This time, the turmoil was entirely orchestrated by Western media as a propaganda and psychological warfare operation.
Their objective was to disrupt the atmosphere of the Chinese Olympic delegation with gossip and scandals, thereby impacting their performance.
The leadership of the Chinese delegation promptly identified the issue and convened a full meeting.
During the meeting, the leadership earnestly cautioned the team leaders of each sport to proceed with caution and prioritize the bigger picture.
The women's volleyball player Zhao Wen was also reprimanded by the volleyball team leader.
Zhao Wen was in low spirits. Upon hearing this, Li Feng felt quite guilty and specifically sought out the volleyball team leader to explain the whole story.
In reality, it was all a misunderstanding. Everyone was at the Olympics to contribute to the nation, and when difficulties arose, they should be resolved quickly.
With the efforts of various departments, the Chinese delegation was united and determined to achieve great success at this Olympics!
On the second day of the Olympics, July 29th, the group stage matches began!
The Olympic men's basketball group stage was divided into two groups, A and B, each comprising six teams.
Group A: Lithuania, Tunisia, USA, France, Nigeria, Argentina.
Group B: Spain, China, Russia, Great Britain, Australia, Brazil.
The first day featured four matches:
16:00, Group A: Nigeria vs. Tunisia, score 60:56, Nigeria wins.
18:00, Group B: Australia vs. Brazil, score 71:75, Brazil wins.
21:00, Group A: France vs. USA, score 71:98, USA wins.
At 23:00, China was scheduled to face Spain, an old rival.
In the previous Olympics, the two teams had a fierce battle in the knockout stage.
Unexpectedly, this year, they would meet in the very first group stage match!
Before the game, the media interviewed Li Feng.
Since Li Feng had just led the Knicks to a three-peat in the NBA, he was extremely popular, attracting a large number of reporters.
"Mr. Li Feng, can you carry your NBA momentum into the Olympics?"
"Absolutely no problem. The core of the Knicks is also the core of the Chinese men's basketball team, so there's no reason not to continue. However, the lineups of other countries are also very strong, and we will strive to win every game."
Li Feng's answer was fitting, not only expressing his confidence but also showing respect to the players from other countries.
The reporters applauded and continued to ask, "We heard you have a good private relationship with a player from your national women's volleyball team, is that true?"
This reporter was from the United States and had malicious intent.
The matter had already passed and been clarified, yet he brought it up again.
Even other reporters frowned and looked at him with disdain.
Li Feng was also slightly angered and retorted coldly, "You should focus more on the US men's basketball team, and don't contract any strange illnesses..."
Hahaha...
A burst of laughter erupted from the reporters present. The American reporter was extremely embarrassed and had to retreat sheepishly to the back.
In the interviews on the Spanish side, some reporters were also actively instigating.
The Gasol brothers accepted media interviews.
"Mr. Pau, this is your third time participating in the Olympics. What are your thoughts on the Chinese team?"
Pau Gasol had a pretty good private relationship with Li Feng, so he answered friendly, "The Chinese men's basketball team has improved rapidly in recent years, especially with the rise of Li Feng, who has given Yao Ming a very capable partner. I believe they will go far in this Olympics."
"Then do you think Spain can defeat the Chinese men's basketball team in this match?"
Pau Gasol smiled, "Of course, we will win. We are too familiar with Li Feng and Yao Ming, and we know how to deal with them!"
Seeing his brother's confidence, the reporter asked his younger brother a question.
"Marc, do you think Yao Ming will cause damage to the Spanish interior line?"
Marc Gasol thought for a moment and replied, "Yao Ming is a great center, his skills are very refined, and after losing weight, his offensive range is wider. But I'm not bad either, I believe tonight's game will be very exciting."
The Gasol brothers both had high emotional intelligence and were not provoked by the reporters, answering with great skill.
At 11 PM, the men's basketball group stage match in Group B began, with China facing Spain.
Many Chinese fans had come to the stadium today, prepared with flags and cheering props. They were already jubilant before the game even started.
In addition to Chinese fans, many foreign fans also came to cheer for Li Feng.
Winning three consecutive championships in the NBA was an achievement that many stars dreamed of!
Li Feng, at such a young age, had already achieved three consecutive championships, making him a future superstar!
"Li Feng! I love you!"
"China will win!"
"Li Feng, I love you!"
...
His popularity was immense!
China's starting lineup was Li Feng, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Sun Dasheng, and Chen Jianghua.
Putting Chen Jianghua in the starting lineup was a decision made jointly by Li Feng, Yao Ming, and head coach Deng Huade, based primarily on the results of two warm-up games and subsequent training.
Although Guo Ailun had a good start, his speed was still inferior to Chen Jianghua, and his individual offensive ability was also slightly less than Chen Jianghua's.
Chen Jianghua was extremely excited to be in the starting lineup, already eager to test his skills against Spain before even taking the court.
Spain's starting lineup was Pau Gasol, Rudy Fernández, José Calderón, Felipe Reyes, and Serge Ibaka.
The Spanish national team for this year was truly strong, possessing both talent and experience, not to be underestimated.
At the center jump, Yao Ming secured the first possession for China.
Li Feng had Chen Jianghua bring the ball past half-court, then moved to the 45-degree angle to create space.
Facing Rudy Fernández's defense, Chen Jianghua dared to attack and fight, directly driving past him with a behind-the-back dribble, without calling for a screen.
He was indeed fast!
In terms of speed alone, he was comparable to Li Feng.
However, Chen Jianghua's change of pace and nuanced ball handling were far inferior to Li Feng's.
As he drove into the paint, Serge Ibaka suddenly rotated to help. Chen Jianghua panicked slightly and tried to pass the ball to Yao Ming.
But Ibaka's long arms reached out and managed to steal the ball.
Forward Reyes grabbed the loose ball and immediately initiated a fast break!
Li Feng followed behind, silently pursuing.
Reyes crossed half-court and drove straight to the basket. Gasol kept warning him from behind, "Someone is chasing you!"
But Reyes paid no mind, thinking his speed was sufficient and that no Chinese player could catch up to him.
Unexpectedly, just as he leaped into the air, preparing for a one-handed dunk, Li Feng exploded from the side and rear, swinging his right hand, *pa*!
He cleanly swatted the ball away.
It was beautiful!
Chinese player Yi Jianlian was trailing behind. Li Feng's block perfectly went into Yi Jianlian's hands, and A Lian immediately launched a counter-attack!
The transition from defense to offense was so quick that many players didn't even react before the Chinese men's basketball team was already on the offensive again!
Before A Lian even crossed half-court, he saw Yao Ming in a good position. *Whoosh*!
He made a long pass, accurately delivering the ball. Yao Ming received it, faced Pau Gasol, and executed a turnaround jump shot, *swish*!
He scored effortlessly!
Without Ibaka rotating to help, Gasol was helpless against Yao Ming.
The Chinese fans in the stadium erupted in cheers, almost as if they were playing at home.
Gasol could only shake his head in frustration.
The reason for Yao Ming's easy score was that Ibaka had rotated to help and couldn't recover in time.
The Chinese men's basketball team's team cohesion had improved significantly. Li Feng hadn't even attacked yet, but the coordination among other players was already quite默契 (mòqì - tacit understanding/coordination).
Of course, the biggest credit for this basket still went to Li Feng's astonishing block.
As a 1.93m guard, he had managed to chase down and block a 2m+ forward, which was terrifying!
Spain's offense.
This Spanish team, coached by Sergio Scariolo, played traditional basketball with less speed.
Once it became a half-court offense, Calderón passed the ball to Gasol.
This was not to have Gasol single-handedly attack, but rather for him to facilitate and find teammates' shooting opportunities.
Gasol stood in the middle, with his back to Yao Ming, looking left and right.
Rudy Fernández suddenly cut into the basket from the right. Gasol made a no-look pass, *whoosh*!
He skillfully passed the ball to Fernández.
Fernández was extremely fast. Upon receiving the ball, with Yi Jianlian rotating to defend, he made a reverse layup, scoring easily.
This basket showcased Gasol's vision and Fernández's cutting speed advantage.
The Spanish men's basketball team had achieved excellent results in recent years, which was closely related to the tacit understanding among these veteran players.
Li Feng observed this and nodded slightly. He knew very well that winning against Spain would not be easy for China.
In the next few possessions, the Chinese team primarily focused on increasing the tempo and playing fast.
Spain, on the other hand, aimed to slow down the pace as much as possible and play half-court offense.
The two teams engaged in a battle of wits and strategy on the court, making the game very exciting.
The score remained close, and by the end of the first quarter, the point difference had not widened.
Spain led by 1 point, 24:23.
Li Feng was quite satisfied with this score because China had substituted Yao Ming to rest midway through the first quarter.
Zhang Zhaoxu was a bit disoriented at first after coming on, but he gradually adapted to the intensity of international competition.
To be on par with a strong team like Spain in the first quarter of the first group stage game exceeded the expectations of most fans.
As the second quarter began, both teams brought in their reserve lineups.
China's lineup consisted of Wang Dazhi, Zhu Fangyu, Yi Li, Wang Shipeng, and Guo Ailun.
The training camp had yielded good results, and these reserve players were not at a disadvantage in terms of physical confrontation against Spain's reserves.
However, they were at a slight disadvantage in the finer details of the game.
Additionally, Wang Dazhi and Wang Shipeng were indeed older, and some of their movements were slower.
After playing for more than three minutes in the second quarter, China was already trailing by five points.
Seeing the unfavorable situation, Deng Huade immediately substituted Wang Dazhi and Wang Shipeng, bringing in Zhou Peng and Liu Wei.
Zhou Peng was not a traditional center; he was more of a power forward with a decent shooting ability.
In earlier years, Zhou Peng might not have been favored, as his playing style was considered "soft" by the older generation.
However, the rise of small-ball basketball in the NBA had also significantly influenced international basketball.
Zhou Peng's speed and shooting ability were highlighted as key strengths.
As soon as he stepped onto the court, he hit a three-pointer over Marc Gasol, astonishing everyone!
Then, Zhou Peng facilitated from the paint, passing to an open Zhu Fangyu, who also hit a three-pointer from the corner!
China's reserve players' fluid offense caught Spain off guard!
Spain's head coach Sergio Scariolo could not sit still and called for a timeout.
Li Feng and Yao Ming were excited, high-fiving and jumping on the sidelines to cheer on their teammates!
The Chinese men's basketball team hadn't displayed such brilliant teamwork in many years.
Li Feng's return had elevated the Chinese men's basketball team by several notches, and this improvement was across the board.
If Li Feng were merely a scorer, his impact on the Chinese men's basketball team would not have been as significant.
However, Li Feng was exceptionally well-rounded. Deng Huade didn't even need to worry about the team's defense; having such a player was a coach's blessing.
During the timeout, Scariolo repeatedly instructed his players to increase the physicality against the Chinese players and prevent them from receiving the ball easily!
Scariolo had underestimated them, or perhaps he was still holding onto outdated perceptions of Chinese players.
Indeed, prior to this, apart from Yao Ming and Li Feng, the other Chinese players were not competitive.
Especially on the international stage, they couldn't even dribble the ball steadily.
Any contact would result in a turnover.
After the timeout, Spain's reserve players indeed increased their intensity and physicality.
While the increased physicality had some effect, it wasn't very significant.
Scariolo was surprised to discover that Guo Ailun and Chen Jianghua could steadily bring the ball past half-court after contact, with almost no turnovers.
"What is going on? Does China's men's basketball team have more than just a monster like Li Feng?"
Little did he know how hard the Chinese men's basketball team had trained. Li Feng supervised the players daily, constantly strengthening their core muscles.
After all, Li Feng represented the highest level of competitive training in the NBA. From their initial instability, the Chinese players had become as steady as a rock through sheer hard work!
Six minutes into the second quarter, the two teams were tied again.
34:34.
Scariolo had no choice but to bring in the main players again. Deng Huade also brought in Li Feng and Yao Ming.
In the clash of the main lineups, Li Feng began to unleash his power.
In the first quarter, Li Feng was primarily on the court for defense and playmaking.
Those familiar with Li Feng knew that the Li Feng of the second quarter was the most terrifying.
As expected, as soon as Li Feng entered the game, he hit an extremely long three-pointer from near the half-court line, shocking the entire arena!
The cheers of the Chinese fans erupted instantly, and the entire stadium echoed with Li Feng's name.
"Li Feng is amazing! The logo three-pointer is here!"
"Haha, it's truly breathtaking to watch Li Feng's three-pointers live, from so far away!"
"It was worth coming today, haha!"
...
Li Feng's three-pointer further boosted the morale of the Chinese men's basketball team, and the other players became even more diligent on defense.
Spain's main players were starting to falter. Ibaka was rotating everywhere to help, but the Chinese men's basketball team's coordination was impeccable, with constant screens and passes leading to consecutive scores.
Especially Li Feng, who moved like a spirit, weaving and cutting around the paint, disrupting Spain's defense into pieces.
Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, and Chen Jianghua gained many open shooting opportunities.
The Chinese players also proved their worth, seizing most of their shooting chances with high accuracy.
Conversely, on the Spanish side, there were almost no easy shooting opportunities. Li Feng's omnipresent help defense made them nervous every time they received the ball.