Chapter 480: Li Jiajia's Pregnancy

"Coach Deng, we lost this game fair and square. "

After the game, Colette approached Deng Hua to chat.

Deng Hua clasped his fists respectfully, "Well played, you guys are strong! We wouldn't have won this game without Wade Dong."

"Why didn't you let Wade Dong play in the second quarter?" ✦✧✹

"This..."

Deng Hua hesitated for a moment before answering honestly, "You are the strongest opponent we've faced, and the best test for our team. It's a great way to gauge the abilities of my players."

This praise didn't make Colette happy; instead, it seemed to strike a nerve. He forced a bitter smile, "So, you're using us as practice?"

"No, that's not what I meant!"

Deng Hua waved his hands hastily, afraid that Colette might misunderstand.

Colette said, "It's fine if you're using us as practice. Actually, I have a few suggestions for you."

"Please go ahead."

"If the Huaxia men's basketball team wants to grow, it can't rely solely on Wade Dong. In the past, there was Yao Ming, and after his retirement, Wade Dong emerged. However, this doesn't prove that the Huaxia men's basketball team has become a top-tier team in the world. To be blunt, without Wade Dong, the Huaxia men's basketball team would struggle even to advance from the group stage."

"That's indeed a harsh statement."

Deng Hua chuckled but didn't refute Colette.

"I hope we can face each other again at the 2016 Olympics!"

"Sure. "

After their conversation, Deng Hua and Colette shook hands and parted ways.

Colette's 'harsh statement' dampened Deng Hua's joy of victory.

...

After the game, players like Pietrus and Fournier immediately sought out Wade Dong, cherishing the opportunity to take photos with their idol.

Wade Dong didn't refuse their request from these 'fans'.

Apart from the matches against the HG and BZ men's basketball teams, after each game in this year's Basketball World Cup, opponents would approach the Huaxia men's basketball team for photos, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

...

Curry and Thompson had the leisure to watch the game, and the F Country men's basketball team had a tough time in their semifinal, with Cousins and Davis both fouling out.

It was Harden who scored 16 points in the third quarter to lead the team to a comfortable lead... Apart from Harden, Curry, Thompson, and Irving all scored evenly, each with around 10 points.

This M Country men's basketball team was called the 'Dream Team 11', but their lineup seemed slightly weaker than the 'Dream Team 10', which featured Kobe, James, Durant, Paul, and Anthony.

However, the direct gap between the players was insignificant compared to the gap between the teams. For example, Irving was five levels above Guo Sen, and James was six levels above him. In such a disparity in strength, the difference between five and six levels was negligible.

James could dominate Guo Sen, and so could Irving. 

Among the Huaxia men's basketball team players, Lin Hao had his moments of brilliance, but ultimately, he was a role player in the league. Yi Nan had shown some growth since joining the Suns six months ago, while Gu Qi hadn't changed much. It was said that the Warriors were considering waiving Gu Qi, but they were holding off out of respect for Huang Yu.

Compared to the 2012 Olympics, the biggest change for the Huaxia men's basketball team was the addition of Huang Yu and Li Pei, and Yi Nan's playing style had matured since the 2012 Olympics.

...

The day before the game, both teams were making their final preparations.

The original head coach of the 'Dream Team 11' was supposed to be Gentry, but he declined due to family matters, and the final choice was the legendary coach, Coach K.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service..."

"Has Coach Gentry gone missing?"

Coach K hung up the phone, feeling a bit down.

Before the game against the Huaxia men's basketball team, Coach K wanted to ask Coach Gentry for advice on how to limit Wade Dong, but he couldn't get through to him on the phone.

Coach Gentry was currently in Huaxia, and after Coach K hung up, Coach Gentry breathed a sigh of relief, "The ringtone saved me."

The 'Sorry, the number you have dialed...' that Coach K heard was just the ringtone Coach Gentry had set up. No matter who called him, they would hear this message.

At this critical juncture, Coach K kept calling himself.

It was obvious that Coach K wanted to ask for advice on dealing with Wade Dong.

Why didn't Coach Gentry want to answer the phone... Was it because he didn't love M Country, or because he didn't want to give advice?

Neither!

The reason Coach Gentry didn't answer the phone was simple: he didn't know how to limit Wade Dong's performance, so he could only rely on Coach K, the legendary coach, to create a miracle.

...

"There's a lot we can learn from F Country's zone defense tactics."

Wade Dong and Deng Hua were reviewing the game footage against F Country in their hotel room.

Deng Hua lit a cigarette, "In the finals, we'll face a similar situation. It's difficult to contain M Country's players with one-on-one defense, but we can't resort to blind double-teaming either."

"There's a lot we can learn from the playing style of these European countries."

Wade Dong nodded.

Deng Hua said, "The M Country men's basketball team is much stronger than us overall. If we double-team, we might leave someone open, and any one of their players could be deadly."

At this moment, Wade Dong's phone rang, and he was surprised to see that it was his mother-in-law calling.

Wade Dong had many numbers stored in his phone, but this was the first time his mother-in-law had called him? His heart started pounding, and he felt more nervous than he had ever been before a final game.

"Mom, is there something you need?" Wade Dong asked cautiously.

"Wade, I have some wonderful news for you," his mother-in-law said excitedly, almost speechless with joy. "You're going to be a father!"

"Really?"

The sudden joy overwhelmed Wade Dong.

This excitement made Wade Dong's scalp tingle, and he realized that extreme surprise and shock could feel the same.

"It's absolutely true. We just got back from the hospital!"

"Do you know how happy your two fathers are... Old Li and Old Wade can't stop smiling."

"Ahaha..."

"From now on, the four of us won't do anything else. We'll focus on taking care of Jiajia and the baby in her belly."

"Thank you, Mom!"

"Come home as soon as you finish the World Cup, and make sure you win the championship this year. It will be a gift for your child."

"I will! I will! I will!"

Wade Dong was so excited that he became flustered.

After hanging up, it took Wade Dong a long time to calm down from his excitement.

Deng Hua was drawing on the tactics board with a cigarette in his mouth when Wade Dong walked over, took the cigarette out of his mouth, and stubbed it out, "Smoke less. Don't you know that secondhand smoke is bad for pregnant women?"

Deng Hua, "???"

"Also, I suggest you ban WiFi in this hotel. The radiation is too strong!"

Wade Dong left, muttering to himself, leaving Deng Hua completely confused.