The scene shifted to the World Cup opening ceremony. The chairman attended, Yao Ming held the championship trophy in his hands, and the fans erupted in cheers.
The host nation's momentum reached its peak.
With the World Cup about to begin, the camera suddenly cut to Tang Tian receiving an urgent phone call.
Then came the news that he would miss the opening game against Argentina.
And after Tang Tian's absence, the China Team suffered a heavy defeat to Argentina in the Opening Game.
Following that loss came a series of overlapping postgame media reports.
The China Team's qualification prospects became perilous. They had even lost by such a large margin that, even if they reached the Top 16, they would be in an extremely disadvantageous position.
Meanwhile, the other championship favorites all cruised to victory. Spain won by more than twenty, Serbia by more than thirty, and the USA Team won by over forty.
A montage of the Dream Team, followed by American fans celebrating wildly on social media.
In FIBA's latest strength ranking, the USA Team remained firmly at the top, while the China Team fell out of the top eight in one swoop.
As the music played, the film's rhythm reached a peak before suddenly plunging to its lowest point.
The lines that had originally converged also split apart.
Shen Zijie sat in the locker room without leaving, his eyes filled with confusion.
Although Li Chunjiang trusted him deeply, he had played terribly in this game. He had been completely dominated by Scola on the defensive end and had accomplished nothing on the offensive end.
Yi Jianlian stayed behind for extra practice after the game, but before long, his foot began to hurt. He had no choice but to stop and let the team doctor massage it