Chapter 409: What Is Your Most Glorious Moment? It

Sigh after sigh, life must keep moving forward, and the game still has to be played. If they don't play, the London Olympic Committee won't award them a gold medal.

"Tomorrow's match must be cautious, cautious, and again cautious."

James concluded definitively: "Our overall lineup has an advantage, as long as we don't think of devouring them whole, of completely slaughtering them. Even if Jieke Fan has countless schemes, there's nowhere to apply them."

Wei De and Paul both agreed to the proposal.

Although Paul had previously said he would slaughter the national team led by Fan Xi, such grandiose words must bow before reality.

Seek stability, seek victory.

Do not give Fan Xi any chance to seize.

This is the consensus reached in the three‑person meeting.

They are the three brains of the Dream Team; once they reach consensus, the Dream Team's rhythm in the final is set.

…

On August 12, as the men's basketball final arrived, the Olympic Games entered its final stage, with the Chinese team and the United States team ranking second and first respectively on the gold‑medal table.

The men's basketball gold medal had been counted as a target for the United States from the start.

But for China, men's basketball had never been counted among its medals, making this an unexpected joy.

This Olympics was an unprecedented achievement for host United Kingdom, which placed third on the gold‑medal list—a likely reward for the UK hosting the Games.

In contrast, the Chinese team lost many gold medals this Olympics, especially in gymnastics.

This angered many nations.

Given this situation, the men's basketball team barreled forward, repeatedly defeating traditional powerhouses, storming into the final as a dark horse, breaking numerous records, and has become the most watched event among the Chinese.

So tonight… at 10 p. m. Beijing Time, countless Chinese are gathered before their TVs, whether or not they are basketball fans, they just want to watch this miracle‑making national team.

Whether in cities, villages, living rooms, internet‑café monitors, outdoor LED screens, bars, or street night‑snack stalls… that night, housewives' status plummeted, as almost every screen pointed to the final destination: the men's basketball final!

The Chinese men's basketball team faces off against the world's strongest basketball nation.

This match naturally carries many potential implications.

Before heading to the arena, leaders of the General Administration of Sport came specifically to cheer them on.

They hope the basketball athletes will showcase style and skill, displaying the spirit of Chinese men's basketball.

On the way to the London Basketball Arena, Coach Li Nan played some video clips on the bus—events that Chinese people find hard to forget.

Fan Xi could feel the bus atmosphere ignite, a silent, surging force arising naturally.

A fire was lit in Fan Xi's heart.

…

The Chinese team's starting lineup for this game is: Fan Xi, Ding Yuyuhang, Zhu Fangyu, Yi Jianlian, Yao Ming.

Little Ding and Little Guo, after days of anxiety, finally relaxed before the game; Fan Xi took the initiative to chat with them and urged them to unleash their true energy tonight.

The rest, Fan Xi said nothing more.

He knows clearly that this match requires no mobilization.

The Dream Team's starting lineup is: Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Le Bu Lang Zhang Si, Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler.

They performed a full pre‑game ceremony, igniting cheers from more than half of the spectators.

Many American fans traveled far… In fact, the United Kingdom has long been the Dream Team's base, and Americans are also fiercely patriotic, flooding the arena for the final.

About thirty percent of the arena's crowd tonight are Chinese fans.

The tickets were sold far in advance; Chinese fans never expected the national team to reach the final for gold, so they bought little beforehand. The thirty percent who made it paid steep prices on the secondary market.

Yet those thirty percent erupted with cheers no less than those of American fans when the Chinese team took the court.

Both sides stationed themselves near the half‑court.

They stared at each other with indifferent expressions.

Beep!

After the referee blew the whistle, Yao Ming, who seldom leaps, gave his all and jumped. Though his height was still modest, he cleverly judged the ball's landing spot, redirected the ball early… just as he in 1999 at training camp tormented Tyson Chandler, easily defeating him.

Fan Xi secured the ball, and Paul followed up.

Fan Xi advanced steadily with the ball, reaching the top of the three‑point arc; Yi Jianlian set a screen for him. He burst forward with explosive power and fierce speed, stepping past Paul and also slipping past the switching defender Carmelo Anthony.

Fan Xi was like a sharp bayonet thrust straight into the Dream Team's heart… He displayed the spirit of the brave meeting the narrow road, and James, who had planned to lie in ambush at the free‑throw line, found a red figure sweeping past him like a hurricane as he reached the trap.

Fan Xi stepped onto the free‑throw line, leapt explosively, arcing his body backward, and hurled himself at the rim without hesitation… his aim was clear, with no feints.

Any defender could read his intention.

Yet his momentum was overwhelming.

Tyson Chandler tried to block, but just as he circled around Yao Ming to prepare a jump interception, Fan Xi was already descending like a waterfall… at that moment Tyson Chandler felt the same crushing force as Sean Campbell in the late '80s‑'90s.

Fan Xi's explosive power came from the super‑monster Rain‑Man Campbell.

Boom!

Fan Xi's battle‑axe dunk made the entire hoop shake in submission.

It was like a thunderous blow striking the Dream Team's head.

At the same time, the thirty percent Chinese fans in the arena erupted, chanting Fan Xi's name! Fan Xi! Fan Xi! Fan Xi!

Chinese still feels the most intimate.

What he didn't know was that the whole land of Shenzhou surged with passion because of his opening battle‑axe dunk.

Street stalls nationwide saw beer sales multiply at that moment.

So satisfying!

Fan Xi's dunk!

He killed the Americans' edge right from the start!

"Who dares to draw a sword and ride? Only I, General Fan!"

The CCTV commentator couldn't help but borrow a leader's verse to praise Fan Xi.

At that moment on the court, Fan Xi moved left like an elk, his eyes never blinking.

After landing, he calmly ran toward the frontcourt.

"Defend!"

He reminded his teammates.

All the U. S. team players familiar with Fan Xi knew what that meant.

Many of Fan Xi's habits had already been deeply imprinted in their minds.

Chris Paul received the inbound pass from Le Bu Lang Zhang Si; he did not quicken the pace, even though Yao Ming was on the court.

After reaching the frontcourt, the basketball went from Paul's hands to Wei De, who faced Ding Yuyuhang's defense.

The Flash showed no slack at all, nor any hint of underestimating the opponent.

He carefully changed direction in front of Ding Yuyuhang; Ding Yuyuhang's defensive footwork was good, but Wei De still cut through his defense with a sharp directional change.

He was overly pressing Wei De's upper body.

Wei De, like a lithe cat, tore through the defense, drove into the free‑throw line, saw the Zhongguo team had no help defense, stopped abruptly, and jumped a shot!

But at the instant he released the jump shot, a hand reached out from behind his head, startling Wei De, though the hand never touched the ball.

He hadn't expected the defender to be so resilient; clearly beaten cleanly, his own speed was fierce and unhesitant, yet the defender caught up so quickly.

His perseverance was commendable.

Swish!

The basketball pierced the hoop.

Wei De admired the youngster inwardly, but his actions targeted Ding Yuyuhang.

He raised his hand and tapped his own knee, meaning to tell Ding Yuyuhang, "Your skill is too low!"

Foreign players like to use this method to apply psychological pressure, breaking the defender's mental wall.

But Wei De's popularity among Zhongguo locals plummeted because of this gesture; Zhongguo people deemed the act extremely arrogant and impolite, like the United States running rampant worldwide.

Damn, he thought he was great!

Across the land of Zhongguo, many similar curses rose and fell.

But Ding Yuyuhang remained calm.

He seemed like a replica of Fan Xi.

He calmly turned and ran toward the frontcourt.

The CCTV commentator praised him: "He has composure in every great event."

Soon Fan Xi dribbled past halfcourt, still guarded by Chris Paul, but Fan Xi forced an acceleration, sprinting straight to the left.

Paul chased relentlessly, yet fell half a beat behind.

Seeing Fan Xi stop abruptly and prepare to shoot, Wei De moved quickly sideways to follow.

But as Wei De closed in front of him, Fan Xi flicked his wrist, passing the ball to the open Ding Yuyuhang.

Ding Yuyuhang caught the ball and shot... Swish!

Airball.

The basketball landed cleanly.

After scoring, Ding Yuyuhang calmly stared at Wei De, and the whole world saw the young yellow‑skinned kid mimic exactly the move from Wei De's previous round, pressing his hand against his own calf: "Damn you, your skill is no better either."

Ding Yuyuhang delivered a classic Zhongguo curse to Wei De in an elegant tone.

The CCTV camera clearly recorded his mouth shape.

It is a pronunciation technique familiar to all the people of Zhongguo.

At that moment, the CCTV commentator was a bit stunned, but the partner beside him, full of vigor, said: "It has to be done this way, forget their meekness and restraint, forget their patience; they bully us to the doorstep, we shouldn't give them face, just return the favor! An eye for an eye!"

"I like Little Ding!"

The commentator shouted loudly.

On this sweltering summer night, the commentator voiced the whole nation's fans; Little Ding's move and curse earned him a massive fanbase.

At this point, people wouldn't care how great a superstar Wei De was, nor his glorious NBA achievements or skill level. Damn, the Zhongguo team isn't so easy to bully.

The Zhongguo team's morale rose ever higher with Fan Xi's opening slam dunk and Little Ding's retaliation.

Yet every player still appeared extremely calm, like mountains.

It is a unique aura of Zhongguo people.

They will not ignite their passion to roar, as if blazing fire invading a forest.

But their gazes are steadfast, actions swift, never retreating a step.

After Little Ding scored, Wei De tried to continue a one‑on‑one, but Little Ding gave no ground; Wei De couldn't find a shooting opening, so he passed to James, who went one‑on‑one with Zhu Fangyu, pushing Zhu Fangyu toward the paint.

Zhu Fangyu's frame is among the strongest domestic players, yet he couldn't withstand James, even if he clenched his back teeth.

James easily drove into the paint, using a hop step to completely shake off Zhu Fangyu's defense; the huge talent gap made James look effortless, he leapt up, ball in both hands, and slammed it toward the rim.

At that moment, Zhu Fangyu still refused to give up defense, still leapt fearlessly to block.

But... Boom!

James smashed the basketball into the hoop.

Zhu Fangyu's block from behind turned into a hand‑check foul.

2+1.

James earned an additional free‑throw opportunity.

"Is it meaningful?"

James turned his head and said a sentence in English to Zhu Fangyu.

The trash talk carried contempt and mockery.

Zhu Fangyu understood English. His expression was calm; James's contempt and ridicule would not affect his resolve.

Perhaps it was meaningless to James, perhaps it was meaningless for this outcome.

But next time, Zhu Fangyu would still defend recklessly.

That is the meaning.

"Well done."

Fan Xi extended his hand and high‑fived Zhu Fangyu.

Then, smiling at Zhu Fangyu, he said, "I bet this guy won't make the free throw; he's a strong soufflé cake."

The words hung in the air, and the basketball clanged off the rim.

Yi Jianlian grabbed the rebound and passed to Fan Xi.

Fan Xi advanced with the ball.

He and Yao set a high‑screen; he drove into the paint, passed to Yao Ming at the free‑throw line, and Yao easily sank a mid‑range jump shot.

Yi Jianlian fought again; Carmelo Anthony one‑on‑one Yi Jianlian, his varied offensive moves caused Yi Jianlian to lose defensive judgment, and he sideways completed a high‑difficulty layup.

Then, still the Fan Xi–Yao Ming combo, but the ball was passed to Zhu Fangyu sprinting to the corner of the three‑point line, and Zhu Fangyu hit a three.

Both sides pushed the game with a punch from one side and a kick from the other.

The China and USA teams fought fiercely.

Although the Dream Team had higher talent and more passion.

But they did not lead.

Led by Fan Xi and Yao Ming, the Zhongguo team controlled the top of the arc and the paint, their style plain and unadorned, lacking the Dream Team's chest‑pounding roar, yet every hit landed solidly.

The first quarter ended quickly, and the Zhongguo team took a 2‑point lead, 28–26.

This had never happened in national‑team history. The Dream Team had always been overwhelmingly dominant; when they faced the Zhongguo team, they usually led by double digits in the first quarter and easily won by forty or fifty points.

But now, as midnight approached in the distant East, the Zhongguo team not only withstood the Dream Team's onslaught, but responded in kind and led them for a quarter.

The TV commentator babbled on about how difficult this was and how strong the Dream Team was, listing countless superstars.

"... To hell with it, just do it. Why talk so much? Can we turn off this damn host's voice? How come we still can't beat those Americans!!"

At a southern roadside stall, a burly guy smashed a beer bottle; he couldn't stand anyone bragging about how great the Dream Team was. In his simple worldview, who cares if they're great or not, just do it.

He didn't understand basketball.

He felt he didn't need to understand basketball.

The Zhongguo team's men would just beat them to death.

Didn't they say American weapons were fine in the '50s wars? Still take them down!

…

Yao Ming sat on the bench, panting; he had played a full quarter, exceeding the doctors' assessment. Five minutes earlier, Fan Xi had hoped he would rest, but Yao Ming refused to leave.

This Shang hai man possessed innate toughness.

Maikelbang told him, "You need to rest now; each extra minute you play raises the risk of injury."

Li Nan also urged him, "Rest first; if you really can't, can you go back in?"

Yao Ming still insisted on playing. He said, "This is the last basketball game of my life, also the most important of my career; I don't want to leave regrets. I think I can still play, I'll hold the paint…"

Yao Ming was resolute, a determination flashing in his eyes.

Fan Xi even read a 'death‑as‑home' spirit from him.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Do you really think it won't work without you?" Li Nan shouted, pointing at Zhang Zhaoxu: "You go in later, tell me, can you hold it?"

"Can!" Zhang Zhaoxu shouted.

"Can you?" Li Nan asked again.

"Can!" Zhang Zhaoxu is an introvert, but his voice reached everyone within twenty meters.

It was a roar erupting from his bones.

"Heard that?" Li Nan asked Yao Ming.

Yao Ming turned his head away.

Maikelbang made a new lineup: Zhang Zhaoxu in, Wang Zhiji in, Zhou Peng in, Xi Re in, and Fan Xi in.

In terms of personnel, this lineup was many tiers weaker than the Dream Team, even far weaker than their starting five.

But each person's eyes were very steadfast.

The task for the second quarter was to hold off the Dream Team.

"Hold the position! Show the determination to block them," Li Nan shouted, patting the playboard to the players.

Beep!

The whistle blew, and the game continued.

"What is the most glorious moment of your life?"

"Is it the NBA Finals buzzer‑beater against the Heat?"

"It's now."

Fan Xi stepped onto the court, recalling his pre‑game talk with Xiao Ding.

He believed that for any Zhongguo player, this moment was the most important of their career.

The Dream Team also fielded an all‑new lineup.

James Harden, Dehuai En Wei De, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, Anthony Davis.

Fan Xi slightly furrowed his brows.

Although not theoretically the Dream Team's strongest lineup, its offensive firepower and range were the strongest.

Can we block this wave?

Fan Xi asked himself inwardly.

Then James Harden came over with the ball, his eyes full of resentment staring at Fan Xi, as if he wanted to devour Fan Xi alive.

"Jie Ke, I will definitely crush you."

James Harden stopped before Fan Xi, his thick beard revealing a mouth full of white teeth.

Fan Xi didn't think about why Harden bore such resentment toward him; actually, their relationship had been pretty good before.

When he saw Harden have an opening after stopping the ball, he lunged forward like lightning... At that moment Harden had just finished trash talk, his attention not yet fully focused.

He didn't expect Fan Xi to come so resolutely; he hurriedly turned his body, trying to block Fan Xi with his buttocks.

Who would have thought, Fan Xi didn't slow down at all, his body slamming straight into... Normally, Harden could have stood his ground against Fan Xi.

But now his steps were very unsteady; Fan Xi's bump actually sent him staggering, and as he hurried to control the basketball, Fan Xi seized the fleeting opportunity, spun wildly, swept past Harden's body like a whirlwind, grabbed the ball, and sprinted madly toward the front court.

Harden was already in a sorry state, his balance unsteady. He hurried to chase after Fan Xi, but who would have thought, a stagger sent him crashing to the ground... extremely embarrassed.

At the same time, Fan Xi surged forward like lightning, he drove into the paint, with no one around, his body leapt up like a helicopter, then he slammed down hard on the basket...... Boom!

Fan Xi's basketball was dunked into the hoop with overwhelming force.

The Chinese fans on site erupted in an uproar.

The land of Shenzhou roared everywhere, passion overflowing.

Damn it, drinking beer, watching the game, beating the Americans, it's awesome!