Chapter 482: The Final Begins

September 14th, sunny.

The weather in Madrid has been great lately, just like Wade Dong's mood.

The Men's Basketball World Cup is held a bit late.

At this time, after the World Cup ends, Wade Dong can only stay in Yanjing with Li Jiajia for a month before heading to Country M to prepare for the next season's games.

As for letting Li Jiajia give birth in Country M?

Wade Dong hasn't even considered that. First, he doesn't have time to take care of Li Jiajia, and second, he doesn't think the medical level in Country M can surpass Huaxia.

Most importantly, according to Country M's regulations, if a child is born in Country M, they automatically become a citizen of Country M. It is said that some celebrities intentionally give birth in Country M just to have their child born with Country M citizenship. But this is something Wade Dong cannot accept. His child must have Huaxia citizenship.

...

The arena was packed, and there were even some football stars in attendance.

Wade Dong also noticed many Huaxia people, who might have booked their tickets for the final well in advance.

As the players warmed up on the court, Coach K said to Wade Dong, "I've heard about you before, but this is our first time meeting, right?"

"Yes."

Wade Dong walked over and shook hands with Coach K, "You are a veteran in the basketball world, and I've admired you for a long time."

"Haha..."

Coach K smiled, "I won't disturb your warm-up."

Although the system was gone and only left Wade Dong with 100 bottles of lucky potion, even without the system, Wade Dong was determined to win this game.

The starting lineup for this game was:

Huaxia Men's Basketball: Yi Nan, Gu Qi, Wade Dong, Huang Yu, Lin Hao

Country M Men's Basketball: Owen, Curry, Thompson, DeRozan, Davis

Before the game, Wade Dong said, "You guys focus on defense, leave the offense to me!"

The referee blew the whistle, and the 2014 Men's Basketball World Cup final officially began!

Gu Qi and Davis jumped for the tip-off, and Davis tapped the ball to Owen.

Owen dribbled to the frontcourt, changed direction, and effortlessly got past Lin Hao. Noticing Davis in position under the basket, Owen tossed the ball towards the top of the hoop.

"Clang!"

Davis pushed Gu Qi aside and completed an alley-oop dunk!

2-0!!!

Yi Nan ran to inbound the ball, and Wade Dong stayed back to receive the pass.

When Wade Dong dribbled to the frontcourt, Owen and Curry were already there to double-team him. Wade Dong accelerated through the gap between them, stopped abruptly beyond the three-point line, and jumped for a shot.

"Swish!"

The ball went straight through the net.

2-3!!!

This was the first time Coach K had seen Wade Dong play in person, and he muttered to himself, "Wade Dong's individual ability is indeed strong!"

"I feel..."

Curry looked at Thompson and whispered, "Dongge's speed has increased, and his dribbling rhythm is even better!"

Before the system left, it gave all the star skill packages to Wade Dong, and these packages perfectly merged. So, it wasn't just Curry's imagination; Wade Dong's speed had indeed increased.

Country M's men's basketball team was on the offensive.

Facing Wade Dong's defense, Owen chose to pass to Curry, who took the shot from beyond the three-point line.

The ball hit the rim and bounced off.

Davis grabbed the offensive rebound and jumped for a layup, but Wade Dong suddenly appeared behind him and swatted the ball away.

Lin Hao got the ball and reached the frontcourt. He steadied the rhythm and waited for the players to get into position before passing to Wade Dong.

Owen rushed to pressure Wade Dong, who held the ball with one hand, his back to Owen. He turned and pulled the ball back, then took a step forward and created space for a jump shot, which he released.

"Swish!"

The ball went straight through the net again.

2-5!!!

...

In the Huaxia live broadcast room.

Yu Jia commented, "It's too difficult for Owen to defend Wade Dong."

Coach Zhang added, "Owen is not tall enough, and he's not a player known for his defensive skills."

...

The ball was in the hands of Country M's men's basketball team. This temporary national team lacked fluidity in their teamwork, and their style was similar to Huaxia's, relying heavily on individual skills to drive to the basket.

The difference was that Country M's players could take turns doing this.

But Huaxia's team couldn't do the same. The only players with strong scoring abilities were Wade Dong, Huang Yu, and barely Yi Nan. Unfortunately, Lin Hao was injured and had to focus more on defense when he couldn't handle both ends.

"Watch Thompson's position!"

Just as Wade Dong reminded Yi Nan, Curry passed the ball to Thompson, who was standing beyond the three-point line with no one in front of him.

"Swish!"

The players from the Sun team were all good at three-pointers, and this shot was no exception.

5-5!!!

"After being teammates for so long, don't you know Thompson better?"

"My bad!"

Yi Nan clenched his teeth and said, "I won't let him get an open shot so easily from now on."

"I believe in you!"

Wade Dong patted Yi Nan's shoulder and dribbled to the frontcourt.

Coach K, standing on the sidelines, shouted, "DeRozan, you go and double-team Wade Dong with Owen!"

Wade Dong, standing beyond the three-point line, faked a three-pointer, which caused DeRozan and Owen to jump, and then he bounced the ball between them to Yi Nan.

Yi Nan took a dribble and jumped with all his might, slamming the ball through the hoop over Davis.

"Clang!"

This powerful dunk bent the hoop.

"Wow!"

The arena erupted for the first time, especially the Huaxia spectators, who were ecstatic, dancing and shouting, "Yi Nan! Yi Nan! Yi Nan!"

7-5!!!

"Haha, well done, brother!"

Yi Nan's toughness took Wade Dong by surprise.

Yi Nan said, "Dongge, our goal is to win the World Cup. Even if I have to give my life, we must win this game."

"It's not that serious, but your determination is admirable."

While acknowledging Yi Nan, Wade Dong also reminded Gu Qi, "You should learn from your senior's spirit."

Back in the 2012 Olympics, when Huaxia was trailing by more than 30 points, Gu Qi was still laughing and chatting, showing no shame about the score and even feeling that reaching the finals was a victory for Huaxia's men's basketball team.

"Dongge, believe in me!"

Gu Qi was not intimidated.

Country M's men's basketball team was on the offensive, and Owen, guarded by Wade Dong, found it extremely difficult to score despite his strong offensive skills.

He forced a layup but missed...

However, the ball bounced high, and DeRozan grabbed the defensive rebound and took a shot.

"Clang!"

Gu Qi, who had come to help defend, blocked the shot.

"Yes!"

Excited by the block, Gu Qi pounded his chest and roared.

While Gu Qi was still immersed in this excitement, Wade Dong had already gotten the ball and scored on a fast break.

9-5!!!

Huaxia's men's basketball team had a great start.

This was the first time Country M's team had trailed at the start of a game, and they were down by 4 points. Coach K, who was almost seventy, was getting anxious and called a timeout.