Public opinion from the outside world fermented for a while, with many mocking Zhao Feiyang, but more Bay Area fans spoke on his side.
Especially the Golden State Warriors. After discovering that there were bad signs in this matter, the team's head coach Steve Kerr took the initiative to express his position.
"We're all grateful for the wins Zhao brought to the team... He's a great guy, and even if he ends up parting ways with us, it's just another path in his career... Anyway, We all know that if he is there, it will be easier for us to win the championship..."
Stephen Curry also commented on his social media.
"Oh! I asked why I felt so hot during that period. It turned out that Zhao lent me his state... It's a pity that I can't play with this guy, but I know he is mine. Brother, you will be happy because of my victory..."
Klay Thompson did the same, joining Andre Iguodala in speaking out.
"Zhao is my favorite opponent. He is a very powerful guy. Even if we win, he will applaud his opponent. How many people can do this?"
"I love playing with Zhao! Now that he has found his own way, I am looking forward to playing against him next time..."
Zhao Feiyang's good popularity played a huge role.
Originally, some extreme Warriors fans were still trolling, but these Warriors players all stood up to express their stance. They really had no reason or position to continue the trolling.
Of course, there are also some fans from other cities who are watching the fun and don't mind the big deal.
For example, some Cleveland fans left messages in the comment area below the news.
"You guys...didn't you just see that Zhao signed with the Timberwolves? If you had been so arrogant earlier, he might have joined us..."
"Yes, if Zhao joins us, the strength comparison between the two teams will definitely change dramatically..."
"Zhao is a man... He dares to choose a more difficult path. At this point, I even think he is braver than LeBron... But of course, I still like LeBron better. , who makes me a Clevelander? I prefer LeBron to help this city bring a championship trophy..."
While there are endless controversies abroad due to various news, in China, the national men's basketball team has completed the first phase of training and has begun to enter the second phase of actual combat.
Considering that the opponents this time are all teams from Asia, except for Australia and New Zealand, which are more threatening, other Chinese men's basketball teams have played against each other before and won most of the time.
Therefore, when the national men's basketball team selected its opponents for the warm-up match, it specially found some European teams to compete against. Of course, these European teams are not the main players of each team, but a temporary patchwork of second- and third-tier players. Even so, the opponent's strength cannot be underestimated.
Game day.
Warm-up match between China Men’s Basketball Team and Lithuania Team.
Before the game started, Xin Guotao, as the head of the Basketball Association, personally walked to the locker room to inspect. As soon as he opened the door and walked in, he saw the team's new coach Xu Lei exhorting the players.
"We cannot lose today's game. The Lithuanian team is not weak, but this time they are not the main players. They are all brought over from their domestic leagues, and there are even some amateur players..."
"If we lose even this kind of opponent, then we won't even say that we are from the national team when we go out. I really can't afford to embarrass this person..."
Xu Lei is a veteran of the national team and the head coach of the CBA team.
During my three years of coaching in the CBA, the team's record has always been at a middling level, with occasional above-average performances.
He didn't win any championships, but he had a wide network of contacts in the circle. Even Yao Ming, who was about to enter the Basketball Association, would respectfully call him "senior" when he came.
His coming to coach the national team was also the result of internal discussions within the national team.
The most important thing is that he has a good relationship with Xin Guotao. The two had friends more than ten years ago. But later on, Xin Guotao gradually climbed up the ranks, and he went to work in various clubs and gradually embarked on the path of coaching.
"well said!"
As soon as Xu Lei finished speaking, Xin Guotao, who was standing at the door, quickly stepped forward. He looked at the players and gave instructions, "This time the opponent is indeed not strong. It's not that I don't believe in everyone's strength, but we need to A good start..."
"So you must play hard. What I can guarantee is that you will definitely win this game..."
"The fans need confidence, and the Basketball Association also needs you to perform well..."
After the training ended, Xin Guotao and Xu Lei soon walked outside the locker room.
When the two were alone, Xin Guotao chatted seriously with Xu Lei, "What's going on? Why did you bring so many people from your team this time? If you do this, the public opinion outside will be... ....."
Before Xin Guotao finished speaking, Xu Lei interrupted him, "Old Xin, it's not what I want to do! Don't you know these guys in the national team? Those who have a little bit of strength are very arrogant. If I don't bring more How can your own team control them?"
"How can we fight against those who don't have the advantage? At least the young people in our team listen to me...and we're playing against Asian teams! What's the problem? Most of them can't beat us, so don't worry. Already..."
Seeing Xu Lei's persistence, Xin Guotao didn't say anything else.
Soon, the national team men’s basketball game began.
Throughout the first half, everything looked normal.
The Lithuanian team was indeed improvised, but their strength was very strong, and their personal level was quite good. Therefore, in most of the first and second quarters, the Chinese men's basketball team did not gain an advantage, but was defeated by the opponent. Keep pressing and beating.
At the end of the first half, the two sides were tied at 30-40.
The nearly 10-point gap worried many Chinese fans watching the game.
After all, this is an international league, each quarter is only 10 minutes long, and the total score is not too much. The 10-point gap is not too small. If you are not careful, you may be completely pulled away and never catch up.
However, everything suddenly changed with the arrival of the second half.
The Lithuanian team, which was originally in good shape, not only replaced some of its core players, but also specially sent in all the substitutes. Even so, the substitutes continued to make various mistakes. Some of the mistakes were unbelievable even for the fans, not to mention the players.
"Holy crap! You can drop this dribble? Are you kidding me? It's so inappropriate for a professional player to make such a mistake..."
"This doesn't look right! How could a ball like this be missed? Even an amateur like me can do it..."
"Why did the score difference catch up so quickly? The Lithuanian team withered so quickly?"
There were exclamations at the scene.
Fans also found that the game was getting worse and worse. The performance of the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team did not get better, while Lithuania's performance continued to be bad. Relying on this change, the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team actually caught up with them by accident.
