Chapter 123 Advance to the semi-finals and make history!
Chapter 123

The knockout round is finally here.

Compared with the group stage, the knockout stage is the most exciting.

Unlike the NBA playoffs, where you have a chance to adjust after losing one or two games, the knockout rounds decide the outcome in one game. It’s so exciting!
Since the Chinese men's basketball team ranked first in the group stage and Nigeria was fourth in the group, everyone was optimistic about the Chinese men's basketball team's advancement before the game.

Head coach Deng Huade did not take it lightly. He stayed up late to watch the Nigeria game video, edited it with the staff, and let the whole team watch it the next day.

Compared with European and American teams, African teams are somewhat behind in terms of organization, discipline or tactical play, but their physical fitness is not bad.

Physical fitness is one of the shortcomings of the Chinese men's basketball team.

Except for Wang Yan and Abdul-Jabbar, the other players are indeed relatively weak.

However, under the coaching of Deng Huade and Wang Yan, the Chinese men's basketball team played as a team.

So it is not difficult to face a team like Nigeria which has poor discipline.

After the first half of the game, the Chinese men's basketball team led by 16 points, which was so easy.

In the third quarter, Nigeria launched a counterattack and used dirty tricks to try to injure Wang Yan.

In their opinion, as long as they get rid of Wang Yan, they won’t care about anyone else.

Unfortunately, they picked the wrong guy.

Don't forget Wang Yan's profession in his previous life.

He may not be a professional at playing basketball, but when it comes to fighting, he is responsible for the lives of others.

Wang Yan was fine, but the two players who committed the crime were injured.

The referee also penalized the Nigerian player for a foul.

This is where Wang Yan’s brilliance lies.

In the end, the Chinese men's basketball team defeated Nigeria without any suspense and successfully advanced to the semi-finals!
The Chinese fans at the scene were extremely excited, and countless Chinese national flags were flying in the stadium, which was inspiring.

The top four in the Olympics, this result is the best record in the history of Chinese men's basketball!
The whole country of China is going crazy. Not only are basketball fans excited, but almost all ordinary people are proud of the young men of the men's basketball team.

The big screens in shopping malls in many cities showed pictures congratulating the Chinese men's basketball team.

Wang Yan became a national hero in the eyes of the people of the Celestial Empire.

T-shirts with Wang Yan’s cartoon portrait and various peripheral products are selling like hot cakes!

All major media outlets reported this game in a high-profile manner.

"Historic breakthrough! China's men's basketball team enters the Olympic semi-finals!"

"Wang Yan's joining the men's basketball team had an immediate effect, leading the team to create new history!"

"Winning all the group matches, unstoppable in the knockout stages, the Chinese men's basketball team continues to move forward!"

. . . .

The staff of the sports channel of China are originally fans of Wang Yan.

Now that I see that the Chinese men's basketball team is so brave and has made it all the way to the semi-finals, I immediately organized a program with my colleagues at the front line as a reporter, and also invited Wang Yan, Abdul-Jabbar, Sun Yue and others to join the online event.

Although the game has not ended yet, the Chinese people are so excited and they really want to know what the men's basketball heroes are doing at this moment.

After receiving the news, the men's basketball team leader informed Deng Huade, Wang Yan and others.

Wang Yan was originally an NBA star and was accustomed to post-game activities, so he immediately agreed.

However, the other players felt a little embarrassed.

Although the CBA is also a commercial sports league, players rarely accept interviews and their ability to express themselves is not very strong.

Only someone with a personality like Guo Ailun likes to chat.

At eight o'clock in the evening, the program began. Yang Jian, the host of CCTV Sports Channel, connected with Coach Zhang and Yu Jia who came to London.

Deng Huade, Wang Yan, Guo Ailun, A Lian, Sun Yue and Zhu Fangyu were also there.

"Coach Zhang, Brother Yu Jia, good evening!"

"Coach, Wang Yan, and all the heroes, thank you for your hard work!"

Yang Jian was very excited and greeted the people at the scene.

Coach Zhang smiled and replied, "Hello Yang Jian, today's protagonists are Wang Yan and all the players. Let them speak a few words!"

Everyone knows that Wang Yan is the focus of the game, and the person that Chinese fans most want to see is Wang Yan!
Wang Yan smiled, waved to the camera and said: "Hello, fellow fans!"

The comments on the live broadcast screen were flying so fast that it was almost impossible to see the people on the scene.

Yang Jian also waved his hand and said, "Wang Yan, your performance was amazing, even better than any star of the American Dream Team! Can you give a brief summary of the previous games?"

Wang Yan pondered for a moment and replied: "I think this result is the result of the efforts of the whole team. To be honest, I haven't exerted much effort yet. My teammates are very strong!"

This answer showed full emotional intelligence, and his teammates around him all felt very comfortable.

After saying that, Wang Yanhe stretched out his hands and high-fived everyone, and the atmosphere was very good.

Yang Jian asked again: "Everyone has seen that you have won six consecutive victories. Fans would like to know if there are any interesting things in your training and games?"

All interview programs in China are like this, they will dig up some interesting things that fans can talk about with relish.

Wang Yan smiled and said: "There were many interesting things. Although we only had more than a month from training to the competition, everyone got along very happily."

"Can you give me an example?"

"For example... last time when we were training, someone stole Sun Yue's shoes. Haha! He spent a long time looking for them!"

When talking about this, the teammates all burst into laughter and were not so nervous anymore.

Coach Zhang said with emotion: "To be honest, the feeling I get from watching Wang Yan play live is completely different from watching him on TV before. He is too strong! No matter how rough and strong the opponent is, they will always suffer when they clash with Wang Yan!"

Yu Jia also nodded repeatedly: "Yes, especially the match between Nigeria and Australia, it was really heartbreaking to watch, they played too roughly! But Wang Yan was not afraid at all, and fought against them head-on, it was really domineering!"

These two have watched countless high-level games and met many superstars.

But the impression Wang Yan gave them shocked them.

Yang Jian looked at the fans' messages for a while. There were too many to read.

He picked one and read, "Wang Yan, one of your loyal fans asked you a question: If you meet the United States in the final, are you confident that you can beat the Dream Team? And who is your favorite player on the Dream Team?"

Wang Yan knew that the base of Chinese football fans was too large.

The Dream Team 10 has so many stars. If he mentioned one but not another, it would definitely cause controversy.

So Wang Yan shrugged and said jokingly: "No one likes me, because they can't beat me!"

This answer was so humorous and domineering that it immediately caused everyone to laugh.

Yang Jian then asked another fan's question: "Wang Yan, this fan's question is a bit... related to your personal feelings. Can you answer it?"

If the player is from China, he may refuse such a question.

But Wang Yan was very generous and nodded with a smile: "It's okay, you can ask any questions, I will do my best to answer them!"

Yang Jian gave Wang Yan a thumbs up gratefully and said, "This is a female fan. Her profile picture is very beautiful. Haha. She asked you when you will get married. She also thought she was a good match for you because she is 1.75 meters tall and likes to play basketball."

A-Lun and other teammates laughed maliciously, and Durant also smiled and shook his head.

Wang Yan didn't expect the female fans to be so bold.

But this question did not stump him.

He touched his nose and replied, "I have no plans to get married for the time being, and my personal relationship is very stable. This female fan has a very cheerful personality, I believe she will find her other half!"

The teammates nodded in admiration. Although Wang Yan was younger than them, his thinking was more mature and well-structured when answering questions.

An hour later, the live show ended.

Since the semi-finals will be held the day after tomorrow, Coach Zhang and Yu Jia asked the players to rest first.

Just when Wang Yan returned to the Olympic Village, his cell phone rang. Only one person knew this number, and that was Liu Yifei!
Liu Yifei should be in China at this time.

Wang Yan pressed the answer button and asked, "Yifei, did you watch my game?"

He thought Liu Yifei was congratulating him.

"Of course I watched it, and I watched it live, but I didn't buy a front row ticket."

Wang Yan was stunned: "Have you come to London?"

Liu Yifei smiled mischievously: "You come out of the Olympic Village, I'm in the hotel!"

The Chinese Olympic delegation has its own rules and cannot go out normally.

However, Wang Yan is an exception!
This was the condition proposed by Wang Yan. If the Chinese delegation restricted his freedom, he would withdraw from the national team.

"Is this true? Don't fool me!" Wang Yan was skeptical.

"Baby, when have I ever lied to you? I'm just afraid that you can't get out!" Liu Yifei also knew the discipline of the delegation.

Wang Yan chuckled: "It doesn't matter, if I think of it, no one dares to stop me!"

Liu Yifei sent the hotel name and address to Wang Yan.

Wang Yan was very tactful. He first greeted the team leader and then came out.

When I arrived at the hotel and opened the door, Liu Yifei rushed over to me.

The two haven't seen each other for a month. A short separation is better than a new marriage!

However, just when things were getting heated, Liu Yifei pushed Wang Yan away.

"Baby, you still have to compete, can't you do this?"

Wang Yan looked at Liu Yifei's messy hair and felt a little amused.

"What are you thinking about? Don't you know my body? It won't affect me at all!"

Liu Yifei nodded very cutely: "That's right, I see athletes from other countries all come with their girlfriends."

Wang Yan's passion was interrupted and he felt a little bored. Just then his stomach started to growl.

"Forget it, I'll take you to eat something first."

Liu Yifei, who hadn't eaten either, nodded immediately.

But she looked embarrassed: "I heard that Britain is a food desert, there is nothing delicious, and the British diet is very monotonous!"

Wang Yan certainly knew this and smiled mysteriously: "Don't worry, there is a Chinese restaurant here. I have friends here. Come on, I'll take you to eat dumplings!"

"Ah? There are dumplings here?"

"Of course there is!"

Wang Yan took Liu Yifei and took a taxi to a Chinese restaurant in London.

The owner of this restaurant is a fan of Wang Yan. He once went to the United States to watch two Cavaliers playoff games and took a photo with Wang Yan.

So the two became friends.

The two came to the restaurant and went straight into the private room, where they were received personally by the restaurant owner.

Wang Yan and Liu Yifei ordered some authentic Chinese delicacies, of course, all of which were treated to by the boss for free.

It is an honor for the boss to invite Wang Yan to the restaurant.

"Baby, do you know why I came to London to watch your game?" Liu Yifei suddenly asked.

Wang Yan's sixth sense told him that something seemed to be wrong with Liu Yifei.

He thought about it and suddenly remembered that Liu Yifei had said two months ago that her birthday was three months later than Wang Yan's, and her zodiac sign was Virgo.

After combining the factors and analyzing them together, Wang Yan roughly guessed it.

"Today...is your birthday?"

Wang Yan asked tentatively.

Liu Yifei was so moved that her eyes filled with tears. She nodded vigorously: "Baby, I knew you had me in your heart. You even remembered my birthday, woooooo..."

Wang Yan thought to himself, what a close call, I almost forgot about it.

"Of course I remember, and I have prepared a gift for you!"

"Gift? Where is it?" Liu Yifei widened her eyes and looked at Wang Yan in surprise.

Wang Yan took out a small box from his arms like a magician.

"what is this?"

"A limited edition watch from Patek Philippe." Wang Yan opened the small box. Liu Yifei was so shocked that she covered her mouth with her hands.

This limited edition watch is estimated to cost millions.

"It's too expensive... I don't dare to take it!"

Liu Yifei was drooling as she spoke.

Wang Yan took her little hand and carefully put the watch on her wrist.

"It fits perfectly. How about it? Do you like it?"

In fact, this watch was given to Wang Yan by Patek Philippe when he was invited to be its agent.

There are two pieces in total, one for men and one for women.

The reason why he wore the watch was because Wang Yan originally wanted to find time to mail the watch back.

Unexpectedly, Liu Yifei actually came to London. It was just right that I could give it to her in person.

Liu Yifei liked this watch so much that she couldn't let it go and kept stroking it gently.

"Okay Yifei, as long as you like it, happy birthday! Let's eat first!"

"Baby, you're so good to me..."

Liu Yifei was so moved that she wanted to reward Wang Yan right away.

When Wang Yan saw her approaching, he quickly pushed her down on the chair.

"Don't get excited. It will be so embarrassing if the boss comes soon!"

The two finished their meal, returned to the hotel, and completed the task that they had not completed just now, and had a big battle!
. . . .

The top four teams of the Olympic men's basketball team have all been decided, namely China, the US Dream Team, Spain and Argentina.

The other three teams are regulars in the semi-finals, only China is a dark horse!
However, with Wang Yan, the Chinese men's basketball team is no longer a dark horse, after all, they won all the group matches!

China's semi-final opponent is the South American powerhouse Argentina.

Argentina is similar to Brazil in that people prefer football, but their basketball is also not weak.

They even defeated the Dream Team and won the Olympic championship.

Especially the demon sword Ginobili, who is the absolute core of Argentina.

During the second day of training, Deng Huade asked the players to carry out specific training content targeting Argentina.

With China's current outside shooting level, it is difficult to limit Ginobili.

Wang Yan made a lot of preparations for the defensive strategy, trying to use an overall zone defense to lock down Ginobili as much as possible.

In addition, "Diamond" Scola, who was once Yao Ming's teammate, is also not easy to deal with.

His dream footwork is comparable to that of Dream Team, and is at the pinnacle of floor flow.

(End of this chapter)