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

In the first minute of the second half, Paul did not continue to try to handle both playmaking and attacking, but instead passed the ball to Chen Dong, the wing "transfer point".

The University of Illinois fielded a lineup of three guards plus a mobile big man. Their three NBA-caliber guards all possess exceptional athleticism, clearly demonstrating a well-thought-out strategy to counter Chris Paul's core guard-driven offense.

Whenever Paul dribbles to the basket, Luther Head, who is guarding Justin Gray, will rush in at top speed to double-team him.

If Paul calls for a pick-and-roll, the 1'98" Roger Powell will spread his arms and resolutely switch on defense, while DeBron will continue to double-team Paul, ensuring a two-on-one situation for Paul and forcing him away from the basket to shoot.

In addition, Chen Dong, this "transfer station," was under strict surveillance by Delon Williams, who also cut off Paul's connection with Chen Dong.

In any case, when it comes to the star power of the players, the "Eli Three Musketeers" have the advantage over the "Wake Forest duo who were suppressed".

That said, the defensive package that the University of Illinois tailored for Chris Paul prevented him from comfortably initiating offense, which is good news. The bad news for the University of Illinois is that the three-guard lineup has a natural weakness: the lack of a proper-sized third guard.

When Chen Dong, the proper third guard for Wake Forest University, received the ball, Deron Williams couldn't wait to closely guard him, consciously pressuring Chen Dong's right side to cut off any possible passing lanes to Paul, so that Wake Forest's so-called outside duo would both be left to fight alone.

"Chen Dong looks to be in trouble. With Deron Williams, a top-five prospect in the draft, taking special care of him, he's been cornered. Apart from his unreasonable pull-up three-pointers, his poor ball-handling skills are no match for Deron Williams," said commentator Brady Jack.

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Dong flicked the ball behind his back with his right hand, and then broke through from the left to complete the dribble. Deron Williams quickly pulled back to create distance, and then moved laterally at high speed to Chen Dong's path.

However... Chen Dong dribbled between his legs to the right, then stepped back to the right, creating distance between himself and Deron Williams, before calmly jumping and throwing the ball.

Swish!!!

"Chen Dong nails a three-pointer in the second half!" the commentator roared. "Wake Forest University's comeback, though late, has arrived!"

Wake Forest University trailed by only 8 points, 35 to 43.

Chen Dong's stats also improved, with 2 out of 4 shots making, scoring 5 points.

After scoring, Chen Dong ran up to Deron Williams and said casually, "You better pray I don't catch the ball!"

"You can't take the tickets to the finals away from us!"

Deron Williams did not respond to Chen Dong's provocation; he preferred to let the ball do the talking.

On the court, Chen Dong executed a full-court press, and Deron Williams did as he wished, passing the ball to Luther Head to advance. However, once in the frontcourt, Luther Head not only returned the ball but also brought Justin Gray's defense to Deron Williams.

Luther Head's off-ball cut had already begun, and at the same time, Deron Williams' chase-down drive was also underway, forcing Chen Dong to switch defense and chase after Luther Head.

This is a new offensive tactic introduced by head coach Brown Webber for the University of Illinois, characterized by frequent movement, rich variations, and diverse forms; you could also call it the European Dynamic Offensive System.

At this moment, the two mobile big men of the University of Illinois moved to the corner of the court, successfully blocking Chen Dong's pursuit. They received the ball from Luther Head, who was two and a half body lengths away, and made a jump shot that scored two points.

Swish-!

"It's 10 points now."

"Please continue your performance!" After Deron Williams dealt the card that assisted Luther Head's attack and scored, he chatted with Chen Dong.

In the next possession, Chen Dong missed the ball, and Paul was double-teamed again. He chose to pass the blame to Justin Gray, who was wide open. Gray raised his hand to shoot a three-pointer, but crashed it into the metal with a loud thud.

Inside the paint, James Augustin dribbled the basketball away. De Brown controlled the out-of-control ball and immediately dribbled to the paint area in the frontcourt. He found Paul following closely behind, trying to block him. He drove to the basket and was halfway up the rim when he turned his hand and passed the ball behind him. Deron Williams, who was following up, took the ball and jumped high. With Paul standing under the basket, he slammed the ball into the rim with all his might.

"BOOM!!!!

The crowd erupted in cheers, but Deron Williams ignored them, turned to Chen Dong, pointed to the scoreboard and said, "Look, it's 12 points now!"

Basketball isn't just about math, you know. How about that? The gap's widened again, hasn't it?

You bastard!

You should be saying that to Paul!

What does being behind have to do with me, a role player?

Chen Dong's voluntary surrender has shifted the blame, and Deron Williams and the University of Illinois' defensive strategy remains unchanged. They seem to believe that Chen Dong is the key player to raise Wake Forest's ceiling, while Paul, no matter how good he is, can only support Wake Forest's floor.

In the 5th minute of the second half, Chen Dong finally received the basketball for the second time, but was interrupted by Deron Williams with a foul.

The game continued, and Chen Dong used Rick Williams' screen to pull away from James Augustin, who should have switched to defend him. After receiving the inbound pass from Paul, he launched a three-pointer and made it.

Swish-!

Chen Dong raised his personal score to 8 points, but it was a drop in the bucket for Wake Forest University, which was trailing by double digits.

In the 9th minute of the second half, Chen Dong made a pass from the wing, and his surgical pass finally found Paul, who was able to threaten the Illinois basket as soon as he got the ball.

Paul chose to drive to the basket, chasing down James Augustin and drawing a foul while successfully scoring the basket.

Wake Forest's outside shooting duo connected, culminating in Paul scoring a 2+1 play!

Wake Forest University trailed by only 7 points, so the suspense of the game was not completely over.

In the 14th minute of the second half, Chen Dong received a pass from Paul and, from a meter away from the three-point line, chose to forcefully pull up for a shot at Deron Williams, but with a loud thud, he missed the target.

The good news is that Rick Williams, inside the paint, finally took advantage of his height in the paint, grabbed the offensive rebound, passed the ball to Chris Paul, and then made a pass and cut with Chen Dong, passing the ball to Chen Dong while also bringing De Brown's defense in front of Chen Dong, and then launched another three-pointer.

Swish!!!

If it doesn't work the first time, then try again!

However, Chen Dong's three-pointer did not allow Wake Forest University to further narrow the 7-point gap, but instead turned the deficit into an 8-point deficit.

The reality on the court showed that Chen Dong's offensive firepower alone was far from enough. The "Eli Three Musketeers" picked up their speed and took turns charging into battle, causing Wake Forest University's defense to fall apart frequently.

Seeing that his teammates' defense was ineffective and the point difference could not be narrowed, Chris Paul became anxious again in the remaining time of the game.

He knew this was the time to test his three-point shooting ability!

Driving the ball up the court, facing DeBrown's close marking, Paul raised his hand and took a shot, attempting to break the deadlock with a three-pointer, a shot he is not good at.

The core point guard's dribbling and breakthrough tactics have a ceiling that is determined by the core point guard. Now, the University of Illinois is setting up a tailor-made defensive package, putting this problem in front of him. He can't always rely on Chen Dong to solve all the difficulties and let him continue to play comfortably, can he?

He shot the ball very smoothly, and the arc the basketball traced in the air was beautiful.

Unfortunately, no matter how smooth the rhythm or how beautiful the arc, it still has to be hit by the basket.

Clang!

Paul took a three-pointer, and it was a sure thing; it bounced off the rim and flew out of bounds.

Immediately afterwards, Paul, no longer calm, continued to attempt three-pointers—oh wait, he chose to drive to the basket and try to score two tough two-pointers.

Swish-!

The University of Illinois opted to allow two-pointers while focusing on defending three-pointers, allowing Paul to score two points.

However, the University of Illinois didn't seem to care, as they maintained control of the game and successfully held onto their lead until the very end.

Om-!

A buzzer sounded, a red light flashed, and the game ended.

The University of Illinois defeated Wake Forest University 86-81, advancing to the final.

德隆威廉士砍下28分9助攻4篮板，卢瑟海德22分4助攻3篮板，外加迪布朗的18分3篮板3助攻，伊利三杰合砍58分，打出赛会第一种子球队的恐怖战斗力。

Paul scored 33 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds. Compared to Deron Williams, the team lost, but his individual stats didn't improve, well, because Chen Dong was on defense for most of the time.

Chen Dong received the defensive treatment of a star player, but did not have the tactical status that a star player should have. He was targeted by the defense and exposed many of his shortcomings. He only scored 14 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals. His performance on both offense and defense was mediocre.