D.
Meanwhile, the standings for the other groups were also finalized.
In Group A, the USA nearly suffered an upset loss to Lithuania and Spain, failing to secure the top spot! In both of these games, the USA battled their opponents down to the final minute.
In their game against Lithuania, Brad Miller, while battling for a rebound, was fortunate enough to tip the ball into the basket, helping the USA narrowly escape.
In their game against Spain, Juan Carlos committed a crucial turnover in the final moments, which the USA capitalized on with a fast break, helping them scrape through.
Although the USA maintained their undefeated streak, various strong teams began to sense a weakness beneath their formidable exterior! Now, it was just a matter of who would create a miracle and become the "god slayer"...
Ultimately, the USA finished first in Group A, Lithuania second, and Spain third. Brazil lost all three of their games and failed to reach the top 12.
Group B's top spot went to Yugoslavia, second to Argentina, and third to Russia. Canada lost all three of their matches and was eliminated.
Group C saw Greece take first place, Croatia second, and Puerto Rico third. Nigeria failed to advance to the second round.
Group D was topped by China, followed by Italy in second and Germany in third. Australia lost every game, exiting the tournament with their tails between their legs, only able to contend for 13th place...
According to the rules of the second round, the three qualifying teams from Group D would merge with the three qualifying teams from Group B to form Group F, where they would once again compete in a round-robin format. Teams that had already played each other in the group stage would not face each other again. The top four teams out of the six would advance to the final eight!
For the Chinese team, the true challenge lay in advancing from the second round!
However, due to their impressive performance in the group stage, winning all three games, China had effectively secured half a foot in the door to the quarterfinals!
In the second round, if China could win just one more game, finishing in the top four should not be an issue.
And China's opponents in the second round would be Argentina, Russia, and Yugoslavia!
After a recent catch-up with old friend Dirk Nowitzki in the group stage, they were now set to face Argentina's Manu Ginobili!
Besides Ginobili, He Xi Meng also spotted another familiar face: Luis Scola!
Scola began his national team career at the age of 17, and this year marked his second year of service for his country.
With promising players like Ginobili and Scola, Argentina was not yet a top-tier world team, but they were only one step away from achieving that status.
In the group stage, Argentina had defeated Russia, who was ranked higher, and had given the formidable Yugoslavia a scare, astonishing basketball fans worldwide.
Had it not been for China's intervention, Argentina could very well have been the biggest dark horse of this World Championship. But unfortunately, they encountered China, led by He Xi Meng...
"Dirk is already getting ready to enter the NBA, why aren't you coming yet?"
Compared to two years ago, Ginobili still had his signature long flowing hair, but his youthful face now bore a more determined expression.
"I haven't won the Italian league championship yet! My dad always taught me, you score one basket at a time, and you win one championship at a time..."
"What the heck! Is this that 'Demon Blade' who never plays by the rules? He sounds like a good kid now?" He Xi Meng's heart skipped a beat. This didn't seem like the Manu Ginobili he knew!
"Are you serious?"
"Of course not!" Ginobili suddenly chuckled. "In fact, my dad told me to fly bravely, Manu! You're like an eagle soaring freely over the Pampas, you shouldn't be constrained by anything... Chase your dreams bravely, chase the championship that belongs to you..."
"Uh... this style seems more like your true self!" He Xi Meng wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and gave an awkward laugh.
"Actually, I'm already planning to enter next year's draft! However, I have a long-term contract with my Italian club, so figuring out how to get out of it will be a bit of a problem..."
Yes, Ginobili did enter the NBA draft in 1999, but he didn't officially debut for the Spurs until 2002. The three-year delay was primarily due to the protracted negotiations between the Spurs, who held Ginobili's draft rights, and his Italian club, Virtus Bologna, over a buyout agreement.
Virtus Bologna, having nurtured an MVP-caliber player for the Italian league, was naturally reluctant to let him go to the Spurs easily. It didn't matter to them whether it was Gregg Popovich or a championship-contending team; they wanted money!
Meanwhile, the Spurs were known for their frugality in the NBA.
Popovich, holding both coaching and general manager roles, meticulously pieced together a championship-contending roster through shrewd management. They weren't the Lakers or the Knicks, who could afford to spend lavishly to assemble a championship team...
Therefore, Virtus Bologna's attempt to extract more money from the Spurs was clearly misdirected.
And the party most hurt by the standoff between the two teams was, in fact, Ginobili, the player himself...