"I urge you all not to try this approach on He Xi Meng! If it backfires, I won't be able to salvage it! To be frank, have these past few years seen He Xi Meng take any rest? He's either been leading the Lakers and Spurs to championships, or he's been on his way to lead the Chinese team to a championship, my friends! Ask yourselves, when you demand such considerations of a sports genius who has contributed so much to the nation, doesn't your conscience ache?"
...
Zhang Bing presented facts and reasoned, battling against the scholars, yet he was unable to defeat other interest groups and help Zhang Yide secure the head coach position. Out of desperation, Zhang Bing made a phone call to He Xi Meng and explained the situation.
He Xi Meng was not one to be overly modest. He directly informed the Basketball Association: "The head coach is not Zhang Yide, and I will withdraw from this year's national team!"
"Comrade He Xi Meng, are you threatening the organization?"
The newly appointed leader, lacking a background in basketball, had a certain misunderstanding of He Xi Meng's current influence in Chinese and even world basketball. He thought he could force He Xi Meng to comply with the old ways.
"No! I am doing this for the good of the organization, for the good of the country! Without a familiar coaching staff, I cannot exert my full strength! If I cannot exert my full strength, I will be unable to lead the team to defeat other strong opponents in the Olympics! Rather than cause a messy situation, I'd rather withdraw early..."
"He Xi Meng! Do you think the national team can't function without you, huh? I..."
"You can try!" He Xi Meng, tired of their pointless argument, hung up the phone directly.
"Arrogant! Extremely arrogant!"
When had the new Basketball Association leader ever endured such disrespect? He immediately slammed the table in his office, shouting, "I will punish He Xi Meng! Freeze his eligibility to compete..."
"Uh, leader! He Xi Meng is not under our jurisdiction!" Zhang Bing kindly reminded him.
"Huh? How is that possible? How can a Chinese player not be registered with us?"
"He Xi Meng is a special case! He has never registered with us from beginning to end... Also, leader, as far as I know, the United States has been inviting him to naturalize... You cannot push him to the other side..." 138 Reading Network
"What do you mean?"
"If He Xi Meng agrees, he can get a US green card tomorrow and represent the US team in a year... You must think carefully!"
"So what? Without He Xi Meng, don't we still have Da Yao, Da Zhi, Liu Yu Dong, Hu Wei Dong... a whole host of NBA players..."
Zhang Bing was truly impressed by this leader who had come from a different field.
"The players you just mentioned are indeed very strong, but they can only guarantee us a spot in the top eight! The top four after the top eight, and the champion and runner-up, all depend on He Xi Meng to carry us!"
"Really? Are you trying to trick me? Basketball is a team sport, not an individual one. How can an individual's influence within a team be so exaggerated?"
"It is!"
Zhang Bing patted his chest and said firmly, "It's not just about influencing teammates; He Xi Meng's presence or absence has a significant impact on our coaching staff as well..."
"We're talking about the athletes here! Why are you bringing the coaching staff into it? Comrade Zhang Bing, you're not distinguishing priorities clearly enough!"
"My leader!" Zhang Bing was somewhat frantic. He had his priorities very clear, didn't he? The one who wasn't clear on the focus now was the leader himself!
However, Zhang Bing dared not say such words directly to his superior.
"How about this, leader, I'll find some game footage of He Xi Meng. You can take some time to watch it! After you've watched it, you'll understand what kind of presence He Xi Meng is for our national team!"
An hour later, after watching a small portion of the footage Zhang Bing provided, the leader fell silent, chain-smoking. After a long pause, he asked in a low voice, "Looking at this, if we want to contend for the gold medal, we absolutely need He Xi Meng?"
Zhang Bing nodded vigorously, "Anyone else can be replaced! But He Xi Meng cannot be!"
"Then, regarding He Xi Meng... my attitude last time seemed rather unpleasant..."
"As long as you agree to let Yi De serve as head coach, I will handle the communication with He Xi Meng!"
"Excellent! Comrade Zhang Bing, for the honor of the nation, you will have to endure some hardship!"
"No hardship at all! Leader, for our national team's first ever men's basketball Olympic gold medal, what is this minor hardship?"
Zhang Bing believed he was a professional when it came to communicating with that kid He Xi Meng!
And so, through He Xi Meng's pressure and Zhang Bing's mediation, the position of the new national team head coach ultimately fell to Zhang Yide.
At the same time, as a gesture of goodwill towards He Xi Meng, Zhang Bing smoothly secured the honor of Olympic flag bearer for him as well.
He Xi Meng, after the Sydney Olympics, once again became the standard-bearer for the Chinese team, holding the five-star red flag and appearing at the very front of the Chinese delegation!
Compared to four years ago, He Xi Meng's fame was still relatively limited to Asia and North America.
Four years later, He Xi Meng had long since made a name for himself in Europe as well.
On one hand, it was He Xi Meng's outstanding performance in the NBA over the past few seasons, and on the other hand, it was He Xi Meng's dazzling performance in the last two World Championships, wearing the number 4 jersey for China, which had earned the admiration of European fans!
Therefore, when He Xi Meng led the Chinese delegation into the stadium, he received the most enthusiastic cheers from the entire Greek audience! It even surpassed the American delegation, second only to the host, Greece itself!
And in the subsequent group stage matches, He Xi Meng did not disappoint the Greek fans. In the first game against Spain, he displayed the demeanor of a superstar!
Facing the strong Spanish team, He Xi Meng unleashed his full offensive power, scoring 36 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals, leading China to an opening victory.
In the second group stage game, against the weakest opponent, New Zealand, He Xi Meng scored 22 points in the first half, helping China establish a 15-point lead. In the second half, He Xi Meng simply stopped shooting, leaving all opportunities to his teammates, and ultimately dishing out 16 assists!
83:62, China defeated their opponent by 21 points!
In the third group stage match, China encountered the strongest opponent of this Olympics, Argentina!
However, Argentina's strategy was the same as in the World Championships two years ago. They conserved their strength during the preliminary rounds and exerted their full effort in the knockout stages to make a comeback!
China had also followed this path before, but ever since reaching the pinnacle, this path was no longer viable! Because no one dared to underestimate the World Champion.
He Xi Meng chose a different path, adopting a dominant style, inspiring his teammates' confidence, and improving the team's competitiveness!
In this fierce showdown against Argentina, because Argentina deliberately held back, China won the match 90:82.
"I know this isn't your strongest form!"
After the game, He Xi Meng deliberately exposed Argentina's pretense while accepting congratulations from Ginobili.
Ginobili feigned surprise, his mouth agape, and smiled without saying a word.
Silence implied an admission.