Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 633 The Best Candidate to Use Items, History of the Chinese Men's Basketball Team

"You didn't play in the game just now?" Lin Tian was always a very outgoing person. After dealing with everyone from the Shanghai team and letting them and the other players from the China team go have some fun, Lin Tian plopped down next to the silent kid.

Although this kid looks to be almost 2 meters tall, and his muscular body shows he's worked hard, his still-childish face and rather foolish—no, clear-eyed—looks reveal that he's at most 18 years old.

"I'm not qualified to play, I'm not on the first team." The kid was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting a superstar like Lin Tian to come and chat with him. He was a little nervous and said, "Actually, I'm not even qualified to come today. I begged the coach for a long time before he brought me here to see what it's like."

"The second team?" Lin Tian asked casually.

"Not the second team either. I haven't officially joined the team yet. I just returned to China and am training with everyone. I don't know if I'll be able to join the team yet." After the young man said this, Lin Tian was more certain who this kid was!

He returned from abroad, is very young, hasn't even joined the first team yet, has a perfect figure, and a somewhat introverted personality.

After adding all these factors together, Lin Tian was basically certain that this kid was Xu Yong!

Now, many people may find the name Xu Yong unfamiliar, or even have never heard of him before.

But for the previous generation of fans like Lin Tian, ​​the name Xu Yong is absolutely legendary!

At the age of 16, last year, he went to the United States to play basketball and participated in many training camps of all sizes in the United States. The most famous of these was winning the MVP and Slam Dunk King titles at the Adidas training camp.

The host of this training camp was none other than the famous "Lord of the Rings" Bill Russell, and it was Russell who presented Xu Yong with the MVP award.

Russell had a very high opinion of Xu Yong!

"His explosiveness and physical attributes are on par with Francis's; he has the potential of a five-star high school player. I believe he can enter the NBA in a few years and is very likely to be selected in the top ten! If needed, I can help him contact schools so he can attend here!"

Unfortunately, that was the end of it.

Whether it was because Russell just said it casually and didn't take it seriously, or because of Xu Yong's family and personal reasons, Xu Yong returned to China, to his hometown of Shanghai, after traveling back and forth between various training camps in the United States for almost a year, and then joined the Shanghai team.

The following season, the 06-07 season, 18-year-old Xu Yong began playing in the CBA, but he spent most of his first season on the bench, playing only 8 games and averaging just 7 points per game, making him a complete bit player.

But by the second season, Xu Yong's talent could no longer be contained!

This guy's about to explode!

He played 29 games throughout the season, averaging 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. He also earned the nickname "China's Carter" with several spectacular dunks in the dunk contest.

His dunks combine elegance and power; his physical attributes are simply unbelievable for an Asian! Many people say that he and Yi Jianlian represent the pinnacle of physical ability in China, or even in Asia!

Besides his top-notch jumping ability and flexibility, this guy's ball control and speed are also top-notch. When he was 19 years old, if he wanted to break through, almost no domestic forwards could stop him!

Basically, every breakthrough is accurate; a single step forward can leave 90% of domestic forwards behind.

Coupled with his excellent ball control and awareness, once he launches a fast break, he becomes like an invincible blade!

Of course, in this era where the internet is not as developed, he is still unknown. He is just a kid who is trembling with fear about the future and doesn't know if he can make it into the Shanghai team. His first time to become famous in China will have to wait until the World Youth Championship next summer.

At the age of 17, he was selected for the national team for the first time, and he was selected for the U19 national team at the age of 17. At the World Youth Championship, facing the American team composed of Curry, Beasley, Rose and others, Xu Yong became the most shining person on the court.

He not only shut down Michael Beasley, a top high school player known as the pride of heaven, one-on-one, but also scored a game-high 22 points by driving inside and shooting outside over Beasley's head! Throughout the U19 World Youth Championship, Xu Yong averaged 15 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, making him the top scorer and core player of the Chinese team.

His peak was at the age of 18, when he was playing in the 07-08 CBA regular season.

In the last five games, with both the team's foreign players and Liu Wei injured, the team handed over the offensive power and a large number of ball possessions to Xu Yong.

This young man, who is not yet 19 years old, put up an amazing stat line of 25 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game in the last five games!

Looking at the CBA league at that time, there wasn't a single Chinese player who could put up the same or even close numbers!

A rising star and a superstar, a player who has excited countless Chinese people, who believe that someone can finally form a duo with Yao Ming, has finally been born!

Countless people are even demanding that Xu Yong be selected for the national team this time so that he can play for the country. Many people believe that Xu Yong, who is not yet 19 years old, is already the best small forward in the country!

Xu Yong, unsurprisingly, was selected for the national training team after the CBA season ended.

And then, his story ended.

His story as a basketball player has come to a complete end.

In May 2008, just as the Chinese national team was conducting its final selection and trying to finalize the roster, Xu Yong's medical examination report was released.

He was diagnosed with malignant central osteosarcoma of the spine.

This is a rather rare disease that cannot be completely cured.

Although this strange illness did not take Xu Yong's life instantly, it did take away his basketball career.

This illness forced Xu Yong to retire before he was even 19 years old, ending his basketball career.

His basketball career had to end before it even took off.

What's even more regrettable is that in the Chinese basketball world, where almost everyone falsifies their age, Xu Yong's age is most likely not an issue.

This guy has never been selected for any youth team, has never played in domestic competitions or leagues, and debuted while attending high school in the United States. Given the strict household registration system in Shanghai and the fact that athletes in the large circle of Shanghai rarely change their age, he is probably fine.

A true genius who dominated the CBA at the age of 17-8.

Thus, he became both the greatest "possibility" and the greatest "regret" in the history of the Chinese men's basketball team.

His explosive playing style became like a shooting star, flashing briefly in the history of Chinese basketball, dazzlingly brilliant, yet quickly fading away.

No one can answer what level a healthy Xu Yong could reach, or whether a healthy Xu Yong could enter the NBA or become a star.

But he is clearly the most heartbreaking person in the entire history of the Chinese men's basketball team.

And now, Xu Yong, who is not yet sick but is still trembling and anxious about the future, is sitting in front of Lin Tian.

Thinking of this, Lin Tian didn't hesitate any longer. He patted Xu Yong on the shoulder and said, "Don't ask me why, but I just think you can do it. You can not only establish yourself in the Shanghai team, but also in the Chinese national team, and you might even make it in the NBA."

"Keep it up!"

After saying that, Lin Tian used the illness exemption card he had just obtained on Xu Yong without hesitation.

Let's just consider it as giving the Chinese men's basketball team a chance.

An opportunity to rise to prominence without relying on someone like Lin Da Guan Ren who has extraordinary abilities.

……

For more than a month afterward, the Chinese team officially entered a high-intensity training and competition period.

Over the course of more than a month, they traveled across half of Europe and played approximately 10 warm-up matches.

With a record of 8 wins and 2 losses in the warm-up matches, this is a very encouraging result.

The two games they lost were against the weakest teams in this training camp. When playing against these two teams, Jonas intentionally reduced the playing time of key players such as Yao Ming and Lin Tian.

The main purpose of these two games is to see which of the team's rotation players can withstand the pressure better and who can step up when the team needs them.

After completing this series of training camps, the Chinese team headed to Japan to prepare for the World Championships!

What's the schedule for the Chinese team in this tournament?

That's pretty outrageous.

Who knows how FIBA ​​assigned the teams? They just put the two most popular and hottest teams, the USA and China, in the same group.

Moreover, the match between these two teams happened to be on the first day of the season.

That's incredible! Absolutely amazing!

Almost everyone gave the organizers a thumbs up for this competition schedule.

Good grief! You didn't play any cards right from the start, just a royal flush, huh?!

If you play your royal flush and then a pair of 3s, 4s, 5s, or 6s, who's going to watch your game?

If we have to pinpoint the advantage of this arrangement, it's that the very first day of the competition will generate massive viewership and buzz! It's sure to be the most-watched World Championships ever!

As for whether the traffic will plummet afterward, with a significant decrease in the number of followers and viewers, that's not something Lin Tian needs to worry about.

Regardless of the ratings, Lin Da Guanren won't get any money.

However, the Chinese players were still quite excited to face the formidable American team of the past few years in their first match!

Everyone was eager to try, everyone wanted to try and beat up the American team again!

As for the newcomers who have just joined the team, they are looking forward to exchanging ideas with the world's top opponents and seeing just how good they are.

Lin Tian: "What are you talking about? When you train, you're playing against the greatest players in basketball history!"

……

In short, as time goes by rapidly...

Just two months after Lin Tian won the finals, the Chinese team faced a challenge from the American team in Sapporo, Japan!

Yes, this time, the Chinese team is not the challenger! They have already defeated the American team twice in the world championships and won three world championships.

Now, this young American team is the challenger! They are the warriors who want to challenge the Great Demon King.

Before the game started, the two national basketball teams, which have the most fans in the world, were greeted with huge cheers and shouts as soon as they entered the court!

The fans shouted and cheered for their favorite team, and the roars echoed throughout the stadium in the blink of an eye.

Somewhat bewildered, Dwight Howard, the youngest among them, was startled and scratched his head, which looked smaller than his hand in comparison, with his large hand, saying, "Are we that popular? I thought we weren't that popular without Kobe and Shaq!"

"I knew it! We have fans all over the world!"

"Come on, Dwight, take a good look at what those fans are wearing and what they're holding up," Wade said, chewing gum. "A quarter of them are wearing Lin's #14 Knicks jersey, and a quarter are wearing Lin's national team and Pacers jerseys."

"There are still many people wearing his Bulls jersey."

"What are they here for? Are they here to cheer us on?"

Anthony chimed in, "Looks like tonight's an away game!"

"It's okay, guys. Let's play freely, relax, everyone calm down. Go, go run around and warm up, then shoot a few baskets. It's just a group stage match, let's beat them! Prove we're the best! We are the best!"

James walked in the middle of everyone. He is now the leader of this team. Although there are still some people in the team who are not convinced by him, after all, it is the national team, so there has been no infighting or unpleasantness.

A group of American players quickly entered the field and began their respective training sessions.

As for Lin Tian, ​​before he even started training, Yang Yi and Yang Jian dragged him to the sidelines for an interview.

For this match, Huaxia Sports naturally chose to broadcast it live, and even sent their most acclaimed commentary duo to the venue to provide a true live broadcast of the game.

After taking his seat in the commentary booth for China Sports Media, Yang Yi said casually, "Come on, Lin Tian, ​​say hello to your fans! To be honest, you don't do much public appearances, so it's really hard for your fans to see and chat with you more often!"

"Haha, I apologize to everyone, but I do go back to China every year! When there are no competitions, I stay in Beijing for a long time every year, and my neighbors see me every day."

"I am indeed busy now, but in the future, after I retire, you might see me wandering around the park every day with nothing to do."

"It's too early to talk about that," Yang Jian said subconsciously. Then he suddenly realized that at Lin Tian's age, it really wasn't too early to say that...

However, discussing this before a major battle was clearly inappropriate, so Yang Jian quickly coughed and said, "Let's talk about your thoughts on this match instead. How do you feel about facing the strongest opponent in the opening game? Are you confident?"

"Of course we have confidence, and quite a lot of it. But what I want to say is that they are not our strongest opponent." Lin Tian still had that arrogant look of "I am invincible": "You can tell from the fact that the American team sent out this lineup that they have given up on this World Championship."

"Their roster isn't here to compete for the championship. It's just a bunch of inexperienced kids who haven't played much FIBA. They're just here to get a feel for the pace and intensity of the game. If I'm not mistaken, this American team's goal is to compete in the world championships for the next 10 or even 12 years."

"This year's Olympics and the Olympics two years from now are not their track! They're just here to be there as runners-up."

"So, who do you think is our strongest opponent this year?" Yang Yi continued to ask.

"Ourselves," Lin Tian said without hesitation. "Our biggest enemy is ourselves. In the past six years, we have won too many games, and in the past month of warm-up matches, we have also won too many games."

"This kind of overly relaxed competition and one victory after another can easily make everyone lose their way, become careless in the game, and thus lose. Especially for our generation, it's a generational change, there are many young people and many new players, and before I knew it, I had become a veteran."

"With more newcomers, there is more energy and passion. But young people are also prone to making mistakes. How to make fewer mistakes and avoid making a mess of things, and how to adjust in time after making a mistake so as not to repeat the same mistake, I think this is the biggest problem and challenge for our generation."

Lin Tian's arrogant tone, disdainful attitude, and domineering arrogance would have drawn a lot of criticism and controversy if said by other athletes, especially those with less impressive or outstanding results, or even by his own teammates.

After all, in Chinese culture, humility and moderation are virtues.

But Lin Tian said?

No problem! That's perfectly normal!

This is the world's number one basketball player. He dominated the NBA, FIBA, and the entire basketball world. He's arrogant enough to say he has no rivals and that his team will definitely win the championship. Is there a problem with that?

no problem!

They even seemed somewhat humble!

Fans wish Lin Tian would be even more arrogant!

就爱这个味儿，一会儿他要是能冲到球场上把美国队那几个小年轻再摁到地板上揍一顿，就更够味儿更有感觉了！

"So, Lin Tian, ​​among the kids who have already been selected for our team, who do you like the most? Who do you think can succeed you as the team's number one point guard in the future?" Yang Jian asked casually, but regretted it as soon as he asked.

Isn't this setting a trap for our own people?! How is Lin Tian supposed to answer this question? What if the players he didn't mention get upset?

What if this causes a rift between the players and affects their chemistry?

What was said unintentionally was taken to heart by the listener!

Fortunately, who is Lin Tian? How many interviews has he given, how many shameless reporters who like to set traps have he dealt with?

He handled it with ease: "Moko, I think he's extremely talented. He has great ball control, is tall, so his vision is excellent. When he passes the ball, he can easily pass high balls, making it difficult for the opponent to intercept."

"The only difficulty is that I don't know if he's willing to switch to the point guard position."

Lin Tian's humorous answer made Yang Yi and the other man burst into laughter, which also helped to smooth over the somewhat awkward topic.

"But honestly, I really like these young guys on the team! They're all very ambitious and incredibly hardworking and dedicated! They'll definitely succeed! I believe in them!"

"Besides them, there's another kid you might notice. He hasn't been selected for the national team yet, or even played for the first team! But I believe he'll soon come into the public eye and become a beloved basketball star!"

"Oh? Who is this person? I think everyone, like me, wants to get to know him!" Yang Yi immediately chimed in.

"Xu Yong from the Shanghai team!" (End of Chapter)