Chapter 117 The Asian Championship Ends

September 2nd, Fukuoka International Sports Center, Japan.

This stadium, which had previously suffered from low attendance rates, was unusually packed today because the Chinese and Japanese teams met early in the Asian Championship quarterfinals.

In the 90s, although Takehiko Inoue's "Slam Dunk" became a precious memory for countless Chinese born in the 80s and 90s, no matter how exciting "Slam Dunk" was, it couldn't solve the fact that basketball had a small audience in Japan.

In addition, after the Chinese men's basketball team began its era of dominance in Asia, it monopolized the Olympic tickets for nearly 20 years. Therefore, the status of Japanese basketball in the Japanese sports circle has never been high.

And in this Asian Championship, believe it or not...

Apart from the Chinese team's games, even Japan's own games struggled to exceed 50% attendance.

And the reason why the Chinese team's games had high attendance...

Wasn't because Japanese basketball fans wanted to admire the style of this Asian galactic battleship in person.

It was purely because the local Japanese girls in Fukuoka...

Were very interested in Su Feng, this handsome guy who walked out of a manga.

Speaking of which, on the court, while the players from both teams were warming up before the game...

In the commentary booth, reading the roster of the Chinese men's basketball team, Japanese commentator Takeda Hiko expressed his envy, saying:

"The main players of this Chinese team are not only seasoned veterans, but even the substitutes are well-known players in Asia."

Beside him, commentator Nakamura Hikosuke sighed and said, "What a truly terrifying team!

Can you believe that their aces...

Players like Yao Ming and Su Feng are only 19 and 21 years old respectively this year?"

Hearing this, Takeda Hiko shook his head and said, "For the next ten years, it will be difficult for Asian basketball to produce a team that can fight against this Chinese team!"

It is worth mentioning that before the start of this game, Su Feng was almost "struck by lightning" when he noticed the promotional slogans for this game in Fukuoka...

Because although Su Feng couldn't speak Japanese, he could still roughly understand the Japanese written on the promotional posters.

Like "The Tyrannosaurus Rex of the Empire"...

Can you believe that this is the nickname the Japanese gave to Little Yao?

And something like "The Strongest Active Player from the Galaxy"...

Seriously, for a second, Su Feng felt like he was about to transform into a Saint Seiya and save Athena.

However, although these slogans were extremely chuunibyou (delusional), you could also see the Japanese's inherent worship of the strong from the side.

As the Chinese men's basketball team's first knockout match, compared with the previous group stage and rematch, the entire men's basketball team also showed a "high" degree of attention to this quarterfinal.

For example, in order to investigate the strength of Michael Takahashi, a naturalized player on the Japanese team, Hu Weidong had gone to watch the Japanese team's game in person before.

And then...

If Hu Weidong's evaluation of Michael Takahashi were translated into commonly used internet language in the future...

It would probably be like this:

That's it?

A player like this is worthy of being called the "Japanese Jordan"?

There was no other way...

If you want the men's basketball team to go all out in Asian-level competitions, then you'd have to let the Koreans naturalize Kobe.

Of course, although Michael Takahashi's level was not very good in Hu Weidong's eyes, after watching the Japanese team's game, Hu Weidong believed that the Chinese men's basketball team should still pay a little attention to a Japanese scoring guard.

And this scoring guard will also be one of the legendary figures in Japanese basketball in the future.

---- Ori Takehiko.

The 29-year-old Ori Takehiko is 190 cm tall, weighs 77 kg, and has a fairly accurate shooting touch.

And Su Feng wouldn't be unfamiliar with his name.

Because in the future, this guy continued to play until 2020, ending his career at the age of 50.

Moreover, in 2011, Ori Takehiko was removed from the Japanese professional league because the team he was on went bankrupt...

So, in order to continue his career, Ori Takehiko took out all his savings and founded a new basketball club.

It has to be said that Ori Takehiko is indeed a fanatical basketball enthusiast.

And on the court, when he noticed that Ori Takehiko was guarding him tonight, Su Feng couldn't help but take a few more glances at this guy.

"Su Feng-jun, although my strength is far inferior to yours, I will definitely let you see my love for basketball that is no less than yours...!"

When he noticed Su Feng's gaze, Ori Takehiko looked up at Su Feng and suddenly said to Su Feng in his very non-standard English.

Su Feng: "..."

Hey, enough!

I'm not the male protagonist of a shonen manga!

Ahem, let's get down to business.

Unlike the previous games, the Chinese men's basketball team fielded a lineup of Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi in the starting lineup for the first time tonight.

On the forward line, Su Feng and Hu Weidong partnered.

In addition, Li Xiaoyong was still responsible for shouldering the blame at the point guard position.

"I used to think that Takahashi was a tall and strong player.

But this time, standing with Yao Ming of the Chinese team, I feel that Takahashi is like a middle school student." In the commentary booth, Takeda Hiko said with emotion when he noticed Yao Ming and Takahashi, who were preparing to jump for the ball in the center of the court.

"This is the terrifying thing about the Chinese team!

They not only have a height that surpasses you, but in terms of mobility, Yao Ming's mobility far exceeds that of other interior players in this competition!" Nakamura Hikosuke added.

"Speaking of which, Su Feng hasn't played much in this competition. Is it because he doesn't take Asian-level competitions seriously?" Takeda Hiko said curiously.

"Perhaps this is the arrogance of an NBA emperor. If you want me to use my full strength, you must at least have that qualification!" Nakamura Hikosuke said.

On the court, while the two Japanese commentators were explaining to the Japanese fans in a chuunibyou manner, Little Yao easily defeated Takahashi in the jump ball.

The Chinese men's basketball team started the first attack, and Li Xiaoyong was responsible for dribbling the ball past half court.

Before the start of this game, although the public opinion in Japan generally believed that the Japanese men's basketball team could already tap out, it was obvious that the Japanese players on the field still wanted to try to create a miracle tonight.

Only...

On the court, the moment Li Xiaoyong passed the ball to Su Feng, Ori Takehiko, who was responsible for guarding Su Feng, didn't even have time to react before Su Feng disappeared in front of him.

Many years later, Ori Takehiko recalled his matchup with Su Feng in an interview.

"It was really like a gust of wind. You only felt a light breeze blowing in front of you, and Su Feng had disappeared without a trace."

Bang!

In the restricted area, a one-handed dunk from Su Feng after breaking through!

At this moment, Mount Fuji seemed to have been split in two by Su Feng!

"In Toronto, Canadians once said that Su Feng is their light of the North!

And today, at the beginning of the game, this 'light of Asia' has shone!" Commentator Takeda Hiko explained.

(Canadian fans: We don't remember saying such chuunibyou things?)

"What a shocking performance, even in manga, I have never seen such an explosive dunk!" Nakamura Hikosuke also said with emotion.

In the stands, this sports center that can accommodate more than 5,000 people was already immersed in the mental shock brought to them by Su Feng's opening dunk.

Turning around, just as the Japanese team was about to complete a three-point play through passing and cutting...

As the Japanese team's core outside offensive player, Ori Takehiko, who originally thought he had shaken off Su Feng, was about to shoot...

When he saw that terrifying figure again!

This is...

Ori Takehiko, who chose to shoot forcibly, watched Su Feng directly confiscate the basketball he threw from the air!

Immediately afterward, after landing, Su Feng directly accelerated and crossed the court like lightning.

Usually in the Japanese team, Takahashi, as a naturalized player, has not given these Japanese players with average physical fitness fewer so-called "violent aesthetics" performances.

However, on the court, when he noticed Su Feng taking off directly two steps before the free throw line and dunking with both hands...

Even Takahashi himself felt the huge gap between him and Su Feng in terms of talent...

Bang!

"Is he really human?" Japanese commentator Takeda Hiko asked.

"Compared to Su Feng, our outside players feel as weak as babies." Nakamura Hikosuke said.

On the court, after scoring two consecutive dunks, Su Feng, hammering his chest, felt that the sweat he had shed during his devil training in the summer was indeed worth it.

Because now, he is a genuine "Toronto LaVine"!

On the court, it was the Japanese team's turn to attack.

Through passing and cutting, the Japanese team found their naturalized player, Takahashi.

However, just as Takahashi was about to turn around and layup, Little Yao, who had been waiting for a long time, directly treated him to a Shanghai Hot Pot block.

"This is simply a wall of sighs. Can we really overcome such a giant to score in this game?" Japanese commentator Takeda Hiko said in surprise when he saw this scene.

"As expected of the Tyrannosaurus Rex of the Empire, Takahashi has no power to fight back against Yao Ming!" Nakamura Hikosuke added on the other side.

On the court, after Little Yao blocked Takahashi, Hu Weidong grabbed the rebound, and then the "Chinese Jordan" himself dribbled the ball to launch a counterattack.

In this life, because of his experience in the NBA, what has really made Old Hu stronger, in Su Feng's opinion, is his confidence and his ability to compete in high-intensity games, rather than his strength itself.

In this play, after quickly dribbling the ball past half court, Hu Weidong raised his hand and threw it without caring whether there was anyone in front of him.

And his shot, in a sense, can even be understood as a blind shot.

Because with Hu Weidong's eyesight, it was impossible for him to see the basket clearly.

Swish!

Hu Weidong made the shot and scored another three points for the Chinese men's basketball team.

7 to 0!

In front of the TV, who knows how happy the Chinese fans of this era are...

Because, don't look at them both dominating Asia, but the Chinese men's basketball team in this life is so relaxed in their playing style.

In the first half of the game, under the joint efforts of the "Su-Hu" duo, the Japanese team's outside line, which they had always relied on, was completely blown up by the Chinese men's basketball team.

Under the FIBA rules, because the FIBA three-point line is shorter, so when shooting three-pointers, people like Su Feng and Hu Weidong, who are already throwing wildly in the NBA...

What concerns are there?

Plus, with Little Yao's rebounding guarantee, the playing style of this Chinese men's basketball team tonight can be completely understood as:

----Just shoot.

In just 8 minutes of the game, the Chinese men's basketball team had already widened the score between the two teams to 25 to 7.

And then, under the successive attacks of Wang Zhizhi, Battier, Little Yao and others...

Because they were afraid of the Chinese team's outside firepower, the Japanese team's already short interior players could only be described as collapsing at the first touch.

During the halftime break, looking at the despairing score, Japanese commentator Takeda Hiko said with emotion:

"Although such a statement is very unfair to the players on the field who have not given up, I think we must congratulate the Chinese team on entering the semifinals in advance."

"This is the strength of the strongest representative of Asian basketball!

Maybe the score of this game will be very humiliating, but losing to such a strong player is not a very shameful thing in my opinion." Nakamura Hikosuke said on the side.

"That's right, after all, even a monster like Shaquille O'Neal has never defeated Su Feng even once in the NBA." Takeda Hiko continued.

"Yes! To be honest, at this moment, even as an opponent, I can't help but look forward to the performance of this Chinese team at the Olympic Games next year." Nakamura Hikosuke said.

"Sydney Olympics?

Well, after reigning over Asia, the next goal of this Chinese team should be the American Dream Team, which has always been at the top of world basketball?" Takeda Hiko said.

"It is said that Asians are not suitable for playing basketball, but whether it is Su Feng or Yao Ming, they have all shown us that Asians can also achieve success in basketball.

Therefore, Chinese team, please continue to move forward with the love for basketball from all Asian teams!"

After the halftime break, because the score difference between the two teams was too large, the result of this game was obviously no longer in doubt.

However, it is worth mentioning that the Japanese players on the field fought until the last second.

It's just a pity that competitive sports still depend on strength.

In the end, 106 to 65, the Chinese men's basketball team successfully advanced to the semifinals with a 41-point victory.

In the whole game, Su Feng played for 19 minutes and got a comprehensive stat line of 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, and 2 assists.

Yao Ming posted a dominant stat line of 24 points, 21 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 5 assists.

And then, the next day, in the semifinal against the Chinese Taipei team, the men's basketball team easily won 105 to 64.

Before this semifinal against the Chinese Taipei team, Taiwanese fans were looking forward to "Taiwanese Jordan" Zheng Zhilong being able to compete with Su Feng...

But after the game, even Zheng Zhilong himself admitted that he and Su Feng were not players of the same level at all.

But don't you say, in terms of strength, Zheng Zhilong is indeed the closest player to Hu Weidong in Asia during this period.

It's just that in this game, under Su Feng's defense, Zheng Zhilong didn't even have a chance to score, and even shooting was difficult for him.

And on the 4th, in the final against the Korean team, the Chinese fans, who were originally looking forward to the Korean team being able to force out Su Feng's strongest form...

Were disappointed.

Because, in this final, the Chinese men's basketball team only spent less than 10 minutes to successfully kill the suspense of the game.

In the end, 109 to 59, the Chinese men's basketball team once again topped the Asian peak with a 50-point victory and a record of seven wins.

And CCTV, Director Zhang also said with emotion at the first time: "This year happens to be the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and coincidentally, the Chinese men's basketball team also won the Korean team by fifty points in the final."

Sun Zhidao smiled and said, "There is a will of heaven in the dark.

This Asian Championship title is the best gift that the men's basketball team has given to the 50th birthday of the motherland.

Let us once again congratulate the Chinese men's basketball team, they successfully won the championship of this Fukuoka Asian Championship and got the ticket to the Sydney Olympics next year!"

And on the court, while preparing to lift the Asian Championship trophy with his teammates, looking at the 135 million shot-miss points he had gained in his mind this time...

Su Feng knew that for this Chinese men's basketball team, the Sydney Olympics next year would be the real test.

Therefore, conquering Asia is not enough to be happy about in Su Feng's opinion.

And next...

How the Raptors should defend their title next season is also a very headache for Su Feng.

In short, the road is long, and only honor accompanies it.

For Su Feng, who is only 21 years old, his career is just beginning...

…

ps: Good early morning!