In 1989, David Stern traveled to BJ, painstakingly bringing the NBA to the East.
In 1993, CCTV broadcast the NBA Finals for the first time.
In 2001, the first Eastern player, Da Zhi, officially entered the NBA, thus paving the way for the progress of Eastern basketball.
In 2006, CCTV first broadcast the NCAA March Madness Finals, with the University of Florida playing against UCLA.
Today, in 2008, it is the first time CCTV has broadcast a non-Finals NCAA March Madness game, also featuring UCLA, but with the difference that UCLA's main lineup now includes a Chinese player... "Welcome everyone to watch the American University Basketball Professional League, NCAA, broadcast by CCTV-5."
The commentary was provided by Coach Zhang and Coach Sun, who are also old partners.
There is still an hour and a half before the game starts, so it is currently in a "warm-up" phase, where the two commentators introduce the rules and system of the NCAA, popularize various historical facts, and explain the players and team history of both teams.
At the same time, scouts from various teams gradually entered the arena along with the audience...
In distant Miami, the Miami Heat's newly appointed young Filipino coach, Spoelstra, entrusted with heavy responsibilities by The Godfather, had just experienced a failed season.
He was sitting in front of the TV with the team manager, who was also his mentor, Pat Riley, chatting casually.
"Which side are you rooting for?" Spoelstra asked.
"I think UCLA will win," Pat Riley did not directly answer which team he supported, but instead stated his judgment that UCLA would win.
Spoelstra looked up at his mentor strangely; hadn't he always highly praised Derrick Rose?
Seemingly sensing Spo's confusion, Pat Riley explained, "I like that Eastern kid, his defense, his three-point shot. I think he can limit Chris Roberts; his physical talent is too good."
Spo was a bit shocked. Although he also liked that Eastern player and had privately learned about Zhao Xiu's rise, he didn't expect Riley to value him so much.
He knew that his mentor had always advocated a "five-forward" lineup for future basketball, and forward players with height, long arms, excellent defense, and a stable shot that could create space had always been favored by Pat Riley.
But then he thought about the Miami Heat's draft this year.
This year's Miami Heat experienced an extremely failed year during his tenure.
Due to Wade's season-ending injury and Marion's poor performance, the Miami Heat quickly turned to a complete tanking strategy.
With a terrible 15 wins, they "steadily" ranked last in the Eastern Conference and the entire league, with a 25% chance of getting the first overall pick.
Therefore, for the Miami Heat, the players they mainly scouted were all players with a chance at the first overall pick.
This included Michael Beasley, who was eliminated in the first round of March Madness, Derrick Rose, whose game is about to start, and OJ Mayo, who is also a super scorer.
Although these three players, projected to be in the top three of the draft, are all primarily scorers, which overlaps to some extent with Wade, and all have many defensive issues, it still comes down to the same point: teams will not dislike a player for not having enough talent; they always hope to get more talent.
However, while observing OJ Mayo in the game against UCLA, OJ Mayo was repeatedly suppressed by Zhao Xiu, and Zhao Xiu simultaneously performed well, thus Zhao Xiu entered Spo's radar during this process.
But it's not to the point of considering drafting Zhao Xiu, is it? He didn't know how Riley paid attention to Zhao Xiu.
Spo scratched his head curiously.
Was Riley planning to use the first-round pick from Indiana to get Zhao Xiu?
Just then, Pat Riley patted Spo on the shoulder and said, "Let's watch the game first and see the performance on the court."
...Old Nelson of the Warriors was also sitting in front of the TV early.
The Warriors' pick this year wouldn't be too high, but this tall, excellent defensive Eastern forward, coupled with a stable three-point shot, perfectly suited Old Nelson's run-and-gun philosophy to the core.
At that time, equipping Baron Davis, the first-generation big beard, and Monta Ellis with a defensive anchor like Zhao Xiu, who doesn't need to hold the ball and has an incredibly accurate three-point shot, would be incredibly comfortable!
He looked at the main players he was observing: Anthony Randolph and Brandon Rush, both tall, long-armed forwards of this type.
"Let's see Zhao Xiu's performance!"
...Supersonics' chief scout, Presti, was also waiting early.
The Seattle SuperSonics selected the highly dominant Kevin Durant from college last year.
This year, they had allowed last year's second overall pick, Kevin Durant, to play freely for an entire year, and Durant delivered a satisfactory performance with visible talent and progress.
How to build a team around Durant was Presti's main concern.
This year, UCLA's starting scorer Westbrook's super offensive ability, and his partner Zhao Xiu's stable three-point shot and defense, as well as the friendly interactions between the two in interviews.
He had a deep understanding of both of them, knowing that they came from the same dorm, lived and ate together, and had an excellent relationship.
Moreover, Presti had thoroughly investigated their growth process and was deeply impressed by Zhao Xiu's extremely rapid growth this year.
This year, the Supersonics have two first-round draft picks: one from their own year of tanking and one from the Suns.
Watching the increasingly tacit agreement chemistry between the two on the court made Presti somewhat eager to act.
However, the final outcome still needs further observation...
At the Alamodome, over 50,000 spectators gathered, half in UCLA's white and half in the University of Memphis's dark gray.
Both sides of fans were unyielding, and both teams were undefeated divisional top seeds throughout March and April.
The colors were distinct, as if two armies were arrayed against each other, shouting and cheering.
In the Bruins' locker room.
Everyone seemed to be back to the time they were waiting for the seed rankings.
Whether it was the steady Captain Collison, Westbrook, or freshman Kevin Love, they were all visibly nervous.
Facing the University of Memphis, they no longer had any psychological advantage, nor any strength advantage.
Both were teams on a roll, and in a clash of titans, it was impossible not to be nervous.
Before entering the player tunnel, Captain Darren Collison routinely gave a speech.
"Guys, this is what we've been fighting for all year. Last year we fell here, we came back, we never give up, and this year we're back on this stage! What are we here for?"
Collison extended his hand into the circle, and everyone else extended their hands, putting them together and shouting,
"Bruins, champions!!"
...Zhao Xiu and the Bruins players walked out of the player tunnel.
"This is CCTV5 Sports Channel, viewers in front of your televisions,
We are now watching the semi-final showdown of the 2007-2008 NCAA Final Four! The two sides are UCLA and the University of Memphis!
Both teams have been undefeated since February.
These two games are considered a preview of the NBA Finals, and the winner of these two teams is even considered to have already secured the championship.
The main star player for the University of Memphis is Derrick Rose, a super player who is basically locked in as this year's top pick.
And Chris Roberts is the University of Memphis's top scorer, and he will most likely directly guard Zhao Xiu in this game.
UCLA's starting five are Darren Collison, Russell Westbrook, Zhao Xiu, Barmote, and Kevin Love!"
The moment he walked out of the player tunnel, the overwhelming noise enveloped him.
Zhao Xiu admitted that his mind was a bit dazed.
The feeling of 5,000 people sitting courtside is completely different from 50,000 people sitting courtside.
He mechanically turned his head and took a deep breath.
He wanted to dispel some of the shock brought by the 50,000 people in front of him, but as his gaze swept across the stands, Zhao Xiu's mind exploded with a "boom" once again.
It turned out that amidst the large expanses of white and dark gray, there were also small patches of red interspersed.
There was no need to think; these must be fans from the East.
San Antonio, Texas, is not a big place, and there wouldn't be many Chinese people here.
Although the red was almost submerged in the arena, it was already conspicuous enough in Zhao Xiu's eyes.
They might have come from all over the country, or from the East, or they might just be Chinese people from Texas.
Zhao Xiu pursed his lips tightly.
He turned his head to greet Coach Zhang and Coach Sun, who were courtside for the commentary, and also smiled and waved to the Eastern fans in front of the television.
Turning around, Zhao Xiu could no longer maintain even a hint of a smile.
Playing basketball in the United States, he hadn't felt much, and many times he was even quite relaxed, just working hard out of pure Love.
But now, Zhao Xiu seemed to feel a fire ignite in his heart.
This game was the first live broadcast of the NCAA watched by Eastern audiences.
"This is a war."
Zhao Xiu quietly said to himself,
"I can only fall, I cannot lose."
On the contrary, Derrick Rose on the court, after greeting Kevin Love and Westbrook, walked forward and shook hands with Zhao Xiu in a friendly manner.
"Hello, Xiu. I hope this is a wonderful game."
Unexpectedly friendly, Zhao Xiu put away his thoughts and shook Rose's hand firmly.
"Hello, Rose. I've heard your name for a long time; today I finally meet you in person."
Rose smiled, seemingly about to say something,
Suddenly, Zhao Xiu immediately followed up with, "We will win today's game."
This was a declarative sentence.
Rose's smile faltered slightly upon hearing this, but it immediately reappeared on his face, though its meaning was somewhat different.
Competitiveness, will to survive, the Windy City Rose.
Derrick Rose was never one to admit defeat.
As the players from both sides slowly returned to their respective halves, accompanied by the referee's whistle, Love and Joey Dorsey began the jump ball.
The NCAA 2007-2008 semi-finals officially began!
Love won the jump ball, and UCLA got the first possession!
Collison took the ball, and the first offensive play was initiated by Collison with the ball.
Love stepped up to set a screen.
In the corner, due to Zhao Xiu's presence, Roberts, who was guarding him, dared not shrink to help defend.
Utilizing Love's high-quality screen, Collison took one step past the screen and directly shot a long two-pointer.
"Clang."
The shot was basically open, but perhaps due to excessive nervousness, Collison's first offensive attempt missed.
Joey Dorsey under the basket steadily boxed out Love behind him, preparing to secure the rebound.
"Boom!"
A thunderous sound erupted!
Just as Collison's shot bounced off the left side of the rim, Zhao Xiu, from the left corner, seized Roberts' momentary inattention and slipped directly past his side.
A powerful two-handed putback dunk!
Zhao Xiu, upon landing, let out a rare roar of celebration, and the white jerseys and scattered red jerseys in the stands instantly rose in unison.
2-0.
"Great play! Zhao Xiu scores with a powerful putback!" Coach Sun exclaimed excitedly.
Coach Zhang next to him was also so excited that he overlooked Coach Sun's "powerful" commentary and chimed in, "This Zhao Xiu, not only does he have a three-point shot that makes people nervous, but he also has an excellent nose for rebounds."
Turning to offense, the University of Memphis's first possession was led by Rose.
Although Roberts was the University of Memphis's leading scorer, since February, Derrick Rose had been the undisputed primary core of the entire Memphis team.
Although Rose's average statistics this season were only 14.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists, his impact on the entire court was unprecedented.
In the Tigers' first offensive play, Rose was not at all intimidated by Zhao Xiu's opening play.
Facing Westbrook's tight defense, Rose faked a small change of direction to the right.
As Westbrook's body slightly followed Rose's movement to the right, Rose suddenly made a large change of direction to the left!
A change of direction without slowing down!
Although Westbrook was still desperately chasing from behind, for two top speedsters, a one-body length difference was an insurmountable distance.
After a no-slowdown change of direction that directly blew past Westbrook, Rose drove towards Love, who came up to help defend, and executed a right-handed scoop shot in the air to avoid the block, ending the offensive play with an elegant waltz.
2-2.
The Memphis Tigers were not significantly affected by Zhao Xiu's opening putback dunk, but the Bruins were indeed shocked at this moment.
No matter how many times Zhao Xiu watched video clips of Rose, or how many times he saw the no-slowdown change of direction, it was still a different feeling to be on the court as an opponent.
The no-slowdown change of direction followed by an aerial scoop finish, or a non-rim-hanging dunk, were signature moves of peak Rose.
The technical movement of the change of direction, coupled with Rose's explosive power, his finishing skills in the air, soft touch, and incredible core strength.
Rose's drive was a work of art, absolutely not comparable to James's tank-like drives.
You could say that both their drives were very powerful, but why is ball sports so highly praised? A crucial factor is its aesthetic appeal.
Rose's change-of-direction drive was a masterwork that combined both aesthetics and threat.
