Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 1108 Your King Zhang has arrived!

This year's men's basketball team has basically completed its overhaul.

Of those who participated in the 04 Olympics, only about one person remains, and of those who participated in the 08 Olympics, half the number has been reduced.

Apart from Lin Tian, ​​only Dazhi, Yi Jianlian, Wang Shipeng, Zhu Fangyu, Sun Yue, and Xu Yong participated in the 08 Olympics, which is exactly half.

The remaining five players are Zhang Zhaoxu, Yi Li, Ding Jinhui, Guo Ailun, and Zhou Peng. Finally, Lin Tian is added to make up the 12-man team of this year's Chinese men's basketball team.

Others, such as Liu Wei, Du Feng, and Li Nan, have already left the national team, and some have even retired to become coaches.

For example, Lin Tian saw an old acquaintance among this year's assistant coach lineup: Li Nan, nicknamed "Little Flying Dagger."

When Lin Tian arrived at the men's basketball training hall, the whole team had just finished practicing the previous round of events and were sitting there resting. In front of everyone, a very familiar old man with a beer belly was enthusiastically shouting and yelling with the help of a translator.

Old Nelson!

This old man has become a men's basketball coach? When did this happen? Lin Tian had no idea.

"I have a surprise for you," Yao Ming said with a smile. "It took us a lot of effort to get this old man to come out of retirement. The main reason was that since I can't play, the team's run-and-gun offense would be more suitable."

"Let me guess, you guys said I'd definitely hit him, that's why he agreed, right?"

"That's how it is." Yao Ming did not deny it.

"When was it decided?"

"Back in April this year!" Yao Ming grinned, indicating that they had already started taking out loans a long time ago!

"This is outrageous!" Lin Tian couldn't help but curse. "You tricked your way into hiring the coach of this national team, and you morally blackmailed the team's core players into joining."

"They have absolutely no shame!"

"Well, he still has some pride," Yao Ming laughed heartily. "Didn't you see that Director Li didn't dare to come? He's too embarrassed to see you."

"Brother Lin! Brother Yao!" Yi Jianlian was the first to spot Lin Tian and Yao Ming chatting and immediately came over to greet them.

The others quickly spotted the two and immediately surrounded them.

These two are the backbone of the team! Even if Yao Ming doesn't play, with Lin Tian on the court, these young guys have confidence!

Confidence in winning the championship and the gold medal!

"If you don't come soon, I'm leaving." Old Nelson also walked over and looked at Lin Tian, ​​saying, "They said you specifically appointed me as head coach, and that if I didn't come, you wouldn't come either. But when I got here, I couldn't find you."

"I thought I'd been scammed!"

"You guys have completely overturned the stereotypes that foreigners have about us Chinese people being hardworking, diligent, and honest." Lin Tian rolled his eyes at Yao Ming and then ignored this shameless guy who had somehow become so brazen.

Wasn't this bastard shy, awkward, and clumsy when he was chasing Ye Zi?

How did it become such a mess?

Lin Tian was cursing inwardly, but he said to the young men and old Nelson surrounding him, "Our first game starts in three days, right? It's against Angola, isn't it?"

"These three days are crucial for us to get to know each other better and find our rhythm. Then, we can use the matches as practice to solidify our form! Throughout the group stage, we need to coordinate well and play seriously so that we can surge forward in the knockout stage and sweep all the way through!"

"Gold medal! Here I come! We only have one goal: the gold medal!"

"Understood!" Whether they were young players or veterans, after Lin Tian's simplest instructions, they all raised their heads, straightened their chests, and shouted out.

Only the Chinese themselves truly understand what Lin Tian means to the Chinese team. With Lin Tian there, the soul of the Chinese team remains, and they have the confidence to defeat all opponents.

Especially in the current Chinese team, even the oldest player besides Lin Tian, ​​Da Zhi, is still Lin Tian's little brother, a few years younger than Lin Tian. As for the others, they are either Lin Tian's little brother or Lin Tian's little brother's little brother.

In short, with this team, if Lin Tian says one thing, no one will disagree!

The most obvious example is that Lin Tian did not participate in the training camp or the warm-up matches, and only rushed to report to the team a few days before the Olympics. If it were anyone else, it would cause a lot of dissatisfaction in no time, and the team might even have internal strife.

But in the Chinese team, this never happened at all, not at all.

The players will only feel excited because Lin Tian has joined the team; they won't feel anything else.

They'll just think, "Lin Tian's here, we're safe."

As for why people feel he has special privileges or are resentful because they feel he is receiving special treatment.

That's completely untrue.

Do you even understand Lin Tian's standing in the hearts of the Chinese players?

Especially the new members of the team, the young guys who hadn't played with Lin Tian before.

Guo Ailun, Zhang Zhaoxu, Ding Jinhui, and Yi Li—these guys either had never played with Lin Tian before, or were just his sparring partners during training camps—had their eyes light up when they saw Lin Tian; they found it unbelievable.

Are we really going to be teammates with Lin Tian? Is it really true?!

For example, Liu Wei, the undisputed main player and core point guard of the men's basketball team for the past few years, knew early on that the team would rejoin the national team with Lin Tian and would reserve a spot for him.

However, because Lin Tian returned late, the veteran had to step in and train with the team to help them in matches. Liu Wei was officially eliminated from the team the day before Lin Tian returned.

How did Liu Wei react to this situation?

He stated that he must eliminate himself so that promising young players like Guo Ailun can play more, accumulate experience, and learn from Lin Tian. He emphasized that he should not be embarrassed to eliminate himself because of things like status, personal relationships, or saving face.

Even during this period, the most painful and agonizing thing for Liu Wei was that, as Lin Tian's temporary replacement, in order to help the team adapt to Lin Tian's style, he racked his brains to imitate Lin Tian, ​​but always felt that he couldn't imitate him well enough.

Hmm, it's normal that it doesn't look like it.

But apart from this incident, Liu Wei has never been troubled by anything else.

Right now, this guy is sitting with Yao Ming, whispering something to each other. But judging from his expression, he looks incredibly happy and carefree, embodying a spirit of selflessness.

This is Lin Tian's status.

With him around, the entire Chinese team will not need to hesitate or waste any words; they will definitely follow his lead without hesitation.

"Well then," Old Nelson said after the group finished their pleasantries, coughing lightly, "Time is tight. We only have three days to train together to get to know Lin and let Lin get to know us. So for the next few days, our training will consist of only one session."

"Live-fire drills!"

"Everyone will be randomly matched with anyone. We will try our best to help Lin Meng develop chemistry with as many teammates as possible and find a sense of teamwork."

"Then, when we get to the group stage, we'll use the games as practice, replacing training with matches, to let Lin find his rhythm until he's fully integrated into the team."

"Alright, everyone, is there a problem?"

"No problem!"

Everyone shouted in unison.

"Alright, Lin, let's begin! Let's get straight to the practical application."

Old Nelson's decisive personality allowed him to immediately organize the team's training, quickly dividing the 12 players into two groups, with the remaining two who were not selected temporarily serving as referees.

His training regimen is also very simple: two groups of people score 21 points, then rest for 3 minutes, then regroup and completely shuffle the groups, and score 21 points again!

This was also the thing that the Chinese team did most in the following three days.

At first, Don Nelson was worried that Lin Tian, ​​who hadn't played with most of the team members since 08, might encounter some problems and be unable to integrate into the team as a whole.

After all, Lin Tian's teammates in the NBA were Kobe, Durant, and Bynum, but what about Lin Tian in the Chinese team?

Apart from Xu Yong and Yi Jianlian, who have NBA-level skills, and the aging Wang Zhizhi and Sun Yue, who have never been able to realize their potential, who are barely qualified to be NBA benchwarmers, the rest of them really don't even have the level of the NBDL.

The difference is too great.

Playing chess with a terrible player can easily make you a terrible player too.

But after these few days of almost non-stop training matches, Old Nelson was surprised to find that Lin Tian's integration speed was astonishing!

This guy barely integrated; he simply and naturally became a member of the team.

On the first day of playing together, Lin Tian was still a bit rusty and made some mistakes. When making positioning and passing, he was unable to execute good teamwork because he was not familiar with everyone's habits.

But this problem almost completely disappeared starting from the second day.

Lin Tian remembered where his teammates liked to receive the ball, where they were good at shooting, which direction they preferred to run in when moving, and whether they preferred to drive or shoot after receiving the ball...

Lin Tian remembered all of these.

In the second day of practice, Lin Tian's mistakes dropped sharply, and his passes became increasingly smooth. In particular, the younger players who hadn't played with Lin Tian much before were amazed by his passing.

This feels so good!

Lin Tian's pass was exactly what he was thinking.

They want the basketball to appear in a certain position at a certain time, and the basketball will definitely appear in that position at that time.

After receiving the basketball, all you need to do is use your most comfortable and natural posture to put the ball into the basket.

It's so relaxing, so comfortable.

By the third day, Lin Tian's team was no longer undefeated and on a winning streak in practice matches.

He's reached a point where he can dominate the game no matter who he's paired with.

Because he not only remembered when his teammates liked to receive the ball and shoot, but also where they disliked or were not good at receiving the ball and shooting.

When he's on defense, he always manages to appear in the most uncomfortable and painful spots for his opponents, forcing them to make a huge number of mistakes.

Indeed, they are players in completely different leagues.

Just as Old Nelson had thought, except he hadn't expected Lin Tian's adaptability to be so strong; Old Nelson even had a misconception.

When Lin Tian played with Zhu Fangyu and Wang Shipeng, it seemed no different from when he played with Kobe and Durant.

This guy's offensive and passing organization is so smooth and silky that his teammates can always easily benefit from it.

Even so, even though the two had worked together for four years, and even though Old Nelson knew Lin Tian very well and knew exactly who he was, he was still shocked by how quickly Lin Tian integrated and adapted.

Given Lin Tian's integration speed, the team doesn't even need any planned practice through matches.

You're overthinking it completely.

In the group stage, Lin Tian was able to lead the team to sweep all the way, directly bringing out their strongest form.

"Seriously, he's terrifyingly strong."

Over the course of three days, old Nelson once again came to a conclusion he had reached long ago.

Lin Tian is a monster.

Starting from the last night of the team's training, Don Nelson stopped messing up the team lineup and having everyone randomly team up.

He singled out five people: Yi Jianlian, Zhu Fangyu, Xu Yong, Sun Yue, and Lin Tian, ​​and sent these five to fight against the other seven.

As expected, these five players will become the starting five for the Chinese team at the upcoming London Olympics.

Don Nelson's favorite and most proficient fast-break combination was a big man and four small men, a combination of explosive physical talent.

These five players are basically the fastest, best shooters, and most physically gifted players on the Chinese team.

Don Nelson believes that these five players together will definitely give all teams a vivid lesson in run-and-gun offense on the world stage!

The following day was the opening ceremony of the Olympics. The entire Chinese men's basketball team made an appearance. When the higher-ups learned that Lin Tian had actually made a comeback, they immediately invited him to be the flag bearer again without hesitation. He was a world-class superstar who was extremely rare in the entire Chinese Olympic team.

Of course we should let him show his face.

Unfortunately, Lin Tian declined Nelson's suggestion, saying that he needed to conserve his energy and prepare to win a gold medal for the country.

Despite his unconvincing and empty words, the higher-ups didn't criticize Lin Tian or extend another invitation. Perhaps they knew Lin Tian was the kind of person who couldn't be persuaded otherwise; they simply asked one question and then never mentioned it again.

In the end, it was someone from the basketball team who became the flag bearer; Yi Jianlian replaced Lin Tian as the Olympic flag bearer.

Then, the entire opening ceremony and the program that the British prepared for the opening ceremony, how should I put it?

Lin Tian thought he could sleep with him too, since he was a piece of shit anyway.

It was terrible! He had never seen such a bad Olympic opening ceremony!

Leaving aside the grand and epic opening ceremony in Beijing in 08, even compared to Sydney in 00 and Athens in 04, London this year's ceremony was incredibly awful.

It's likely that only the Tokyo and Paris Olympics can compare to this one.

All I can say is that the British aesthetic sense is just as terrible and disgusting as their cooking.

Following the opening ceremony, the Olympic Games officially began, with competitions for various teams and events in full swing.

Popular sports such as football, which have long cycles, many matches, and high public attention, started even before the opening ceremony.

Basketball is also one of the key sports with a long schedule and many games, so the group stage of basketball actually started the day before the opening ceremony. It's just that the Chinese team had a good draw and didn't have to play a game right away. Their first game was the day after the opening ceremony.

That means it will take place tomorrow afternoon.

Their first opponent is Angola, who fought their way through the playoffs to reach the Olympic Games.

Next, the Chinese team will face Australia, Brazil, France, and Great Britain in succession.

The group assignments are quite favorable to China.

Because the top three teams in this Olympic Games are generally recognized as China, the United States, and Spain.

Then those two groups were separated.

Next up in the second tier are Argentina and Lithuania, who were placed in the next group.

On the Chinese side, apart from Australia which has some strength, the other teams are all weak and insignificant. At least on paper, they are no match for the Chinese team or the teams in the neighboring group.

Of course, if Lin Tian hadn't made a comeback and rejoined the national team, the Chinese team wouldn't be so highly regarded, and they certainly wouldn't be able to be ranked alongside the United States and Spain. They would be just another mediocre weak team.

But now that Lin Tian is involved, the situation is different.

The opponents in the same group are basically all amateurs.

Angola is a familiar rival of China.

I've been taught a lesson by the Chinese team in major international tournaments many times, and I've also participated in the Stankovic Cup several times, only to be taught a lesson by the Chinese team again. In addition, there are some friendly matches, scrimmages, and warm-up matches, so these two teams basically meet every year.

However, Lin Tian had not been in the national team for four years, and African teams tend to change their squad very quickly. So when the Chinese team met Angola again, Lin Tian basically did not recognize any of the Angolan players.

Well, of course, even if it were the same group of people he had met and fought back then, Lin Tian wouldn't recognize them at all.

These guys are so dark-skinned, it's impossible to tell their lips from their noses when they're not smiling. It would be a miracle if anyone could tell them apart.

During the warm-up match, Lin Tian was even more certain of the confidence of these people, a confidence he had never seen before.

The Angolan team didn't warm up much. The guys lined up in an orderly fashion and took photos with Lin Tian one by one.

Some people were carrying basketballs, some were carrying jerseys, some were carrying sneakers, and some were carrying posters.

After taking a photo together, you get an autograph and two encouraging words from Lin Tian: "Work hard and keep going."

The Angolan players were overjoyed.

After the last player took a photo with Lin Tian, ​​the guy who had been taking pictures and looked like the team's assistant coach also came over and shook hands with Lin Tian.

This guy seemed quite calm, like he'd seen it all, and wasn't as excited as the others.

All I can say is that a coach is a coach, they're different.

However, this guy's composure only lasted until that point.

As Lin Tian looked at his face, he suddenly said, "Aren't you called Olympia? We used to fight together back then."

"You know me!" The assistant coach was stunned. This guy was indeed Olympio, the former Angolan star and top scorer who had competed against Lin Tian back then.

Immediately afterwards, Olympia's tears flowed: "You actually remember me! I've always remembered the times we competed together, and I even dream about it from time to time. Those were the most wonderful times and matches of my life!"

No, buddy, there's no need for that.

Lin Tian was stunned when he saw the man burst into tears.

What are you doing?

Fortunately, Olympia only shed a few tears and didn't hug Lin Tian for a long reminiscing session. Instead, she chatted briefly to express her feelings before turning and leaving.

But what you can see is that when this guy turned around and went back to his own players' area, he was incredibly arrogant, his chin practically touching the ceiling.

Because this guy was both considerate and tactful, Lin Tian didn't expose him when he was bragging.

Lin Tian clearly heard what this guy said: "He remembers that I once scored a 3-pointer over his head." "He said it was a pity that I was able to play in the NBA."

Anyway, he didn't make any exaggerated claims, so let him have some fun.

Lord Lin is kind-hearted. (End of Chapter)