Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 392 Follow Me into Battle!

9 month 9 day.

Shanghai, the Magic City!

The Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, with a capacity of 18000 spectators, is one of the indoor sports venues with the largest seating capacity in Shanghai.

它在本届世锦赛要承办包括小组赛、17-32名排位赛、5-8名排位赛和1/4决赛在内的共13场比赛。

Tomorrow will be its last event, and its thirteenth!

China vs. Spain!
When Spain is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind for fans is the 08 Olympics, the match where they narrowly lost to Spain.

That year, China was placed in the "group of death"—the United States, Spain, Germany, Angola, and Greece.

On paper, China is only stronger than Angola and is somewhat behind Germany. However, under Yao Ming's leadership, the Chinese team delivered a remarkable performance in the group stage!

They fought hard against the Dream Team for half a game, lost to Spain in overtime, won against Angola and Germany, and lost to Greece, who defeated the United States in the semifinals of the 06 World Championships.

It can be said that the 08 Olympic Games were the most epic series in the history of the Chinese men's basketball team's international journey.

It ignited the Chinese people's passion for basketball and their national confidence, and its influence continues to this day.

Now, another team is about to follow in the footsteps of its predecessors and create another epic journey!
With four wins out of five in the group stage, China advanced to the quarterfinals as the second-place team in Group I. The Chinese men's basketball team will face the European powerhouse Spain, who have won all five of their matches, at 19:00 on the 10th.

After losing to Argentina by a significant margin, the Chinese people's fervent fantasies have clearly cooled down. As early as the night of the loss on the 8th, major portals not only reported on the match on their front pages, but also provided extended analysis and interpretation of the game.

Even Chen Wang's incredible 48 points couldn't turn the tide, and they lost to Argentina 84-92 by 8 points. This game, in which they were never in the lead from the start and were at a significant disadvantage, certainly served as a wake-up call for many in the gaming community.

In his post-match comments, Yu Jia argued that China's overall strength lags behind world-class countries in a visible way, and that China is falling behind in all aspects.

We can't win every game with just Chen Wang. We need to continue to encourage our players to play overseas. Every position needs someone to go abroad and compete in the United States and Europe.

Yang Yi's comments were even harsher, specifically pointing out CBA star players like Guo Ailun, Zhao Rui, and Zhou Qi, arguing that they are still far from being world-class players from any perspective.

"We are in a period of great change for the Chinese men's basketball team. A new generation of leaders has emerged, but the roster to match them is not up to par. Yi Jianlian is already in the late stages of his prime, and we simply do not have any players to offer."

In his commentary, he revealed that the coaching staff planned to use an unlimited switching strategy to counter Argentina. This tactic worked very well against Argentina in the first quarter, but due to limited energy and manpower, it faced the embarrassing situation of not being able to continue.

"Switching is a defensive strategy often used in advanced basketball tactics, but it is very embarrassing and regrettable that China does not currently have the ability to do it carefully."

"The lack of matching players also exposes the emptiness and deficiency of the CBA league in terms of tactics and skills. After so many years of professional league operation, it has grown into a top league with 20 teams, but it is embarrassing and shameful that it cannot cultivate players with high-level tactics."

Yang Yi's comments sparked a huge discussion, resonating with fans because they were insightful and relevant to current events.

Even fans who have always championed superstars have bowed their heads and admitted that no matter how strong Chen and Wang are, they cannot single-handedly carry China to the top of the world.

Those who had previously dreamed of winning the championship and medals have now turned around and started complaining about how terrible the domestic league is, unable to produce any decent role players, because of this loss.

After a night of development, on the 9th, the media began to focus on the upcoming crucial quarter-final battle.

Win against Spain?

Almost no one believed that Spain was stronger than Argentina, especially in terms of team performance.

It goes without saying that Argentina's key players all come from the Spanish league.

As a result, public opinion began to take shape in advance, with the prevailing sentiment that reaching the quarterfinals was already a very good result, and that we were there to learn and train in preparation for next year's Olympic Games.

With the return of Ding Yanyuhang and Zhou Peng, the evolution of Zhao Rui and Guo Ailun, and the addition of Li Kaier and Yi Jianlian, China will be even stronger at next year's Tokyo Olympics.

Even fans have become more relaxed, and many comments have become gentle, positive, and uplifting, praising and saying good things about the current Chinese men's basketball team.

"Chen Wang's ankle was still injured, and I really didn't want to see him continue like this. When I saw him take off the heavy protective gear and tear off the bandage in the last section, tears streamed down my face. This is what it means to fight to the death!"

A comment from a Shandong-based netizen resonated strongly with many, as Chen Wang's actions touched countless Chinese fans. They saw in him how much he wanted to win the game, including his relentless pursuit of points in the final minute.

And his final, helpless act of bowing to all four sides of the stadium in apology further highlighted his pain and guilt after the loss.

It can be said that the Chinese people's attitude towards Chen Wang was quite divided before. Some people questioned his arrogant and conceited personality, while others liked his domineering and powerful playing style. In addition, some of his actions before the World Championships did cause controversy.

But after this battle, no such voices appeared again. Chen Wang proved with his actions that he always put winning glory for the country first. His spirit of fighting desperately to win, despite his unhealed left leg, moved countless Chinese people.

With his strong will, superb skills, and inspiring story of rising from humble beginnings to the NBA, Chen Fang has become China's top sports superstar.

Chen Fang's NBA championship win has exceeded the expectations of the Chinese people, but it always felt like something was missing. However, this World Championship held on home soil has made up for it. Looking back, it seems that the only thing missing was the opportunity to represent the country.

An athlete who doesn't represent their country, no matter what achievements they make, cannot fully inspire the nation's recognition of them.

Without a doubt, Chen Fang had by this time gained the recognition of the Chinese people and had taken over the mantle from Yao.

But Chen Fang didn't think so. After making those harsh remarks, Chen Fang entered a state of preparation.

As soon as the plane landed in Shanghai, Chen Fang contacted his previous training team and went for extra training.

That day, the whole team practiced how to establish an effective passing mechanism through positioning to help Chen Fang gain more possession of the ball.

“In essence, Argentina and Spain are no different; they are systemically the same.”

"However, in the previous five games, Spain used Gasol's free throw line to facilitate the play, which was very effective against Diamond."

"Our topic today is how to break diamonds," Andy told the team.

"Both diamonds and bull horns involve two fundamental concepts: center and screen."

Andy felt it was necessary to repeatedly reshape the basic concepts. He said, "A center can use his vision advantage to direct the offense and defense, and he can also use his size advantage to screen for his teammates—blocking their defenders and creating offensive space for his teammates."

"This is the most important thing a center needs to do on the court; scoring is secondary."

Looking at Zhou Qi, Yi Jianlian, Shen Zijie, and Hu Jinqiu on the team, Andy knew very well that in some aspects, they simply did not meet the requirements of the tactics.

It still falls short of the standards required for modern basketball. "A center with shooting range, positioned at the free-throw line, can create a huge deterrent effect, effectively drawing at least three opposing defenders."

"When the center stands in the free-throw line area, the other two teammates stand on the wings, and the last player stands under the basket, the four players form a diamond-like formation. This is the diamond tactic."

"Players at the free-throw line and under the basket can simultaneously cut to the basket and bounce out, or they can use players under the basket to delay the wing, allowing the wing player to cut into the paint, receive a pass from the center at the free-throw line, and create an open layup."

"Of course, a center on the free-throw line is a bit too thin, so the power forward also needs to step out, and the two of them stand at opposite ends of the free-throw line, which is commonly known as the horns."

"When the horns appear, there will be many variations. It can increase offensive options, create more space in the paint, and improve the quality of screens with double screens, creating more offensive space."

"This is the 'horn tactic'."

Andy gave a thorough overview of the relationship between the two tactics, and he concluded by saying, "A diamond can turn into a bull's horn at any time, and a bull's horn can be cut back into a diamond in an instant. What remains constant is the wing and the free agent roaming at the top of the arc."

"The variety and speed of the changes depend on the center holding the ball at the free-throw line and the libero roaming in the high post. Spain will have Rubio play that libero role, using his second possession to quickly find open teammates and launch a buzzer-beating attack."

"And the first fifteen seconds depend on Gasol's card dealing judgment."

"Strictly speaking, the diamond and the horns are not tactics, but rather Spain's attacking initiation techniques. The subsequent changes are achieved through the players' tacit understanding and cooperation, so we cannot be rigid and passive in our defense."

"And it's important to note that the horns position doesn't necessarily have to be at the free-throw line. Moving it to the top of the key and the three-point line is just as good and can create the most space."

"Especially Spain, they will set up the horns position and use double screens to run a V-shaped pick-and-roll offense, where the center cuts to the basket from the outside."

Andy had Boson bring out a large-screen TV so he could explain things to everyone via video.

He talks for an hour at a time. I don't know how much everyone can absorb, but it's definitely more useful than not saying anything at all.

Just when all the team members thought they would be using these two tactics in the next game, Andy said, "We don't have the skill to use these two tactics."

"It seems like it's not that difficult, but the problem is that we lack the ability to expand and the lower limit of change."

"The wings need small forwards who can drive and shoot, the center in the paint needs to have high-quality defensive skills and a reliable mid-range shot, and the center at the free-throw line needs to have all-around skills to support them."

One sentence made many people lower their heads.

These past two days have been profound for the players. Through studying tactics, they discovered their serious shortcomings, including some skills that should be essential for their positions.

Everyone has experienced losing a game. The common understanding is that the opponent is not as good as you. To be more specific, it means that the opponent shoots more accurately, is faster, or is stronger.

If basketball is that simple, then why do tactics keep changing?

Does tactics guide technology, or does technology influence tactics?
If you can't even distinguish between primary and secondary tasks, how can you climb to the top?
They say today's athletes are taller and faster, but were they all slow in the past?

Ultimately, it comes down to a lack of understanding that hasn't kept pace with mainstream changes, lagging behind by a decade or more.

Using the answer to find the question is clearly the mainstream practice in contemporary Chinese basketball.

Seeing that big men are starting to shoot threes, we are demanding that our inside players master threes. And as we see more point guards over two meters tall, we are starting to focus on developing tall point guards.

Seeing that 3D has become a standard feature of teams, we must find tall players who can both defend and shoot.

This is obviously wrong. You have no idea why the mainstream of world basketball is changing in this way. You are just blindly copying the answer. How can this approach possibly make you stronger? Yao is gone, Yi came, Yi left, Zhou Qi came, Zhou Qi left, and the next Yang is on his way.

So?

We are always moving from 0 to 1 and then back to 0, but we can never move from 1 to 2 or even more.

This perception is most evident in the CBA league.

Major clubs are scrambling for strong foreign players, both inside and outside. With policy adjustments, they're now allowing three or four foreign players, then they enter the playoffs, and finally get a ranking. Okay, so what's the point of doing this?
Have we cultivated local players who can compete with foreign players?

Have we developed head coaches who can apply advanced tactics?

Have we been able to select a national team with a complete system?
Foreign players defend against foreign players, local players fight against local players, and the players are all one-dimensional, so one-dimensional that they only know one skill.

Du Runwang and Ren Junfei, who are role players who are completely useless in the national team, are actually core role players in the CBA.

Sichuan, a team that won a CBA championship once thanks to foreign players, is ultimately still a weak team.

It's 2019 already, and it's sad that a national team can't find five players who can coordinate tactics.

The coach is incompetent, the players are incompetent. This kind of national team can at best be bullied in Asia but has no professional opponents. Against European and American teams, they will be completely defeated and exposed as nothing.

This is the underlying reason for the national team's weakness.

Chen Fang knew it very well, and Andy knew it too.

"We don't play by tactics, we only fight with our fighting spirit." Andy spoke slowly, and Sun Lexian translated, meaning that tactics were far less important than fighting spirit.

"We have a chance to win against Spain."

"Argentina can't beat Spain, but that doesn't mean we can't win."

"Use simple pick-and-rolls to create scoring opportunities, and use a 2-3 zone defense to protect the paint and the boards."

"Fight back resolutely, strike decisively, and use our indomitable fighting spirit to crush this Spanish giant."

"Yes, we will use the most basic and simple teamwork on the basketball court to defeat Spain, who may be the pinnacle of skills and tactics on this planet."

"This is a life-or-death battle. If we don't advance, we retreat. We must fight to the death and never give up until the very last moment."

When Andy finished speaking, the entire room fell silent. At that moment, Chen Fang stood up, and his tall stature immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"Brothers, don't think about anything else tomorrow, follow me and attack, annihilate Spain!"

(End of this chapter)