Guards: Curry, Harden, Lillard, Thompson, DeRozan

Forwards: Durant, Leonard, George, Harrison Barnes

Centers: Drummond, Green, Miles Turner

The 12-man roster was filled with stars, and more importantly, this was George's first time representing the United States since his serious injury with the national team.

"That was an accident, and it won't happen again. I look forward to bringing the world championship back for the United States," George said in an interview before the expedition.

These words greatly boosted the morale of the American team and made American fans excited.

George's participation was not only a demonstration of the strength of the American team, but also an embodiment of the patriotism they had been promoting.

It is no exaggeration to say that this American team may not be the strongest in history, but the public's attention and expectations for them were the highest in history.

They were more eager than ever for the national team to regain the world championship and reproduce the glory of the Dream Team.

However, it was not only American fans who were looking forward to it; judging from the World Cup rosters of various countries, every country felt the same way.

Although this was just the World Cup, its star power was no less than that of the Olympic Games.

One reason for this was that the American team lost the 2016 Olympic Games. Another reason was Tang Tian's retirement, and a further reason was that FIBA moved the World Cup time forward to August.

Under the influence of many factors, the popularity of this World Cup far exceeded the first one in Spain.

Beijing time, August 15, the Men's Basketball World Cup officially opened at the Water Cube Gymnasium.

Kung fu superstar Jackie Chan, world-class pianist Lang Lang, and a host of other stars presented gifts to the opening ceremony.

FIBA officials and representatives from various countries also attended the opening ceremony.

The Chairman also attended the opening ceremony. As it was the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, this Basketball World Cup was of extraordinary significance.

To put it bluntly, if the Chinese team could reproduce the glory of the Rio Olympics and win the Men's Basketball World Cup as the host, it would definitely be the best gift for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the country.

At the end of the opening ceremony, Yao Ming, chairman of the Basketball Association, appeared holding the World Cup trophy.

His face was full of radiance.

In recent years, Chinese men's basketball has developed rapidly, from the draft to basketball schools, the opening up of foreign aid system, and Tang Tian's existence inspiring more people to devote themselves to basketball.

China's basketball population is showing an explosive growth.

It is no exaggeration to say that if the men's basketball team can win the World Cup at home, then basketball's influence in China will reach an unprecedented level.

A scene of prosperity.

After the opening ceremony, the competition would start the next day.

The Chinese men's basketball team would also usher in its first opponent in the World Cup on this day, the Argentine team.

The situation of the Argentine team was very similar to that of the Brazilian team. The former golden generation had retired one after another, and Ginobili had become the chairman of the Argentine Basketball Association.

With the old and new alternating, and the lack of successors, in the eyes of most fans, this Argentine team and the Brazilian team were here for training in this World Cup.

Fans were also full of expectations for the Chinese team to win their first World Cup victory.

The Chinese team's game was scheduled for the evening. Earlier, five other games in other groups started one after another.

This also included Poland and Nigeria, who were in the same Group A as the Chinese team. The game between the two teams took place in the afternoon.

Poland returned to the World Cup after 52 years. Although the star power was relatively weak, it was ranked 18th in the ranking given by FIBA.

Nigeria has a number of NBA players and is ranked 11th.

In addition to the Argentine team ranked 8th, the group where the Chinese team was located was not the best group as many fans thought.

In the afternoon game, the coaching staff and players of the Chinese men's basketball team were present to watch.

After the game started, the two teams quickly fell into a fierce battle.

The Nigerian players were obviously stronger, but their cooperation was very poor.

This was also a characteristic of African basketball. Although their skills had improved, the overall level of basketball still needed time to improve.

On the other hand, the Polish team showed the style of European team basketball, and their tacit understanding on both offensive and defensive ends was very good.

The team's number one star, Ponitka, also performed very well.

This scoring guard, who was selected for the Nike World Basketball Summit with Guo Ailun in 2011 and led the Polish youth team to the final in the U17, was one of the best guards outside the NBA, although he did not play in the NBA.

After the first half, relying on their overall tactical literacy, the Polish team unexpectedly led the Nigerian team by a large score of 43 to 32.

Ponitka scored 15 points alone, with a shooting percentage as high as 70%.

There are no weak teams in the World Cup, and there are no weak teams in Europe.

The Chinese team will play Argentina tonight, and the next game two days later will be against Poland.

Watching this game, it is necessary to get this preventive shot in advance.

"The next game will be easier," Li Chunjiang said, turning to Tang Tian at this time.

What he said about being easier was not only about strength, but also about qualifying situation.

If Poland wins tonight and gets a win, then as long as they win one of the Chinese team and the Argentine team, they will have a high probability of qualifying.

Judging from the strength ranking, it is obviously a more suitable choice to fight Argentina.

"Poland may not win."

Tang Tian shook his head.

Nigeria was a little careless in the first half, and the head coach used 11 players to rotate, and the players' condition on the field was a problem.

However, there are also advantages to this rotation, that is, the physical fitness will be very sufficient in the second half.

The physical quality of black people is the strongest of all, as long as they use their physical strength to improve the intensity of defense, it is very terrifying.

On the other hand, on the Polish team's side, although Ponitka performed well, he basically didn't rest much in the first half.

As one goes down and the other goes up, just like he said, Poland may not win.

Li Chunjiang smiled and said nothing.

Although Tang Tian is the number one player in NBA history, he is not a coach after all, and he doesn't see the situation on the field as clearly as he does.

After the half-time break, the second half of the game continued.

The Nigerian players' expressions were obviously more serious in the second half, and they also obviously strengthened their defensive intensity after returning to the court.

I have to say that race is also a huge talent in basketball. Aminu's block, Metu's dunk over someone, Okogie's dunk 2+1.

Nigeria's performance was completely different from the first half.

The Polish team obviously suffered a loss in talent and was a little unable to resist.

In Li Chunjiang's surprised eyes, Nigeria gradually caught up and finally overtook the score, and maintained the advantage until the end.

In the end, Nigeria won after losing, and after playing an excellent second half, defeated Poland 72-65 and won the first victory of the World Cup.

After the game, Li Chunjiang couldn't help but give Tang Tian a thumbs up. Sure enough, the gap between CBA and NBA can also be seen in the coaches.

Tang Tian just smiled, but his phone rang.

After he answered it, his face changed drastically. He left the stadium in a hurry without even saying hello, leaving Li Chunjiang stunned in place.

What happened?