Chapter 394: A Historic Moment, Advancing to the Semifinals!
A triple double, clutch shots, and another win, Chen Yan gave everyone a new reason to talk.
The Olympics sat at the top of the sports world, and during these weeks, every movement inside the arenas felt like it belonged to the whole country. People who normally never watched basketball were suddenly tracking box scores, replay clips, and tipoff times. As China kept winning, Chen Yan's name climbed from basketball circles into everyday conversation.
For years, when people talked about Chinese basketball, the first name was always Yao Ming.
Now there were 2.
Of course, the noise came with backlash.
Some critics tried to dismiss Chen Yan as a media creation, claiming he had not won anything for the national team and was just a hero packaged for headlines.
That argument only worked if you ignored the obvious.
He had the résumé, NBA champion, Finals MVP. And on the Olympic stage, he was not surviving on hype. He had already dropped 50 plus in a game, and he had produced an unprecedented run of triple doubles that had never happened in this tournament.
Even other athletes were paying attention.
A well known Russian triple jump star, Tatiana, told reporters she found Chen Yan genuinely charming and would be open to dating him if the opportunity ever came. A 19 year old American high jump standout, Allison, went even further, saying she had followed him since the NBA and joked that if they ever ended up together, the result would be a "super athlete."
In the Olympic Village, the chatter spread the way it always does at major events. The women's volleyball team talked about him more than once during breaks. They just kept it quiet, the way domestic teams usually did.
…
A day later, the official group standings were finalized.
Group A
Argentina
Lithuania
Croatia
Australia
Group B
United States
China
Spain
Greece
Group A looked a little different than the original expectations. With China surging, the entire tournament dynamic shifted. Nobody wanted a knockout date with the host team, Spain, or the Americans, so the fight for seeding turned into a real sprint. After a bruising group phase, Argentina finished on top.
China's quarterfinal opponent was Croatia.
Croatia once stood on the Olympic podium, silver in Barcelona in 1992, but the program had faded over time. They missed 2 of the last 3 Olympics, and their best known active NBA name, Gordon Giricek, was already out of the national team picture.
That did not make them harmless.
Croatia could get hot from deep in a hurry. They had shooters who could turn a game into a 60 percent three point avalanche. But that also meant they were volatile. If the jumpers fell, they were dangerous. If they did not, they could unravel.
The knockout round began on August 22.
Croatia's starting lineup Roko Leni Ukić, Marko Popović, Marin Rozić, Marko Banić, Stanko Barać.
Chen Yan had not heard most of those names before this tournament. He had watched film, learned tendencies, and came to the same conclusion Jonas did. Croatia did not have a single overwhelming individual threat. Their offense lived on flow, movement, and outside shooting.
The opponent was not overwhelming, but Chen Yan still treated it like a trap.
Single elimination meant one bad night and a flight home. To remove risk, he spent 25 honor points before tipoff and used a status improvement card.
…
The game opened tight.
Both teams played cautious, almost tense, and the first 3 possessions ended scoreless. On the 4th possession, Marin Rozić finally broke the deadlock with a corner 3.
Chen Yan answered immediately, and answered loud.
He hit a 3 and drew contact, finishing a 3 plus 1 that jolted the building.
At the end of the first quarter, China led 26 to 21.
Once the feeling out phase ended, China began to pull away in the second.
Chen Yan pushed the tempo, scoring on back to back fast breaks, clean, direct, and ruthless. Croatia wanted a rhythm game. China dragged them into sprinting.
On defense, China's length mattered. Sun Dasheng, Chen Yan, and Zhu 8 all had size advantages on the perimeter. Croatia lived on jump shots, so the mission was simple, chase, contest, and do not give clean airspace.
At halftime, China led 45 to 34, up 11.
…
The second half turned into a slow squeeze.
Croatia's offense stayed inconsistent. Their outside shot never found a real groove under China's pressure. Meanwhile, China spread the floor and made the game easier. By the time the third quarter wound down, 5 different Chinese players had already hit a 3.
Even the bench joined the party.
Du Feng and Wang came in and knocked down outside shots, turning a competitive quarterfinal into something close to a controlled scrimmage.
At the end of the third, China led 68 to 48, up 20.
In the fourth, Croatia finally hit a few jumpers, but Chen Yan and Yao Ming answered by stabilizing both ends. Croatia's body language started to sag, and with 7 minutes left, the fight drained out of them.
Jonas read it and pulled the starters.
On the bench, the Chinese players were laughing, talking, and finally breathing. For them, this quarterfinal was easier than the group stage games. That was the strange benefit of surviving the toughest group. If you broke out with a high seed, the first knockout matchup often looked lighter.
The final score was 89 to 70.
China rolled past Croatia and advanced to the Olympic semifinals.
Chen Yan finished with 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. The game never demanded a full takeover, and he did not force one.
China also had 5 players in double figures. Yao Ming scored 15. Wang Zhizhi scored 13. Yi Jianlian scored 11. Zhu 8 scored 11.
When the final horn sounded, every Chinese player rushed toward midcourt.
Chen Yan stood there for a moment, listening, letting the noise wash over him. Yao Ming threw his arms up and roared. Yi Jianlian smiled, a little shy, then hugged teammates one by one. Zhu shadowboxed the air like he had just won a title fight.
They were not celebrating Croatia.
They were celebrating history.
For the first time ever, the Chinese men's basketball team had reached the Olympic top 4.
No matter what happened next, this group had already carved its names into the sport back home.
Within minutes, the headlines flooded in, ready and waiting.
"A Historic Moment, China Reaches the Olympic Semifinals!"
"Total Control, China Cruises Past Croatia!"
"A Golden Generation Led by Yao Ming and Chen Yan, One Step From a Medal!"
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