Chapter 478: Semi-Finals (Part 2)

"What's going on in Deng Hua's mind?"

Kalete muttered to himself, then reminded the players on the court, "The defensive intensity isn't enough!"

On the court, Yi Nan positioned himself under the basket, received a pass from Guo Sen, and went one-on-one with Batum. He missed his layup.

Gu Qi was jostled by Pietrus while vying for position, losing the offensive rebound.

Batum received the ball and sprinted across the court... Everyone chased after him, but Batum stopped abruptly at the three-point line and took a jump shot.

"Swoosh!!!"

The ball swished through the net.

31:40!!!

There were 2 minutes and 17 seconds left in the second quarter, and the China men's basketball team trailed by 9 points.

"Three-pointer~"

Batum gestured with both hands, forming the number '3' with his fingers, and ran back to the backcourt, shaking his wrists. This chase-down three-pointer gave him a sense of Wade Dong's prowess.

...

"Is Deng Hua not planning to put Wade Dong on the court?!"

Kalete's mind was filled with question marks, as he couldn't understand Deng Hua's thinking at all.

During this time, Kalete looked towards Wade Dong several times, noticing that Wade Dong was chatting and laughing with Curry behind him, even sharing popcorn. This didn't seem like someone who was injured.

Yi Nan, Gu Qi, Guo Sen, Li Shu, Ding Hang, and Wang Dalin.

These six players rotated throughout the entire second quarter, while Wade Dong, Huang Yu, Lin Hao, and Li Pei never got a chance to play.

31:47!!!

At the end of the first half, the China men's basketball team trailed by 16 points.

...

Some extreme fans had already started criticizing Deng Hua on TV.

"What's Deng Hua doing? He's not putting Brother Dong on the court even after the lead is reversed?"

"I'm very disappointed..."

"If you can't do it, then get out! The China men's basketball team doesn't need a head coach!"

"This is the semi-finals, and they're trailing. Brother Dong and Huang Yu didn't get any playing time in the entire second quarter!"

"Deng Hua out! Deng Hua out! Deng Hua out!"

The fans were frustrated. They had set their alarms to wake up at 3 a.m. to watch the live broadcast, not to see the China men's basketball team lose.

...

In the China men's basketball team's locker room, Deng Hua was angrily scolding the bench players.

"You guys are really disappointing me!"

"You can't defend, and you can't score!"

"With this level of play, how will you fare against the M country team?!"

"Beep beep beep..."

"Old Deng, take a break."

Wade Dong was getting a bit impatient and said while digging his ears, "We have to give our brothers some time to grow."

Deng Hua said, "I gave them time. I gave them an entire quarter."

Bench players: "..."

Deng Hua's approach was a bit like forcing ducks to climb a tree. The F country men's basketball team was the strongest opponent they had faced in this year's Basketball World Cup, and they were different from the XB men's basketball team. If they were facing the XB men's basketball team, Deng Hua wouldn't have dared to be so reckless.

This was the best time to train the bench players, but their performance was truly disappointing to Deng Hua.

Deng Hua still remembered that during the 2012 Olympics, when they were trailing by 30 points in the fourth quarter, most of the players were ready to give up, but Wade Dong was the only one holding on. Deng Hua felt sorry for Wade Dong, and to prevent a repeat of the Olympic scenario, he was eager to find reliable help for Wade Dong.

Wade Dong said, "We're only trailing by 16 points. I can make up the deficit in the second half."

"Brother Dong, the China men's basketball team is still counting on you."

Deng Hua didn't want the other players to hear this, so he whispered to Wade Dong.

...

The second half began, and the China fans finally breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Wade Dong, Huang Yu, and Lin Hao return to the court.

"What's Coach Deng Hua up to?"

Kalete muttered, then encouraged his teammates, "We have a 16-point lead. As long as we maintain this score, we can advance to the finals."

"Come on! Come on! Come on!"

The F country men's basketball team's fighting spirit this year was indeed worthy of their opponents' respect.

Batum dribbled to the frontcourt, and Wade Dong rushed to pressure him, employing the 'Death Coil' defense.

Batum wasn't intimidated and tried to get past Wade Dong with a front-body feint.

"Slap!"

Batum got past, but the ball didn't.

Wade Dong successfully stole the ball and scored a fast-break dunk.

33:47!!!

"This is the China men's basketball team's offensive rhythm."

"The second quarter was so frustrating... I almost wanted to smash the TV!"

"It's all thanks to Brother Dong~"

For a team aiming to win the Basketball World Cup, apart from Wade Dong, the best defender was Yi Nan! This also showed how weak the China men's basketball team's defense was.

After being stripped by Wade Dong, Batum didn't dare to continue one-on-one against Wade Dong. After a few passes, Pietrus received the ball, turned, and scored a layup.

33:49!!!

Still trailing by 16 points, Deng Hua started to get nervous. Would they lose this game? If they did, he would be the number one culprit and might even have to retire from the basketball world.

Just then, he overheard a conversation between Curry and Thompson...

Thompson: "If you were on the court, could you bring the score back?"

Curry: "If I replaced Brother Dong, it would be difficult!"

Thompson: "We're only trailing by 16 points. Six three-pointers would bring us back."

Curry: "The China men's basketball team's biggest problem isn't offense but defense. Their defensive system is fine, but the players' individual defensive skills are too weak."

Thompson: "It's a bit... But the China men's basketball team has Brother Dong."

Curry: "As long as Brother Dong doesn't have an absurd performance like 21 shots and 21 makes in the finals, I think we can win."

Thompson: "I'm looking forward to facing Brother Dong!"

...

"Don't leave anyone open on defense!"

Wade Dong kept an eye on Batum and didn't forget to remind his teammates.

Batum passed the ball to Diao, who turned to face Lin Hao and went for a high-low play, trying to use his physical advantage to score.

"Slap!"

But when Diao shot, Wade Dong rushed from behind, jumped, and grabbed the ball in mid-air. He then dribbled to the frontcourt, faked out Pietrus with a sudden stop beyond the three-point line, and took a shot.

"Swoosh!!!"

The ball swished through the net.

36:49!!!

Thompson smacked his lips, "Brother Dong jumped so high."

"This is why it's difficult for me to lead the China men's basketball team in a comeback, but Brother Dong can do it."

Curry nodded in agreement.

This block took Diao a long time to recover from. Wade Dong was clearly defending Batum, so how did he appear behind him and directly grab his shot in mid-air?

"This makes it easier."

Deng Hua also breathed a sigh of relief.

In the next three minutes, Wade Dong had two instances of one-on-five in the frontcourt, forcing his way to the basket and scoring, while also making a three-pointer.

45:53!!!

The China men's basketball team only trailed by 8 points.