Originally, fifty million US dollars could only finance 10% of the shares. But under Tang Long's impassioned speech, he managed to raise fifteen percent of the shares with sixty million!
Don't underestimate the difference of just 5%. Based on the future stock price of Tesla, one share would be worth over two thousand US dollars, far more valuable than Twitter!
Tang Long was unwilling to miss this opportunity. He finalized the contract in Long Country while Musk was still on his flight back to the United States. Tang Long had already transferred twenty million US dollars into his company's account!
After spending these twenty million, Tang Long's accounts were completely empty.
He really needed to take on more endorsements!
For the past two days, brands like Adidas, Nike, and CK were all waiting for his performance in the Olympics. The better he performed, the more they would pay.
Although they paid more, they also received more in return.
Everything still depended on his results in the Olympics.
After the group stage, the rankings in Group A remained largely unchanged. Argentina still led with 4 wins and 1 draw, while the Kangaroos were third.
Due to Tang Long's exceptional performance, Group B was topped by Long Country, with the United States in second place. This meant the knockout stage would see Long Country face the Kangaroos, and the United States face Croatia!
The Kangaroos were considered old rivals of Long Country. They had played several friendly matches against them before.
At that time, the poor results in the friendlies were heavily criticized by the media, who believed Long Country was not adequately prepared. They were suppressed by the Kangaroos in friendlies and would perform even worse in the official matches!
Who would have thought that Long Country would eventually enter the knockout stage as the top seed of Group B.
On the afternoon of the 20th, the starting lineups for both teams were released.
Long Country's starting five remained the same: Tang Long, Yao Ming, Da Zhi, Yi Jianlian, and Sun Yue.
The Kangaroos, with Bogut returning from injury, had some changes to their lineup. They fielded Bogut, Nelson, Newley, Barlow, and Anste.
Everyone knew before the match that this was Nelson's last Olympics, so both Long Country and the Kangaroos showed him a certain degree of respect before the game.
With the advancement to the knockout stage, the number of viewers from Long Country increased significantly, as each subsequent match represented a miracle in the history of Long Country basketball.
Furthermore, Tang Long's duel on the 19th had set the entire internet ablaze with discussions.
As a result, the viewership for this match surpassed that of the highly popular Football World Cup, becoming the international event with the highest viewership!
Of course, if the opponent in this match had been the United States, the viewership might have been even higher.
...
"Bogut is back, so we still need to be careful of him. His physical condition is excellent, and most importantly, he plays a very tough game. His fierce style of play has earned him some fame at the center position."
"In addition, his passing ability and court vision are also top-notch among centers!"
"Although his individual scoring ability is average, his rebounding is excellent, especially in physical confrontations. Most players can't withstand his tough play in the paint!"
Coach Zhang first introduced the players from the Kangaroos that deserved attention, then continued, "Besides Bogut, Nelson is also an old opponent for everyone!"
"This Bogut is also Yi Jianlian's former teammate."
Old Bai chimed in, "Yi Jianlian should know this guy well, which is good news for us."
Yang Yi sighed, "I don't know if you noticed earlier, but Yi Jianlian only exchanged pleasantries with Bogut. They seemed to be just exchanging formal greetings, like colleagues in the workplace, only saying hello out of courtesy!"
"But look at Tang Long, whether he meets his Cavaliers teammates or other familiar players, he always greets them warmly. Hugs are also indispensable. In this regard, Yi Jianlian still has a lot to learn from Tang Long!"
"Yang Yi is absolutely right. You need to integrate into their culture to build rapport with your teammates."
Coach Zhang also added, "Right now, he doesn't seem very happy in the United States, and he cooperates less with his teammates. If this continues, he'll get fewer opportunities with the ball, making it difficult to get much playing time."
"Actually, speaking from our perspective, if he were like Tang Long, Yi Jianlian would probably not be Yi Jianlian anymore."
The commentators couldn't help but sigh.
Sometimes, a person's personality is precisely what makes them likable. If they were to change, perhaps people wouldn't accept them.
"Let's get back to the game!"
Coach Zhang steered the conversation back. "Earlier, when the Kangaroos played a friendly match against the United States, the US only won by eleven points with Bogut on the court. At that time, the US team was playing with their All-Stars, so besides paying extra attention to Nelson, we can't give Bogut too much room either!"
Of course, it wasn't just the commentators reminding the players to take this guy seriously. Coach Jonas and Captain Guo also placed great importance on the players from the Kangaroos who played in the NBA.
They had repeatedly emphasized this before the game, and even as they took the court, Jonas was reminding the players not to fear confrontation, and that in crucial moments, they should score in areas where the opponent was weak.
The Kangaroos were not the United States; they had a full opportunity to dominate them.
Therefore, Jonas started with a 1-3-1 zone defense, with Yao Ming guarding the paint, primarily to defend against the Kangaroos' perimeter offense.
*Beep!*
With the referee's whistle, the match between Long Country and the Kangaroos officially began.
At the start, Tang Long showed a tough demeanor, driving into the paint to challenge Bogut.
As an old opponent, Tang Long knew that Bogut could sometimes be a bit reckless.
His fearlessness in confrontation meant that he often gave his opponents opportunities.
Bogut indeed stepped up as Tang Long drove in.
Tang Long missed the shot, but he drew a foul on Bogut.
Tang Long's free throws were consistently stable, and he made both, a good start.
Following this, the Kangaroo players initiated a fast break. However, just past half-court, as Nelson was attempting a play with Newley, Tang Long stepped forward and stole the ball!
Then, Tang Long unleashed his high-speed dribbling. The Kangaroo players couldn't keep up with the lightning-fast Tang Long.
4-0.
After being scored on twice in a row by Tang Long, the Kangaroos started to show some impatience. The coach on the sidelines yelled, urging his players to calm down and not be led by the nose by the Long Country players.
The Kangaroos slowed down their offensive pace and played more patiently.
However, Newley's layup missed, and Yao Ming grabbed the offensive rebound. Following that, Tang Long and Yao Ming executed a pick-and-roll, and Yao Ming made a mid-range jump shot!
6-0.
This initial surge had clearly caught the Kangaroo players off guard. At this moment, Nelson stepped up.
Old Nelson indeed had some tricks up his sleeve. He brought the ball past half-court, dribbling slowly at first, seemingly intending to pass. As Da Zhi positioned himself to defend the pass, Nelson suddenly drove in!
Da Zhi chased him down and attempted a block.
*Beep!*
But the referee's whistle blew!