Chapter 642: Advances to the Finals, Meeting Dream Team 9
On the night the Chinese men's basketball team advanced with a perfect group stage record, Durant excitedly called Chen Yan.
For now, Durant had no chance to defeat Chen Yan on an NBA court, but that opportunity had arrived on the international stage.
Chen Yan jokingly told Durant to reach the finals 1st before calling him again. After all, Dream Team 9 was too young and could potentially stumble at any moment.
On the other end of the phone, Durant solemnly declared that it was impossible, absolutely impossible.
He would definitely be waiting for Chen Yan in the finals.
Before meeting Durant, Chen Yan had to defeat another old friend.
China's opponent in the Round of 16 was France, a team that included Chen Yan's former teammate, Diaw.
"Boris, stop warming up and make me a cup of coffee," Chen Yan joked during warmups.
Drinking a cup of coffee before a game was Diaw's habit.
Diaw immediately replied in a playful tone, "Oh, Chen, I only brew coffee for teammates. You are an opponent now."
Chen Yan smiled and extended his hand.
"I hope I do not give you psychological trauma tonight."
Diaw also extended his hand. After shaking hands, he replied, "It would be interesting to beat an MVP teammate."
Jokes were jokes.
Once the game began, strength mattered more than words.
Chen Yan entered rhythm immediately, 1st hitting a 3 pointer, then assisting Yi Jianlian on another 3 pointer.
The FIBA 3 point line was shorter than the NBA line, so both Yi Jianlian and Yao Ming had 3 point range on the international court.
For them, it was only a long 2 pointer.
China started perfectly, taking a 6 to 0 lead.
France then launched a counterattack.
Diaw 1st made 2 free throws, then Nicolas Batum and Abyssi each hit a 3 pointer, giving France an 8 to 6 lead.
But no one expected this to be France's 1st and last lead of the game.
In the following possessions, China's offense revolved around the pick and roll between Chen Yan and Yao Ming, and it was extremely stable.
At the end of the 1st quarter, China led 20 to 14.
At the start of the 2nd quarter, Diaw showed off his impressive low post skills, scoring 2 points against Yi Jianlian after a series of turns.
However, China immediately answered with an 8 to 0 run, extending the lead to double digits.
France was suppressed and could not lift its head. By halftime, it trailed by 15 points, 44 to 29.
In the 1st half, France had not only lost its shooting touch, but also its fighting spirit and direction.
The absence of Parker, Turiaf, Noah, and several others had indeed greatly affected France's overall strength.
Parker's absence was especially important.
He was France's rhythm setter, both the initiator and finisher of its offense.
The only hope for French fans was that the team could regroup in the 2nd half and show some fight.
As expected, France disappointed its fans again.
For the 1st 3 minutes of the 2nd half, France failed to score. It missed field goals and even free throws.
"The French team looks like someone put a lid over the basket," Kenny Smith said.
"And China is using that stretch to stretch the lead even further," Barkley added.
The commentators exchanged smiles.
This game was much easier than they had imagined.
Midway through the 3rd quarter, France finally found rhythm.
Nicolas Batum hit a 3 pointer, Diaw made a mid range jumper, and Pietrus scored on a backdoor cut.
France launched a 7 to 0 run.
But its momentum arrived too late.
China still held a double digit lead.
At the end of 3 quarters, China led 66 to 42.
The lead of more than 20 points caused China to relax slightly in the final quarter.
Nicolas Batum and Gelabale scored continuously, and Diaw also delivered a brilliant assist that created a 3 plus 1 play.
With 8 minutes and 1 second left in the final quarter, Akpınar stole the ball from Sun Dasheng and finished with a fast break dunk.
France had strong momentum during this stretch.
After all that impressive play, they looked at the scoreboard.
Damn.
The gap was still 15 points.
There was no way around it. The hole they had dug earlier was too deep to climb out of in the final quarter, and China was not just standing there letting them score.
With 3 minutes and 1 second left in the final quarter, France pulled all its starters, signaling surrender.
China also showed respect by substituting all its starters.
Finally, the clock ran out.
China easily won the game, 91 to 70.
The victory was easier than outside predictions had suggested.
Chen Yan finished with 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.
For Chen Yan, that stat line was ordinary. He had not truly exploded in this World Championship so far.
Every game had been won in a reasonable manner.
That also reflected China's strength in this tournament. China had fielded its strongest lineup, while most opponents had not sent their true star players.
With 1 side rising and the other side weakened, apart from Dream Team 9, no team in this World Championship dared to claim stronger hard power than China.
In the quarterfinals, China once again defeated its opponent by a large margin.
With a score of 92 to 70, China decisively defeated Slovenia and achieved its 7th consecutive victory in the World Championship.
The scores across the 4 quarters were 25 to 14, 20 to 16, 21 to 16, and 26 to 24.
China encountered virtually no resistance.
In this game, aside from the 3 NBA players, Sun Dasheng was the most eye catching performer. He actively led the defense and locked down NBA point guard Dragic.
Sun Dasheng's performance once again attracted attention from several NBA teams.
International competitions were also excellent platforms for players to showcase themselves. Many players received NBA invitations because of their performances on that stage.
Sun Dasheng also valued this opportunity for a 2nd NBA chance.
Chen Yan gave him many suggestions.
He felt that if Sun Dasheng could return to the NBA, he would definitely do better than the 1st time.
1st, Sun Dasheng should not choose a team like the Los Angeles Lakers.
On championship contenders like that, teams would not spend much effort developing him. Without playing time to sharpen his skills, everything would be meaningless.
2nd, Sun Dasheng needed to adjust his mindset and begin with his strongest skill, defense.
He had to lower his goals and expectations.
This time, if he could return to the NBA, he only needed to establish himself. He should accept any role definition.
After entering the semifinals, China was set to face the powerful Serbian team.
If China defeated Serbia, it would make history by entering the World Championship final for the 1st time.
Every player was fired up.
Even 17 year old rookie Allen, who was not getting much playing time, actively played his role as a practice partner.
Allen did not have many opportunities in this World Championship, but he was excited every day because he could be on the same team as his idol, Chen Yan.
Before this, he could only watch Chen Yan's games on television.
Chen Yan also generously taught Allen a few moves.
Little Allen learned quickly, but whether he could truly internalize those moves and use them in games would depend on his own understanding.
Serbia was definitely a dark horse in this World Championship.
2 days earlier, it had dramatically defeated the defending champion, Spain, with a last second shot.
It was worth mentioning that both teams were making their 1st appearance in the World Championship semifinals.
Both were creating new history.
Neither carried much psychological burden.
After the game began, both sides played very freely.
Chen Yan intentionally took over the game in the opening stage, starting with 2 jump shots, 1 from 3 point range and 1 from mid range.
However, Serbia used strong teamwork to launch a 7 to 0 run and take the lead.
China quickly called timeout.
Everyone realized that this young Serbian squad was indeed a tough opponent.
In the 1st quarter, the 2 sides exchanged leads.
Serbia knew China liked to start strong, so it also gave everything in the 1st quarter, trying to disrupt China's rhythm and plans.
At the end of the 1st quarter, China led 22 to 20 by 2 points.
In the 2nd quarter, Chen Yan continued to play without rest.
This was Chen Yan's own request, and Jonas silently approved it.
At this stage, there was no talk of conserving energy.
Every game had to be played as if it were the last.
Chen Yan completely took over the game in the 2nd quarter, using continuous individual scoring to disrupt Serbia's tactical plans.
At halftime, China led 48 to 40.
That lead was clearly not safe, so Chen Yan chose to remain on the court in the 2nd half.
His shooting touch was blazing hot.
Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, and every Chinese player took turns setting screens and creating opportunities for him.
Serbia also went all out.
They wanted to reach the final too, and for them, there was no turning back.
Chen Yan's explosion continued into the final quarter.
Serbia's zone defense had no effect on him. After the 4th quarter began, Serbia started double teaming him aggressively.
After Chen Yan hit a super long 3 pointer, Serbia intensified its double teams even further.
That defensive strategy was frantic. It essentially left 1 Chinese player completely open.
Chen Yan began changing his offensive mode.
As long as he passed the ball, China would have a numerical advantage.
Serbia not only failed to close the gap, but was pulled even further behind.
Its head coach was forced to return to zone defense.
Chen Yan liked this kind of indecisive opponent.
In the next few possessions, he immediately resumed his individual scoring spree.
With 1.5 minutes left in the game, China still held an 8 point lead.
After Serbia missed 2 unsuccessful 3 point attempts, it conceded the game.
When the clock ran out, China defeated Serbia 91 to 83, advancing to the World Championship final for the 1st time in history.
Their opponent in the final would be Dream Team 9, which had defeated Lithuania 89 to 74 just 2 hours earlier.
After beating Lithuania, Durant did not rest.
He stayed in front of the television and watched the other semifinal.
When he saw China advance, Durant clenched his fists.
His chance to defeat Chen Yan and prove himself had finally arrived.
.....
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