NBA: Rising Superstar!

August 18th, Carioca Arena 1 was packed to the rafters, and the noise was deafening.

A glance around revealed quite a few Chinese faces in the crowd.

With about 300,000 Chinese in Brazil, many came spontaneously to cheer for the Chinese Men's Basketball Team after learning they made it to the knockout stage.

In contrast, there were very few supporters for the Spain Team.

Of course, Spanish fans don't place much importance on ordinary knockout matches; in their eyes, Spain has always been a world-class team, easily advancing in various global competitions.

As for the Chinese team's players, apart from Zeng Xingyang, most of them couldn't even name them.

To Spanish fans, this game held little suspense.

The proceedings quickly advanced, soon reaching the announcement of the starting lineups. Spain's starting players: Rubio, Navarro, Fernandez, Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol. China's starting players: Zeng Xingyang, Ding Yuhang, Li Gen, Ah Lian, Zhou Qi. As the referee's whistle blew, Zhou Qi and Marc Gasol came to the center circle for the jump ball. Marc Gasol leaped high, tipping the ball accurately to Rubio.

Rubio, like an agile leopard, rapidly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt.

Rubio quickly assessed the situation on the court.

In the NBA, Rubio's ability to organize offense is a hallmark, quite similar to Rondo.

Navarro, taking advantage of Pau Gasol's solid screen, quickly ran to open space.

With a flick of his wrist, Rubio bounced the ball precisely into Navarro's hands.

On the right side of the free-throw line, Navarro received the ball.

Bending his knees, pushing off, jumping, the movement flowed seamlessly, taking a mid-range jumper.

Ah Lian rushed to defend with all his might, but still was a step too late.

"Swish!"

The basketball swished through the net, giving the Spain Team the first 2 points.

In the CCTV studio, Coach Zhang was intently watching the screen, analyzing, "The Spanish team's teamwork is very cohesive. In this offense, Navarro used the screen to break away from the defense. Rubio's passing ability is at an elite level in the NBA, delivering passes right on target."

Yu Jia nodded and continued, "Today our defense faces a huge challenge. We've been old adversaries with the Spain Team, having met in the 2008 group stage and almost won; that game was really unfortunate. Now Pau Gasol, who has been dominating on the Olympic stage, surely remembers that game vividly." Yu Jia spoke as if he was taken back to that regrettable match.

It's China's turn to attack.

Zeng Xingyang dribbled forward steadily, and Rubio, well aware of Zeng Xingyang's prowess, decided not to press him closely.

He understood that rash pressure might either result in a foul by Zeng Xingyang or allow him to easily bypass the defense, making a steal nearly impossible.

Zeng Xingyang reached the frontcourt, completing a hand-off pass with Zhou Qi, and then his teammates quickly spread out.

Rubio chose to closely guard this time, not giving Zeng Xingyang a jump shot opportunity.

After many games of drilling, the Chinese team's players had immense trust in Zeng Xingyang; there was no pick and roll, just letting him go one-on-one.

"Take him down!"

"Go after him!"

The Chinese fans onsite were highly enthusiastic, shouting at the top of their lungs to cheer for Zeng Xingyang.

Zeng Xingyang held the ball, first making a probing step, then using his shoulder subtly to create a little space by bumping into Rubio, quickly breaking through after getting a bit of room.

Rubio's defensive ability wasn't bad at all, but he was up against a top-tier player like Zeng Xingyang.

Zeng Xingyang exploded with a step, flying by Rubio like the wind.

Seeing this, the Big and Small Gasol instantly came over to double team him.

Without the intent to cling to the ball, Zeng Xingyang cleverly passed it underhand to Ah Lian, who was cutting through the middle before the double team fully formed.

At this moment, all of Spain's defensive attention was drawn to Zeng Xingyang, leaving the middle wide open.

Ah Lian firmly grasped the ball, jumped high, and slammed it into the hoop with the force of Mount Tai descending.

"Wham!" The hoop shook violently as Ah Lian hung onto it with both hands, channeling his inner passion.

"Ah!!!" After landing, Ah Lian let out a roar to the sky, the sound echoing throughout the arena.

"Great pass," Ah Lian shouted to Zeng Xingyang while retreating on defense.

Over the years, as the leader of the Men's Basketball Team, Ah Lian felt he was inadequate, with the team frequently losing in international competitions, adding to his pressure.

The emergence of Zeng Xingyang was like a beam of light shining into the darkness, instantly alleviating much of Ah Lian's pressure.

In Ah Lian's mind, like Da Yao, Zeng Xingyang was the perfect leader, capable of earning genuine respect both on and off the court.

Zeng Xingyang nodded to Ah Lian, knowing that Ah Lian was one of the few in this national team capable of keeping up with the intensity of the game.

Regardless of the opponent, Ah Lian could consistently perform, standing in stark contrast to the other players.

Some young players, dominant in domestic games, became timid and completely different on the international stage.

If Ah Lian wanted to go to the NBA, he still had the chance to become a part of a weak team's rotation.

The Spain Team initiated another attack.

Rubio dribbled to the frontcourt and still passed the ball to Navarro, with Ah Lian quickly switching to defense.

Seeing the situation, Navarro passed the ball to Pau Gasol.

At this moment, Fernandez shot like an arrow, cutting to the basket.

Pau Gasol quickly reacted, delivering the ball precisely into Fernandez's hands.

Zhou Qi quickly jumped to block, but was still a step slow. Fernandez displayed an exquisite aerial double-clutch layup, with the basketball kissing the backboard before going in.

4 to 2, the Spain Team temporarily led.

In terms of talent, the Spain Team's players seemed superior.

The Chinese Team attacked again.

Zeng Xingyang dribbled to the frontcourt, passed to a teammate, and after a round without finding a chance, the ball quickly returned to him.

Zeng Xingyang backed into Rubio, pushing continuously, then spun around, driving to the basket.

Facing Pau Gasol's help defense, Zeng Xingyang glanced at the right side but stepped left, executing a magnificent large Euro step past the defender.

He then leaped and finger-rolled the ball into the hoop steadily.

4 to 4, the score was tied again.

"Woah, what a beautiful move!" The commentator's voice trembled with excitement.

"Rubio is getting outplayed by Xingyang today!" A Chinese fan waved the Five Stars Red Flag excitedly, shouting loudly.

"This is the first time seeing such a top-level guard from our country!" Another fan's eyes were filled with pride.

"When the ball is in Xingyang's hands, there's just a sense of reassurance!"

"This style of play is too effortless; the Spain Team can't really defend against it."

"Xingyang's attacking ability with the ball is simply invincible!"

On domestic networks, fans flooded the live chat with satisfied comments about the opening offense of the game, and the screen was filled with excited comments.

It's been a long time since a national team match has been this exhilarating.

On the court, the Spain Team continued their attack.

Pau Gasol made a strong move in the low post, drawing a foul on Zhou Qi.

Pau Gasol made the first free throw with precision, but the second bounced off the rim.

Marc Gasol, with sharp eyes and quick reflexes, jumped high to secure the rebound.

After getting the ball, Marc Gasol adjusted his footing, readying to go up for the layup.

At that moment, Zeng Xingyang quickly raced back like a leopard, leaping high to block just as Marc Gasol released the ball.

"Smack!" The ball was ruthlessly slapped against the backboard, creating a loud sound.

The rebound was seized by Xiao Ding, who swiftly passed it to Zeng Xingyang.

As Zeng Xingyang received the ball, he spun elegantly and shrugged Rubio off with a shoulder feint.

Then, accelerating like black lightning, he dashed towards the opponent's basket.

"Woah, here's the counterattack!" The commentator's voice practically roared.

"So fast!!" The spectators stood up one after another, their eyes wide as they watched the scene unfold.

"Way to go!"

"Well done!" Amidst the commentator's shouts and the audience's cheers, Zeng Xingyang crossed the three-point line, beginning to gather the ball.

He took one step to the free-throw line, another into the front of the key.

The Spain Team players simply couldn't keep up with Zeng Xingyang's lightning-fast counterattack speed.

Zeng Xingyang jumped high, eventually opting for a layup at rim level.

5 to 6, China took the lead.