NBA: Starting with the undercut by Parker and Bowen

After back-to-back victories against the Mavericks and Spurs, the Rockets' next game is in three days, with a two-day gap in between.

Head coach Adelman waved his hand and gave the players a day off.

Other Rockets players can rest assured, but Yao Ming and Yang Lin still have to keep busy.

Because the match three days later is the Chinese derby that fans across the ocean have been eagerly anticipating.

Yao Ming and Yang Lin will lead the Houston Rockets to host the Milwaukee Bucks, who have rookie Yi Jianlian.

In fact, the Chinese derby has occurred several times in the NBA.

The earliest instance can be traced back to March 4, 2002, when Wang Zhizhi's Dallas Mavericks played against Battier's Denver Nuggets on the road.

With 8 minutes and 19 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Wang Zhizhi and Battier were substituted into the game at the same time, marking the first time in history that Chinese players met in an NBA game.

In that game, Battier's Nuggets ultimately lost to Wang Zhizhi's Mavericks 110-116.

During the game, Battier contributed 1 rebound, while Wang Zhizhi scored 5 points and 2 rebounds.

In the following two years, Yao Ming faced Wang Zhizhi six times, but due to Wang Zhizhi's special circumstances, there was not much publicity in China.

Last season, Yang Lin's Utah Jazz battled the Rockets for seven games in the playoffs.

Unfortunately, Yang Lin had not yet been reborn at that time, nor had he received the favor of the system god.

At that time, the competition was fierce, and he was on the very edge of the team, never even making the 12-man roster.

In the Western Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, Yang Lin suddenly exploded onto the scene.

On NBA draft day, Yi Jianlian was selected in the first round and Sun Yue in the second round.

Just when everyone thought that there would be many Chinese derbies in the new NBA season.

Unexpectedly, Yang Lin joined the Houston Rockets, and Sun Yue was unable to immediately sign with the Lakers.

Surprisingly, there are only two Chinese derbies in the NBA this season: the Rockets and the Bucks.

But something is better than nothing.

The league meticulously scheduled the Rockets' game against the Bucks, especially the first game.

Neither team had a match two days before the game.

Firstly, it allows players to recover their energy and play a great game; secondly, it allows enough time for media interviews.

On November 7, Yao Ming and Yang Lin were interviewed by several mainland media outlets.

Yang Lin is doing alright, as he doesn't have any endorsements at the moment; Yao Ming, on the other hand, is working much harder, as he needs to cooperate with the brands he endorses for a wave of promotions.

On the afternoon of November 8, the Bucks' chartered plane arrived in Houston.

After the phone call, Yao Ming drove Yang Lin to the hotel where the Bucks were staying to pick up Yi Jianlian.

Yao Restaurant, 9755 Wesheimer Street, West Side of Houston.

After arriving at the restaurant, the three went straight to the private room.

The door opened, and Yi Jianlian's eyes lit up with a bright smile. Several people were already seated in the private room, all of whom were familiar faces.

How could Yi Jianlian, who was new to a foreign land, not be happy?

Upon seeing the three arrive, Zhang Heli, seated at the head of the table, immediately greeted them with a smile, "A-Lian is here? Come on, come sit down, we were just talking about the three of you!"

Yi Jianlian was a little shy. After nodding to everyone in the room, he silently found a seat and sat down.

Coinciding with the derby match, Yao Ming not only treated Yang Lin and Yi Jianlian to a meal today, but also brought along several media figures from China, including veteran basketball commentator Zhang Weiping, reporter Su Qun, and others.

São Paulo's grandson: Who are you calling "wait"?

Yang Lin wasn't shy at all. He pulled up a chair and sat down, asking curiously, "What are you talking about? The match tomorrow night?"

"No," Zhang Heli shook his head in denial.

Without waiting for Yang Lin to ask further questions, he replied with a smile, "We were talking about next year's Olympics."

"The Olympics? Are we getting that far?"

"It's not far now, less than ten months. It'll be here in the blink of an eye."

"Too!"

Yang Lin nodded. "What did you talk about?"

Zhang Weiping smiled broadly and said, "Originally, I and some of my colleagues thought that with Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, and Da Zhi, we had a very good chance of securing a top-eight finish at next year's home Olympics."

"Although we had already reached the quarterfinals of the 2004 Athens Olympics, we only managed to beat Saimon by one point, which was largely due to luck. Also, the main players of the national team were basically set by then, so there were not many personnel changes."

"hey-hey!"

Zhang Weiping took a sip of tea and said excitedly, "Who would have thought that in June, you would give me and Chinese basketball a huge surprise?"

"With Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, and Dazhi, our frontcourt has always been strong; now you've filled the gap we were most lacking in, the point guard, and paired with Sun Yue and Zhu De. We were just discussing how we have a very good chance of achieving a breakthrough in performance next year."

"With a bit of luck, we might make it to the semifinals. Even if we don't make it to the semifinals, playing well in the group stage and aiming for a better ranking would be a good thing."

There is no ranking competition for 5th to 8th place in the Olympics; the ranking is based on the wins and losses and points gained or lost in the group stage.

"Sigh~~"

Shaking his head, Yang Lin said with exasperation, "Can't you guys just be a little bolder?"

"They're already aiming for the semifinals, isn't that bold enough?" Yao Ming exclaimed in astonishment.

"Of course not!"

Yang Lin said confidently and matter-of-factly, "Let's set a small goal first. A gold medal seems a bit unrealistic right now, so let's try to get a medal first."

Winning a medal, is that a small goal?

Zhang Weiping, Su Qun, and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

Yao Ming swallowed hard, incredulous. "Yang, are you kidding me?"

"Of course I'm not joking!"

Yang Lin looked at Yao Ming with a serious expression and said solemnly, "Brother Yao, I feel that our roster next year is pretty good, and with home court advantage, we have a very good chance of winning a medal."

"You take care of the opponent's inside game, and I'll take care of their outside game, with Yi Jianlian, Da Zhi, Sun Yue, and Zhu Fangyu providing support."

"Take Team USA for example. On the international stage, you can definitely beat Howard, Bosh, and other big men in the paint. As for the perimeter, don't worry, I'll beat Kobe and Wade for you."

No, brother.

Do you want to listen to what you're saying?

The room fell silent, and Yao Ming stared in disbelief.

If you exaggerate too much, nobody will believe you?

Yang Lin scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

He didn't feel like he was bragging.

In the original timeline, even without him, Yao Ming's national team still performed quite well!

With him now, we can really aim for a medal.

Yang Lin's confidence stems not only from his current strength, but also from the powerful system he possesses.

He made one three-pointer in the group stage, two three-pointers in the first round of the knockout stage, three three-pointers in the semi-finals, and four three-pointers in the finals.

If Yang Lin were to actually face the Dream Team in the finals, he would be confident of defeating their entire perimeter lineup.

Seeing that Yao Ming and the others remained silent for a long time, Yang Lin complained irritably, "We are really no worse than others, and I am no worse than others either."

"Kobe can score, but I also scored 50+ points a couple of days ago; Wade is the Finals MVP, and I'm only the second rookie in history to win the Finals MVP!"

Ok?

Upon hearing Yang Lin's words, Yao Ming, Zhang Weiping, and the others' eyes lit up.

Upon careful consideration, they realized that it was indeed true.

Even with Yang Lin on the national team, they might still not be able to beat the Dream Team.

However, with a combination of internal and external resources and a good team structure, as long as the head coach makes proper arrangements, they can really make a run for medals.

What were the national teams afraid of in the past?

They were worried that Yao Ming would have to leave the game, or that he wouldn't have enough stamina.

But Yang Lin's presence was enough to support the national team even without Yao Ming.

The reason why Yao Ming and others didn't dare to think about it before was simply because Yang Lin had played too few games, which made them subconsciously overlook Yang Lin's fighting ability.

"Phew~~"

Yao Ming breathed a deep sigh of relief and said excitedly, "We are indeed no worse than others. With a complete roster and home-court advantage, next year is definitely a good opportunity for us to compete for a medal."

"That's right! We were a bit too focused on appearances before and underestimated the impact Yang Lin had."

Zhang Weiping nodded in agreement.

But then he looked at Su Qun and the other reporters and warned them, "Don't leak these words out, so as not to add unnecessary pressure to the national team."

"We know our goal of winning a medal. We won't be sad if we fail, and we'll be even more pleasantly surprised if we succeed."

Reporters Su Qun and others naturally nodded in agreement.

The following day, November 9th, US time.

The Toyota Center in Houston.

At 7:30 p.m., the players from both teams entered the field.

After entering the arena, Yang Lin looked around and noticed that there were many Chinese and Asian people in the Toyota Center that night.

He never imagined that so many Asian faces could suddenly appear on the other side of the ocean; it was truly unbelievable.

Before the game, Yang Lin, along with Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, gave a live interview to CCTV Sports.

The reporter who conducted the interview was Zhang Weiping, whom I had dinner with last night.

Zhang Weiping: "Yi Jianlian, the NBA regular season has been underway for about ten days, and you've already played four Bucks regular season games. As a rookie, what are your impressions of the NBA? Are you able to adapt?"

Yi Jianlian frowned and pondered for a moment before replying, "Compared to domestic games, NBA games are undoubtedly much more intense and have a much higher level of competition..."

"In China, I'm the core of the team, and the game's tactics revolve around me. But with the Bucks, many players are individually very talented, and I need to work hard to integrate into their system..."

"...I'm trying my best to adapt to life here. After all, the living environment has changed, and I need to adapt to it gradually on my own."

After asking Yi Jianlian two simple questions, Zhang Weiping turned his attention to Yao Ming and Yang Lin.

"Yao Ming and Yang, as veterans of the NBA, do you have any experience to share with Yi Jianlian?"

Yao Ming spoke first: "Actively integrate. Communicate more with the coaches and teammates, figure out what you need to do, and what they need you to do..."

"I was lucky to have a great team leader. Steve helped me integrate into the team and adapt to the NBA environment."

After Yao Ming finished answering, Zhang Weiping looked at Yang Lin.

"What about Xiao Yang? Do you have any experience to share?"

Words of experience?

He has experience with yarn.

His success stemmed from the system, but there's no way to explain that!

Yang Lin scratched his head and laughed, "I don't think I have much experience to share. I haven't played as many games as Yi Jianlian. If it weren't for my breakout performances in the Western Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, I'd probably be working in China right now."

"Haha~~"

Yao Ming chuckled awkwardly and interjected, "I know that. Xiao Yang told me about it in the summer."

"If it weren't for his breakout performances in the Western Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, he would have been ready to end his basketball career and return home to take over the family business."

"Oh? There's a story behind this?" Zhang Weiping asked curiously.

However, due to limited interview time, he did not ask further questions, but only remarked with emotion: "Fortunately, Yang broke out in the Western Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, otherwise it would have been a waste of his talent."

At the end of the interview, Zhang Weiping asked, "The three of you, what are your thoughts on tonight's match?"

Yi Jianlian: "Work hard and show your own style."

Yao Ming: "We are strong, we will definitely win this game!"

When it was Yang Lin's turn, he smiled maliciously and said, "Beat the weak with numbers, bully the small with size. Yao Ming and I will make Yi Jianlian feel what it means to be loved by his older brothers."

"Rookie Yi, welcome to the NBA!"