Chapter 5: The National Team Debut

Since he was about to return to his home country, a farewell was naturally a necessity. Lin Fei first thought of that girl.

"I am returning to China for some matches. Any interest in visiting China?" Lin Fei asked the girl.

The girl opened her eyes wide, a look of reluctance filling her face. "My schedule is already fully booked. I suppose I won't be able to make it over this summer."

"Haha, whenever you have free time, just come over! You have no idea that you are the dream lover of Chinese boys. You should go to China and hold a concert sometime! I guarantee I'll be there to support you, and I promise your Chinese fans will be extremely enthusiastic," Lin Fei said with a smile.

"You didn't even invite me to watch you play! You said you would teach me how to play basketball, but you haven't taught me yet," Avril pouted slightly.

"Haha! Very soon! Just a few games, and I'll be back."

Their conversation sounded ordinary, but the underlying sentiment was quite clear.

Lin Fei hurried back to China, and not many people even knew about it. National team administrative staff and relatives went to the airport to greet him for a few matches. Unexpectedly, no one knew who had leaked the news, but when Lin Fei arrived, fans completely surrounded the airport, forcing authorities to deploy special personnel to maintain order.

The banner they raised actually bore this phrase: "The Chinese Men's Basketball Team Needs You to Save It!" It felt as though the national team was on the verge of collapse. Yet, in truth, it really did seem somewhat that way. After Yao Ming's retirement, the Chinese men's basketball team seemed to have lost its backbone. Yi Jianlian, who had been heavily invested with high hopes, felt somewhat impressive in appearance but lacking in substance; despite carrying the reputation of having lingered in the NBA for so long, he rarely produced any decent results, which was very disappointing. In contrast, Lin Fei's emergence was refreshing. At the same time, many of Yi Jianlian's fans felt aggrieved on his behalf. Previously, Yi Jianlian had always lived under Yao Ming's shadow, and now Lin Fei's appearance was likely to usurp Yi Jianlian's core position within the Chinese basketball team. Many even said that Yi Jianlian and Lin Fei were likely incompatible, because Lin Fei would consume a large number of shooting opportunities, while Yi Jianlian was a player who absolutely required the ball. Although one was an inside player and the other an outside player, there would inevitably be some conflict regarding ball possession and the timing of shots. Of course, this was merely a hypothesis, and the specifics would depend on how well they gelled together.

Speaking of this, it had to be said that in the history of the Chinese team, there had indeed been a fast, agile, and smart style of play. However, ever since China produced powerful interior players like Wang Zhizhi, Yao Ming, and Yi Jianlian, the Chinese team had virtually abandoned that style. Now, with Lin Fei, if they were to reintroduce it, it remained to be seen what kind of effect it would produce.

A week later, the Chinese team would have a match against their opponent, New Zealand.

During training sessions, Lin Fei practiced alone, seemingly needing to first adapt to the atmosphere and tactics of the national basketball team.

In the team scrimmage, which lasted for just a single quarter, Lin Fei was sent onto the court with four minutes remaining in the game. He entered as a substitute for the substitute team. Being matched up against Liu Wei, things instantly became interesting. Lin Fei controlled the ball in the backcourt, executed a crossover and acceleration, and bypassed Liu Wei directly. Liu Wei was left dumbfounded; he had never seen a point guard in the domestic league move with such speed and sharp execution. Having slipped past Liu Wei, Lin Fei sprinted rapidly to the frontcourt. By this time, even Yi Jianlian had reached the backcourt. Dribbling the ball to the three-point line, Lin Fei raised his hands and shot directly, sinking the basket. This move perfectly preserved his playing style from the Warriors.

This was merely a fleeting glimpse, and in the remaining minutes, Lin Fei failed to score again. Perhaps having gone without a game for so long, his shooting touch was not quite ideal.

In the team, Lin Fei somehow felt a bit like an anomaly. From training to playing, and even in coordination with his teammates, he did not blend in well. Come to think of it, perhaps this was not so strange; after all, Lin Fei's arrival was different from everyone else's. While other players had advanced step by step, in the eyes of ordinary people, Lin Fei looked like a player who had reached the heavens in a single bound, striking it rich overnight. To put it bluntly, whether it was a sense of envy or jealousy, the treatment Lin Fei received was laced with a hint of ostracism. When a player cannot integrate into a team and lacks a certain foundation of interpersonal connections, it is often difficult to gain a foothold in that team. Yet, Lin Fei continued to persistently try to adapt. Even so, many people still claimed that Lin Fei exhibited a sense of arrogance.

Soon came the match where the Chinese men's basketball team faced New Zealand. Unexpectedly, Lin Fei did not get to play, leaving him feeling deeply depressed. Yi Jianlian scored a team-high 23 points, Liu Wei contributed 18 points, Wang Shiping added 10 points, and Sun Yue chipped in 8 points, yet the Chinese team lost the match. Even Lin Fei himself had not anticipated that after returning with such high spirits, he would be benched. To say the least, he was an NBA-level player, yet he didn't even get to step onto the court.

Looking at the overall game, the Chinese team's tactical approach was still centered around interior offense because they had Yi Jianlian. Liu Wei seemed to be a point guard custom-configured for Yi Jianlian, yet he only managed 4 assists, and the Chinese team's offense still failed to open up.

Many fans even started cursing angrily. Not using an NBA-level fierce warrior—was that not practically begging to lose? In truth, those people simply did not understand the Chinese men's basketball team. Sometimes, the deployment of a player on the Chinese team was subject to numerous reservations. Even the current head coach of the Chinese team, Bob Donewald, sometimes had no say in the national team's player selection and lineup arrangements.

Watching such a match was depressing enough for the fans, let alone for the person directly involved. Furthermore, for someone like Lin Fei, who possessed an extremely strong desire to win, an overwhelming urge to take the court, and an intense craving to score points, wouldn't it be even more agonizing?

Yet Lin Fei could only offer himself a bitter smile. In the national team, he was merely a rookie, and rookies are rarely utilized immediately upon arrival. Back in the day, even Yao Ming was once directly cut by the national team. Besides, when he first entered the NBA, didn't he spend the better part of a season warming the bench? Now he had merely sat on the cold bench for a single game; it was no big deal.

Sigh! Actually, this was just self-consolation. Deep down in his heart, Lin Fei really wanted to shout out loud: Damn it, staying in this national team is stifling, and watching the game is even more stifling.

However, a sense of honor helped Lin Fei endure it all. Grumbling was natural, but taking action was the absolute truth.

At this moment, his elder brother figure, Yao Ming, actually called Lin Fei again.

"I heard you kid are feeling quite depressed staying in the national team?" Yao Ming inquired, expressing his concern for Lin Fei.

"Haha, what are you talking about? It's alright! It's already great just being able to join," Lin Fei said very modestly.

"Don't sweat it. You can't fool your big brother. Just hang in there slowly! The national team has the national team's rules. If there's anything you don't understand, just let your big brother know." Yao Ming clearly cared a lot for this younger brother, evidently cultivating Lin Fei with the desire for him to be a "successor."