"Roar, roar! Brothers, did you hear that? He Xi Meng is going to slay gods!"
"So damn arrogant! But, I just love his arrogance! Hahaha, slay gods, slay gods!"
"Has China's men's basketball team finally reached this day? Screw your Dream Team, take them all down! Take them down!"
"He Xi Meng, go! China team, go! You must beat the American team..."
Any Chinese fan with a bit of spirit, after hearing He Xi Meng's "inadvertently" leaked declaration, was instantly fired up. Each and every one of them only wished they could fly to Greece to cheer for the Chinese team on-site! Now, all they could do was roar at the television: "China team must win! Take down the American team..."
Those who knew what was happening understood they were watching a basketball game.
Those who didn't might have thought a war between China and America was about to break out.
If the Chinese fans in front of the television couldn't resist He Xi Meng's inspiration and were uncontrollably passionate, then the Chinese players, on the verge of victory or defeat, had even redder eyes, teetering on the brink of an explosion.
Seeing the heat was about right, He Xi Meng decided to add a final spark: "If you are brothers, give your one hundred percent effort and slay gods with me! Take down the American team..."
"Take down the American team!"
"Go! Go! Go!"
"Victory! Victory! Victory!" 138 Reading Network
On the Chinese team's side, He Xi Meng passionately concocted a large bowl of chicken soup for his teammates, successfully dispelling their fear of the American team and igniting their resolve to fight with all their might!
"What are they shouting?"
In stark contrast to the Chinese team's fervor, the American team remained very calm. Although they had stumbled through the World Championships this year, they had won every game. Even the old European powerhouses couldn't defeat them, so what could the current Chinese team do?
While they admitted that He Xi Meng, playing in the NBA, could indeed pose a significant threat and they were psychologically prepared for it, after all, one person couldn't bring down an entire team! They firmly believed that the Chinese team's Cinderella run would end upon encountering them.
"What else could it be, other than wanting to defeat us?"
"The Chinese really dare to dream!"
"What's the use of just dreaming? The key is, can they play?"
"Can they play? Or, can they take a beating?"
"Hahaha..."
A wave of relaxed laughter erupted from the American team's bench!
The whistle blew, and the game was about to begin.
The starting lineup for the Chinese team in this game was center Ba Te'er, power forward Wang Zhi Zhi, small forward Liu Yu Dong, shooting guard Li Nan, and point guard He Xi Meng.
This lineup, which felt very unfamiliar to Chinese fans, was undoubtedly another behind-the-scenes recommendation from He Xi Meng.
With the original starters, power forward Gong Xiao Bin and shooting guard Hu Wei Dong, sidelined due to injury, Chinese fans had assumed that the players most likely to start as substitutes would be Sun Ju and Zheng Wu! Head coach Zhang Bing's original plan was also along these lines. However, He Xi Meng offered Zhang Bing a different suggestion.
He Xi Meng's reasoning was not complicated, primarily considering two points.
First, this American team was relatively raw in terms of skill, so their scoring method would primarily rely on getting close to the basket and attacking it. Therefore, protecting the basket was of utmost importance. Among China's current three prominent centers, Da Ba had the strongest physical presence! Letting Da Ba primarily defend the paint, with Da Zhi providing support. China would employ a "meat shield" twin-center tactic to the greatest extent possible to guard the paint and block the American team's drives.
Second, this American team's defense was average. Their individual defense might be acceptable, but their overall zone defense was quite ordinary. Consequently, the head coach focused their defensive efforts within the three-point line. This meant that the Chinese team might struggle to directly attack the basket; relatively speaking, there would be more opportunities from beyond the three-point arc. Zheng Wu was strong in his cutting ability and mid-range jump shot, but his outside three-point shooting was not as stable as Li Nan's!
Based on these two points, He Xi Meng recommended that Da Ba and Li Nan replace Sun Jun and Zheng Wu in these starting positions.
If this game were the first game of the World Championships, Zhang Bing might have hesitated to stick to his own ideas. But now... Zhang Bing, who had become accustomed to winning without much effort, agreed to He Xi Meng's suggestion without much thought.
Zhang Bing had not held out much hope for this game against the American team. It was He Xi Meng who rallied the coaching staff, and then rallied the players, vowing to slay gods... As for how to slay gods, who would start, and who would be a substitute, Zhang Bing, in principle, had no objections: as long as you're happy slaying gods...
The game began, and Brad Miller won the tip-off, giving the American team the first possession!
The American point guard, Steve Hawkins, brought the ball past half-court. Facing He Xi Meng, Hawkins was eager to make a move!
Hawkins was a former undrafted player who hadn't secured a contract in the league and was now playing in a European league. However, he didn't believe his failure to establish himself in the league was due to a lack of skill; he thought he just lacked an opportunity to prove his worth!
And He Xi Meng was the opportunity Hawkins believed he had found!
Before the game, in a conversation with his friends, Hawkins revealed a "grand" plan! He intended to use this game as a springboard, to dominate He Xi Meng, and subsequently attract the attention of NBA scouts! He wanted He Xi Meng to be his stepping stone back into the NBA.
But he seemed to have forgotten the most crucial question: Would He Xi Meng allow it?
On the opening play, as per the American head coach's instructions, Hawkins was supposed to pass the ball quickly to center Brad Miller or small forward Jimmy Oliver after crossing half-court. But Hawkins didn't. Instead, he lowered his body and attempted a solo drive against He Xi Meng, aiming for a spin move and a layup...
He Xi Meng had initially thought the American team would at least run a few plays to start things off. To his surprise, Hawkins immediately resorted to mindless isolation play. He Xi Meng had no interest in understanding Hawkins's thoughts, but he would absolutely not indulge such a playing style!
So, just as Hawkins thought he had spun past He Xi Meng and was preparing to shoot, He Xi Meng poked from the side and snatched the ball away!
With the steal, He Xi Meng immediately chased after the retreating American defenders, pushing the ball up the court rapidly!
He advanced to just outside the three-point line. Seeing that his teammates on either side weren't keeping up, He Xi Meng didn't hesitate and launched a trailing three-pointer to test his touch!
This was a favorite offensive tactic of Nash, and He Xi Meng also employed it frequently now. It often yielded remarkable results in fast breaks.
This shot, the basket at the Marosey Sports Arena was kind enough, and He Xi Meng's first shot of the game was a perfect hit!
The Chinese fans in the stadium immediately cheered, "He Xi Meng, MVP!"...