Who will be the role players now that everyone's been reborn?

In the Abaquerque district, the number one seed, Wake Forest University, has reached the final four!

In the Chicago division, the number one seed, the University of Illinois, secured a spot in the semifinals, advancing by defeating O'Neal's alma mater, Louisiana State University.

In the Austin region, both the number one seed, Duke University, and the number two seed, the University of Kentucky, were eliminated, while the number three seed, Michigan State University, secured a spot in the semifinals.

In the West Division, the tournament's top-seeded University of North Carolina dominated, defeating the defending champions, the University of Connecticut, to secure a spot in the final four!

Thus, the matchups for the 04/05 NCAA Final Four were officially determined.

Wake Forest University vs. University of Illinois!

University of North Carolina vs. Michigan State University!!

……

April 2nd, another spring day.

The St. Louis Center Arena was packed to capacity for the 05 National Championship semifinals, with every seat filled.

As Chen Dong stepped into the stadium, he heard thunderous applause and shouts, and his passion was instantly ignited.

During the warm-up, seniors Tim Duncan and Josh Howard both came to watch and cheer them on. After all, the lovely Wake Forest University juniors had achieved what neither of them had, and they might even continue to work hard and become even stronger.

Every step they take forward creates school history. Being able to witness history and experience the atmosphere is a way of continuing a dream that they could never achieve during their university years.

Wake Forest University's starting five are: center Rick Williams, power forward Chris Ellis, small forward Chen Dong, shooting guard Justin Gray, and point guard Chris Paul.

The starting lineup for the University of Illinois is as follows: Center James Augustin, Power Forward Roger Powell, Small Forward Luther Head, Shooting Guard De Brown, and Point Guard Deron Williams.

In terms of team height, Wake Forest University undoubtedly has the advantage. The tallest player at Illinois is James, who is 2.06 meters tall, which seems normal. However, power forward Roger Powell is only 1.98 meters tall, small forward Luther Head is only 1.91 meters tall, and shooting guard De Brown is around 1.80 meters tall…

On the Wake Forest side, Chen Dong's height alone made him seem unapproachable to them.

On the coaching bench, Prossel's smile after comparing the rosters of the two teams was so wide that even AK couldn't suppress it.

"God is definitely on our side at Wake Forest University."

"Think about the way we came in March Madness. In the first round, we played Villanova Wildcats, who had a small-ball lineup. In the second round, we didn't talk about that. In the third round, we played Arizona Wildcats, who had a big-four-small lineup. In the fourth round, we played Washington, who had a small-ball lineup."

"Then today's Illinois Battlers also used a fast and agile style of play. We are not only familiar with this kind of opponent, but we are also relatively good at dealing with them."

After a pause, Prossel continued, "The scales of God have tipped so high in our favor that we have no reason to lose."

So, don't let the University of Illinois survive; we've got the finals covered!

Beep—!

The game began with the sounding of the whistle.

During the jump ball, James Augustin leaped high, showcasing the physical gifts that make him James, and won the first attack for the University of Illinois.

On the field, Deron Williams dribbled the ball upfield, where Paul was directly matched up against him.

The 1.83-meter tall DeBrown was guarded by Justin Gray, while Chen Dong was matched up against Luther Head.

As the top scorer on the University of Illinois team, Luther Head immediately cut into the paint, trying to get rid of Chen Dong's defense with his off-ball skills. James Augustin under the basket set a screen, blocking Chen Dong and allowing Luther Head to get a space.

Seeing this, Deron Williams pretended to pass the ball, but instead showed off a crossover move, breaking through Paul's defense, Euro-stepping to drive to the basket, and then hitting a two-point jump shot.

Swish-!

Deron Williams disrupted Wake Forest's defense using Luther Head's off-ball movement, and successfully attacked Paul, giving the University of Illinois the first point.

Turning back, Paul tried to use his speed to break through Deron's defenses, but Deron clung to him closely. The clash of strength ended in a brief confrontation, with Paul fighting and retreating to secure the victory.

Unable to break the deadlock with speed, Paul dribbled between his legs repeatedly, trying to use rhythm to shift Deron's center of gravity. Unexpectedly, Deron ignored him, spreading his arms and aggressively closing in on Paul, his footwork resembling a butterfly step.

It doesn't look like basketball; it looks like a boxing match!

This is a bad habit that Deron Williams developed from boxing training; he likes to use aggressive, pressing attacks on his opponents!

Neither speed nor rhythm could Paul break through Deron's defense. He created some space and attempted a pull-up three-pointer.

Deron Williams didn't try to block the shot; instead, he used his body to close out Paul and limit his shooting space.

Clang!

Try it and you'll die.

As a traditional point guard, Paul's offense is characterized by sharp drives and accurate mid-range shots, but his three-point shooting is truly lacking!

In the third minute of the first half, Deron Williams made a strong run past Paul, acting recklessly. Paul couldn't handle him at all. Chen Dong released his defense on Luther Head and quickly double-teamed Deron Williams.

It went in, then jumped out again!

The ball was passed to Luther Head. Chen Dong had just turned back to defend when Luther Head quickly passed the ball to Deron Williams at the top of the three-point arc. He received the ball, jumped, and shot, ignoring Paul's block, and launched a three-pointer.

Swish-!

The knife falls, the ball goes in!

"Deron is simply amazing. He's completely dominating Paul on both offense and defense."

"That three-pointer was absolutely devastating!" exclaimed commentator Brady Jack. "In the direct confrontation between Deron Williams and Paul, Williams has the advantage in both three-pointers and drives. On defense, Williams only needs to focus on Paul's drives and engage in close physical battles to completely shut down Paul's offense."

If they go all out to assist, that's actually a good thing!

Deron Williams' teammates are definitely of a higher caliber than Paul's teammates.

At the start of the game, the two teams' key guards faced off head-to-head, with Deron Williams finishing off Chris Paul.

Off the court, Prossel no longer had the smile that even AK couldn't suppress at the start of the game; his face showed seriousness. Fortunately, Paul's inability to score offensively wouldn't plunge Wake Forest University into despair.

It's important to know that Paul's greatest strength lies in playmaking and assists.

In the 5th minute, Paul called a pick-and-roll, using Rick Williams' body to screen Deron Williams's pressure, and drove into the three-point line. Before James Augustin could switch on defense, he raised his hand and pulled up for a two-pointer...

Clang!

Breakthroughs don't work, three-pointers aren't effective, and now even two-pointers aren't working.

On the other hand, Deron Williams hit another three-pointer in the 7th minute, and in the 9th minute, he drove past Paul from behind, turned and broke through Wake Forest University's defense to complete a 2+1 play.

Ten minutes into the first half, Deron Williams went on a scoring spree, becoming the brightest star on the court. He scored 11 points with a combination of drives and shots, going 4-for-5 from the field, 2-for-2 from three-point range, and 1-for-1 from the free-throw line, leading his team on a 16-5 run against Wake Forest University.

Paul actively challenged Deron Williams one-on-one, even after repeated defeats. He tried almost all of his offensive methods to see which one was most effective, but none of them worked. His drives were tightly guarded, his pick-and-roll jump shots were unsuccessful, and his pull-up three-pointers were unlucky. His own offense couldn't get going, while Deron Williams played better and better.

Prosser couldn't hold back any longer and decisively called a timeout, trying to bring Paul back to his senses while also disrupting Deron's rhythm.

"Chen Dong!"

Prosser called out Chen Dong's name, "Next, Deron Williams is in your hands. Keep a close eye on that damn number 1 guard and don't let him continue to hurt us with his scoring."

Remember, he's on a shooting touch. A full-court press can force him to give up the ball, or at least disrupt his offensive rhythm.

"As for Luther Head, the top scorer on the University of Illinois team."

"Justin Gray, I'm sure you're okay with this, right?"

Gray nodded. "I was the team's leading scorer last season, so I'm familiar with his style. It's okay to leave him to me!"

"The rest, Dee Brown!" Proppel looked at Chris Paul. "I don't care how you play, whether you score or attack, I don't care. I only have one requirement: quickly get rid of the defender you're guarding."

"Do you understand?"

"receive!!!"

Faced with an out-of-character and out-of-control Paul, Prosser did not simply have Paul pass the ball, but instead let him do the playmaking work and let his teammates score.

That would only make the situation worse!

Before the game, he gave them a pep talk, saying that God was on their side, that the University of Illinois's fast and agile style was their favorite opponent, and that the advantage was on their side. He said that this was just a strategic underestimation of their opponent, which boosted the players' confidence to beat them.

None of the teams that made it to the final four were lucky; they were all elite teams with solid strength.

The University of Illinois boasts the renowned "Illinois Three Musketeers," and in terms of star power, Wake Forest University only has its two outside shooters to rival them.

From the head coach's perspective, naturally, he would want Chris Paul to listen to him, play with a reasonable and conventional tactical system, and steadily defeat the opponent.

But as a superstar, Chris Paul may have a profound understanding of the game. Using his unstoppable individual skills to break the deadlock might be a viable path to victory!

Therefore, the head coach's first priority should not be to negate the superstar's offensive options, but rather to make the superstar more comfortable through tactical adjustments.

Therefore, Prosser arranged for De Brown, the easy target, to be given to Chris Paul, without interfering with Paul's playing style or the pace of the game. It was the best option to leave it to Paul to control.

Let the star players solve their own problems on the court – that's so Phil Jackson!