Chương 109: Chapter 109: You Think It's Just a Piece of Red Cloth?
The halftime break was short, and the fans barely had time to use the restroom before the second half began.
Before the game resumed, Wade Dong exchanged a "Stamina Pill." With his stamina, playing the entire game wasn't a problem, but he wanted to be fully prepared.
Kobe Bryant attacked, faking out Wang Da Peng's defense and making a quick jump shot.
"Swish!!!"
The ball went straight through the net.
54:69!
The score difference was back to 15 points.
This shot made Wade Dong angry. "Da Peng, put some pressure on Kobe! Don't be afraid to foul!"
In the first half, apart from Wade Dong, the entire team was timid on defense, lacking the desire to win.
Wade Dong thought that bringing in the veterans would help, but they were only slightly better than the younger players.
Facing the powerful USA team, the players felt immense psychological pressure.
"Everyone, get your act together!"
At this moment, Wade Dong wanted to knock some sense into each of his teammates.
The USA men's basketball team had five players, and so did the Chinese team. Even though they were facing world-class players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul, players like Yi Nan and Zhu Gui were also top players in China. There was no reason to be afraid!
Wade Dong faced the defense of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James and made a turnaround jump shot.
But LeBron James immediately responded with a three-pointer, widening the score gap. LeBron James was slightly weaker than Wade Dong, but the defensive pressure he faced was incomparable, making his scoring much easier.
The score difference was still under 20 points. Wade Dong gritted his teeth; he never expected his teammates to make a comeback.
As long as the score difference was within 30 points by the fourth quarter, the Chinese men's basketball team still had a chance. Wade Dong had a secret weapon saved for the fourth quarter.
The third quarter ended.
72:105!!!
China trailed by 33 points.
The fans sat silently in the stands, not even waving their small red flags. They were completely disheartened.
Trailing by 33 points, this was already garbage time.
It was even uncertain whether Wade Dong would be allowed to play in the fourth quarter, while the USA men's basketball team had already started celebrating their victory.
Wade Dong, of course, would not give up. During the timeout, he kept encouraging his teammates, but he found that they weren't listening. They were all distracted, and no one felt ashamed of the large deficit.
It seemed that over the years, the USA men's basketball team's dominance had made the players believe that the USA team was unbeatable.
...
Yu Jia, "Is the game over?"
Coach Zhang, "Winning a silver medal is also a historic achievement for the men's basketball team. We shouldn't blame them; they deserve applause."
Yu Jia, "But I feel that Wade Dong is very unwilling to accept defeat."
Coach Zhang, "Wade Dong just won the championship, so of course, he doesn't want to lose to players like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. But sometimes, we have to accept reality."
Yu Jia, "If Yao Ming hadn't retired, with him and Wade Dong, China could have had a chance at the championship."
Coach Zhang, "There are no 'ifs' in life. The men's basketball team has come a long way."
...
The fourth quarter began.
The USA men's basketball team had already taken out Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant. It looked like Coach Kidd didn't plan to use them in the fourth quarter.
Guo Yang made a passing error, and Chris Paul intercepted the ball.
As the ball rolled to midcourt, Wade Dong dove for it and grabbed it tightly!
Chris Paul tried to wrestle the ball away from Wade Dong, but Wade Dong's strength was too great. The two struggled, and the referee blew the whistle, indicating a jump ball between Wade Dong and Chris Paul.
"Wade Dong hasn't given up!!!"
The fans were moved when they saw Wade Dong lying on the ground, hugging the ball.
Some even felt sorry for him because Wade Dong's speed when diving for the ball was so fast that he fell heavily to the ground. This was a desperate struggle.
Even trailing by 33 points, Wade Dong hadn't given up.
"The others should show some spirit! Can't you see that Wade Dong is still fighting?"
Many fans wished they could shake the other players awake. Wade Dong hadn't given up, so why should they?
Wade Dong and Chris Paul jumped for the ball.
This was a foregone conclusion. Wade Dong won the jump ball and passed it to Yi Nan, who immediately returned it to Wade Dong.
Wade Dong, after receiving the ball, immediately called a timeout!
The fourth quarter had only just begun, and Wade Dong's timeout after just 13 seconds left everyone puzzled. Some fans even wondered if Wade Dong had been injured during his desperate dive.
...
"Are you okay, Wade Dong?"
The teammates were concerned about Wade Dong. As he walked to the bench, they gathered around him.
Wade Dong, with a stern expression, asked, "I'll handle the offense; you just focus on defense. Is that so hard to understand?"
"We're already down by 33 points. Let's just give up."
Someone suddenly said that.
Wade Dong's eyes flashed with anger, and he immediately turned to look at who had spoken. Wade Dong was about to explode.
But at that moment, Guo Qi actually said with a smile, "Wade Dong, why are you trying so hard? Winning a silver medal is already good enough."
"What did you say?!"
Wade Dong grabbed Guo Qi by the collar.
The teammates thought Wade Dong was about to hit Guo Qi and rushed to intervene.
But Wade Dong didn't hit him. Instead, he grabbed Guo Qi's collar and, because Guo Qi was 2.21 meters tall, Wade Dong had to bend down. Wade Dong pointed at the stands and questioned Guo Qi, "Look at what the fans are holding!"
"Red flags," Guo Qi replied softly.
Wade Dong then asked, "During the award ceremony, is the champion's national flag raised higher, or the runner-up's? And during the award ceremony, is the champion's national anthem played, or the runner-up's?"
"The champion's national flag is raised higher," Guo Qi said, his face turning red, and he didn't dare to speak anymore.
Wade Dong then shouted, "Twenty-eight years of revolution, twenty million people sacrificed, and the red flag that was raised—do you think it's just a piece of red cloth?!"
This statement was heard by the fans in the stands.
Some emotional fans instantly teared up. Wade Dong was right; the Olympic Games represented the country. Not giving up until the very end was the true spirit of sports.
Wade Dong questioned, "There are still eleven minutes left in the game. We still have a chance to win. Why should this flag, stained with the blood of revolutionary martyrs, be lower than the Stars and Stripes?"
"I was wrong, Wade Dong!"
"I was wrong too!"
"I was wrong too!"
Wade Dong's words moved the fans to tears, and even Yi Nan and Wang Xin had tears in their eyes. Regret ignited the fighting spirit of the Chinese men's basketball team.
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