Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 393 Fierce Battle Against Spain (Part 1)

Everyone felt that Prince Chen was different today.

On September 10th, from individual training to group practice, Chen Fang's focus and seriousness throughout the entire day influenced everyone else.

At 4 p.m., the Chinese men's basketball team, having finished all pre-game preparations, began to assemble and head to the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center.

During the court familiarization session, Chen Fang attempted fifty three-pointers from both baskets before leaving the court. However, his shooting style still attracted attention.

This was a non-stop three-point shooting game. Chen Fang repeatedly ran back and forth, then took shots from any point outside the three-point line. Some shots involved dribbling up the court, while others involved receiving the ball and shooting. His teammates witnessed all of these actions.

The shooting percentage is very high; the missed shots all occur at the end, but there has never been a situation where a full-court run is completed without any missed shots.

This astonishing competitive state immediately invigorated everyone. Today's training focused on shooting, and Andy even designed a layup resistance exercise, which is a typical way to get players into the game as soon as it starts.

At 5 o'clock, the field was handed over to Spain, and the whole team returned to the locker room.

Li Nan began to devise the final offensive and defensive strategies.

"We will use small tactics as anchors. Once implemented, all subsequent rounds will follow that tactic until a new tactic emerges."

"We should make full use of our outside shooting advantage, create ample offensive space by drawing defenders away from the defense, and what the others need to do is to be bold in taking shots and daring to attack."

"In every possession, perimeter players must quickly retreat on defense, and interior players must rush for the rebound every possession."

"We need to learn from Poland's previous style of play, prioritizing rebounds in defense. When facing Spain's transition offense, we must resolutely play a defensive strategy of delaying and following up. If we grab a rebound, we should immediately advance the ball and launch a counterattack through the second pass."

"Today, all 12 players need to be prepared to play, and all of them need to commit four fouls. Whether we can achieve a historic breakthrough depends on tonight!"

"As the head coach, I will always stand with you and play according to this strategy. I will take responsibility for any problems that arise!"

Li Nan said this last sentence with absolute certainty. He had now come to a realization: it's either win or lose; there is no third option.

What better thing in the world than to join Prince Chen in making history?

The coaching team quickly reached a consensus and reported to the team leader, who then reported the situation to the General Administration. Although it seemed like there were many steps involved, it was actually just a matter of a few phone calls and a few minutes.

Thus, the atmosphere of treating this match like a final was created.

This is evident in both the specifications and the level of importance attached to it.

All the leaders of the Chinese Basketball Association gathered in Shanghai, and the head of the Basketball Management Center also came in person. In terms of commentary, the team went from a single commentator to a trio, with Yang Jian and Su Qun arriving in Shanghai by plane.

The stadium seating has been expanded by 1000 seats in the inner field, with each seat equipped with cheering props and a red national team T-shirt.

Security personnel were also increased several times over, as even important local leaders from Shanghai came.

Basketball veterans and distinguished figures also gathered here to cheer on the national team.

It's fair to say that a series of changes have led many people to alter their travel plans and come here.

The Chinese men's basketball team is determined to turn tonight red.

They were in a difficult situation, unable to back down. When the team learned about the high-profile nature of the event, it caused a stir, but it quickly subsided.

"Tonight, the eyes of 14 billion people across China are on this!" Sun Lexian told Andy and Busenko.

Andy's eyes widened: "The Super Bowl?"

“It’s even more exaggerated than that!” Sun Lexian thought for a moment and replied.

Both of them gasped.

"It's making me nervous!" Old Man Andy said with a wry smile.

At 7 o'clock sharp, both sides took to the field for a final warm-up, starting with the most routine exercises, from running hoops to shooting.

As soon as they arrived at the players' tunnel, they were hit by an overwhelming wave of sound. Chen Fang, who was walking at the front, stopped in his tracks, and the people behind him also stopped.

I thought Chen Fang would say something, but instead I saw him take long strides and walk out with his head held high.

A few seconds later, the sound waves suddenly surged and boiled, and the heat rushed into the passage, so much so that those who hadn't come out yet felt their skin burning, and their blood was even more excited.

"Today is the final battle!" These were the last words Li Nan said as he left the locker room.

"Let's go, follow Prince Chen into battle!" Yi roared, and led the charge out.

"Attack!" everyone shouted in unison, clenching their fists as they gave chase.

Regardless of how Spain views this match, or whether they sense anything from the heated atmosphere, there is only half an hour left before the game.

As a super powerhouse that dominates the European continent, the Spanish are not afraid at all. In their eyes, if Argentina can win, then they certainly can too.

Spain's head coach, Sergio Scariolo, was the most confident of the three. He reviewed the match between China and Argentina and identified weaknesses that the Chinese team could not eradicate or resolve.

Even with Yi, Li Kai'er, Chen Wang, and Sergio, they didn't care.

The reason is simple: Yi is the finisher, Li Kai'er is the playmaker, and Chen Wang is the ball-handling core.

The Chinese team lacks a second ball-handler and a backup core player. Once Chen Wang goes it alone, unless he scores 60+ points, it is impossible for him to achieve a qualitative leap in scoring.

But is that possible? 48 points is already the limit. Spain is not Argentina. Juan, Victor, Rabasidda, Beiran, and Fernandez are all experienced veterans. Argentina was able to shut down Chen Wang, so they are more likely to succeed.

Spain has as many as five small forwards, so they are not afraid of Chen Wang at all.

Following their established strategies and tactics, Spain is not afraid of any opponent, including the United States.

They just suffocated Serbia, who have superstar Jokic, by ejecting him in the third quarter. Spain has too much experience dealing with superstars.

After all, Spain is the only team that dares to challenge the Dream Team and has the confidence to win.

Even though the atmosphere was incredibly intense, Sergio could tell that the players were all calm, which made him proud.

The game is about skill; cheering doesn't have much impact on professional players.

Both sides were running for the basket, and it was unclear who started dunking first. Soon, the trend spread, and the players behind them all wanted to show off their jumping ability.

There was a little incident: when it was Guo Ailun's turn, he failed to dunk twice in a row, which caused a burst of joking laughter. However, Chen Fang, who was behind him, defused the embarrassment with a layup.

"You have to perform well today," Chen Fang said, patting Guo Ailun on the shoulder.

"When a show-off is used in the right place, it becomes phenomenal!" Chen Fang added.

"Just watch and see." Encouraged by Chen Fang, Guo Ailun was clearly even more motivated.

This wasn't the only person Chen Fang spoke to individually; he encouraged and cheered on every single member of the team face-to-face, something he hadn't done even during the finals.

But he must motivate everyone to fight and win the game no matter what.

The buzzer sounds, the competition begins.

"Today, China's starting lineup has returned to its most consistent five. Chen Fang at shooting guard, Guo Ailun at point guard, Li Ke'er at small forward, Yi Jianlian at power forward, and Zhou Qi at center." After announcing the lineup, Yu Jia also politely mentioned Spain's starting lineup.

“Marc Gasol, center from the Raptors; Pere Olliola, power forward from Valencia; Rudy Fernandez, small forward from Real Madrid; Juan Hernangomez, shooting guard from the Denver Nuggets; and Ricky Rubio, point guard from the Phoenix Suns.”

"The quarterfinals are about to begin. Whoever wins will advance to the semifinals. Let's hold our breath and look forward to this epic showdown."

Referee Khorozov walked onto the court with the ball. He came to the center circle, didn't say anything, just nodded, and then looked down at the scorer's table. When the scorer's table made a gesture, he tossed the basketball up.

Zhou Qi was quick, but Marc Gasol had a physical advantage and collided with Zhou Qi in mid-air first, causing Zhou Qi to drift outwards slightly and miss the opportunity to touch the basketball.

Rubio got the ball, but instead of moving forward, he took two steps back. Seeing both sides getting into position and retreating to defend, he rubbed his hands together, and amidst a chorus of boos, dribbled the ball across the center line and into the Chinese half of the court.

The game started.

Spain's opening move was indeed the horns. Gasol and Oriola were positioned at the top of the arc on the three-point line. Rubio passed the ball to Gasol, who then moved towards the corner to set an off-ball screen for Fernandez, who was positioned in the corner. Fernandez, after shaking off Lee Kyle, did not move up but instead cut across to set a screen for Gasol, thus trapping Zhou Qi.

Gasol dribbled once, drawing Lee Kyle over, and just as they were close, he passed the ball to Rubio in the corner.

Rubio took a three-pointer, but it bounced off the rim.

Spain's attack this time was fluid and seamless, not a complete tactic, but rather the players making their own choices based on the current defensive situation.

This is what makes Spain so disciplined; they don't just run for the sake of running tactics, they seize any opportunity and never put the cart before the horse.

Yi grabbed the rebound and passed it to Guo Ailun.

Guo Ailun began to accelerate, and Juan chased after him, slowing him down as he crossed half-court.

The other Spanish players quickly retreated to defend, forming a 2-3 zone defense, with Gasol standing in the penalty area, keeping an eye on everything.

Yi played a center delay for Guo Ailun, and after going around him, Guo Ailun saw Chen Fang on the wing and flicked the ball to him.

Fernandez didn't choose to defend head-on, but instead went to the side, which could effectively disrupt the pass. However, Guo Ailun's pass drifted outwards, and Chen Fang took a step back and caught the ball.

The cheers from the stands immediately quieted down. The fans knew how to watch the game; they tried to keep the sound of the home team's attack down to avoid causing any disturbance.

The sudden quiet felt good, clearing his mind. The moment Chen Fang received the ball, he had already decided on his attacking options.

As he dribbled laterally, drawing his opponent's movement, he suddenly changed direction in front of his body, making a powerful inside cut, and pressed forward against Fernandez's left chest.

This confrontation caught Fernandez off guard, forcing him to slide back passively. Chen Fang, on the other hand, suddenly broke into a powerful shot as he took that step, ignoring his opponent, and rose up with lightning speed, launching a powerful pull-up attack.

There was no response from him; Fernandez could only look up. "Three points!"

"Goal! Chen Wang has scored the first point!" Yu Jia shouted excitedly.

The director also made a very interesting point, immediately switching to the VIP section, where you could see celebrities like Yao Ming, Wang Xuan, and Wang Zhizhi smiling and clapping.

Chen Fang didn't smile at all, and retreated back to his own half. Spain didn't speed up, and Rubio slowly dribbled forward, with Guo Ailun leading the defense the whole time.

Without any screens to delay him, Rubio, with his excellent ball-handling skills, managed to get past Guo Ailun and cross half-court.

Spain's positioning still started from the horns, which resulted in four tall inside players clustered in the high post. From Rubio's perspective, passing the ball seemed inappropriate, but he saw a flash of red and accelerated his cut towards the wing corner.

Guo Ailun followed closely, but after only one step, he subconsciously raised his hand because he saw Rubio throw the ball towards the inside.

A red figure leaped up – it was Rudy. Before anyone could react, he charged up, caught the ball, and dunked it into the basket.

"Spain's alley-oop, oh no, the ball's in!" Yu Jia exclaimed regretfully.

Today, Spain is all in red, while the Chinese team is in white with red stripes. At first glance, it looks very incongruous.

Chen Fang showed no emotional fluctuations. Li Ke'er had done a great job. This cooperation was a result of tacit understanding. It can only be said that the Spanish golden boy's power in the national team is far greater than his power in the NBA.

3: 2.

Both sides showcased their unique strengths from the start.

After safely crossing half-court, Guo Ailun passed the ball to Li Kaier, who had come out to receive it, because Chen Fang's position had been cut off.

Spain consistently prioritizes tactics while showing strategic disdain, never giving Chen Fang a comfortable environment; he will face interference from Spain throughout the match.

But this time, the others won't be as indecisive as they were in the last game.

Yi immediately looked for an open space and moved to the short corner. Lee Kerr's pass arrived immediately. After receiving the ball and stabilizing his position, Yi Jianlian continued to drive into the paint. After confirming out of the corner of his eye that he was not being double-teamed, he turned and jumped up.

"Standing on one leg like a golden rooster!"

"This is also Yi's signature move!" Yu Jia exclaimed. When he saw the ball fall into the basket, he immediately cheered, "Beautiful! This time, the Chinese team's offense was very decisive. They did not hesitate because Chen Wang was double-teamed."

"Yes, that's how we should fight! Don't be timid, decisiveness and confidence are the best!" Yang Jian cheered.

Guo Ailun didn't hesitate and immediately chose Rubio; his task today was to disrupt the opponent.

His aggressive play bought time for his teammates to retreat on defense. Rubio took several seconds to cross half-court, almost committing a half-court violation.

Spanish side showed no panic. They started with a horn formation, and when Gasol got the ball, they immediately switched to a diamond formation. Then, Oriola helped Juan on the left side with an off-ball screen to block Chen Fang.

Juan, now free, moved to the right and received a short lateral pass from Gasol. He jumped up as soon as he received the ball and decisively launched a three-pointer.

"Oh dear!" Yu Jia exclaimed.

"Spain hit a three-pointer, there's really nothing we can do about it, they switched defenses very quickly."

"It's 5-5. Both sides got into the game very quickly today."

Li Nan, sitting on the sidelines, clapped his hands in frustration. The diamond formation is most effective because of its wide-ranging passes between the two corners, which are very easy to lose track of when blocked under the basket.

Even Chen Fang lost track of them immediately.

This requires a faster defensive switch. Lee Keir has already closed in quickly, but Juan's style of play, where he catches the ball and immediately jumps, is unstoppable, even by a miracle.

The ability that Spain has demonstrated in these few rounds of competition has made Li Nan realize that today's match will be very difficult.

He looked at the number 21 figure on the court. At that moment, Chen Fang had just received the ball. He set an off-ball screen for Yi Jianlian in the center circle. After Yi Jianlian got rid of the ball, he set a center screen for Guo Ailun and then handed the ball off to him.

Before Spain could switch positions, the ball was passed to Chen Fang.

Chen Fang, who had the ball, caught it with one hand and waved to signal his teammates to quickly get into position. The faster they ran to the sweet spot, the more they could deter the opponent from recklessly coming up to double-team them.

As expected, the presence of Guo Ailun and Yi Jianlian forced Spain to rely on Rudy for defense.

Standing at 198cm, this was Rudy's first time facing Chen Fang. He didn't think he could completely defend against him, but he also didn't believe Chen Fang could easily get past him.

Chen Fang started moving forward with the ball. He took two straight steps and began to move laterally, seemingly to set a screen for Zhou Qi at the top of the arc. Just as Rudy began to instinctively try to steal the ball before the screen, Chen Fang suddenly pushed the ball and changed direction, making a strong breakthrough towards the side where Rudy had raised his foot.

Rudy felt a flash of white light in the corner of his eye, and he could no longer see Chen Fang.

"So fast? My God!" Rudy exclaimed in surprise, turning around to chase after him, only to freeze again.

Number 21, like a white dragon treading on a sea of ​​fire, moved nimbly and leaped, heading straight for the basket from the top of the arc.

The moment Rudy saw it, Chen Fang leaped up, drew his bow taut with one hand, and slammed it down hard at Gasol, who had his arms raised high.

As his opponent in the finals, Gasol knew all too well how ruthless Chen Wang was. He had already been on high alert, but Chen Wang descended like a thunder god, his imposing aura as powerful as thunder. The next second, everything went black before his eyes, and his body was struck as if by lightning, causing him to fall backward in an instant.

"King Chen! King Chen! King Chen!"

Yu Jia stood up excitedly, and amidst the almost explosive cheers of the entire arena, he was forced to shout at the top of his lungs: "The death dunk has been recreated!"

"A white rainbow pierces the sun, a hawk strikes down in the palace, and Prince Chen single-handedly cuts through the entire Spanish defense, declaring his kingly resolve with his signature dunk!"

"We must make it to the semifinals!"

Yao stood up excitedly, raised his arms, and clenched his fists.

How could anyone not love a player like this? At this moment, Chen Fang has driven all of China crazy. You can imagine that the whole country is cheering right now!
As Chen Fang landed, he retreated from the penalty area, pushed aside his teammates who rushed towards him in celebration, and fiercely swung his fist at the south stands.

Even if Jordan came today, I will still fight for a future!
Spain seemed to be enraged, their inherent fighting spirit was ignited, and in the next possession, Gasol made a high cut to the basket, received a short pass from inside to inside, turned around and bumped past the skinny Zhou Qi, and delivered a powerful two-handed dunk, regaining his pride after being dunked on.

7:7.

In the first four minutes, both sides displayed a high level of offense and defense.

Chen Fang was double-teamed again, but he cleverly pulled to the right wing, making the weak side less noticeable. This meant that Spain had to fight with fewer players on the strong side.

Yi Shun went down to the inside, taking one player with him. Zhou Qi first set a screen for Guo Ailun, then suddenly cut down to block Oriola for Li Ke'er. Li Ke'er drove in, received a half-lob pass from Guo Ailun, took one dribble, and used a slow Euro step to get rid of Gasol's interference and make a layup.

The 16,000-seat stands erupted in cheers once again, the roar of the fans never ceasing, wave after wave, endlessly.

Regardless of whether it can affect Spain, it constantly injects a strong fighting spirit into the Chinese team.

In the next possession, Juan set an off-ball screen for Rudy, who rolled to the high post, and Rubio on the wing delivered a surgical pass. Rudy caught the ball and went for a layup, the whole play going smoothly.

However, Zhou Qi's large defensive range came into play. He barely managed to touch the high-arcing layup, changing the ball's trajectory. Then, on the other side, Yi Jianlian grabbed the rebound before Gasol could jump.

The ball landed and was immediately passed to Guo Ailun. Before he even received the ball, he was already burning hot. The moment he got the ball, he instantly shifted from first to third gear and took off.

Rubio went after him, while Juan, who was trailing behind, retreated. The three of them chased each other like birds in the forest. In just a few breaths, the fans saw Guo Ailun drive straight in and throw the basketball between the two.

The ball rolled high, and after touching the backboard, its trajectory changed instantly, falling towards the basket.

"Goal! Guo Ailun is so fearless! He beat two defenders with his bare hands, what a beautiful fast break!"

Upon seeing the ball go in, Guo Ailun couldn't contain himself. He crossed his arms over his chest and roared with his head thrown back.

China scored 4 points in a row, but Spain didn't panic. They quickly passed the ball to Juan, who was running along the baseline. Juan then called on Chen Fang, who was helping on defense, and drove straight into the paint. With a small layup, he drew a foul from Zhou Qi, who was protecting the rim.

"Oh dear, this is a 2+1." Not only Yu Jia in the commentary booth, but also everyone in the VIP seats showed expressions of regret.

Meanwhile, the entire Spanish bench stood up, excitedly waving towels and shouting.

The atmosphere in the stadium suddenly became tense. This goal immediately dampened the burgeoning home crowd's momentum.

Juan scored the penalty, bringing the score back to normal.

11: 10.

China has possession of the ball. Chen Fang pretends to ask for the ball but runs in the opposite direction. Guo Ailun quickly finds Li Kai'er with the ball. Li Kai'er has already determined Chen Fang's destination by receiving the ball and quickly passes it over without touching it.

Chen Fang, who made a ghostly incursion from the wing, was positioned in the right short corner area by Zhou Qi's off-ball screen.

The ball comes, I receive it outside, turn around smoothly, raise my hand to aim at the rim, shift Rudy's center of gravity, lower the ball, and suddenly pull the ball back and turn halfway, completely getting past Rudy.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Fang made a crossover step to the side, and facing the onrushing Oriola, he used a fadeaway jump shot from the short corner to score.

"Wow! Great shot, great shot!" Yu Jia seemed like a different person, extremely sensitive. He didn't mean it, but every goal scored by the Chinese team now was indeed very exciting.

In terms of passing and movement, and in terms of attacking choices, it is all top-notch.

After scoring this goal, both sides entered a period of low spirits after their initial excitement. Chen Fang did not get any opportunities, and his teammates missed several shots in a row.

Spain also wasted their opportunities. China's interior defense was clearly superior to Argentina's in the previous game.

Zhou Qi and Yi Jianlian were both focused on protecting the rim, and although Spain had opportunities to shoot, they were greatly interfered with.

In the VIP section, Yao said to Wang Xuan, "Leader, this is a long battle, and the outcome may not be decided until the very end."

"I know, but I believe it's us!" Yao said with utmost seriousness.

(End of this chapter)