Chapter 618: Is the Dream Team Going to Lose Again?

The eyes of basketball fans worldwide are focused on the stage of the inaugural men's basketball World Cup final.

The two greatest nations on either side of the Pacific are facing off.

The Dream Team's starting lineup is: Derrick Rose, Stephen Curry, Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins.

The Chinese team's starting five are: Zhao Jiwei, Fan Xi, Ding Yuyuhang, Yi Jianlian, Zhou Qi.

Judging by the talent of the two teams, they shouldn't even be on the same stage.

The Dream Team's overall talent far, far exceeds that of the Chinese team.

The Dream Team hasn't lost a game in this World Cup; they've been playing under the name 'Avengers' since their inception, and now they finally meet the Chinese team that gave them a taste of revenge at the London Olympics.

Standing before them is Fan Xi and his Chinese team.

Although the Chinese team had a hard-fought victory over Serbia in the semifinals and lost two games in the group stage,

but when Fan Xi truly stands before the Dream Team, people still feel a strong sense of pressure.

Especially American fans.

They know Fan Xi's limits well; he has played four years in the NBA, winning four championships and four Finals MVPs there, he has silenced the Heaven's Chosen Son LeBron James, and he has dimmed the NBA's superstars.

He shines like a sun across the basketball world; when he appears, the stars disappear—no matter how big the superstar.

Cousins gave his all jumping for the ball against Zhou Qi; he's an arrogant man who didn't even notice this lanky big man in front of him.

But Zhou Qi tipped the ball with his palm to Fan Xi.

Zhou Qi's height and wingspan surpass Cousins's.

Moreover, he controls his emotions better than Cousins does.

Fan Xi gets the ball and pushes forward; no one can stop his stride.

Derrick Rose struggles to guard him man-to-man.

But Fan Xi's change of direction shakes his balance, and then his fierce penetration tears open his defense…anyone who thinks they can contain Fan Xi with individual defense is dreaming.

Fan Xi reaches the free-throw line while Carmelo Anthony hesitates whether to switch; Fan Xi already finishes the battle with a decisive layup.

Teams switch sides.

The Dream Team's talent is explosive.

Rosa passes the ball to Anthony.

Anthony backs down Ding Yuyuhang.

There is a qualitative difference in their athleticism; Anthony easily uses his broad back and hips to shake off the defender and easily makes the jumper.

His offense looks effortless, requiring no preparation, as if it comes naturally.

But this will not make the Chinese team feel defeated.

Fan Xi brings the ball past halfcourt, sets a high screen with Yi Jianlian, drives into the paint as Cousins and Davis double-team; Fan Xi leaps and throws the ball to the basket, Zhou Qi grabs it and slams it home before Anthony can rotate to help.

The Dream Team can score easily thanks to its immense talent, and Fan Xi likewise breaks down his output into zero.

For a moment, the two teams cannot pull apart the score difference.

Although everyone knows the Dream Team's overall talent is higher, this is still a five-on-five game; there aren't five basketballs, nor five separate one-on-one matchups.

If it were five separate one-on-ones, the Dream Team could beat any opponent on Earth.

The game is at a stalemate.

After the first quarter, the Dream Team leads 29–27 by two points.

This makes the Dream Team and its supporters anxious; they don't want to get stuck in a tight game with China, for they know all too well Fan Xi's clutch ability. If the Dream Team isn't leading by double digits in the final minute, they'll feel uneasy.

Fan Xi has had too many clutch comebacks, and American fans remember them well.

But the Dream Team dare not make bold attempts; they have no intention of suddenly widening the margin with aggressive tactics.

Because they fear Fan Xi would exploit their weaknesses for an effective counterattack, and the whole NBA knows his knack for seizing opponents' mistakes.

They can only steadily advance the score.

Even with Stephen Curry and Tang Pu Sen on the floor, they dare not let assistant coach Steve Kerr try something bold.

So, the pace of the second quarter is essentially unchanged.

Even if China substitutes its bench early, hoping to alleviate fatigue as much as possible,

the Dream Team is extending its lead, but only slightly.

Halftime ends. The score is 58–53.

They lead by five points.

If nothing unexpected happens, the Dream Team will easily win.

But.

Fan Xi's formidable reputation from the NBA has already left a shadow in the minds of these Dream Team members; none of them dares guarantee that there won't be a sudden counterattack.

They grit their teeth and steel themselves.

They remain fully focused, playing conservatively.

This is Coach K's coaching philosophy.

Fan Xi and his teammates also play without hurry or panic; they seem oblivious to the slowly growing deficit, as if they accept the feeling of being simmered in warm water.

The CCTV commentator even said on TV: 'Perhaps this is the real gap between the two teams; we cannot expect miracles to happen again and again. After all, we lag far behind the US in basketball. They have the world's best league and the world's most talented basketball pool. We are still improving, and though we've progressed quickly these years, with many players training in the US, we still have Fan Xi, a once-in-a-generation superstar who can dominate the NBA. But… the overall gap objectively exists.'

The CCTV commentator's words convince the fans watching at home; they won't break down emotionally, because for most people this is simply an objective fact.

The game continues.

It looks like the Chinese team is calmly marching toward defeat.

At this point, the Dream Team is a bit lax, because with two minutes left in the third quarter they had stretched the lead to double digits.

Their biggest lead reached twelve points.

Then Kyrie Irving made a flashy change of direction in front of Fan Xi, attempting to get past him with a spin move.

But as he turned his back, Fan Xi slipped in, and with a timely, precise palm he stripped Irving of the basketball.

Irving's back turn indeed got past Fan Xi, but the basketball stayed in Fan Xi's hands.

Fan Xi sprinted forward with the basketball.

James Harden rushed to chase, but at the three-point line, the moment he blocked Fan Xi, Fan Xi turned his back, made a silky pause… then spun quickly, and James Harden was fooled.

Fan Xi leapt straight up for the shot… Swish!

The basketball swished through the net.

This was a post-up one‑on‑one as standard as it could get.

Although under FIBA this counts as a Three-Point Shot, in the NBA it is merely a mid‑range jump shot.

The score gap narrowed to nine points.

It fell into single digits.

After Kyrie Irving was stripped, he got a bit heated.

He is the NBA's newest generation's best ball‑handler, has his own signature shoe line with Nike, and is adored by fans for his flashy dribbling.

But now, Fan Xi has taken his ball away.

He wants to regain his footing on the court.

But just after crossing half‑court, Fan Xi found him.

Fan Xi spread his arms, using his footwork to pressure Irving with his highly aggressive defense.

Irving's ball‑handling is extremely skillful and silky; he finds an outlet in a flash, and has an outstanding grasp of the opponent's subtle balance adjustments.

He shook off Fan Xi by half a step.

He seemed to be sailing smoothly; after entering the three‑point line, he used Cousins' screen to break free, then executed a Stop-and-Go Jump Shot.

But the moment he released the jump shot, Fan Xi, like lightning, slipped around Cousins, leapt with extraordinary explosiveness, and his massive palm covered Irving's sky… Bang!

The basketball was ripped away by Fan Xi's single hand.

Fan Xi, with the ball, continued his forward surge.

He dominated Irving for two consecutive possessions, proving Irving to be merely an ordinary player, even if he counts as half a superstar.

But Fan Xi had already surpassed the realm of superstars.

This embarrassed a group of Irving supporters watching the TV.

Fan Xi reached the frontcourt, with James Harden still providing help defense.

He applied physical pressure on Fan Xi, but Fan Xi still turned his back.

Then came a smooth directional cut; Fan Xi's shoulder shake deceived Harden… A clear sign of Harden as a new‑generation superstar is his weakness in post‑up one‑on‑ones, both offensively and defensively.

Fan Xi slipped past him with ease, then assisted, passing the ball to Ding Yuyuhang, who was in a perfect open spot.

Ding Yuyuhang hit an open Three-Point Shot.

The gap narrowed to six points.

The Dream Team grew uneasy; Coach Old K treasured his timeout, substituting Derek Rose for Kyrie Irving.

He wanted Rosa to control the tempo, needing to steady the last two possessions of the third quarter.

Rosa has become increasingly steady, patiently orchestrating in the frontcourt without relying on his power to tear the defense.

He delivered a brilliant pass to Harden, but Harden missed the shot unguarded.

Yi Jianlian protected the rebound under the basket.

Fan Xi received the pass, sprinted to the frontcourt, and from beyond the three‑point line executed a Stop-and-Go Jump Shot… the Three-Point Shot went in.

The gap instantly returned to three points.

The Dream Team felt a sense of panic.

American fans watching the TV felt a chill down their spines.

Only Chinese fans erupted with excitement, unable to stop imagining: could Fan Xi's miracle appear again in the World Cup final?

Swish!

Rosa nailed a shot that steadied the team's morale.

Then, in the rushed final attack of the third quarter, the Zhongguo team missed the chance.

The gap remained at five points.

The Dream Team breathed a sigh of relief.

But before that, Fan Xi had terrified them to the core.

They are a side that cannot afford to lose.

Even if the Zhongguo team loses this year's final and only takes the silver, they are still victors. They will return home to overwhelming celebration.

But if the Dream Team loses the World Cup final, they will return home to scorn and ridicule, which could even dampen enthusiasm for the next Dream Team's roster.

One should know that before 2008, the Dream Team failed to win the championship in 2006, 2004, and 2000. Had Kobe not stepped up then, more and more superstars would have shied away from the Dream Team.

Now, another perilous moment has arrived.

If Fan Xi defeats the Dream Team twice in a row, a third time could cause the Dream Team to dissolve on its own.

After all, who wants to do such a thankless, arduous job?

"Perhaps we should open up more; we should pierce them with Three‑Point Shots they can't defend," Steve Kerr suggested to Coach Old K again. He believes the Dream Team should expand its advantage. Read the book.

They should showcase their dazzling offensive skills instead of trying to suppress Fan Xi with the safest method.

There has never been a truly safe way in the world.

Steve Kerr thinks it's time to draw the sword.

However, Coach Old K is an academic‑style coach who doesn't appreciate Kerr's approach. Though he brought Kerr onto the staff to broaden the team's shooting output.

But when facing a terrifying and tricky opponent like Fan Xi, he strictly demands utmost stability.

Beep!

The whistle sounded.

The Dream Team made no changes.

Fan Xi moved to the third position.

The first position is Guo Ai Lun, the second Zhao Ji Wei, the third Fan Xi, the fourth Wang Zhe Lin, the fifth Zhou Qi.

This is a very risky move.

Besides Fan Xi, no player can guard the opposing NBA superstar.

But Fan Xi couldn't worry about that.

Guo Ai Lun brought the ball past halfcourt, and Rosa did not press him full-court.

Guo Ai Lun passed the basketball to Fan Xi.

Fan Xi faced Carmelo Anthony, who had a mismatch advantage; he did not dodge, he even turned his back, using his back-to-the-basket skills to play big despite being small.

This is a comical scene.

Beyond normal basketball comprehension.

Carmelo Anthony himself found it funny.

But on contact, Fan Xi's strength immediately surprised him, and his feint-and-real timing in back-down play left Anthony unable to read him.

He even felt like he was matching up against Kobe.

No, when Fan Xi smoothly spun and stepped past him, he realized Fan Xi was more dangerous than Kobe.

Fan Xi hit a jumper, narrowing the gap.

Seeing Carmelo Anthony's grim expression, Derek Rose subsequently passed the ball to Anthony.

He thought Anthony wanted to strike back.

Moreover, he believed Anthony's huge size advantage let him battle elite back-down players like Kobe, so there was no reason he couldn't stop Fan Xi.

Anthony received the ball and turned his back.

He had textbook-level back-down skills, but he discovered Fan Xi's defensive skills were also textbook-level.

Moreover, Fan Xi was very familiar with back-down play, and his judgment of feints and reals was superb.

For a moment Anthony couldn't deceive Fan Xi's defense with skill; he could only rely on his physical superiority.

He turned and launched a fadeaway jumper.

Fan Xi almost simultaneously blocked his shot as he jumped, like a frantic hawk diving for prey.

His shadow covered Anthony's entire field of view.

Although he did not complete the block.

But.

"Rebound!"

Fan Xi shouted loudly.

Bang!

Anthony's shot hit the rim.

Jordan in front of the TV sighed. Although he was reluctant to admit it, he had to say: Jieke Fan has improved again. Moreover, this time his improvement was in half-court offense. His back-to-the-basket skills, both offensive and defensive, have reached the highest level.

He was even more skilled than Anthony, who had over a decade of experience.

Damn it!

Is the USA team going to lose again?

…