Chapter 407: Advancing to the Finals

Before the game began, Fan Xi waved his teammates toward the surrounding fans, causing the entire arena to tremble.

The game started quickly.

Although they were old rivals who had met in the group stage, the French team still displayed a completely different style of play.

Borislav Dio became the tactical core of the French team.

Dio is a very intelligent, even somewhat cunning player; he has no brilliant NBA résumé, yet he is widely recognized as a player with extremely high basketball IQ. He possesses strong playmaking ability, can serve as a facilitator on any team, and can contribute both inside and out. Although after leaving the Suns he spent a long period of underperformance with Mountain Cat, he regained his form after joining the Spurs last season.

Yi Jianlian, as the Zhongguo national team's starting power forward, guarded Dio and was humiliated by him.

Dio constantly threaded passes, keeping the French team's offense at a high level.

In contrast, the Zhongguo team's offense was a bit tight. Fan Xi still, as before, did not rush into attack mode, focusing on feeding the ball.

Yet the national team's touch was slow to come alive.

The Zhongguo team at one point trailed by nine points.

This situation not only tugged at the hearts of the fans in the arena, but also left the whole land of Shenzhou in silence. Could all the previous efforts have been merely to dress the French team in a wedding dress?

The Zhongguo players on the court were inevitably a bit restless at this moment; they had originally thought this would be a victory that came naturally, but the current result was a wake‑up call for them.

The psychological gap caused them great fluctuations, making them play more anxiously and increasingly unable to keep their composure.

Especially the two young prospects.

They were promoted to the starting lineup today, but their performance left much to be desired.

Fan Xi did not criticize them on the court.

Instead, with two minutes left in the first quarter, he signaled the head coach to request a timeout.

Then the Zhongguo team made substitutions.

Yao Ming, Wang Zhiji, Zhu Fangyu, Zhou Peng, and Fan Xi took the floor.

The Zhongguo team switched to a new batch.

"The style of play can be wild, but the mind must stay calm. You can release your emotions through basketball, but don't project your emotions onto the game."

Fan Xi admonished Guo Ailun and Ding Yuyuhang from the bench.

The recent smooth run had left these two rookie players a bit complacent. Moreover, although the national team's head coach barred reporters from interviewing, domestic news still reached them, and their moods inevitably became restless.

Fan Xi hoped they would understand this sentence, because it would determine their future heights.

After the game resumed.

The French team increased the tempo, seemingly having planned it all along; as soon as Yao Ming stepped onto the court, they would quicken the pace.

However, Yao Ming first completed a slam dunk in the paint, and Fan Xi surged into the lane like a hot knife through butter; the French team was forced to double‑team, and once they did, Yao Ming was left open, and Fan Xi easily passed the ball over… this is the skill of a top‑level point guard.

Yao Ming's dunk sounded a warning bell for the French team.

The commentator on the Central Video Channel mused there, "If Yao Ming were still in his prime, if Da Zhi were still in his prime, and with these guards on the national team, we would actually have a twenty‑percent chance of beating the Dream Team. Lithuania managed to push the Dream Team into such a mess; we might not be without a chance either."

The French team's fast‑break offense failed, and Fan Xi directly cut off Tony Parker's stride.

Even though Parker quickly passed the ball, … fast‑break runs aren't a game that ordinary guards can handle.

Many NBA teams have tried to run fast breaks, but so far only Stephen Nash and Fan Xi have been able to pull it off.

The French team became trapped in the Zhongguo team's forest of tall players.

Zhou Peng and Zhu Fangyu's defense was solid, and they had a height advantage; combined with Yao Ming in the paint and Fan Xi at the arc, the French team's silky flow was stifled.

Bang!

Borislav's jump shot from the free‑throw line missed as well.

Yao grabbed the rebound.

He passed to Fan Xi, who demonstrated what true fast‑break running is.

Fan Xi surged into the lane like lightning, as if into an empty space, leapt high, turned, and completed a reverse dunk.

The score gap quickly narrowed to five points.

The Zhongguo team's momentum was ignited by this fast‑break reverse dunk.

The French team fell into an unstoppable decline, even though they had indeed concealed something in the group stage.

But trying to use this to outwit Fan Xi, Borislav's IQ was far too different.

The gap between them cannot be bridged by a little cleverness.

The Zhongguo team reduced the gap to three points by the end of the first quarter.

After entering the second quarter, the Zhongguo team continued to expand its gains, and Fan Xi repeatedly deployed previously overlooked wing players such as Wang Shipeng, Zhou Peng, and Xi Re, while Zhang Zhaoxu and Han Degun also received many opportunities.

Conversely, the two newly promoted rookies were frozen on the bench and never saw any playing time until the final second.

The French team ultimately lost by thirteen points.

This showcases their true strength; they will compete with the other group's losers for this year's Olympic bronze medal. Kan shu la

Amid the resonant songs of Chinese fans throughout the arena, the Zhongguo team secured at least a silver medal, marking the first time in Chinese men's basketball history that they have reached the Olympic final.

The camera swept across, and every yellow‑skinned player wore an intense pride on their face.

They can finally say that Chinese basketball has stood up.

And this step leapt straight into the elite.

Fan Xi's greatness was fully displayed at this moment.

After the game, a group of Chinese reporters swarmed to interview Fan Xi; they insisted that he say something.

No one wanted to miss this historic moment.

Fan Xi smiled at the camera and said, "Thank you all for your support; it is your strength that revived us in adversity, and basketball fans across the nation stand with us."

"We will keep moving forward."

Fan Xi still concluded with that sentence.

Then head coach Li Nan came over to help Fan Xi step away, stating that the Olympics were not over yet, the team's rule is to keep players in game condition, so we will not accept any interviews during this period.

However, Coach Li Nan was still seized and asked a few questions.

"We didn't have a plan to win any particular title before we set out; at that time everyone just wanted to break into the top eight, preferably to win a medal. However, I think Fan Xi always had a plan in mind; he's a person with a very clear line of thought."

"Fan Xi's greatness is indisputable; he is certainly the greatest star in the history of Zhongguo men's basketball. Since his arrival, our national team has been completely revitalized; otherwise how could he have won an NBA championship and Finals MVP?"

"I still don't know whether the United States or Spain will advance. If we face Spain, we'll have some psychological advantage. If we face the United States, we should go in light‑hearted, without many mental burdens."

"I think the United States will be nervous facing us because we have Fan Xi, who has abundant experience defeating them."

"For me personally, taking silver is already an unexpected delight. But no one knows what will happen next."

"Let's wait and see."

Coach Li Nan said seriously.

At that moment, a reporter suddenly asked a blunt question: "Tonight we noticed Yi Jianlian, Ding Yuyuhang, and Guo Ailen all got starting opportunities, but after that they never played again. Is it because their performance was insufficient, or is there another reason?"

"Just a normal arrangement."

Li Nan smiled and said, "We have to give the other players some chances to shine. Our internal atmosphere is very relaxed and lively; we shouldn't create problems where there are none."

…

Meanwhile, Ding Yuyuhang and Guo Ailen sat on the bench like frost‑bitten eggplants.

They were completely crushed tonight.

Originally they intended to go up and make achievements, to set new records, but they became impatient, backfiring. Fan Xi criticized them, and then they never returned to the court. Afterwards they realized they were not irreplaceable; other players still played smoothly with Fan Xi, especially Xi Re, who is also a young guard, daring to attack, daring to use his head to meet the opponent's elbow.

This vigor earned Fan Xi extra praise; he delivered several quick passes, and Xi Re's ability to find open space was a bit better than theirs.

Moreover, the three veterans Wang Shipeng, Zhou Peng, and Zhu Fangyu gradually adapted to Fan Xi's fast style; their shots became much more decisive. Partnering with Fan Xi, they were like a one‑star explosion in the NBA.

The two previously self‑satisfied youngsters now worry inside… will we be abandoned?

By contrast, Yi Jianlian remained much calmer.

He is a core player; during halftime Fan Xi even went over to chat with him, telling him to rest well today, to conserve strength for the Dream Team, which still relies on his athletic ability and such.

But Boss Fan left them no words at all.

Their current mood is more unsettled than a lovestruck fangirl, fearing being abruptly discarded; there's no longer any of that earlier smug confidence.

Fan Xi entered the locker room, saw them, and ignored them, continuing to celebrate victory with teammates and praising each player's performance.

He also told them that at this rate, we have great hope of winning gold this year.

While saying that, he asked Zhou Peng, "If you win gold, what do you want to do?"

"The first thing I'll do is return home to honor my ancestors, enshrine it, and make it a family heirloom!"

Zhou Peng is very straightforward.

In fact, he voiced everyone's thoughts.

If we truly win gold, we must 'return home in splendid dress to sacrifice to the ancestors.'

Fan Xi celebrated for a while.

Just as he was pondering whether to chat a bit with those two 'unlucky eggs,' he received a mysterious phone call.

Then he asked the national team leader for leave, left the squad early, and simply said he would return to the hotel.

Although the national team has regulations, Fan Xi's leave was still approved.

After all, during this period Fan Xi never acted like a big star nor broke any discipline; he's a trustworthy good player.

And with Fan Xi's departure, the two 'potential rising stars' felt even more insecure.

…