The Chinese team and the Dream Team V had both already secured their spots in the second round of the group stage. However, as two teams with aspirations of winning the championship, this encounter in the group stage served as a preview of the finals… though one team might not reach the final at all.
The head coach for this Dream Team V was George Karl, who was then the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks!
The preliminary roster called up by George Karl included Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, and Jason Kidd…
But none of these top league stars showed up!
O'Neal: "I need surgery on my big toe…"
Kobe: "I need to get my wrist treated…"
Duncan: "My car broke down and needs repairs…"
Iverson: "My ankle needs rest…"
Garnett: "I'm playing soccer with friends…"
Just a side note, Garnett is a hardcore fan of Chelsea and AC Milan. Can you imagine what it would look like to see a 7-foot-tall guy running around on a soccer field?
McGrady: "I'm playing baseball with friends…"
McGrady, like Michael Jordan, is a baseball fan. McGrady's childhood dream was to become a baseball star, not a basketball star.
Carter: "I have a community concert to attend…"
Carter is proficient in saxophone, piano, and jazz drums. Upon graduating high school, he received a music scholarship from Bethune-Cookman University. He's a basketball star who genuinely qualifies to perform in community concerts.
Kidd: "I… I don't want to see He Xi Meng anymore…"
…
The twelve players who eventually responded to George Karl were led by Paul Pierce, Jermaine O'Neal, and Ben Wallace!
This was because all three of them were selected for the 2001-2002 All-NBA Third Team.
Next in line were Jason Davis, Elton Brand, and Antonio Davis, as these three were selected as reserves for the 2002 All-Star Game!
Further down the list were Michael Finley, Dan Majerle, Kenyon Martin, Andre Miller, Jason Williams, and Reggie Miller!
Jason Williams was the second pick in this year's draft, just selected by the Bulls, and had not yet played an NBA game.
Reggie Miller was already 37 years old, a veteran in every sense of the word.
Overall, while the personnel of this Dream Team V wasn't overwhelmingly strong, it wasn't weak either. But their biggest flaw was the lack of cohesion before the tournament.
From the call-up to the start of the game, there were only 11 days.
Even if the short preparation time was acceptable, it's because the big names of the Dream Team never had that much time to waste on the national team.
However, compared to previous Dream Teams, this year's Dream Team V lacked a game-changing superstar!
Reggie Miller was too old, and Paul Pierce was too young.
The consequence of this was that at critical moments in the game, players acted individually, each wanting to be the "Captain America." In the end, nobody became Captain America!
In the game between the Chinese team and Dream Team V, He Xi Meng fully exploited the lack of chemistry among the Dream Team players in each position, continuously using pick-and-rolls and breaking down the American defense.
The stars of Dream Team V, who already disliked defense, had poor communication on help defense. Thus, under He Xi Meng's targeted attack, their defense was a complete mess.
The Chinese team's strength was originally not weak. What they lacked the most was a top-tier point guard to connect the excellent players like Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi, Liu Yudong, and Hu Weidong.
Now, with the emergence of He Xi Meng, this biggest loophole was filled, allowing the Chinese team's strength to be fully unleashed.
Furthermore, He Xi Meng's scoring ability had improved significantly over the past few seasons due to Tim Duncan's influence, which directly angered Paul Pierce in this game!
At the end of the third quarter, the Dream Team V was trailing the Chinese team by 5 points!
In the final quarter, Pierce attempted to take control of the ball and engage in a scoring duel with He Xi Meng, playing isolation ball. However, Pierce overestimated his influence on the team. Failing to take over, Pierce watched helplessly as He Xi Meng sealed the game, enraging him to the point where he ripped off his headband and threw it violently to the ground…
89:84, the Chinese team successfully defeated the United States team, winning all three games and entering the second round as the top seed in Group C.
Joining China from Group C in the second round were the United States and Germany.
In the second round, China's opponents were Argentina, Russia, and New Zealand from Group D!
New Zealand's Haka dance was impressive, but their basketball skills were somewhat lacking.
The Chinese team, having just had a tough battle with the United States, needed rest.
New Zealand's appearance provided the Chinese starting lineup with an opportunity to coast.
He Xi Meng directly suggested that Zhang Bin reduce the starting lineup's playing time and give more opportunities to the bench players.
Da Ba, Gong Xiaobin, Du Feng, Li Nan, Zhu Fangyu, Zheng Wu, and Liu Wei became the protagonists of this game.
The game on the court was quite intense, with New Zealand and China trading blows, appearing evenly matched.
Zhang Bin, on the sidelines, began to feel uneasy and approached He Xi Meng to ask.
"How about you go on the court first and secure the lead?"
He Xi Meng didn't make it difficult for Old Zhang. After all, Old Zhang had been performing quite well recently, basically not seizing power and not interfering with He Xi Meng, granting him full authority over on-court command.
He Xi Meng stood up and signaled for Da Yao and Old Hu to join him on the court!
They were paired with Gong Xiaobin and Li Nan, who were already playing.
After He Xi Meng returned to the court, he called for a high pick-and-roll from Gong Xiaobin, drove to the basket, and passed to Yao Ming for an alley-oop dunk!
Turning around, Yao Ming blocked New Zealand's layup attempt. He Xi Meng, with the ball, pushed for a fast break and assisted Hu Weidong with a soaring dunk!
The New Zealand team was stunned. Unintentionally, He Xi Meng seized another opportunity to steal the ball. He Xi Meng pushed for another fast break and pulled up for a shot from two steps beyond the three-point line, hitting a deep three-pointer!
In less than two minutes, He Xi Meng led the Chinese team on an 8:0 scoring run, immediately extending the lead to double digits!
Game over!
Returning to the bench to rest, Da Ba, Liu Yudong, and Liu Wei, who had barely warmed their seats, were immediately sent back onto the court by He Xi Meng.
Yao Ming and Hu Weidong left the court with He Xi Meng.
94:88, the Chinese team didn't win by a large margin in this game, but anyone with eyes could see that the Chinese team was playing at most at sixty percent of their capacity.
The playing time for several core players on the team, such as He Xi Meng, Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi, and Hu Weidong, did not exceed 20 minutes…