nycdaug Chapter 711 Strategic Abandonment!
Chapter 711 Strategic Abandonment!
"Give up the game against the United States!"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone in the meeting room changed slightly.
This is especially true for the uniformed groups in China.
If Ben Sullivan hadn't been brought to the Nets by Wang Xiucheng, and if Wang Xiucheng hadn't paid for him himself, these people would probably have already started swearing.
Surrender before the battle even begins?
What is this behavior?
This is the act of a coward!
On the battlefield, this would be a capital offense!
Ben Sullivan noticed the expressions on everyone's faces and sighed softly.
He knew that this would be everyone's reaction if he said it, but he still said it.
“I know what you think, but as a great man once said, fight if you can win, run if you can’t.”
“It’s not shameful to back down. If backing down is for the sake of an even bigger victory, I think it’s not wrong.”
Yao Ming, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up: "Provide more details."
"Let me ask you this: do you want to fight the US team to the death, or do you want to conserve your strength and have a chance to get third place in the third-place match, and a chance to stand on the podium?"
"The podium?" The uniformed staff were all taken aback.
Yes, we've already made it to the semifinals. Even if we lose the semifinals, we still have a bronze medal match.
A bronze medal!
That's someone who deserves to stand on the podium!
The group exchanged glances, and even saw a hint of excitement in each other's eyes!
Although third and fourth place may seem like only one position apart, it's the difference between winning a medal and not winning one.
And as everyone knows, there are many events in the Olympics, but the most prestigious ones have always been a few major ball sports, such as football and basketball.
Especially for the Chinese team, these are events they have never even dared to dream of.
Ben Sullivan is now implying that the Chinese team has a chance to reach the podium?
"I only said there's a chance, not a certainty," Ben Sullivan quickly explained, looking at the somewhat agitated crowd.
"I don't think the Chinese team has any chance against the American team. Of course I know the Chinese people's resilience and never-give-up spirit. The Americans knew this from the Korean War."
"But sports competitions, like war, require strategy."
"It's going to be very difficult for us to win against the US team, so we might as well just give up, let our key players rest, and wait for our last game of the Olympics, which is the bronze medal match."
"That's when you'll be risking your life!"
This time, no one spoke; they just listened.
Two female clerks were taking notes nearby, their eyes filled with shock as they looked up from time to time.
"The other semi-final is between Germany and France. They were originally in the same group as us, so we already know their strength very well."
"These two teams are at the same level. They beat us by 1 point and 4 points respectively in the group stage."
"This time they meet again, and in order to advance to the finals, they will definitely give it their all and fight to the death with their opponent."
"The one who loses will be badly injured and may even suffer a significant psychological blow."
"If we encounter a team like us who are well-rested and ready, I think we have a chance to make up for that 1 point, or even 4 points, gap. What do you think?"
Everyone's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
That's right, isn't this a classic case of "the fisherman reaping the benefits"?
If you let two equally matched countries like Germany and France fight each other hand-to-hand, regardless of the outcome, both will be badly wounded.
At this point, facing the Chinese team at its full strength again, the outcome is uncertain.
"That's settled then. Let Guo Shiqiang and I discuss it some more."
Yao Ming finally spoke up.
Soon everyone left, even the two women who were taking meeting minutes.
Only Yao Ming and Guo Shiqiang remained in the meeting room.
“Ben Sullivan was thinking the same thing as us,” Yao Ming said, taking a sip of water and frowning.
Yao Ming and Guo Shiqiang had discussed this matter beforehand, and they agreed to strategically forfeit the game against the US team.
Let the key players, especially Wang Xiucheng, rest for two days and wait for the final bronze medal match.
However, neither Yao Ming nor Guo Shiqiang could talk about this.
Even if their strategy is correct, they can't say it.
Otherwise, Chinese fans would definitely criticize them to death.
For fans, playing against the US team is a fight to the death, even if it means dying standing up!
Gold and bronze medals are nothing compared to a big battle with the US team. Even if we know we're going to lose, we can't back down!
Therefore, they could not speak about this matter themselves, but could only do so through Ben Sullivan.
Ben Sullivan is American, so even if he gets criticized for saying this, it doesn't mean much to him.
For the Chinese team, if they can actually stand on the podium, it would be an unimaginable and perfect ending!
However, the only point right now is Wang Xiucheng's opinion.
"Judging from Wang Xiucheng's personality, he's afraid he won't agree!" Yao Ming scratched his head in distress.
……
July 8, late.
The two semifinal matches of the Paris Olympics began one after another.
In the first match between France and Germany, Germany defeated France 73-69 with a somewhat controversial last-minute goal, becoming the first team to advance to the final.
The two teams met once in the group stage, with Germany easily defeating France 85-71.
Both teams had already qualified for the next round, so they weren't under any pressure, and the scoreline wasn't very relevant.
In this semi-final, amidst the cheers of over 15,000 French fans, France once again lost to Germany.
French fans were disappointed, but still applauded the French team after the match.
The entire French team remained in the stadium. After resting in the locker room, several members of the French coaching staff and coaches stayed to watch the upcoming semi-final match.
At 9 p.m. Paris time (3 a.m. Beijing time), amidst the attention of Chinese fans and the cheers of over 3000 Chinese fans at the stadium, the match between the United States and China began.
China's Chinese team fielded an unexpected starting lineup.
Apart from Wang Xiucheng, the other four are all substitute players who rarely played in previous matches.
Even Tao Hanlin, whose role wasn't playing basketball, was in the starting lineup, which is something everyone in China knows is his job.
Zhou Qi, Li Kaier, Cui Yongxi, and David Muoka sat at the back of the bench, without even taking off their jerseys.
Although Yang Yi and others had already leaked information before the match, saying that the Chinese team would field a semi-main lineup.
But when they actually saw it, many fans were still taken aback, followed by a barrage of insults.
Coward!
The Chinese team, facing the American team, actually retreated without a fight and surrendered!
Immediately, a lot of insults and slander began to spread online.
But even after you've finished criticizing, you still have to watch the game.
At 3 a.m., most of the people who are still watching the game are genuine fans who care about Chinese basketball.