Bench of the USA Team.
After being stripped twice in a row by Kota, leading directly to points, the atmosphere suddenly grew tense.
Kevin swept his gauze across his players and clapped his hands. "Alright, time to stop fooling around. If we lose a scrimmage, you all know better than me how embarrassing that's gonna be."
"Bowen, what happened just now? I better not see that a second time. You know exactly what I mean."
Kevin raised a brow at Bowen — the bearded forward who had trash-talked Kota only to get cooked on the very next play.
Even the usually carefree coach had switched to serious mode, and the USA players knew better than to joke around. Even Nash stayed quiet and didn't interrupt.
Kevin stroked the goatee on his chin, eyes narrowing as he looked toward Kota.
"This kid's defense… really is the real deal."
"Tsk. Hey, Nash, why didn't you recruit him when he was still in Japan? We're not any worse than China's team, you know."
Kevin sighed regretfully, already wondering if there was any way to "steal" this rising star.
Nash's face darkened. "Old man, is now the time to talk about that? Can you focus and tell us how we're supposed to adjust?!"
Kevin looked genuinely shocked. "You're the players, aren't you? I'm just an old man with one foot in the grave. What miracles do you expect from me?"
He even wiped an imaginary tear, acting like a coach abandoned by modern basketball.
The american players stared at their coach's antics in disbelief.
Nash finally stood up and grabbed Kevin by the collar. "Cut the crap! You're the most successful coach in USA history! Think of something!"
Even being lifted by the collar didn't make Kevin. He calmly brushed Nash's hand away, straightened his clothes, and said:
"Isn't it obvious? That Kota kid's defense is ridiculous — so just avoid him."
"China has had freakishly talented players before, but in the end? None of them made real achievements."
Kevin's eyes narrowed, remembering someone from years ago. His lips curled into a mocking smile.
"A strong player without support… is just a defective product of his era."
He clapped his hands.
"So next: avoid Kota on defense, and attack in the way you're stronger."
…
…
Since this wasn't an official match, there was no scoring table to track timeout length. As soon as Kevin signaled the referee, the whistle blew to resume play.
While loosening his wrist, Kota glanced at Nash.
"You guys were arguing back there, right? I saw you literally grab your coach by the collar. What was that about?"
Nash scratched his cheek, seeing Kota's gossipy expression.
"You've got it wrong. That's just how we talk to each other. We were discussing how to deal with you."
"Oh~?"
Kota hummed with obvious meaning.
"So…did you come up with a plan?"
Nash turned fully to meet his eyes and said without hesitation:
"Of course. Beating you guys isn't hard. Outside of you, there's not a single real threat on your team."
With that, he ignored Kota's reaction and inbounded the ball.
Kota didn't show much emotion. While Nash's words sounded like trash-talk, they weren't wrong.
If you took Kota off the roster, China's men's team wouldn't even crack the top 16 internationally.
"Silver!"
Nash shouted. Silver, standing tall in the paint, stepped up to set a high screen. But this time, instead of attacking after the pick, Nash dribbled all the way to the corner.
Kota's eyes sharpened — he already understood Nash's idea.
Whoosh—
The ball crossed half court straight into Bowen's hands. Nash stood with hands on his hips, grinning at Kota.
"A defense held up by one guy is flimsy as paper."
Right after his taunt, Bowen and Silver began a quick passing sequence at the top of the arc.
Bowen, who had been bullied by Kota earlier, now put his unique rhythm on display. A behind-the-back fake into a pullback — he shook off Zhou Yi and rose for the shot.
The ball swished cleanly through the net.
Swish!
He instinctively wanted to do a flashy celebration, but after meeting Kota's gauze, he shrank his neck and settled for a modest clap.
"Sorry… his rhythm is hard to read," Zhou Yi apologized softly, upset at letting Bowen score on him.
Li Wenyu jogged over and patted his shoulder. "It's fine. I'll get us that one back next possession!"
Zhou nodded and inbounded to Kota.
Kota lowered his eyes, analyzing the Eagle Nation's defensive layout.
The first two buckets had been fast-break steals. This was the first possession where USA's half-court defense would actually show itself.
Kota crossed half court slowly and raised six fingers.
It was his favorite Kaijō system — the Horns Offense .
And after joining China's team, he and Sun had developed their own customized variant.
The moment Kota signaled, all four teammates began their coordinated movement. Months of hard drilling had ingrained these actions into their muscle memory.
Li Wenyu looped around the arc for a fake handoff behind Kota, while Kota used a screen from the opposite big man. As Nash hurried to help, Zhou Yi suddenly cut from the corner to the high post.
At the same time, Li Wenyu dove into the paint.
Two players wide open at once.
Kota scanned the court. With Overcthinker , he had already simulated several future outcomes in the span of seconds.
"Even if a defense has gaps… elite individual defense can still patch them…"
Seeing Silver loading up for a monster block on Li Wenyu, Kota frowned and chose the safer option: Zhou Yi for the open three.
Even grade-schoolers knew shots closer to the kidney were more accurate, but Kota valued consistency over flash — and the open man was open man.
Zhou Yi calmly rose and splashed the three.
China 7:2 USA
They had seized the early advantage.
Cheers erupted in the arena.
But not for long.
Once Nash dragged Kota into the corner again, China's entire interior collapsed.
Seabourne and Bowen tore the defense apart from inside and outside.
Halftime
USA 34:28 China
Even with China's tricky and creative offensive sets, they simply couldn't match the pure individual talent of the amarican stars.
Human beings weren't machines — more complex plays meant more chances for mistakes.
China's bench
Kota chugged water, observing his teammates. Despite the deficit, none showed a hint of giving up.
"No wonder they're USA — they're insanely strong. But guys… we're actually playing pretty damn well!"
Li Wenyu looked at the scoreboard with bright, excited eyes.
Going toe-to-toe with a top-three team in the world and keeping it within six points? Before Kota arrived, this would've been a fantasy.
He glanced at Kota — knowing full well who had changed everything.
Kota noticed his gaze and returned a smile. "We did great in the first half… but it's not enough."
"When Nash drags me to the corner, our entire defense collapses. We need a solution."
He turned toward Coach Sun. Half a year together had taught him to trust the man's coaching instincts far above his own.
Sun crossed his arms, fingers tapping rhythmically.
"Defense is the issue. If we want to take the lead, we must stop their offensive momentum first."
"Wang — you're in for the second half. Zhou Yi, rest."