Chapter 615: Even a Block Can

The Iran team scored 69 points in this game, a relatively normal score.

FIBA's offensive pace is relatively slow; a quarter is only 10 minutes, and scores rarely reach three digits, with many games ending in the seventies or eighties.

However, the Zhongguo team put up 127 points.

It's unclear whether it's a coincidence, but after Fan Xi's 58‑point massacre of the Rockets in the finals, another massive 58‑point slaughter emerged.

This is the largest margin ever achieved by the Zhongguo team in a world tournament.

It completely lifted the fans' spirits.

Viewers in front of their TVs felt unprecedented excitement, and all Zhongguo fans celebrated this wild revenge.

Fan Xi therefore received another wave of fanatical adulation.

Previously, Fan Xi's greatness could not be concretely described.

Now, everyone has a clear understanding.

That is, a Zhongguo team without Fan Xi would lose to Iran by 1 point, while a Zhongguo team with Fan Xi massacres Iran by 58 points.

Fan Xi's impact becomes directly evident.

After the game, Fan Xi, who recorded 41 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 blocks, stood before the reporters and evaluated the Iran team: "They cannot represent the highest level in Asia, even though they won the Asian Games championship."

Even when Fan Xi said this in front of the Iranian head coach, they did not dare to rebut.

From the standpoint of strength, he laid out the reasoning openly to them.

And people around the world can understand Fan Xi's point.

"We are still gelling, our team has many new players; we ran tactical drills in the first quarter, got familiar in the second, and hit some rhythm in the third. Then… it turned out just as you saw."

Fan Xi continued, saying he was not trying to brag. Yet everyone believed him, because the Zhongguo team really did not give its all; after a few more games, people have reason to believe the Zhongguo team could slaughter Iran by an even larger margin.

That is an indisputable fact.

The Iranian head coach was frank, saying: "We know this score is painful, but we cannot stop it."

"This is the gap between our two teams. Or rather, this is Jieke Fan's ability; we cannot expect a super‑star who can dominate the NBA to suddenly be unable to dominate the World Cup. That's unrealistic."

The Iranian head coach's words were realistic.

The group stage continues.

The Zhongguo team's third opponent is Brazil.

The Zhongguo team is deliberately seeking tactical chemistry among players; Fan Xi is not giving his all, but he is guiding his young teammates to adapt to the game faster.

Fan Xi likes a fight‑to‑fuel‑fight approach.

The Brazil team is a good opponent; they are strong, united, and in sync.

Against such opponents, a great chemical reaction can be forged.

That is why the game dragged into the first half of the fourth quarter still entangled; no one expected Brazil to tussle with the Zhongguo team for so long. It is not a slight against Brazil, but rather that Fan Xi is simply too strong.

In the latter half of the fourth quarter, Fan Xi took over the game; he first made consecutive drives into the paint to finish. Then, with a wrapping defense, he stole from Baboza and completed a chase‑down three‑pointer in the frontcourt, sealing the victory.

Fan Xi knocked out Brazil in just a few possessions.

This American team looks like a child before Fan Xi.

When an adult brandishes a whip, they can only hunch their backsides.

After three wins and building a sufficient point gap, the Zhongguo team had already secured a group‑stage qualification slot.

Their next two opponents are Serbia and host Spain.

Their fourth opponent is Spain.

Spain is the host.

But that does not prevent enthusiastic Spanish women in the arena from shouting for Fan Xi.

Lupiao was very envious, stating he had never seen any NBA star receive such a grand, exaggerated, and sexy welcome in Spain.

Fan Xi said, "You don't have to be so emotional."

Although Lupiao has in fact become the second‑best Spanish player in the NBA. His importance to his NBA team already surpassed Pau Gasol last season, second only to Marc Gasol.

However, in the Spanish squad, he is not the perimeter core.

He is a plain, unadorned mover, responsible for transporting the basketball from one half‑court to the other.

The game was very tense.

Because Fan Xi did not carry the game, he kept moving; he let the young point guards Guo Ailun and Zhao Jiwei control the tempo. He let Ding Yuyuhang take wing‑side one‑on‑one, he let Yi Jianlian set screens, and he let the young centers Wang Zelin and Zhou Qi shoulder heavy responsibilities.

Spain is a team of extraordinary talent.

The Zhongguo team can learn a lot from them.

The Zhongguo team played tenaciously; under Fan Xi's inspiration, morale stayed high. Moreover, Fan Xi's orchestration kept their offense at a high efficiency.

Fan Xi devoted great effort on defense, showcasing massive improvement; his lockdown of Fernandez, Cardenal and others is classic.

If Spain's interior hadn't dominated so heavily, the Zhongguo team might even have turned the tables on Spain under such circumstances.

The game remained deadlocked like this.

Fan Xi never stepped up to carry the game.

Until the final 10 seconds, the Zhongguo team, trailing by 1 point, still did not give the ball to Fan Xi, but let Ding Yuyuhang go one‑on‑one.

Little Ding withstood the pressure, made the shot… but the time he used exceeded the game's limit.

Spain won 89–88.

In this game Fan Xi scored only 19 points, but had 20 assists, accounting for two‑thirds of the Zhongguo team's assists, plus 11 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocks.

After the game, Fan Xi praised Ding Yuyuhang: "I'm proud of his performance; he scored 23 points in this game, all on his own. He has long proven himself an NBA‑level scorer."

"In my heart, he has already made that clutch shot. We are winners; we haven't won the present, but we have won the future. In the next game, we will do the same!"

Fan Xi said.

"I don't care about the knockout‑stage draw; for us, facing any team makes no difference. To win the championship, one must already possess the strength to defeat every team."

Fan Xi spoke very candidly.

But his words stirred the situation in the other groups.

If Fan Xi and the Zhongguo team lose two matches, they could possibly advance as third or even fourth in their group.

Then he would face the first or second place from Group D.

Nobody wants to face Fan Xi, and even less wants to meet him in the top‑16 elimination round.

Fan Xi is too crazy; in the NBA he is known for overcoming stronger opponents as the underdog.

Who doesn't want to go further?

So Group D immediately turned into a tanking situation that nobody can stop!

…