Chapter 857: First Place in the Group!

Chapter 857: Chapter 857: First Place in the Group!

Chapter 857: First Place in the Group!

Chen Yan had still produced an impressive stat line against Russia.

31 points.

7 rebounds.

5 assists.

On August 2, China faced its 3rd opponent of the group stage.

Australia.

After the scare against Russia, nobody on the Chinese team dared to underestimate another opponent.

Nor could they afford to.

Even without Andrew Bogut, Australia was far from weak.

Before the Olympics, the official website of Basketball Australia had published an article declaring that the national team would fight for the country’s first Olympic basketball medal.

That statement alone showed how ambitious Australia was coming into London.

"Representing your country is the greatest honor a basketball player can have."

Patrick Mills had said those words during a pregame interview.

For Mills, facing Chen again so soon after the NBA Finals felt almost cruel.

He had just gone through an entire series against him with San Antonio.

Now he had to deal with Chen again on the international stage.

But Mills’ role here was completely different.

With the Spurs, he was a supporting player.

With Australia, he was one of the team’s central offensive weapons.

Many NBA players experienced the same transformation.

A player could spend an NBA season as a reserve or role player, then return to his national team and become one of its biggest stars.

That did not mean the player suddenly became more talented.

It was simply a matter of opportunity and tactical responsibility.

This was Mills’ 2nd Olympic appearance for Australia.

His first had come in Beijing, when he was only 17 years old.

Australia’s head coach, Brett Brown, also had strong ties to San Antonio.

The previous NBA season, Brown had worked as one of Popovich’s assistants and helped the Spurs reach the Western Conference Finals.

Before the game, Brown spoke confidently about his team.

"This is a very strong group."

"We are competitive, and we have tremendous fighting spirit."

"I believe all of Australia will be proud of the way we play."

Australia backed up those words in the 1st half.

They played with energy and aggression.

Mills was excellent.

13 points.

5 assists.

At halftime, China led 48 to 40.

8 points.

Not nearly enough to feel comfortable.

Chen had finished the half with 15 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds.

For almost any other player, that would have been an excellent all around performance.

For Chen Yan?

It felt strangely quiet.

Chinese fans watching the game all seemed to be waiting for the same thing.

Chen’s explosion.

They wanted him to take over and put Australia away.

At the broadcast table, Charles Barkley shook his head.

"Australia is playing harder than people expected."

Kenny Smith nodded.

"People looked at Spain and Russia as the dangerous teams in this group and assumed Australia would be easier."

He glanced at the halftime score.

"But there are no easy games at the Olympics."

The 2nd half began.

And almost immediately, the moment Chinese fans had been waiting for arrived.

Chen changed gears.

Australia’s first possession ended with Brad Newley trying to make a play.

Chen read it perfectly.

Steal.

Clean.

He exploded into the open court.

Mills sprinted back and tried to get in front of him.

Chen slowed slightly near the perimeter.

Instead of attacking the rim, he rose for a trailing 3 pointer.

Mills contested.

It did not matter.

The size difference was too great.

Swish!

51 to 40.

The moment the ball dropped, Chinese fans could feel it.

Chen looked different.

Locked in.

Dangerous.

Australia inbounded.

Chen began retreating toward defense.

Then suddenly stopped.

Turned.

Accelerated back toward the ball.

He had already anticipated Mills’ passing lane.

Dive.

Reach.

Steal!

Chen secured possession and immediately fired a 1 handed pass toward Liu Wei.

Then he sprinted toward the rim.

Liu Wei looked up.

Both hands.

Lob.

Among China’s current guards, Liu was one of the better passers, probably behind only Chen himself.

The ball floated toward the basket.

Chen took off in stride.

Catch.

Boom!

Alley oop dunk!

53 to 40.

Australia called timeout.

Less than 30 seconds had passed in the 3rd quarter.

China had already hit them with a devastating burst.

During the timeout, Mills understood exactly what was happening.

Australia could not allow this to continue.

Sometimes a basketball game did not collapse over an entire quarter.

Sometimes it took only 1 or 2 minutes.

Someone needed to respond immediately.

If this had been San Antonio, Mills would have been behind Duncan, Ginóbili, and Parker in the offensive hierarchy.

This was different.

For Australia, Mills was one of the first options.

He had to step forward.

When play resumed, he did.

Mills controlled the ball on the perimeter.

2 Australian big men repeatedly came up to screen for him.

Left.

Right.

Another screen.

Mills moved toward the right wing.

At roughly a 45 degree angle beyond the arc, he finally saw the opening.

Stop.

Rise.

3 pointer.

Swish!

53 to 43.

Mills clenched his fist.

That basket mattered.

Australia desperately needed something to stop China’s momentum.

China returned to offense.

Liu Wei brought the ball toward the top and handed it to Chen.

Chen caught it.

His intention was obvious.

He was taking this possession himself.

Australia immediately became tense.

Brown knew Chen too well from the NBA.

The moment he saw the isolation developing, he jumped from his seat.

"Double him!"

He pointed toward Chen.

"Double!"

Mills and Newley immediately closed in.

Chen did not pass.

Instead, he calmly dribbled backward 1 step.

Create space first.

Then read.

Chen looked at the 2 defenders in front of him.

He had already made his decision.

Attack.

Hard push off the left foot.

Drive right.

This was one of Chen’s favorite ways of breaking double teams in the NBA.

Newley turned and stayed with him.

Mills tried to follow.

But Newley’s body unintentionally blocked Mills’ path.

That tiny bit of traffic was enough.

Chen suddenly stopped near the right side of the arc.

About a 60 degree angle.

Pullup.

There was even a slight fade to the shot.

Newley stretched out his arm.

Too late.

Swish!

56 to 43.

8 straight points from Chen to open the half.

Chinese fans erupted.

"There it is!"

"That is the Chen Yan we were waiting for!"

"That shot was ridiculous!"

"Ridiculous for anyone else!"

"He cannot miss!"

Compared with his controlled approach in the 1st half, Chen was playing much more aggressively now.

The fans loved every second of it.

As Chen ran back, he repeatedly nodded toward Mills.

Part celebration.

Part response.

Part provocation.

Mills had just hit a 3.

Chen had answered immediately.

In the NBA, Mills had been a role player facing Chen.

On the international stage, he had become Australia’s star.

The result against Chen remained the same.

China rode that momentum throughout the 3rd quarter.

With Chen leading the attack, Australia’s defense began to crack.

By the 4th quarter, the game had become little more than a formality.

Final score:

China 91.

Australia 75.

Australia’s resistance had finally collapsed.

China had won its 3rd consecutive group stage game.

Chen finished with 40 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds despite barely playing in the 4th quarter.

...

On August 4, China faced Brazil.

Brazil was not as strong overall as Spain or Russia.

That did not mean the game was easy.

They created plenty of problems for China before eventually falling 81 to 72.

This time, Chen did not need to carry the scoring load.

He finished with 19 points and 9 assists.

The star of the night was Yi Jianlian.

Yi was on fire.

10 of 13 from the field.

He also added his free throws and finished with 24 points.

China had now won 4 straight.

Only 1 opponent remained.

Great Britain.

The host nation had already lost its first 4 games.

Within Group B, they had effectively become the team everyone expected to beat.

Jonas used the matchup to conserve energy.

Minutes for several key players were carefully controlled.

Even so, China won comfortably.

71 to 59.

5 games.

5 victories.

China had completed the group stage undefeated.

1st place in Group B.

Their quarterfinal opponent would be Lithuania, the 4th place team from Group A.

Lithuania was still a dangerous opponent.

No team remaining in the Olympic knockout stage could be treated casually.

But compared with the other major teams from Group A, including the United States, France, and Argentina, Lithuania was already the most favorable matchup China could have hoped for.

The group stage was over.

China had entered London with enormous expectations.

Now they had backed them up.

5 straight wins.

1st place in the group.

And the real battle was about to begin.

....

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