The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!

Del Harris arranged the starting lineup for the opening game: Point Guard Liu Wei, two Su Wan, small forward Zhu Fangyu, Power forward Du Feng, center Yao Ming.

Bartel saw that he had to be a substitute for his junior and got a bit moody again, sulking all day like the Bull Demon King from "A Chinese Odyssey."

But what really depressed him was that he didn't want to be a substitute for Yao Ming, yet he simply couldn't beat Yao in the scrimmage games, always ending up on the losing side.

What?

You ask why he's not convinced even though his abilities aren't as good as Yao Ming's?

Because he has an NBA championship ring!

Furthermore, Tim Duncan and Popovich have said that although he didn't play, he played an important role in the playoffs. If it weren't for his role as "Shaquille O'Neal" in the practice games, the Spurs would not have been able to come up with a strategy to contain Shaquille O'Neal so smoothly.

With such an important role on the Spurs, how could he come back to his country and be a substitute for a junior?

He should be the one starting!

The saying "Hearts higher than the heavens, lives thinner than paper" probably refers to this kind of person.

The first battle is against the strong opponent Spain.

However, in the anticipated lineup, this game is one that the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team needs to try to win.

To advance to the top 8 in the Olympic Games, you must gain 2 victories in the group stage. However, Group A, where the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team is placed, can be described as the "Group of Death": Italy and Argentina have both defeated "Dream Five"; Serbia and Montenegro were the 2002 World Champions; except for New Zealand, the "experience baby," Spain, the team that ranked fifth in the 2002 World Championships, turned out to be comparatively the weakest opponent in Group A.

Yet Su Wan remembered very clearly that Spain, seemingly the easiest opponent in Group A besides New Zealand, ultimately became the group leader.

Argentina, the ultimate gold medalists of this Olympic Games, didn't do too well in Group A, barely achieving a 3-2 record. Moreover, in their game against Serbia and Montenegro, they also won by just one point with a miraculous game-winning shot from Manu Ginobili, just like the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team.

Their transformation began from the knockout stages.

So at first, compared to defeating Spain, knocking out Argentina was a more realistic thought.

Not to mention that in previous international competitions, the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team had precedents of defeating Argentina—defeating Argentina in international competitions, such an event would be unthinkable 20 years later.

Of course, this was Su Wan's conception, betting on games one by one, thinking about losing to Spain before even finishing the match was not Su Wan's style. After completing all six games of the summer league, Su Wan realized he had a very strong competitive spirit on the court.

This was probably related to his character.

Back when he was a "social livestock" before crossing over, if the client was dissatisfied with a proposal, he would revise and send it over immediately. If the client was still unsatisfied, he would stay up all night, and he wouldn't let the client sleep either, until they accepted his proposal.

It's the same now, even if Spain was originally the group's number one.

Su Wan was determined to let them taste how many holes the "Great Wall Cannon" could punch in them.

Calderon greeted Su Wan from afar during the pre-game warm-up. Over the past month, they bumped into each other a few times in the "Olympic Village" cafeteria. Su Wan didn't fancy attending banquets and often invited him to dine together, which made their relationship better than before. However, he wasn't Spain's starting point guard for today's game.

Spain's point guard was the future Grizzlies' starting "bomb," Navarro.

His characteristics were similar to Calderon's, the only difference being that he dared to take shots in critical moments, having what one might call a "Big Heart."

In the first quarter, both teams went back and forth, with the lead alternating between them.

In terms of fighting spirit in the first quarter, the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team was definitely top-tier, managing to trade blows even with the peak "Dream 8 Team."

The situation was similar against Spain.

It wasn't until near the end of the first half that Spain finally established a 7-point lead.

Yao Ming had 8 points and 4 rebounds in the first half.

Pau Gasol had 14 points and 5 rebounds and even gifted him with a "block."

Pau, known on the international stage as "Da Yao's nemesis," owes that reputation to his teammates. In the National Team, he has "Heavy tank" type teammates to withstand Yao, and his perimeter teammates would also help collapse and double-team when Yao gets the ball.

His job was just to provide support and complete help blocks.

This was his comfort zone.

He did much the same on offense, using his mobility to play against Yao Ming.

If only the National Team had a power forward who could shoot three-pointers beside Yao, you'd see if Pau would still be able to play so comfortably!

Su Wan didn't show much in the first half, conserving his energy with only 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist.

He was very satisfied with his performance.

After all, this was the first time he had put up such numbers without relying on "The zone" mode.

Spain is a country where "racial discrimination" is prevalent, and gentle types like Calderon and Pau Gasol are in the minority. They wouldn't do something as egregious as racial discrimination on such a stage, but Su Wan's simple "f**k you" immediately inspired his opponent to warmly exhibit the "Spanish tongue click."

So "The zone" mode, he could have engaged it any time.

But he knew very well that with Yao Ming around, he could "slack off" in the first half completely.

His task was the second half, especially the third quarter, to take over offensive responsibilities, allowing Yao to rest a bit and conserve enough physical fitness for the fourth quarter.

The only factor affecting Yao Ming from becoming the top center was:

His physical fitness.

And slacking off in the first half also had strategic significance.

In the second half, Spain's defensive arrangements were almost entirely aimed at Yao, so Su Wan's activation of "The Zone" mode caught them completely by surprise.

With 15 points in one quarter, he not only helped the team recover the deficit but also allowed Harris to confidently sub out Yao.

Yao played less than 7 minutes in the entire third quarter.

Sitting on the bench and watching the team catch up in scores was a rare sight for him, even when he played for the Rockets last season. He had not expected to see it after joining the National Team, turning him into a "classic meme."

When Su Wan came off the court at the end of the third quarter, Yao went up enthusiastically for a "hair-ruffle kill" on Su Wan.

In the fourth quarter, the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team entered the "dual-core" drive phase, with Yao's active screens making it easier for Su Wan to penetrate Spain's defense.

Spain's inside line, not yet joined by Little Gasol, was almost entirely defended by Pau Gasol alone.

The defensive toll affected his performance on the offensive end as well.

At the crucial moment, Pau Gasol made a fatal passing error, which was directly stolen by Su Wan. — This was Paul Gasol's first appearance in the Olympic Games.

With the classic "Liu Yao connection" in the frontcourt, Yao dunked with both hands, extending the lead to 4 points and securing the victory.

The Huaxia Men's Basketball Team won their opener against Spain with a 71-67 nail-biter.

Yao scored 18 points with 9 rebounds for the game. The brightest star of the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team was Su Wan, who, after scoring only 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in the first half, exploded for 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals after halftime.

After the game, when interviewed by domestic reporters, Su Wan said, "The foreign media refer to Yao Ming as the 'Great Wall on the move.' If that's the case, then I am the cannon on top of the Wall!"

The nickname "Great Wall Cannon" spread far and wide.

They then beat New Zealand and secured their spot in the group stage early.

Afterwards, they lost to Argentina and Italy.

After defeating Spain, Su Wan had hoped to also beat Argentina, whose group stage performance hadn't been very good.

He soon realized he had been too naïve.

Facing the "muscle sticks" of the Americas, even with "The Zone" mode activated, Su Wan's pace of scoring couldn't keep up with how quickly the rest of the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team's physical energy was drained. Zhu Fangyu, usually grinning widely, was sporting a "Painful Mask" even while breathing in the fourth quarter, after being utterly outplayed by Noceo.

But that was to be expected. "Train Head" was the man who slammed a dunk over the heads of Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan during the 1999 Americas Cup qualifiers, and who had performed many resounding dunks after joining the NBA—a true powerhouse.

Aside from Zhu Fangyu, Du Feng in the power forward position was similarly dominated.

At this time, Du Feng was actually not weak—having been poised to be the MVP of the CBA Finals in '04 with an average of 25.4 points and 11.4 rebounds.

Unfortunately, he met Scola, the "Diamond."

Du Feng was quick and could jump, but his lean build was at a disadvantage against the "floor-oriented" playstyle; it was like Howard encountering Yao Ming. Although the matchup wasn't as exaggerated on the court, he indeed played without any fire. Watching him, Su Wan really wanted to rush over and say, "Toughen up, Feng—be tougher!"

After the game, the Hong Kong and Taiwan media called this match "the nightmare of GD basketball fans!"

The loss to Italy followed a similar course.

Europe's "muscle sticks" were ferocious in their drain, and they were extremely familiar with FIBA basketball—both their experience and patience were things the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team couldn't match.

In the end, as before, the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team defeated Serbia and Montenegro, finishing their group stage with three wins and two losses.

They won one more game than originally expected.

And then an interesting situation arose:

Spain was originally undefeated in the group stage of the Olympic Games, finishing first.

But their victories over Argentina and Italy were narrow margins.

Most critically, the core players on this Spanish team, including Paul Gasol, were playing in an international competition for the first time!

For a team with many newcomers, their momentum was crucial.

After losing the opener to the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team, their momentum clearly suffered, leading to their second game defeat against Italy, a team they originally struggled to beat.

Even though Spain won all their remaining games, they finished with a record of three wins and two losses.

Because they lost to the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team.

So...

Italy, with four wins and one loss, finished as the group leader, Argentina with the same three wins and two losses came second after beating the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team, and the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team came in at third place in the group!

This result surprised not only foreign media but also domestic media; no one expected this year's Huaxia Men's Basketball Team not just to emerge from the "Group of Death," but to also avoid finishing last.

They were called the biggest "dark horse" of the men's basketball at the Olympic Games.

Correspondingly, they were also deemed the biggest "fallen dog" of the season.

None other than the United States' "Dream Six!"