Chapter 045: When He Has a Top-Tier Power Forward

This was why the Smiling Assassin had been so nervous during the draft; every single choice he made felt like pressing the countdown button on a time bomb, with the only difference being whether the explosion would bloom into fireworks or trigger a catastrophe.

To be fair, though, the Assassin should have anticipated the current outcome long ago. After all, Stephon Marbury’s negative press was hardly breaking news.

Ever since he departed Minneapolis, he had consistently played the role of the villain.

According to Marbury’s own explanation, it wasn't out of jealousy; Minneapolis was simply too cold, and there was nothing else to do there besides play basketball. With no other solace to be found, he wanted to return to New York. Yet, using such a justification to abandon a close friend he had known since his middle school days naturally failed to garner people’s understanding and support.

He was traded to the New Jersey Nets, but according to what Nets players told The New York Times, he had quarreled with virtually everyone in the locker room.

Later, upon transferring to the Phoenix Suns, Sports Illustrated summed him up as "a teammate notorious for not sharing the ball."

Therefore, when sparks flew the very first time he and Lynch met, the fans were not surprised in the least.

Everyone simply waited in anticipation for New York, a city brimming with dramatic tension, to unveil the next turbulent chapter of sports feuds.

Lynch, however, hadn't given it that much thought; right now, his primary concern was the competition.

In their opening group match, the Chinese team fell to Italy, purely because the Italians shot an astonishing 42 percent from beyond the arc. In this era, such a high three-point shooting percentage was a rare sight.

Among them, Italy's 210-centimeter center, Giacomo Galanda, single-handedly drained six three-pointers from beyond the arc.

Yao Ming’s limitation of being restricted in his mobility and unable to contest shots on the perimeter was exposed to the fullest. Meanwhile, Lynch, who should have shouldered the heavy burden of help-defense, found himself stretched thin amidst Italy’s multi-pronged tactical assault.

Yet this defeat was not fatal, because in the basketball of this era, teams winning purely on three-pointers were exceedingly rare.

The defensive system tailored for the Chinese team by "Silver Fox" Del Harris remained robust—Yao Ming anchored the paint to construct a no-fly zone, while Lynch utilized his nimble footwork to cover and sweep the perimeter. This twin-towers combination guaranteed a baseline level for China's defense.

You couldn't expect every team to go as wild from beyond the arc as the Italians.

Sure enough, in the second group match, New Zealand became the first sacrificial offering to Lynch, the superstar, on the international stage.

They likewise knew that the best way to defeat the Chinese team was a multi-pronged three-point barrage, so they began firing away frantically from the opening tip, like gamblers seizing an opportunity for one last desperate gamble.

They lost that gamble. New Zealand shot a mere 9-for-40 from beyond the arc—and they only attempted 64 shots in the entire game.

When 60 percent of your shot attempts come from behind the three-point line, yet you only manage to sink 9 of them, defeat is sealed.

In truth, the New Zealanders' choice was born of helplessness.

When the opposing team featured two towering figures like Lynch and Yao Ming, both mid-range jumpers and drives to the basket became luxury items, leaving gambling from beyond the arc as their only chance.

The new-generation mobile Great Wall formed by Yao Ming and Lynch was forcing China’s opponents to play in a style ill-suited for the current basketball meta, which in itself spoke volumes about their defensive deterrence.

Del Harris’s "defense-first" strategy proved immensely successful. He had harbor zero expectations for China’s offense; only defense could rescue this team.

Who could you count on for offense? Liu Wei? He considered his mission accomplished merely by successfully dribbling the ball across half-court.

Zhu Fangyu? His most effective pump fake involved reserving a case of beer and drinking just one bottle while returning all the rest, and his most potent offensive output was triggered only on special occasions.

A strategy relying entirely on defense would struggle to find success in the post-2010 decade, but in an era where both the NBA and FIBA placed a heavier emphasis on defense, and when teams lacked elite perimeter shooting capabilities, the Chinese team might just use this strategy to create history.

***

In the third match against Argentina, Luis Scola and Andrés Nocioni repeatedly wiped the cold sweat beading on their palms inside the locker room prior to the tip-off.

The phantom shadows of being dominated by Lynch’s defensive iron curtain in the European competitions last season still vibrated within their bloodlines.

The moment they laid eyes on Lynch, both Scola and Nocioni experienced a physical reaction. It wasn't just a localized stiffness; their entire bodies went rigid.

During a pre-game interview earlier, a reporter shared a piece of gossip with Nocioni: "A Chinese Feng Shui master examined a photograph of your palm prints and concluded that you are fated to be restrained by Lynch. He is the greatest tribulation of your life. What are your thoughts on that?"

Faced with the camera lens, Nocioni resolved himself with immense determination.

"This is utterly ridiculous! Listen, I don't believe in palm lines; I only believe in the strength of a clenched fist! I am not afraid—absolutely not!"

It was a baffling sight. For the first time, Chinese fans witnessed a FIBA star speaking such words of self-encouragement ahead of facing a Chinese player, as if he were about to square off against some Dream Team superstar.

Yet barely five minutes into the game, Lynch made it clear to Nocioni: "You know, buddy, maybe you should have believed in those palm lines after all."

Five minutes. Twice, Lynch blocked Nocioni’s attempts at the rim. The Argentine had once posterized a young Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, yet he found himself unable to scale the barrier of the mobile Great Wall.

Luis Scola’s situation was little better; he was granted zero operational space.

The Argentine star forwards were completely extinguished—a script Lynch was entirely too familiar with.

Unlike the European leagues, however, Argentina’s Manu Ginóbili stepped up.

They had indeed stepped onto the Olympic stage with drawn sabers.

This was Lynch’s first time experiencing just how piercing the cold gleam of the "Viper's" blade truly was. Utilizing contorted drives and mesmerizing moves, he scored quite a few points in the paint. His sole presence kept the game hanging in the balance.

Yet ultimately, Lynch and Yao Ming ended the contest with two unreasonable trips to the rim.

Yao Ming rose majestically like a mountain, leaping directly from a standstill to complete a thunderous put-back slam right over Fabricio Oberto. The sound of the basketball shattering the rim intertwined with the referee’s whistle to compose a victory prelude.

Meanwhile, amidst a triple-team encirclement by Nocioni, Scola, and Oberto, Lynch secured three consecutive offensive rebounds before finally tipping the ball into the net with his fingertips, drawing a definitive curtain on the affair.

When the scoreboard froze at 69 to 65, a wave of red instantly engulfed Greece.

The entire Chinese team embraced one another. Two victories in the group stage were already more than enough to accomplish reaching the quarterfinals—previously the boldest objective of Chinese basketball.

Yao Ming’s trembling hands tightly clamped onto Lynch’s shoulders. One could only imagine how blissful this center, who had suffered so profoundly under the toxic environment of the Rockets, felt at this moment: to think that having an elite power forward by your side made winning games this effortless.

This kind of joy was no less intoxicating than a fresh college graduate experiencing for the first time the tender pampering of a KTV hostess waiting by the restroom door with a tissue to wipe your hands.

Lynch’s emotional state was arguably the most stable among the Chinese players. After all, he was a man accustomed to high-stakes arenas; he was the Caesar who had swept across Europe at age eighteen.

Cracking the quarterfinals was merely a milestone achievement. What truly drew Lynch’s sword blade forward was the crown of the group's top seed.

Why did it have to be the number one seed? Many might find it hard to believe, but it was because the American team was simply too dreadful.

True to form, they were on course to advance from this Olympics ignominiously as the fourth seed in their group.

According to the rules where Group A's first place faced Group B's fourth place, if Lynch wanted to take on the United States team, he had to ensure China did not suffer another defeat.

***

Securing the top seed just for a shot at the USA team meant the barrier to entry was indeed high.

Fortunately, Lynch accomplished his minor objective.

Facing Serbia and Montenegro, Yao Ming worked his magic, pouring in 27 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

Del Harris attempted several times to substitute Yao Ming out during tense moments, but the sweat-drenched giant simply roared, "No!!!"

Lynch happily shifted his focus entirely to the defensive end. Poor Dejan Bodiroga shot 1-of-9 under Lynch’s omnipresent help defense, feeling like a replay of yesterday.

After the match, Dejan Bodiroga smiled helplessly in front of the cameras: "This Olympics felt like it was specially designed to let us experience the terror of Lynch one last time. I’m certain Luis Scola and Andrés Nocioni know what I'm talking about."

In the final group stage match against Spain, Pau Gasol predictably fell into a quagmire, while Juan Carlos Navarro emerged as a dark horse, contributing 20 points.

Yet the Chinese team had its own surprise weapon today as well. Utilizing the horns offense, Li Nan leveraged Lynch’s off-ball screens and defensive gravity to shoot 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. He tallied 16 points overall, with 15 of them coming from three-point range.

Now Lynch understood why Li Nan loved the horns offense so much. Once a basketball player has tasted sweetness because of a certain tactic, they will habitually rely on it.

Just like Tracy McGrady always loved pulling up for jumpers over defenders, Kobe Bryant always favored unreasonable fadeaways, and LeBron James always leaned toward his signature drives.

When the final buzzer sounded, both China and Spain finished the group stage with a 4-1 record. However, thanks to the tiebreaker advantage in head-to-head play, the Chinese men's basketball team historically claimed the summit of Group A on the strength of world-class defense.

True to expectations, the Dream Team also staggered out of the group stage as the disgraceful fourth seed of Group B.

This meant the Chinese team would cross paths with the United States in the Olympic knockout stage!

Even though the U.S. team had already dropped two games in these Olympics—suffering a humiliating 19-point blowout defeat against Puerto Rico—

The Dream Team still remained like a giant piece of candy hanging just out of reach ahead, deeply desired by countless children yet touched by very few.

World basketball still took immense pride in defeating them.

For the U.S. team, their prior losses still left room to breathe. But if they were to stumble against the Chinese men's basketball team in the knockout rounds, this squad carrying the dignity of the basketball kingdom would plunge irrevocably into the freezing depths of history.

The entire world held its breath: had that sharp blade aimed at the heart of the Dream Team already been quietly drawn from its scabbard?

Meanwhile, New York fans were clearly more concerned with another question: What kind of impact would this match have on the Knicks next season?

***

If the U.S. team gets knocked out in the first round of the playoffs, they ought to issue a public apology to all American fans on nationwide television! — Bill Simmons' column.

Larry Brown’s biggest mistake was giving Melo too much playing time while giving LeBron far too little. — Dave McMenamin's column.

If I were Spike Lee, I’d definitely fly to Greece to watch this match. Lynch can give him a taste of something refined after all the crap he’s had to eat at Madison Square Garden. — Stephen A. Smith, host at New York WEPN-FM radio.

We’ve experienced some setbacks, but we’ve also found our winning rhythm. It’s unfortunate for Lynch that he ran into us, but he’ll still make it to the Olympic finals, because I’ve already prepared first-row tickets for my Chinese teammate for the gold medal game, hahaha. Love you, Lynch. — Stephon Marbury in an interview with ESPN.