In the previous Spurs-Rockets game, Zhou Qi had twisted his knee in the final matchup.
It had looked minor at the time, but news came out yesterday that the sprain was serious and he was expected to be sidelined for six months.
He would have to wait until at least October, during the new season Pre-season, before he could return.
In other words, he definitely would not be able to play in this year's Men's Basketball World Cup.
This news was devastating, both for him personally and for the China Team.
The China Team only had three capable big men for Major Tournaments: Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhelin, and Zhou Qi. Now that one of them was injured, the problem had become serious.
Zou Yuchen had originally been a promising prospect, but he had suffered a severe injury years ago during a Warm-up Game.
"Shen Zijie is pretty good, and Abudu can play Power Forward too. I think world basketball is moving toward smaller, quicker, more agile lineups that emphasize shooting. This isn't fatal."
Zhou Qi being unable to play was already a fact. Tang Tian said those things to give Yao Ming confidence.
What he could not say was that, in history, Zhou Qi had performed terribly at this World Cup. There had even been jokes like "Yao sighing over Qi" and "Nan resigning over Qi's mistakes."
Even though those might not happen again with him around, from the perspective of someone who knew the future, Zhou Qi being unable to play might not necessarily be a bad thing.
Tang Tian's persuasion had its effect.
Besides Zhou Qi's situation, there was another matter related to the Men's Basketball World Cup.
Before this, Yao Ming had privately discussed the national team's Head Coach selection with Tang Tian.
Because it was a