Chương 471: Chapter 471: The Round of 16
As the group stage came to an end, eight teams had their World Cup journey cut short. They could either stay in Madrid for a vacation or catch the earliest flight home to see their mothers.
The group stage winners were:
Group A: M Country's Men's Basketball Team.
Group B: XB Men's Basketball Team.
Group C: XL Men's Basketball Team.
Group D: Huaxia Men's Basketball Team.
In the upcoming Round of 16, the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team would face off against the fourth-place team from Group C, the SN Men's Basketball Team.
Compared to the teams they had faced in the group stage, the SN Men's Basketball Team was considered a weaker opponent. The SN Republic was an African country with a population of less than 20 million. To qualify for the World Cup and advance to the Round of 16 was already a commendable achievement.
As for advancing to the quarterfinals, the SN Men's Basketball Team didn't hold much hope, especially since they were up against the formidable Huaxia Men's Basketball Team.
...
September 7th, 9:00 PM Beijing time.
The Huaxia Men's Basketball Team was about to face the SN Men's Basketball Team in the Round of 16.
SN Men's Basketball Team's starting lineup: Badji, Gion, Dalmeida, Fye, and Siam.
As soon as the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team entered the arena, their locker room was surrounded.
"Oh my, what's going on here?"
Several players were startled to see so many Africans outside the locker room.
"It's the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team!"
"Brother Dong is here!"
These people immediately surrounded them, speaking in broken Chinese, "Brother Dong, can you sign this for me?"
"Er..."
Wade Dong looked at this group of adorable people and roughly identified them based on their attire, "Are you from the SN Men's Basketball Team?"
"Yes!"
They all nodded and took out basketballs they had prepared in advance to give to Wade Dong.
The SN Republic was different from some other African countries that had experienced turmoil, where the people's eyes often carried a fierce glint. The people of this country had softer expressions, filled with aspirations for a better life.
Wade Dong couldn't refuse their request.
"Good luck!"
Wade Dong signed his name on each basketball and wished the SN Men's Basketball Team players well.
The SN Men's Basketball Team players cherished the basketballs signed by Wade Dong.
...
Badji was the captain of the SN Men's Basketball Team.
Before the game, Wade Dong earnestly told the SN Men's Basketball Team players, "Play your best, I won't go easy on you!"
"Yes! Brother Dong, you can't go easy on us."
All the SN Men's Basketball Team players nodded vigorously.
The game began!
Both teams jumped for the tip-off. Gu Qi tapped the ball to Lin Hao, who dribbled to the frontcourt and passed it to Wade Dong.
Wade Dong faced off against Siam, dribbling behind his back and then executing a turnaround jumper.
"Swish!!!"
The ball went straight through the net!
2:0!!!
Compared to the HG Men's Basketball Team, the African players had stronger explosiveness and physicality. The SN Men's Basketball Team also emphasized teamwork and cooperation.
Gion received the ball under the basket and used the skyhook, a skill made famous by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to score. Gion was the center for the SN Men's Basketball Team, with a height similar to Gu Qi, but his pure black skin made him appear more robust than Gu Qi.
On the Huaxia Men's side, after a few simple passes, Yi Nan drove to the basket, received a pass from Wade Dong, and dunked it home with a jump from his original position!
There was a noticeable gap in the overall strength of the two teams.
Dalmeida tried to drive against Wade Dong, but Wade Dong reached in and stole the ball. Dalmeida turned around, only to watch Wade Dong sprint for a fast-break dunk. It wasn't that he didn't want to defend, but by the time he turned around, Wade Dong had already crossed half-court. Even if he had Usain Bolt's speed, he couldn't catch up to Wade Dong.
The Huaxia Men's Basketball Team didn't play as ruthlessly as they did against the HG Men's Basketball Team, but they also didn't intentionally go easy.
...
During the first quarter's timeout, the SN Men's Basketball Team was already trailing by 9 points. These players weren't discouraged by the score; instead, they were filled with excitement because they had played against Wade Dong.
"This is my first time playing against my idol, and he's so strong!"
"Coach, can I become a player like Brother Dong?"
"Keep it up, you can do it! One day, you'll step onto an even bigger stage."
Diop was the most excited.
This 19-year-old rookie had just faced off against Wade Dong and managed to get past him with a sharp crossover, followed by a successful layup.
This was undoubtedly the highlight of his career so far.
Although 1 minute and 27 seconds had already passed, he was still exhilarated.
...
After the timeout, there were 4 minutes left in the first quarter, and the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team also sent in their substitute players.
Li Shu and Guo Sen, the substitute players, had also performed well in the group stage, except for the games against the HG Men's Basketball Team and the LT Men's Basketball Team, where they had limited playing time.
In the game against the HG Men's Basketball Team, the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team had dominated, and as for the LT Men's Basketball Team, they were the strongest opponent in Group D. Without Wade Dong, the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team might not have been able to beat the LT Men's Basketball Team, who eventually finished second in the group with a 4-1 record and 9 points.
Deng Hua unscrewed his thermos and said to Wade Dong, "After this game, the remaining matches will only get tougher!"
"It's not that difficult. With a lineup like we had in 2012, we were able to win the Olympic gold medal."
Wade Dong casually replied, then noticed the thermos in Deng Hua's hand and asked curiously, "Where did you get that thermos?"
"Last night, I visited several supermarkets before I found this suitable thermos."
Deng Hua shook the thermos in his hand, "Isn't it beautiful?"
"You only learn the bad habits."
Wade Dong smiled helplessly and refocused his attention on the court.
Guo Sen drove to the basket but missed the layup. Li Sen grabbed the offensive rebound, but his putback attempt also missed. Gion denied the Huaxia team a third chance, securing the defensive rebound.
"These young players haven't improved much!"
Wade Dong shook his head in disappointment, "With this level of play, they won't make it to the NBA."
In the final minutes of the first quarter, all five of the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team's starters were subbed out. Initially, Wade Dong thought the substitute players would be able to hold their own against the SN Men's Basketball Team, but the result left him somewhat disappointed.
27:25!!!
The first quarter ended with the Huaxia Men's Basketball Team leading by only 2 points.
...
"You must be decisive on offense and not fear physical contact!"
As soon as the substitute players came off the court, Deng Hua put down his thermos, "This is the Men's Basketball World Cup, this is the Men's Basketball World Cup, this is the Men's Basketball World Cup! You guys are playing like a bunch of softies!"
"You'll continue playing in the second quarter! Make up for the points we lost!"
Deng Hua was also angry.
He thought Gentry looked cool sitting on the bench with a thermos, but he didn't know that Gentry's confidence came from his players. The Suns had not only Wade Dong, Durant, and Curry, but even their bench featured former superstars like McGrady and Carter, as well as capable players like Whiteside and McCollum, and strong players like Yi Nan.
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