The video of this game quickly went viral on the domestic Internet.
And this spread is not temporary.
If nothing unexpected happens, this will be the most classic event for domestic football fans in the next 10 to 20 years.
Including the highlights of this game, as well as the top ten and top five plays, the traffic brought by this game far exceeded the previous Black Eight Knights.
What is NBA? It’s just some pretty nightclub girls, who play for enjoyment. The national team is true love!
And because Yao Ming joined the Bulls, there is no conflict between the two. It's like watching one game and enjoying two pleasures.
The impact of this game on the Internet continues, and its impact on the Chinese team is also beginning to emerge.
Although this was just a group match victory, it greatly boosted the confidence of the Chinese team members.
The first to change were the shooters led by Zhu Fangyu.
To become a good shooter, it mainly depends on ability, but to become a top shooter, psychological quality is essential.
A very simple psychological activity: I can score against the Dream Team and win, but why can't I score against others?
Then there is another person who has changed a lot, Sun Yue.
Sun Yue performed well in 2008, which led to the Lakers signing him and entering the NBA.
But after being cut last year, he basically relied on national team training to maintain his game form.
Although he did not give up and tried out for opportunities for two consecutive summers, and had previously signed a partially guaranteed contract with the Knicks, he still failed to stay in the NBA.
The result was that he was visibly confused.
This is a very normal thing. In order to enter the NBA, Sun Yue ran around for tryouts and finally became the first Chinese outside player to enter the NBA through his hard work. This shows that he is a man with dreams.
It was only after constant setbacks that he gradually gave up on himself and became the person who "wasted his time" that Xu Yong knew before his rebirth.
But now, what happened two years ago is happening again to Sun Yue.
Sun Yue's confidence is back.
Finally, it is the mental outlook of the entire Chinese team. Everyone on the court dares to take action, and coupled with their own strong strength, their performance is getting better and better.
In the second game of the group stage, facing the Australian team that is good at physical confrontation, the Chinese team maintained the lead throughout the game.
The Australian team's strategy was to double-team the Chinese team's dual cores. They not only double-teamed Yao Ming, but also double-teamed Xu Yong.
The result is that China's outside shooters have blossomed.
Zhu Fangyu alone made 4 three-pointers.
In the fourth quarter, the Australians, who could not bear to lose, became more aggressive, but were taught a lesson by Zhu Fangyu's "日" punch, resulting in them losing both the game and face.
In the end, the Chinese team defeated the Australian team 96-74, winning two consecutive games at the start of the group stage.
Although in the third match of the group stage, the Chinese team lost to the Russian team due to physical exhaustion.
However, in subsequent matches against Puerto Rico and Côte d'Ivoire, the Chinese team adjusted their condition and defeated their opponents without any bloodshed.
After the group stage, the Chinese team's record was fixed at 4 wins and 1 loss.
In terms of group stage statistics, the Chinese team averaged 86 points per game, conceded 71 points, and the team's three-point shooting percentage reached 40%.
In terms of personal statistics, Xu Yong averaged 20.6 points per game to become the team's leading scorer, Yao Ming averaged 17.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, Yi Jianlian averaged 11.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, Zhu Fangyu averaged 9.2 points per game, and Sun Yue averaged 8.6 points, 3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2 steals and 1.6 blocks.
And because they beat the United States, although they had the same record, the Chinese team still advanced to the round of 16 as the first in Group B.
At this moment, American fans were a little upset again.
In the past, if the American team and the Chinese team were in the same group, could you imagine a scenario where the American team was ranked behind the Chinese team?
Moreover, this is not a multi-sport event, so it is impossible to fool fans by using the overall medal table.
In other words, this ranking screenshot alone is enough to become a topic of conversation for fans after dinner.
The group stage ended, and after a day's rest, the knockout stage began.
According to the competition system of Group AB, China's opponent in the round of 16 is Angola, which ranks fourth in Group A.
Angola performed brilliantly in the group stage, not only beating Jordan, whom they should have beaten, but also defeating Germany in a life-and-death battle, successfully advancing to the round of 16.
But it is obvious that when facing this year's Chinese team, they can only give daily benefits.
74 to 47. Due to the large gap in strength between the two teams, the Chinese team basically began to gather strength and prepare for the next game after the third quarter.
China's opponent in the quarter-finals is Greece.
The Greek team is led by veteran Diamantidis, one of the strongest players in Europe, and Spanoulis, the "European Kobe" who once played briefly for the Rockets.
The Greek team is also the Chinese team's nemesis. Except for the 1986 victory over the opponent with Wang Libin's buzzer beater 112 to 111, the Chinese team lost all the remaining five encounters, and all of them were crushing defeats without exception.
In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the golden generation of the men's basketball team suffered a crushing defeat of 75 to 115, setting a record of 40 points.
In the 2006 World Championships round of 16, the Chinese team was only 5 points behind at halftime, but was outscored 6-20 in the third quarter and ultimately suffered a 64-95 defeat.
So this is also a battle of revenge for the Chinese men's basketball team and an opportunity to prove themselves.
In the end, the Chinese team lived up to expectations and defeated their opponents.
And the most encouraging thing was that after a stalemate in the first half, they made a surge in the third quarter to widen the score and secure the victory.
This is a case of getting up where you fell, and the posture is exactly the same.
For Chinese fans, this game was second only to defeating the United States in the group stage.
Because this is not just about revenge, more importantly, the Chinese team has reached the semi-finals of the World Championships!
In the past, whether it was the golden generation of 1996, or the 2008 men's basketball team known as the strongest men's basketball team, whether it was the World Championships or the Olympics, the best result of the men's basketball team was the top eight in the world.
This time, they finally made a breakthrough!
When the game ended, Yao Ming and Xu Yong were not as excited as expected. They just hugged each other tightly and patted each other on the back.
When they were having dinner in Chicago, they set the goal of reaching the semi-finals, but since they were in a death group, it would not be easy to achieve this goal.
But when the group stage is over, their goal is no longer just to reach the semi-finals, but a medal or even further.
This is not blind confidence, but rational understanding.
In the past, the men’s basketball team could not make it past the quarterfinals. The biggest problem was not that they did not play well in the knockout stage, but that they could not get a good ranking in the group stage.
If you can't rank high in the group stage, then your opponent in the quarterfinals will inevitably be a team ranked higher in another group.
But this time, the men's basketball team took first place in the group stage.
Therefore, their ability to reach the semi-finals is not just a matter of playing well in one knockout match, but rather a good performance throughout the entire World Championships.
In other words, by now in the World Championships, they have already become a strong team and there is no reason for them not to want to go further.
After the top 8 matches, the top four have all been determined. In addition to the Chinese team, the remaining three teams are the United States, Lithuania and Turkey.
At this time, because the Chinese team and the American team were from the same group, they did not meet in the semi-finals.
In the two semi-final matches, the United States played against Lithuania, while China's opponent was Turkey.
The Turkish team won all five of its group matches, and in the knockout rounds it defeated France and Slovenia in a row to reach the semi-finals without losing a single game.
Moreover, Türkiye is the host country, which will be the biggest challenge the men's basketball team faces in this World Championships.
However, although the challenge is great, it is better than playing against the American team.
Don’t ever think that just because the Chinese team beat the United States once in the group stage, they will definitely beat it again in the knockout stage.
Not to mention that Durant would not be fooled by the same trick a second time during the group stage handshake ceremony, even the game state is different.
Strong teams usually start to build up their strength in the group stage and then start to exert their strength in the knockout stage.
Especially the American team, the lineup changes a lot in each tournament, even this year it is almost all newcomers. Not only is there no chemistry, even the team leader was not established until halfway through the game.
But now, the US team has an average of 25 points more than their opponents and reached the semi-finals.
When playing against Turkey, although Turkey is in good form and may play 5 against 8, the Chinese team is in good form too, and on paper has the upper hand.
Both semi-finals were held on the same day. Because of the host country, the US team's game started first at around 5:00 local time.
Lithuania's strength was at its peak this time. They beat Spain in the group stage and Argentina in the knockout stage, and made it to the semi-finals with sparks and lightning.
They were considered to be the second strongest team among the four semi-final teams after the United States, but unfortunately, they met the United States in the semi-finals.
Moreover, it is the American team led by Durant.
Durant's 35 points in his first group stage match were enough to amaze everyone. In the semifinals, he went one step further and scored 38 points.
And it was different from the game against the Chinese team, because Lithuania double-teamed him almost all over the court, and he basically played off-ball offense, and the rare times he had the ball he just shot from outside the three-point line.
Because the distance of FIBA three-pointers is similar to that of NBA long two-pointers, Durant can shoot as he pleases.
That really made the Lithuanians call him daddy.
Under his leadership, the US team led all the way to the end, eliminating the Lithuanian team 89-74 and advancing to the finals first.
After the game, the players of the Dream Team did not leave the court. At the request of Old K, they all stayed in the stands to watch another semi-final.
The two games were separated by just over half an hour.
By the time the Chinese and Turkish teams entered the stadium, the seats were already full.
Basketball is far less popular in Turkey than football, and the Turkish men's basketball team was only in the middle and lower levels in Europe before.
However, with the emergence of players such as Turkoglu and Okur, the Turkish men's basketball team also rose rapidly. They reached the final of the European Championship in 2001 and became a world powerhouse.
Most of the fans at the scene were local Turkish fans, with only about a thousand Chinese fans.
Although Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) is not the capital of Türkiye, it is the most prosperous city in Turkey, so naturally there are many football fans here.
This is also the first "away" game played by the Chinese team since the World Championships.
The two teams entered the field quickly, and the scene kept giving key shots to both sides.
The Chinese team naturally included Xu Yong and Yao Ming, and Sun Yue was even given a shot.
In addition to Turkoglu and Ilyasova, the Turkish team also has their inside player Asik.
Then when the camera was in the audience, Thibodeau's figure was captured again.
That's right, Asik is a Turkish player. He was the 36th pick in 2008. He was selected by the Trail Blazers and then traded to the Bulls. However, due to buyout issues with the European club, he had no chance to join the Bulls until the end of his contract this year.
He is 2.13 meters tall and has a wingspan of 2.16 meters. He is a traditional center with good static talents.
Thibodeau came to inspect three players on the team tonight.
Because the camera stayed on Thibodeau for a long time this time, Xu Yong and Yao Ming also gradually discovered the team's new head coach.
Yao Ming is eager to try.
After their previous failed collaboration with the Rockets, Thibodeau took the initiative to recruit him. This rekindling of their old relationship made him want to perform well in front of Thibodeau.
After the warm-up on the field, the opening ceremony soon began and the starting lineups of both sides were announced.
The Chinese team still has its regular five players. After the previous games, these five players have developed very good chemistry on the court.
Türkiye team: Kerem Tonceli, Onan, Turkoglu, Ilyasova, Asik.
The game is about to start, Yao Ming and Asik jump ball in the center circle.
With a whistle, Yao Ming easily passed the ball back to the Chinese team's half, and the China-Earth battle officially began.
The Chinese team wanted to rush into the finals in one go, and the Turkish team's desire to win a medal at home was stronger than that of the Chinese team, so the intensity of the confrontation on the field was very high as soon as the game started.
Sun Yue couldn't control the ball steadily and could only pass it to Xu Yong.
Xu Yong held the ball with one hand and observed the situation on the court. After seeing that Yao Ming was positioning himself and Asik did not go around in front, he decisively lobbed the ball in.
Yao Ming reacted quickly after receiving the ball, and he turned directly to the basket and made his signature hook shot, giving the Turkish team no chance to double-team him.
“Swish!”
Yao Ming's hook shot hit the target steadily, giving the Chinese team the lead.
But looking back, the Turkish team immediately responded with a three-pointer from Ilyasova.
Sun Yue controlled the ball to the frontcourt, and this time he saw Yao Ming getting in position and passed the ball directly inside.
This time Asik gave the defense an early challenge, but Yao Ming turned around and leaned back, completing a fadeaway jump shot in Asik's surprised eyes.
“Swish!”
Yao Ming made consecutive shots!
It seems that he not only has a strong desire to attack tonight, but his hands are also hot.
Asik scratched his head. How could he defend against this?
Turkoglu came over to comfort the young man. Turning back, Asik showed his ability and used a solid pick-and-roll to block opportunities for Turkoglu, who shot from mid-range from 14 feet away.
4 to 5.
Yao Ming made consecutive hits at the beginning, but the Turkish team also made every shot count.
And when the Chinese team fed the ball into the inside for the third time, Ilyasova from the Turkish team decisively chose to double-team.
Yao Ming reacted quickly and passed the ball to Yi Jianlian at the free throw line.
Yi Jianlian raises his hand for a mid-range shot.
"when!"
The ball's trajectory was very straight, but unfortunately the force was a little too strong and it hit the back edge of the basket.
Asik turned around and was about to grab the defensive rebound.
But at this moment, he suddenly felt a strong force coming from behind, and then he was pushed out of the baseline.
“Bang!”
In the eyes of the fans, Yao Ming knocked Asik away and completed the tip-in with one hand!
And after completing the dunk, Yao Ming punched Asik and gave him his favorite tomato.
Asik turned around at this time, he was completely confused.
The scene was in great turmoil.
Yao Ming hit Asik three times in a row at the beginning of the game. He was going to beat the Turkish guy to death!
Xu Yong then walked up to Yao Ming and reminded him with a smile: "Brother Yao, take it easy. We will be on the same team next season."
In the stands, Thibodeau was also amused.
Although Asik is young, he has good talent, especially in pick-and-roll, and his defensive positioning is also OK.
Of course, if you let a rookie who hasn't entered the NBA defend Yao Ming one-on-one, it would be a bit difficult for the kid.
Yao Ming has a huge advantage in the interior, and the Chinese team took advantage of the situation to set up what coach Zhang Weiping often calls an inside-out formation, which is actually a one-star, four-shooting inside-out tactic similar to the Magic's.
However, there are some differences in the focus of the two.
Howard's strength lies in his offensive rebounding, so although the Magic's play revolves around Howard, the focus of their offense is on three-pointers from the outside;
Yao Ming's strength lies in his low-post offense, so this formation is designed to open up offensive space and reduce the risk of Yao Ming being double-teamed. The focus of the offense is still Yao Ming.
This was indeed very effective. Because of the fear of the accuracy of the Chinese team's outside players, the Turkish team was obviously hesitant when they double-teamed, which gave Yao Ming a lot of room to play in the interior.
It is worth mentioning that this style of play also requires a passer who can feed the ball to the center. For example, the Magic have Turkoglu, while the Chinese team had Liu Wei playing that role before. But now, Xu Yong can do it and do better.
So the first quarter of the game almost became Yao Ming's personal show in the interior, which made the Turks on the scene full of despair.
Of course, this also made Thibodeau in the stands laugh out loud.
You definitely won't see much from playing against Asik, but at least Yao Ming's physical condition looks great.
However, the game did not end there. Firstly, the Turkish team maintained a very high offensive efficiency. Secondly, when the Turkish team could no longer bear it and double-teamed Yao Ming in the paint, they discovered that the Chinese team's outside shooting was inaccurate.
It's hard to explain, but the feel of your hand is like a woman's mood. The first six days of the week may be sunny, but the last day may be filled with thunder and lightning.
This has a huge impact on the Chinese team. You have to know that three-pointers are a crucial factor in the Chinese team's ability to reach this point.
Especially when Yao Ming was rotated out, the situation of the Chinese team became very dangerous.
In fact, the collapse of the Chinese team in many of the past games started when Yao Ming was substituted off the court.
Fortunately, such a situation did not happen again in this World Championships, because the Chinese team has Xu Yong, who is also the most critical factor for the Chinese team to reach this point.
After Yao Ming left the court, Xu Yong began to hold the ball more often and organize the offense.
To use Xu Yong's words before his rebirth, that is to say, a naturalized player was added to the Chinese team out of nowhere, and a forward-guard swingman who can hold the ball on the outside, and directly lead the team.
The Turkish fans at the scene were desperate. Their feeling the whole night was: Yao Ming plays, then Xu Yong plays, then Xu Yong plays, then Yao Ming comes back and plays.
Moreover, the Chinese team's outside shooting was inaccurate, but not completely inaccurate, because Kobe, the most unique shooter in the crowd, was the one who made every shot accurately when everyone else turned into an ice shooter.
Two DPS, one support, and a group of junglers rushed to the Anatolian Plateau and destroyed the Turkish team's crystal.
The final score on the field was 92 to 76.
The Turkish team's offensive performance was actually not bad, but they could not withstand the tons of damage dealt by the two opposing players.
According to post-match statistics, Yao Ming and Xu Yong, one scored a big double-double of 32 points and 11 rebounds, while the other scored a near triple-double of 26 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists.
The two scored a combined 58 points, one in front and one behind, carrying the Chinese team into the final round.