Chapter 398: Advancing from the Group Stage

Fan Xi rushed to the three‑point line, and Brazil's defense was fierce.

Under the FIBA system, they can hold the paint without fearing the three‑second violation.

Nene stared intently at Fan Xi, who was inside the painted area.

He thought Fan Xi wouldn't dare come in; if Fan Xi did, he didn't mind showing him the difference between international courts and the NBA. The NBA exists to let you perimeter stars shine and boost attendance, but the international stage belongs to us inside players!

Nene clenched his teeth.

He is a fighter.

But he overlooked one thing: this was Fan Xi's first official national‑team game, and also his first basket.

Therefore, the whole world must give him way.

Fan Xi surged from the top of the three‑point arc like a razor blade into the paint; a Brazilian small forward lunged one step inside the free‑throw line to help defend, only to be cut off by Fan Xi's back‑turn. After shedding the forward, Fan Xi caught the ball, took one, two steps… his legs slammed the floor, then he launched upward with ferocious power and momentum, possessing the courage of a hundred warriors.

As Nene's pupils watched Fan Xi's figure soar higher, like a soaring eagle, his heart involuntarily surged with panic.

But he still resolutely leapt, extending his right palm to try to suppress Fan Xi.

Yet before he reached his apex, Fan Xi had already descended like a sudden gale, his force massive, his aura chilling; Nene was pinned beneath him with no rebound energy… not even the will to resist.

Boom!

When the basketball completed a thunderous dunk over his head.

Nene landed in a panic, and at that moment felt a sense of released relief.

At the same time, the London Arena erupted in jubilation, the whole venue pulsing with full‑throttle energy, the cheers reaching a peak.

It was the roar from the hearts of Zhongguo fans.

They had waited so many years, and finally saw a Chinese player in a national‑team jersey on the Olympic stage crush an opponent beneath him with the courage of a hundred warriors.

"This is a epoch‑making dunk!"

The CCTV commentator said, extremely moved, his voice even a little hoarse.

Zhongguo fans have waited too long, Zhongguo basketball has waited too long.

When the flags in the arena fluttered continuously, this pride released from the heart was indescribable.

It also dwarfed any spectacular dunk even NBA superstars could produce.

After the dunk, Fan Xi waved to the crowd, then hurried back to defend.

【5】 He directed teammates' positioning, ordering them to lock the key routes.

During the defensive process, he directed the team members to take positions, directing them to block the key routes.

Mike Brown has spent the past month and a half continuously imparting top‑level defensive knowledge, a huge boost for the national team. Especially with Fan Xi commanding on the spot, the national‑team players' defense reached an even higher level.

Snap!

When Wale Qiao received the ball and, with a quick back‑turn, beat Yi Jianlian for a layup, Ding Yuyuhang sprang up from behind, slapping the ball away, and the 2.2‑meter Zhang Zhaoxu smoothly caught the ball with a relaxed arm.

He then passed to Fan Xi, who drove a fast break at remarkable speed.

He cut into the frontcourt like lightning; when the Brazilian small forward and point guard closed in, a relaxed change of direction and a hop step slipped past them, he jumped and, with an effortless hand‑switch, completed the attack.

Fan Xi is like a razor for the national team; his speed is something the other nine players on the court lack.

"This is the power of a two‑time NBA Finals MVP."

The CCTV commentator said, extremely moved.

A teammate nearby even leaned back proudly and asked, "What does it mean to be a super‑star?"

At this moment, domestic fans' emotions peaked beyond measure; Fan Xi's arrival not only solved the domestic guards' passivity, but also elevated the number‑one position to an unprecedented level.

It could be called… the world's number‑one guard.

The old national team would stumble even crossing half‑court; now, with such a dominant contrast, who wouldn't be thrilled?

Fan Xi pierced Brazil's defense.

It was like a blade cutting through a woven sack full of pinecones; a gentle pull and they would scramble out through the gap.

Two attacks already led Brazil, this South American team, to defeat.

Brazil kept struggling; they could still score some points thanks to their numerical advantage of NBA players.

But that was meaningless.

Fan Xi proved to the world the huge gap between an NBA‑peak superstar and an ordinary NBA player.

Moreover, Fan Xi also showed the world that even if he left Kuaisuan and returned to an Asian team, he could still unleash unprecedented strength and authority in that team.

Under Fan Xi's leadership, the national‑team players performed smoother than ever, excelling on both defense and offense… they aren't fools; they just need someone to draw the defense and solve their in‑game difficulties, and Fan Xi is precisely the best player in the world at doing that, bar none.

He can, through his own formidable skill, put his teammates on easy mode.

Thus, beating Brazil, the Zhongguo team used only two quarters.

The final score was 102–68.

A 34‑point victory over Brazil.

This starkly contrasted pre‑game expectations; many outlets predicted Zhongguo would battle Brazil to the final quarter, with Zhongguo ultimately relying on Fan Xi's individual ability to defeat Brazil.

But now, the result was that decisive.

Even Zhongguo fans sighed: looking around, the powerhouse turned out to be ourselves.

In the past, Zhongguo was the team slaughtered on the international stage; even when winning, it was hard to beat opponents by 20 points.

Tonight, Zhongguo posted Dream‑Team numbers.

And the score even broke the hundred mark.

After the game, Fan Xi was interviewed by a CCTV reporter and asked how he viewed the victory.

He wasn't as excited as the reporter; he said seriously, "We should see our shortcomings in the game. Our players generally have fitness issues, which will cause problems in tactical continuity."

Fan Xi's view was simple: he found domestic players simply couldn't keep up with his pace for long, so they couldn't generate attack waves like he does in the NBA. Moreover, the rotation frequency is far higher than Kuaisuan's… Kuaisuan already rotates a lot in the NBA.

But there's nothing to be done. Domestic players' stamina has always been an issue; even Yao Ming played for years without solving it, let alone those trained domestically from childhood. Moreover, it also relates to race.

Besides, who can match Fan Xi's all‑out release on both offense and defense?

"We beat Brazil by 34 points tonight, a brand‑new record. What score would you give the national team for tonight?"

The reporter followed up.

He wanted a definitive answer, after all, the viewers at home and the commentators were both excited and eager.

"If it's a hundred points,".

Fan Xi, still looking serious, said: "We still have some issues with coordination. If we play tighter and win by 50 points tonight, that's not a big problem. Brazil isn't a strong team; it's just NBDL level."

Um….

The reporter was stunned.

The commentator in the live stream was also stunned.

What do you mean Brazil isn't a strong team?

Brazil is strong, okay? Whenever we faced them before we were on edge, and you speak of it so casually? You think we can still win by 50 points?

Hey, that was Fan Xi's line—could we really beat Brazil by 50 points?

Winning Brazil by 50 points—does that mean we're a world‑class powerhouse? Could we now contend with Dream Team, Spain, Lithuania?

The reporter asked a similar question.

But Fan Xi's answer was also cautious: "Teams are not the same; beating Brazil easily by that margin is because we happen to counter them."

Fan Xi is always this objective.

Then the media interviewed Yao Ming.

Yao Ming scored 11 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists tonight; he played roughly the length of one quarter, and his efficiency was astounding.

This was his first appearance for the national team at the Olympic Games as a role player.

He seemed especially relaxed.

He smiled and said, "I'm also excited. This is Fan Xi's first national‑team game; he's like a gaming pro. Watching him dart across the court, feint and weave, gives me a video‑game vibe."

"If we don't win a medal this year, I'll blame him harshly. You all know this is my last national‑team trip of my career," Yao Ming added.

He sounded confident: "The difficulty of getting a medal shouldn't be that great."

Yao Ming's words voiced the sentiments of the reporters and the whole nation.

This year truly is the best timing.

…

After the game, Fan Xi criticized Guo Ailun and Ding Yuyuhang, even though they scored 11 and 15 points respectively; it was their first national‑team appearance, and posting such numbers is sheer talent.

But Fan Xi faulted Guo Ailun for too many unnecessary defensive moves, like gamble‑style steals, and on offense his eyes were only on the hoop, lacking observation.

Ding Yuyuhang thought he still wasn't brave enough, still not decisive enough; he should take over the game more resolutely and tenaciously.

Fan Xi sets high standards for them because he wants the two to shoulder greater responsibility in upcoming games and hopes they get a chance to try out for the NBA. At present, they appear the most likely NBA prospects.

Of course, Yi Jianlian also has one, but not many.

After leaving the locker room, the national team, on the way to the team bus, was constantly approached by frantic girls wanting photos with Fan Xi, handing him odd pictures that usually bore phone numbers and room numbers on the back.

The national‑team members had never seen such a spectacle.

Only Yao Ming remarked, "Everyone says Britain is a decaying nation; seems these girls are indeed rotten."

He is a humorous person.

Fan Xi laughed along.

Of course, this was just a minor incident; Fan Xi bagged the photos and notes in a plastic bag before boarding, and he didn't just toss them away.

He is cautious; although he has no interest in the girls, he doesn't want anyone using the information on the photos under his name to scam or defraud them.

Back at the hotel, Fan Xi shredded those items and tossed them into the trash.

Guo Ailun said Fan Xi is meticulous, and Fan Xi replied that to be a good point guard you must have a meticulous side.

Guo Ailun truly didn't expect Fan Xi to still lecture him at that moment; he shrugged and joked with his older brother: "If I had five, six, seven, eight girlfriends, I'd become very meticulous too."

Fan Xi thought for a moment and said, "You're right; women do make men more meticulous."

"But I wouldn't recommend you get five, six, seven, eight girlfriends; you're still too young to handle that."

Fan Xi was sincere.

But Guo Ailun is still young; he truly doesn't understand the stakes involved.

Young boys are always like that, greedy for more.

Yet they don't know the principle of something that can't be chewed.

After all, no one has Fan Xi's one‑shot‑to‑the‑soul skill.

…

Zhongguo's second opponent is the France team.

The France team is very romantic.

Their female fans are so romantic that even while wearing the jerseys they still scream for Fan Xi; Tony Parker also appears on this year's France roster, along with four NBA stars: Batum, Dior, Seraphin, Turiaf.

The France team is strong.

In France they are a powerhouse.

Before the game, Fan Xi chatted with Tony Parker; their relationship is decent, although Tony Parker is closer to Chris Paul, Fan Xi has never taken sides between them. This shows the French have talent in many areas.

Tony Parker often discusses with Fan Xi how to tame entertainment‑industry actresses; his wife—actually ex‑wife now—Eva is a TV drama star.

But Parker is a womanizer; he clearly doesn't want to hang on one tree, and often dates other women, including teammates' wives.

This made Eva furious, intolerable.

Romance is a French man's nature; he hopes to get from Fan Xi some methods to subdue actresses, after all Fan Xi thrives like a fish in the Hollywood flowerbeds.

Fan Xi's advice was simple: sleepwear.

Given Parker's marital status, he clearly hasn't completed the sleepwear task.

The match between the Zhongguo team and the France team was especially hard‑fought, although the tallest on France was Tu Li Yafu, who is considered a short center even in the NBA.

But the France team played unusually agile and cunning, and Tuoni Pak and Di Ao used the team's offense perfectly.

Both sides were evenly matched, and even after three quarters the Zhongguo team was still down by three points.

Yet in the fourth quarter Fan Xi finally gave up the offensive duel with France, and after substituting Yao Ming, the situation changed fundamentally.

The national team gradually found its rhythm and, with a positional attack, beat the France team into helplessness.

The France team also displayed its fine tradition.

With five minutes left in the fourth quarter they substituted all their starters.

At that moment Fan Xi was completely subdued; the France team was only ten points behind, with a great chance to catch up. Fan Xi originally wanted to use France to hammer the team's defense up another level.

But the France team gave no such chance.

Just as France never allows anyone to attack its capital, they also never give anyone a chance to bayonet in the final minute.

As long as they shoot fast enough, no one can threaten them.

95:81.

The national team secured its second group‑stage victory, and at this point advancing from the group stage should be no problem.

The question is… in what position does the Zhongguo team hope to advance?

…