On the second day of the opening ceremony, the men's basketball team ushered in its first group match against Angola.
Angola is the African champion. The players on this team are very strong. Most of the players have a history of playing in the United States. They are not weak, but are just a little weaker than other teams. Without Wang Tiejun, the Chinese national team
It’s really not guaranteed to win over your opponent.
Lao Wang did not play in the first half, and the two teams were tied. After he came on in the second half, he firmly gained the upper hand. In the end, he defeated his opponent by 13 points 71:84 and won the first group match.
The second game was against Croatia. This is an absolutely strong European team with an astonishing average height of more than 206 centimeters. They are also very accurate in three-pointers from outside, and their center can pull out and shoot three-pointers.
Lao Wang came on the field from the beginning, but in the end he still lost to his opponent, 94:100, losing by 6 points.
Lao Wang played 35 minutes and scored 32 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 4 turnovers and 4 fouls. His shooting rate was 55%, which is not high for him and can only be described as average.
There were a lot of fouls, including two offensive fouls. I am used to playing in the NBA, so I am not used to the rules of international basketball, so my movements were a bit big.
Now the NBA has a three-second defensive system, but international basketball does not. He was frequently double-teamed in the penalty area. The opponents were all big men. There were two players on the court who were over 210 centimeters tall, and the small forward was both 208 centimeters tall, which seriously affected his performance.
efficiency.
In fact, his efficiency is not low, but Croatia exploded with three-pointers in this game, making 17 of 35 shots, with a shooting rate of 48.5%, which is equivalent to a 73% shooting rate on two-pointers.
, encountering such a group of explosive three-point monsters, and failing to guard the outside, it would be strange not to lose.
The third game is Argentina. The original plan was to fight this team hard and win Argentina to have any hope of qualifying.
In fact, Argentina is also a strong team. At the 1994 Friendship Games, the Chinese team lost to its opponent by more than 20 points.
However, the current Argentina team is not complete. It is a remnant team. Some players are from the youth team, so there is still hope to win.
The game against Argentina was on the 24th. After losing to Croatia on the morning of the 22nd, there was a game between Argentina and the United States in the afternoon. In order to observe the strength of Argentina, the entire men's basketball team went to the arena to watch the game.
This sight made the men's basketball team a little nervous from top to bottom.
Because this Argentina team is not weak. Although they lost to the United States with a huge score of 68:96, they played with great morale and full of energy. The strength they displayed put a lot of pressure on the men's basketball team.
CCTV commentator Zhang Lili said on the spot that if Wang Tiejun's fighting strength was not taken into account, the original men's basketball team might have lost more than Argentina against the US team.
The basketball department was under great pressure. If they could not win against Argentina, it would be dangerous to qualify. As soon as Liu Yuchu returned to the Olympic Village, he convened a meeting with the coaching staff and players.
The Sports Committee attaches great importance to group sports, especially the big ball group sports, and also sent people to attend this meeting. The person sent was Director Yuan.
After the leaders boosted morale, everyone began to discuss the Argentine opponent.
"Tie Jun, what do you think?" When listening to the players' opinions, Jiang Xiquan first asked Lao Wang.
Lao Wang never understood why he looked so nervous up and down. Is Argentina really strong?
Judging from the situation of the game just now, Argentina does not have as strong a three-point shot as Croatia, and even Croatia cannot shoot three-pointers so accurately every time. The Chinese team is just unlucky. If they meet again, maybe it will be who it is.
Lose?
As for their main center, he was injured in the game just now. How can Argentina, which was originally a remnant team and has lost its main center, stop the Chinese team?
He said nonchalantly: "Unless they can kill us with three-pointers like Croatia, we will definitely win."
Everyone was stunned, even Director Yuan stared at him.
"Ahem, Director Yuan, what are you looking at me for?" he asked a little embarrassed.
Director Yuan didn't know what to say. He had just obtained a sum of US dollars from Wang Tiejun. He was said to be short-handed and soft-spoken. He hesitated for a moment and said: "Tiejun, please be more serious and don't talk big. How can we defeat Argentina?"
How confident are you?"
"Tie Jun, don't be ridiculous," Liu Yumin reminded in a low voice.
"I'm not kidding, their strength is not as good as ours, and they don't have their main center, so we should be able to beat them with ease."
Lao Wang said with confidence, then turned back to Da Zhi and Hu Weidong and shouted: "Hey, brothers, if I say I can do it against Argentina, then I can do it, don't you think so?"
"Yes, Brother Tiejun is right." Da Zhi immediately agreed.
"What Lao K said makes sense." Hu Weidong nodded quickly, and others also agreed.
Director Yuan is a little confused about the purpose of his visit. Is he here to boost morale, or is he here to suppress Wang Tiejun and prevent him from leading the men's basketball team?
Director Gong said hurriedly: "But they only lost by 28 points against the third team of Dream Team."
"Isn't 28 points a lot? That's a disastrous defeat!" Lao Wang said in surprise.
Jiang Xinquan, who was standing next to him, glared at Lao Wang in embarrassment. Are you trying to find fault with the old man? Don’t you know that in the World Championships the year before last, my team lost to the American Dream Team 2 by 55 points?
Hu Weidong sat next to Lao Wang and poked him with his elbow under the table, signaling him to stop talking too much. Your words were poking at the old man's heart.
A serious pre-tactical meeting was disrupted by Lao Wang's big words. In the end, when Director Yuan left, he gave Lao Wang an order. If Argentina could not be defeated, he would be asked to buy a ticket to return home after the Olympics without reimbursement.
.
On the 23rd, Mutombo called and told Wang that the Georgetown basketball team had received a message from him and was willing to give Dayao an invitation letter.
"So easy?" He was a little surprised.
Mutombo chuckled and said: "With your and my recommendation, do you think it is difficult?"
"Haha, okay, you are right, Lao Mu, you can go to my martial arts studio to eat chicken at any time now, just say my name." Lao Wang said with a smile.
"Okay, I won't eat less." Mutombo said happily.
On the 24th, the game against Argentina begins.
As a result, the Chinese team defeated its opponent by 22 points with a score of 93:71 and won the second group stage victory.
Lao Wang showed off his power, shooting 13 of 18 at Argentina, with a shooting percentage of 72%, and 9 of 14 free throws. He scored 35 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 blocks, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls.
With two wins and one loss in the group stage, plus Argentina and Angola losing all three games, the Chinese team qualified for the qualifying rounds in advance and was sure to advance to the knockout rounds, achieving the minimum goal of the Sports Commission and ranking among the top eight in the Olympic Games.
Next, on the 26th, the fourth group match, the men’s basketball team will play against the United States.
According to the previous strategy, this game was abandoned voluntarily. Lao Wang only played a symbolic 18 minutes and did not contribute much.
He didn't exert any force, and O'Neal and Dameng didn't want to provoke him. Anyway, it was an unimportant group match. Everyone was playing Aiki Chi. Even if he came off the field and sat on the bench, O'Neal
They also did not attack the Chinese team's basket too recklessly.
Especially since he didn't use much force on the defensive end, Hu Weidong benefited from this and frequently went in, either with flying dunks or layups. He scored 28 points in the game, winning the reputation of China's Jordan and attracting many NBA scouts.
of attention.
"Director Jiang, is this person called O'Neal?" Liu Yumin asked Jiang Xiquan.
"Yes, his nickname is Big Shark. I heard that he is the only person in the NBA who can compete with Tiejun. They are called the giant beast style and are very powerful." Jiang Xinquan said.
Liu Yumin said doubtfully: "In the 1994 World Championships, I saw that he was more violent than today. Our basket was almost torn off by him. Now he looks stronger than the year before. Why does he seem to be playing without energy?"
There are other American players as well."
Jiang Xinquan thought for a while, pointed to Wang Tiejun and said, "I can't think of any other reasons. Maybe it's Tiejun? He didn't fight seriously, and the Americans didn't fight seriously either."
Liu Yumin was startled and thought that this was the case. Apart from this reason, there was indeed no other reason.
In this game, the * national team lost by 19 points in the end, winning two and losing two, with the last group match remaining.
On the 28th, China will play against Li Tao Bowl.
Lao Wang didn't know the strength of this small country before and thought he had a chance to win. Before the game, he realized that this was a country with very strong basketball capabilities and a team that could compete with the first and second dream teams.
In the 1992 Olympics, the men's basketball team was also full of talents, but it was bloodbathed with a score of 75:112. That year, the Litao Bowl won the Olympic bronze medal.
The most famous member of this Potato Bowl team is Sabonis. In 1988, he led the former Soviet Union team to defeat the American team. It was precisely because of this incident that the United States was forced to form a dream team, which has never come to the Olympics.
Those NBA superstars entered the Olympics because of this.
Sabonis just joined the NBA Trail Blazers last year at the age of 31. He is 221 centimeters tall and weighs 132 kilograms. In his rookie season, he scored 14.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.1 blocks. His performance is still extraordinary.
The disparity in strength was too great. The men's basketball coaching staff and the basketball office wanted to give up and try again in the knockout rounds, but Lao Wang didn't agree.
On the 27th, the men's basketball team held a meeting.
"As long as we have the right tactics, our strength is not necessarily inferior to them."
Lao Wang first gave his attitude and then reasoned. He said: "As long as I beat Sabonis in the penalty area and improve the team's offensive efficiency, then on the defensive end we will lock the penalty area and reduce their basket and low-post attacks.
, strengthen the defense on the outside, guard against shots but not against penetration, and their three-point line cannot explode, and we still have a chance to win."
Anyway, the task of being in the top eight has been completed. At his request, the superiors agreed. Just compete in this last group match. If you win, your position in the knockout rounds will be better.
The men's basketball team is having a meeting here, but the attitude over there is completely different. It's very relaxed. No one takes the Chinese team seriously.
In the sport of basketball, Literary Bowl has inherited the strength of the former Soviet Union. In the few years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, it has been called the king of Europe. It has strong self-confidence and is strong enough to compete with the American Dream Team.
Even Sabonis, the core of the team, does not take China seriously. He knows the strength of Lao K, but he does not think that the overall strength of the Chinese team is very high. With the strength of the Litao Bowl, it is completely
It can form a crushing force.
During dinner, the standing pottery bowl came to the restaurant. It happened that a group of reporters from various countries were conducting interviews in the restaurant. Several European reporters immediately came to the standing pottery bowl table and prepared to interview them.
"Hey, Arvidas."
"Hello."
However, these reporters who came to interview only interviewed one person, and that was Sabonis, the roof of the world.
"Arvydas, what do you think the result will be in tomorrow's match against the Chinese team?" a Finnish reporter asked.
"What else can we do? We are about to have a wild victory, haha!"
"If Angola and Argentina weren't so bad, the Chinese team wouldn't have had a chance to make it out of the group stage. They were just lucky."
Before Sabonis could say anything, a group of arrogant people from the Litao Bowl expressed their views on the game and the Chinese team.
"Arvydas, what do you think?" several European reporters asked again.
Sabonis spread his hands on the restaurant and said: "What else can I say? Old K is indeed very capable, but the Chinese team, do they have any outstanding record? No, so we will indeed play tomorrow night
A big victory comes.”
At this time, the Chinese team, which had just finished their meeting, also came to have dinner. They happened to enter this restaurant and met their opponents tomorrow night.
"Old K, Li Tao Bowl said that tomorrow we will complete a wild victory over the Chinese team. Do you think it will be like that?"
"Old K, Sabonis said he wanted to teach you a lesson. Do you want to say something?"
After seeing it, a group of American reporters immediately surrounded him.
"Arvydas, if you want him to look good tomorrow, give him a few big hits."
"Avydas, it's up to you tomorrow, make him look good."
Over at the pottery bowl, several team members stared at Lao Wang with disdain.
"Don't worry, I will."
Sabonis only glanced at Lao Wang, said something, and then turned back to continue eating his dinner.
After playing in the NBA for a year, even if he didn't inquire about it, he would hear news about Old K from time to time. The two of them also had a match, but that was when he came on as a substitute, and they only faced off for three minutes before he was knocked over.
Once, so even though the time was short, I knew how powerful Lao K was and didn’t want to make any big claims at this time.
But he doesn't think that the Chinese team has any strength. It should be very easy to win the Litao Bowl. Winning a wild victory is a matter of course.
However, the only troublesome thing is that all of his teammates are extraordinary figures in European or Lita Bowl leagues, and they are very proud. The European basketball community does not have much contact with the NBA, and some even look down upon it.
NBA, didn't know how powerful Lao K was, and he was worried that they underestimated the enemy.
"They said they wanted a wild victory? That Trail Blazers substitute center wanted to teach me a lesson? Haha...hehe..."
Lao Wang laughed twice and sneered twice, and then said: "Tell them for me that what awaits them tomorrow will be a nightmare."
The reporters instantly became excited. These Americans knew Lao Wang's character very well and knew Lao K's terror even more. They are now very much looking forward to tomorrow night's arrival.
"Nightmare?"
Sabonis frowned a little after hearing what several American reporters had said. It was just a group match, and the Chinese team was already guaranteed to qualify. Was Lao K's reaction a bit excessive?
"Nightmare?"
The other Li Taowan people were very surprised. How dare the Chinese team dare to be so rampant?
They all looked at the Chinese team angrily. They didn't understand why these guys who were so poor that they didn't even have to wear underpants were so arrogant.
However, there were so many reporters and athletes from all over the world watching them, so they couldn't say much and just muttered a few words angrily.
…
On the 28th, at five o'clock in the afternoon, the game started.
The game was arranged in a players tunnel. Before going out, the two teams met again and glared at each other.
At this time, it is 8 a.m. on the 29th in China.
The open-air basketball court behind Fengshen Street South Street was already overcrowded, and it was so dark that no one knew how many people there were.
On the main street of Fengshen Street, the big bosses also placed televisions in front of their doors, and the whole street was filled with people.
The atmosphere of the Olympic Games has completely surpassed the atmosphere of the NBA playoffs some time ago, and there are more fans here.
Not only basketball fans, but also a large number of sports fans have come here. Even before the sports center is built, Fengshen Street has actually become a huge sports and cultural center in the capital.
Atlanta, scene, ten minutes later, Wang Tiejun and Sabonis jumped the ball.
Sabonis, who is about to turn 32, can actually no longer jump. He broke his right heel before going to the NBA, suffered a lot of knee and ankle injuries, and drinks and smokes. The result of the physical examination given to him by the Trail Blazers team doctor is that he can apply for a
A disabled parking placard.
"Crack!"
Lao Wang took the lead to move the ball away, and the Chinese team attacked.
In the positional battle, Lao Wang entered the low position on the left wing, and Sabonis was in a very good position, behind him. His huge body and tonnage formed a huge natural defensive barrier.
Although he is confident that the strength of the Litao Bowl is far greater than that of the Chinese team, Sabonix also knows Lao Wang's reputation in the NBA. Even though he is the king of Europe, he does not dare to be careless and is very cautious.
The next moment, Li Xiaoyong passed the ball down.
Lao Wang gets the ball and Tieshan starts the ball.
In the Olympics, he has been using the newly optimized low back hitting technique, which means giving up the sideways hitting technique and focusing on real back hitting and sitting hitting.
However, Tieshan's leaning technique still exists, because Tieshan's leaning strikes are not only sideways strikes with the shoulders as the attack point, but also leaning strikes with the back and chest as the attack points.
He first sat back hard with his big buttocks. After sitting down on his opponent, his back and the defender's chest had already opened a certain distance. Then in the next moment, his whole body suddenly exerted force, and his body instantly leaned back.
His back suddenly leaned back heavily.
After combining the sitting and back beatings, there was just a bang, Sabonis grunted, he couldn't stand at all, he took two steps and stepped back.
"Bang!"
At the same time, Wang Tiejun turned around, stepped up, knocked over Sabonis, and smashed the ball into the basket.
"ah!"
The sports fans in Atlanta immediately burst into loud cheers. Compared to Sabonis, who is not well-known in the United States, they support NBA superstar K., who is well-known throughout the United States.
"yeah!"
Fengshen Street was boiling. After Wang Tiejun completed the dunk, the atmosphere exploded and cheers sounded like a tsunami, and the sound spread several kilometers away.
"What?"
Seeing their core, the great Sabonis was knocked over by a Chinese, and all the pottery bowlers were shocked.
This is also the reason why Lao Wang's fame has not reached Europe. Europe is a world of football, and his reputation only spreads in North America and East Asia. They have no idea about Lao Wang's strength, otherwise they would not be so surprised.