Chapter 466: Truly Outmatched

In order to coordinate well with Wade Dong on the national team...

Deng Hua had treated Alvin Gentry to several meals and even gifted him some tea leaves. It was because of these tea leaves and a bit of alcohol that Gentry spoke openly to Deng Hua without holding back.

"Brother Dong, Coach Deng wants you to teach a lesson to Omić."

After entering the game, Li Pei quietly conveyed Deng Hua's instructions.

"So boring..."

Wade Dong shrugged.

The SL men's basketball team attacked. Dragić organized the play, with Slokar and Klemen Prepelic constantly moving without the ball. After several passes, the ball ended up in Omić's hands again.

Wade Dong instantly closed in on defense, sticking to Omić.

"Pass the ball..."

Dragić almost said it but swallowed the words.

He wanted to remind Omić to pass the ball to him and not force a play against Wade Dong. But as the team's star, he needed to encourage his teammates. If he said that, it would be a blow to his teammate's confidence.

"The league's number one player?!"

Omić had watched Wade Dong's game footage, but he didn't believe that a small player of 1.98 meters could defend against a big center like him.

"Bang!"

Omić took one dribble and, with his back to Wade Dong, intended to use his strength advantage to get to the basket first.

"Hmm?"

"Hmm??"

"Hmm???"

Omić's back-to-the-basket move felt like he had run into a steel board, and Wade Dong didn't budge an inch.

Omić almost lost control of the ball and could only pivot to try and get past Wade Dong for a layup.

How could Wade Dong's defense be so solid?

After pivoting, Omić couldn't shake Wade Dong free and could only rely on his post moves...

"Whistle!!!"

The referee blew the whistle, signaling a traveling violation against Omić with a circular motion of both hands.

Deng Hua said to Gu Qi, "Look at how well Brother Dong is defending. You should watch and learn seriously."

Gu Qi, "....."

Gu Qi didn't see anything special about Wade Dong's defense. He even suspected that Omić was faking it. Asking Gu Qi to learn from Wade Dong was a bit difficult for him.

Wade Dong's interior defense relied on his strength and defensive anticipation, both of which could be attributed to natural talent. The only thing Gu Qi could learn from Wade Dong was perhaps his defensive attitude. Wade Dong approached every matchup like a one-on-one challenge, determined to dominate even a ball boy!

During the transition defense, Dragić reminded Omić, "Anyone who has watched Brother Dong's game footage knows that he often guards the opposing center out of position. Next time, if Brother Dong is guarding you one-on-one, pass the ball more and don't force the play!"

"Mmm-hmm~"

Omić nodded, "I understand."

The China men's basketball team attacked. Yi Nan set a screen for Lin Hao, who drove to the basket but was blocked by Klemen Prepelic.

Li Pei followed up and fought for the offensive rebound, scoring on a putback!

22:14!!!

This was Li Pei's first score in an international game, and he excitedly pumped his fist after the basket.

During his time in Chicago, Li Pei was the first to arrive at the arena and the last to leave. Even after his teammates had gone, he would stay for an extra hour of practice... His two years of hard work paid off, and his improvement was evident to all.

"Great shot, Li Pei!"

Deng Hua was also excited, jumping up and down. He didn't forget to use Li Pei as an example to educate Guo Sen and the others sitting on the bench, "Two years ago, Li Pei was just a Cuba player whom you all looked down upon. But through his own efforts, step by step, he is now able to score on the international stage."

"Let me play, and I can score too~"

Ding Hang muttered.

Some people were not convinced by Li Pei. Everyone knew that Li Pei was Wade Dong's schoolmate, and some even believed that Li Pei's entry into the NBA was due to his connection with Wade Dong.

The SL men's basketball team attacked.

Dragić used a teammate's screen to attempt a three-pointer!

"G~~~"

"Go for the rebound!"

After the ball hit the rim and bounced off, Omić jumped first to grab the rebound.

Wade Dong jumped a little later than Omić, a result of habitual thinking. In the NBA, if the ball is still directly above the rim, grabbing the rebound at that moment is considered a goaltending violation, but there is no such rule in international basketball.

But what's the harm in jumping a little later?

"Slap!"

Wade Dong was still faster than Omić in grabbing the basketball, and he cradled the ball in his arms... All the players quickly transitioned to offense, and Wade Dong passed the ball to the frontcourt.

Lin Hao received the ball and noticed Li Pei behind him, so he threw the ball up towards the basket!

"Clang!!!"

Li Pei jumped up, grabbed the ball in mid-air, and scored with a powerful dunk!

24:14!!!

Team basketball has its advantages, but in the face of absolute strength, these advantages become negligible.

In the first half, Deng Hua didn't call a single timeout.

49:32!!!

The China men's basketball team entered halftime with a 17-point lead.

In the first half, Wade Dong shot 3-for-3, scoring 6 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and dishing out 7 assists. The top scorer for the China men's basketball team was Huang Yu, who scored 21 points in the first half, followed by Li Pei with 13 points.

...

"It's so exciting! The SL men's basketball team has no chance to fight back!"

"In the second quarter, Brother Dong's ghostly pass was the best in the game. How did he get the ball to Li Pei under the double-team of four SL players?!"

"The Yan University Twins!"

"It seems we have no opponents until we meet the XB men's basketball team and the M Country men's basketball team."

"This kind of one-sided game is not interesting at all."

"Wake up, brother! It's only fun to watch when the game is one-sided."

...

The game started at 10:30 PM Beijing time on a non-weekend day, yet the ratings were still extremely high.

The second half began.

Wade Dong played for three minutes in the second half, making three three-pointers, extending the lead to 26 points. The game was essentially over, and Wade Dong was soon subbed out to rest.

After a few more minutes, the lead had reached 30 points.

Yi Nan, Huang Yu, and Li Pei were also subbed out to rest, leaving Lin Hao and Gu Qi on the court, along with Guo Sen, Li Shu, and Ding Hang, who were weaker than the SL men's basketball team. The lead began to shrink.

79:61!!!

The third quarter ended with the SL men's basketball team cutting the deficit to 18 points.

"What's wrong with you?"

Wade Dong joked with Lin Hao, "Is it because you haven't played in a while and forgot how to play?"

In the few minutes that Wade Dong, Huang Yu, Yi Nan, and Li Pei were off the court, the SL men's basketball team closed the gap by 12 points. Those few minutes could be described in three words: absolutely terrible!

Lin Hao said, "We still need to work on our chemistry."

Wade Dong reminded him, "Don't think of yourself as a point guard. You're the main scoring option when you're on the court!"

"Okay!"

Lin Hao nodded.

The reason for the SL men's basketball team's comeback in those few minutes was simple: they couldn't score, and they couldn't defend.

Lin Hao intentionally helped the younger players develop by organizing the offense and rarely being the primary scoring option.