Chapter 3
In the third quarter, Jonas initially kept Tang Long and Yao Ming on the bench for rest.
Tang Long understood Jonas's coaching strategy.
Firstly, it was to conserve their energy, and secondly, this kind of game was more about training new players and giving others opportunities to shine, which was naturally the best approach.
Moreover, the overall strength of the Dragon Country players was bound to be superior to Yugoslavia's.
"Shall we go sightseeing after the game?" Tang Long nudged Yao Ming's arm. "Brother Yao, if we come to Hangzhou and don't visit West Lake, isn't that like going to the Imperial Capital and not seeing the Great Wall?"
"You have the leisure for that?" Yao Ming smiled, looking at Tang Long. "We have another game the day after tomorrow. You're not resting properly and you're thinking about sightseeing."
Yao Ming sighed and continued, "Besides, the coach might not give us a holiday. And even if we were to appear on the streets, it would surely cause a commotion. Do you think we'd be able to enjoy ourselves?"
"It's mainly you."
Tang Long pouted. Yao Ming was too tall; even if he weren't a star, he'd turn heads walking down the street.
"What's the difference between you and me?" Yao Ming sounded displeased.
He was a bit taller than Tang Long, but not by much. On the court, perhaps there was a difference, but off the court, to ordinary people, they were both just tall guys!
"Heh heh..."
Tang Long chuckled sheepishly and turned his head to watch the game.
At this moment, Wang Zhizhi was in a one-on-one with an opposing player, his outstanding physical strength pushing the opponent towards the basket.
The Yugoslavian player was held back by Da Zhi's strong defense and could only brace himself with his arms across his chest to block.
Da Zhi seized the opportunity, turned, and executed a fadeaway jumper, scoring two points.
The Dragon Country team maintained its lead. With less than three minutes left in the third quarter, Dragon Country was already leading by more than ten points. At this point, Jonas subbed Tang Long and Yao Ming back in.
After their return, the game became even more one-sided. Facing Tang Long and Yao Ming, breaking through their interior defense was incredibly easy for Dragon Country.
In the three minutes they played in the third quarter, the score advantage had already reached twenty points.
In the fourth quarter, Jonas didn't even put them back on the court.
Despite this, the Dragon Country players were still able to maintain a significant lead over their opponents.
Finally, with the outstanding performance of the entire team, Dragon Country defeated Yugoslavia 96:72, with ease and no pressure.
It was important to note that this iteration of the Dragon Country men's basketball team was the strongest in history.
Others might not know, but Tang Long, as a transmigrator, was fully aware.
He once thought this was the beginning of Dragon Country men's basketball's rise, but in hindsight, he realized it was the peak!
After the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Dragon Country men's basketball went downhill, like "Wang Xiao Er's New Year, worse each year."
Later, there was even a popular meme about a "Polish center"!
Meanwhile, as Dragon Country men's basketball easily defeated Yugoslavia, in another group, Angola beat Russia 89:70.
Wang Zhizhi and Yi Jian exerted immense pressure on the opposing defense, especially Yi Jian, whose mid-range jumper was difficult for opponents to defend.
However, Jonas was not entirely satisfied with Yi Jian's performance.
Although Yi Jian's designated position was power forward, he wanted Yi Jian to play a tougher game!
But Yi Jian preferred to play on the perimeter, and if he missed a shot, there was almost no one to secure the rebound.
After the game, Jonas praised everyone except Yi Jian.
Jonas played the "bad cop," so as the local head coach, Guo Qiang naturally had to play the "good cop."
After Guo Qiang had a heart-to-heart talk with Yi Jian, the team atmosphere began to ease.
August 18th was a rest day. On the 19th, Angola would face Dragon Country, and Russia would play Yugoslavia.
Don't underestimate Angola, despite their relative obscurity. In the international basketball arena, they were not inferior to many European powerhouses.
While they possessed some strength, going head-to-head with the 2008 Dragon Country men's basketball team would not end well for them.
Tang Long was unconcerned. Representing his country in this competition, his pre-set minimum goal was a silver medal!
With a little more effort and a burst of luck, defeating the Dream Eight team was not impossible.
Now that his system had been strengthened, and with the "Song of the Great Earth" buff adding a game-changing boost.
If they were to truly go toe-to-toe with the Dream Eight team, it would be a do-or-die situation. As long as he didn't back down, and Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi also didn't back down, defeating the Dream Eight team and the Spanish matadors was not out of the question.
Of course, it was too early to say for sure. They were only in the group stage, and no one knew what the future held.
Regardless, after defeating the Yugoslavian team today, they would rest for a day and then take down Angola on the 19th.
At the post-game press conference, Tang Long and Yao Ming appeared together.
When asked about how far this Dragon Country men's basketball team could go, before Yao Ming and Guo Qiang next to him could answer, Tang Long held up eight fingers!
Reporters from home and abroad watched Tang Long with curiosity. A CCTV reporter asked doubtfully, "Tang Long, what does this gesture mean?"
"Yes, Tang Long, do you want to tell us that the number eight is very auspicious in Dragon Country?"
"Oh my God, Tang, what are you trying to say?"
The surrounding reporters, including many familiar faces from the United States.
No one understood what Tang Long's sudden gesture of holding up eight fingers meant.
Even Yao Ming and Guo Qiang looked bewildered.
Tang Long then calmly said, "You just asked me how far this Dragon Country men's basketball team could go. I want to tell you that our goal in the Olympic Games is to defeat the Dream Eight team and win the gold medal on our home turf!"
"Whoosh!"
This remark caused a huge stir.
As Tang Long finished speaking, not only were the reporters stunned, but Yao Ming and Guo Qiang were also shocked.
These were not words to be spoken lightly, openly challenging the entire Dream Eight team?
After all, not long ago, the head coach of the Dream Eight team, Coach K, had stated that their best players had arrived.
And everyone knew who he was referring to as his best players.
It could only be Kobe, the Black Mamba.
Because the Dream Six and Dream Seven teams had both suffered setbacks, with their results becoming worse with each iteration.
Defeated by Argentina, they had suffered a major loss at the Athens Olympics and desperately needed to prove to the world that they were still the kingdom of basketball and the most formidable existence on this planet!
Coach K had persuaded Kobe to join the Dream Eight team, and with Kobe's addition, he was confident that this Dream Eight team could reach the pinnacle!
Yet now, with the group stage just beginning, Tang Long was already making such a bold statement, that Dragon Country men's basketball's goal was to defeat the Dream Eight team?
How could this not shock the world?
Yao Ming, standing beside him, understood Tang Long's youthful impulsiveness and arrogance. Wasn't this purely creating public opinion and invisible pressure for the Dragon Country men's basketball team?
He immediately snatched the microphone from Tang Long and answered with his characteristic emotional intelligence, "You've misunderstood. Tang Long means that whenever we play against the Dream Eight team, we'll first drink eight bottles of champagne to celebrate, because the Dream Eight is the strongest hurdle on our path to victory, and we need to find a way to overcome this fear and pressure!"