"What? Top three? Are you crazy? Besides Team USA, who would dare to make such a claim? And even Team USA has its off days!"
If He Xi Meng remembered correctly, this year's Team USA hadn't even made the top four, performing disastrously.
Comrade Zhang Bing, looking embarrassed, admitted he had indeed made such a claim by accident.
China's national basketball team's goal for this tournament was to fight for the championship, with a minimum target of the top three!
This goal was undeniably ambitious!
Although the Chinese team had achieved good results in recent international competitions.
However, the greatest charm of competitive sports lies in its unpredictability. The teams that qualify for the World Championship are the strongest national teams from every continent.
Besides the Dream Team at its peak, which nation would have the audacity to make such a promise?
Seeing He Xi Meng's shocked and displeased expression, Zhang Bing realized his action might have been a bit presumptuous.
So, he pulled He Xi Meng aside and briefly explained why he had taken the risk to set such an ambitious goal!
It turned out that Old Zhang was planning to "excel in his career and move up the ranks," aspiring to enter the management of the Sports General Administration.
This year's World Championship might be Zhang Bing's last time coaching the Chinese men's basketball team. It could be the end of one chapter and the stepping stone to another.
As long as the Chinese men's basketball team could achieve a top-three finish in this year's World Championship, Zhang Bing's plan to enter management would be secure!
Therefore, it wasn't that Zhang Bing was truly reckless!
As a veteran player and coach, Zhang Bing was well aware of the cruelty and volatility of the competitive arena!
A game that could have been easily won might be lost due to an unexpected injury to a key player, leading to a collapse against the opponent.
As the brutal truth goes: you never know which will come first, tomorrow or the unexpected!
But for his career, Zhang Bing decided to take a gamble!
A bold move could lead to a great reward!
He Xi Meng's presence and the five active NBA players on the Chinese team were Zhang Bing's biggest confidence in taking this gamble!
Indeed, looking at the men's basketball teams of all countries today, besides the United States itself, only China could boast of having five active NBA players.
Even Yugoslavia, once considered the biggest rival to the US, did not have such a star-studded lineup.
After understanding the reason, He Xi Meng did not blame Old Zhang.
People strive for a better position.
If Zhang Bing could enter the high-level management of the Basketball Association, it would actually be beneficial for He Xi Meng and others.
Moreover, He Xi Meng's objective for leading the team to the World Championship was the championship itself!
With the US team's weakness this year, if not now, then when would they contend for the title?
"We are aiming to defend our title! I will do my best! But as you know, in competitive sports, no one can guarantee that unexpected events won't happen..."
"I understand! I understand! Just do your best! I will handle all the other support. Including this year's tactical arrangements, I will follow your lead! In a word, let's unite and strive to defend our title! As for whether we can successfully defend it in the end, let fate decide!"
Since Comrade Zhang Bing had this mindset, He Xi Meng felt that the path to defending the title could be attempted!
The Chinese men's basketball team's roster for this year was largely unchanged from the Sydney Olympics two years ago.
Starting lineup: Yao Ming, Wang ZhiZhi, Liu YuDong, Hu Wei Dong, He Xi Meng.
Bench: Ba Ti, Gong Xiao Bin, Du Feng, Li Nan, Zhu Fang Yu, Zheng Wu, Liu Wei.
China's first opponent in the group stage was Germany, led by Nowitzki!
Nowitzki, He Xi Meng and Yao Ming were familiar with this guy!
In the recently concluded playoffs, He Xi Meng and Yao Ming had faced Nowitzki's Mavericks in the Western Conference Semifinals!
However, at that time, He Xi Meng had the league's best power forward, Duncan, by his side. Now, He Xi Meng and Yao Ming had to rely on their Chinese teammates to contend with Nowitzki's German squad.
In terms of individual ability, the current Nowitzki was slightly stronger than Yao Ming, mainly due to his better physicality and tougher performance in clutch moments.
But Yao Ming was not fighting alone! He Xi Meng was by Yao Ming's side, along with an enhanced Wang ZhiZhi, Hu Wei Dong, and Meng Ke (Bahart), making the Chinese team's strength far superior to its historical counterpart!
Nowitzki, in the German team, habitually played the center position.
Therefore, in this game, He Xi Meng had Yao Ming defend Nowitzki!
If Nowitzki shot from mid-range or long-range, Yao Ming would defend him one-on-one, trying his best to interfere.
If Nowitzki played in the low post and attacked China's basket, He Xi Meng would have Wang ZhiZhi provide help defense and double-team Nowitzki!
If one person couldn't stop him, two could at least disrupt him!
On offense, He Xi Meng did not put too much pressure on Yao Ming, but instead used his perimeter threat to lure the German defense out, then looked for opportunities to drive and pass!
With just this strategy, He Xi Meng had the German defense struggling!
If they didn't closely guard He Xi Meng on the perimeter, his three-pointers could rain down at any moment.
If they did guard He Xi Meng tightly on the perimeter, He Xi Meng would pass the ball to his teammates relentlessly! Yao Ming's play in the paint, Liu Yu Dong's mid-range jumpers, Hu Wei Dong's and Wang ZhiZhi's three-pointers...
This is where the difference between a point guard and a center becomes apparent!
Although Nowitzki was strong, his strength was primarily individual. He could elevate the team's performance, but only to a limited extent.
In terms of individual ability, He Xi Meng was comparable to Nowitzki. However, He Xi Meng was a point guard, and besides his individual skills, his playmaking ability was his strongest weapon!
He Xi Meng was a professional at motivating teammates and enhancing the overall strength of the team!
Although Nowitzki scored a game-high 30 points and 5 rebounds, it was in vain.
He Xi Meng had 26 points and 13 assists, Yao Ming had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Wang ZhiZhi had 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
With two players anchoring the team, China maintained a leading advantage throughout the game.
Thus, in this highly anticipated opening match, one of the favorites for the championship, China, defeated the European powerhouse Germany with a score of 88:76!
After the game, as Nowitzki hugged and congratulated Wang ZhiZhi, he couldn't help but complain, "You guys are too much! Besides having you and Xi Meng, you also added Big Yao..."
Nowitzki's complaint was perhaps also the sentiment of the Algerian team!
In the second game of the World Championship, China faced the African powerhouse Algeria!
He Xi Meng, wanting to give his teammates opportunities to develop, voluntarily relinquished the ball and focused most of his energy on playmaking!
Yao Ming had a dominant performance! Playing only 27 minutes, he shot 12 of 15 from the field and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line, scoring a game-high 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 blocks, nearly achieving a triple-double!
Besides Yao Ming, Wang ZhiZhi, Liu Yu Dong, Hu Wei Dong, and Ba Ti also scored in double digits!
He Xi Meng himself had 18 points and 18 assists, a very auspicious "double-double" statistic!
China won decisively with a score of 110:82, a 28-point victory over their opponent!
In the third group stage game, China's opponent was the US Dream Team Five, who also had two wins and two losses.