"Because it was my first time competing against an NBA star, I needed time to adjust," Li Feng replied.
"You only needed a quarter to adjust?" the reporter asked incredulously.
"Heh, I suppose so. The intensity of previous games wasn't as high as today's, which gave me a new perspective on entering the NBA in the future."
The reporter curiously asked, "Many players go straight into the NBA from high school. Do you have any thoughts about entering the NBA early?"
Li Feng shook his head without hesitation and said, "I won't. I still need to help Davis College achieve better results with Stephen!"
The reporter was taken aback. He knew about Curry, but at the moment, Curry's fame wasn't as great as Li Feng's.
If it were before the Olympics, Curry's fame would have been much greater than Li Feng's.
"Li Feng, how is your relationship with Stephen?"
"We have a very good relationship. We talk on the phone frequently, and we've already made plans to train together after the Olympics to prepare for the NCAA!"
The reporter nodded excitedly, "I've watched Stephen's games, and his three-pointers are incredibly accurate. If you two team up, I believe you'll put on a very exciting performance!"
Li Feng smiled, "I'm looking forward to it too. The media even calls us the 'Splash Brothers,' which is quite interesting."
The reporter repeatedly agreed, "Yes, yes, I've heard that too. The 'Splash Brothers' nickname is great. I predict you'll reach the Final Four in the NCAA!"
Li Feng countered with a slight arrogance, "I'm not satisfied with just the Final Four. Our goal is to win the championship!"
The reporter admired Li Feng's ambitious goals and praised him, "Alright, then I wish you success in reaching the finals and winning the championship!"
...
An hour later, the awards ceremony began.
The Chinese players stood on the silver medal podium.
Although they narrowly missed out on the gold medal, the players had given their all and had no regrets.
To lose to the Dream Team by just one point was also a testament to their strength!
The superstars of the Dream Team showed great respect to the Chinese players, embracing and congratulating each player.
Great opponents forge great games!
...
After the match, the Chinese players gathered again, organized by Yao Ming.
Through the Olympic games, the camaraderie among the players had deepened.
Yao Ming and Li Feng's relationship became even closer. Little did Yao Ming know that Li Feng was secretly using the system's [Repair the Great Wall] to help him recover his stamina.
However, some things still required Yao Ming to act on his own, so Li Feng shared his thoughts with him.
If Yao Ming had heard Li Feng's suggestion before the Olympics, he would not have taken it seriously and would have just laughed it off.
But after several games in the Olympics, Yao Ming had already sensed the arrival of the small-ball era.
Gaining weight was definitely unwise for a center.
Therefore, when Li Feng mentioned it, Yao Ming readily agreed.
"You're right, Li Feng. I do need to lose some weight. The pace of offense and defense in basketball is getting faster and faster. If I gain more weight, the risk of injury will likely increase."
"Yes, it's good that you understand!"
Li Feng sincerely hoped that Yao Ming could play for a few more years, extending his career.
As the men's basketball team had won the silver medal, achieving their best result in history, the Basketball Association rewarded the players with a free ten-day trip to Europe.
However, Yao Ming, Li Feng, and Yi Jianlian did not go together; the three of them were returning to the United States.
During their conversations, Li Feng learned that Yi Jianlian was not happy playing for the Bucks and expressed some regrets.
During the offseason, his agent informed Yi Jianlian that the Nets were interested in him and, through offseason maneuvers, had recruited him to the Nets.
Yi Jianlian was looking forward to his performance with the Nets and hoped for improvement.
Li Feng had read many news articles about Yi Jianlian and understood that if Yi Jianlian hadn't encountered the rookie wall and lacked strong mental fortitude in his younger years, his performance would have been even better.
Furthermore, his training methods were also problematic, mainly his slow shooting release, which made him unable to adapt to the NBA's rhythm.
If he could correct his training methods, Yi Jianlian would definitely be able to succeed in the NBA.
Li Feng not only had high expectations for his own career but also hoped that more and more Chinese stars would play in the NBA and bring glory to the country!
Of course, Yi Jianlian would not have listened to Li Feng's suggestions before.
Through this Olympic Games, Yi Jianlian was immensely impressed by Li Feng.
As the three were chatting, Li Feng heard the system's voice in his mind again.
[Ding, system notification, host has received a new mission!]
[Host will receive skill fragments and honor points by awakening Yi Di and helping Yi Jianlian regain his mentality!]
Li Feng was overjoyed. Even if the system hadn't issued a mission, he would have wanted to help Yi Jianlian more.
Now, it was killing two birds with one stone.
Li Feng shared Mike's shooting training methods with Yi Jianlian, encouraging him to train diligently, which would be of great help to him.
In addition, Li Feng also told him a lot about American behavior patterns, as Yi Jianlian's somewhat reserved personality made communication with teammates difficult.
Although Yao Ming's personality was also introverted, he expressed himself differently in various situations, possessing very high emotional intelligence.
Therefore, a small part of Yao Ming's success was due to his personality, which must be acknowledged.
Yi Jianlian was very grateful to Li Feng because what Li Feng said was more precious than gold to him.
Although Li Feng had not yet joined the NBA, it was obvious to everyone that Li Feng, like Duncan, was already destined to be a superstar!
Two days later, the three flew to the United States and then went their separate ways.
They exchanged contact information and agreed to call each other frequently and communicate more.
...
Upon returning to Davis College, Li Feng received a warm welcome.
Through this Olympic Games, Li Feng had become a major celebrity at the school.
Being able to compete so closely with the Dream Team VIII already indicated that Li Feng possessed the strength to enter the NBA.
This was great news for Davis College.
As a smaller school, Davidson College had not produced an NBA superstar in a long time.
However, they didn't know that the 2009 draft class would not only produce Li Feng but also another superstar, Stephen Curry!
The students of Davis College placed high hopes on Li Feng and Curry.
The last time they reached the NCAA finals was forty years ago.
As soon as Li Feng returned to his dormitory, he received many notes, passed on by other classmates.
The notes were love letters from underclassmen, which made Li Feng smile wryly.
Although he was popular among the girls at school before, his fame was not nearly as great as it was now.
Being handsome and skilled, his female fan base naturally grew exponentially.