Chapter 45 The Semifinals

With the end of the China-Japan match, the first two teams to reach the final four were determined: Slovenia and China.

The two teams would face off in the first semifinal game the next afternoon.

The remaining four teams played their quarterfinal matches the following day.

The game between Greece and Serbia tipped off in the afternoon.

Greece had a mediocre showing at last year's World Cup, so after making it to the quarterfinals this year, they naturally hoped to go further, especially against their old European rivals, Serbia.

Serbia felt the same way. After being eliminated in the group stage at the Rio Olympics and stopping in the quarterfinals at the World Cup, their golden generation desperately needed to prove themselves.

The game was intense from the start.

However, as the game wore on, it became clear that Serbia's overall strength was greater than Greece's.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had improved his shooting and passing, but his teammates offered limited support. On the Serbian side, Nikola Jokic was surrounded by Bogdan Bogdanović and Boban Marjanović, who provided plenty of firepower.

In the end, Serbia defeated Greece 83-67, becoming the third team to advance to the final four.

The final spot in the semifinals was contested between the United States and France.

This was a revenge match, and the evening game attracted a large audience.

Ironically, less than 40% of the seats were filled with Japanese fans during the China-Japan match, but for this game, it was over 80%!

Although some of the attendance in the previous games was due to Chinese fans buying tickets, the contrast sparked controversy in Japan.

But despite the public pressure, they still watched the game.

Fueled by the cheers and fervent support of the Japanese fans, the U.S. men's basketball team didn't give France a single chance.

They were up by 30+ points on the French by the third quarter, and in the fourth, they continued their momentum, pushing the point differential to 50 points, which led to on-court conflict.

However, as the saying goes, when you're behind, you have to take your beating. The French had no reason to complain about the loss.

All 12 players on the U.S. team saw playing time and scored. Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard each scored 16 and 14 points, respectively.

The U.S. team advanced to the final four without any suspense, and the matchups for the other semifinal were set.

United States versus Serbia.

At the World Cup a year prior, Serbia was ranked second only to the U.S. team in terms of strength, and they had wanted to battle them then.

Unfortunately, they were upset by Argentina in the quarterfinals, but now the opportunity had finally arrived.

Like France, they were a European team, and the U.S. had always been a target they wanted to challenge and defeat.

Especially after seeing the rise of the Chinese men's basketball team.

It's worth mentioning that two of the four teams in the Olympic semifinals were from the former basketball powerhouse of Yugoslavia.

After the breakup of Yugoslavia, it became five countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Serbia and Montenegro.

Later, Serbia and Montenegro split into Montenegro and Serbia.

It was hard not to feel that at the end of the day, basketball was still a battle between the Americans and the Yugoslavians, only with the Chinese emerging as a new force.

With all the final four teams determined, the games officially began the next day.

At 2 PM, the game between China and Slovenia began.

The huge stadium was even more packed than the quarterfinals. Close to 80% of the fans were Chinese.

They were truly turning Tokyo into their home court.

During the pre-game warm-up, Luka Dončić looked a bit helpless at the sight, as if he understood how James Harden must have felt in Houston.

Fortunately, he adjusted quickly. Since it was impossible for this to be Yugoslavia's home court, he prepared to play as the away team.

Even so, he was still shocked by the roar of the Chinese fans during the team introductions.

The Japanese team's crushing defeat against China wasn't without reason.

After the team introductions, the starting lineups were announced.

For Slovenia, the guards were Goran Dragić and Luka Dončić, the forwards were Vlatko Čančar and Žiga Dimec, and the center was naturalized player Anthony Randolph.

For China, the guards were Tang Tian and Ding Yanyuhang, the forwards were Abudushalamu and Yi Jianlian, and the center was Lin Yi.

Yi Jianlian was in the starting lineup again, naturally dispelling any rumors of injury.

The game started quickly, and from the tip-off, Slovenia felt intense pressure.

This pressure, of course, came from Tang Tian.

Unlike the last game against Japan, Tang Tian was playing point guard, but he was defending Dončić on the defensive end.

Plus, Dragić couldn't match up with Tang Tian, so Slovenia also used Dončić to defend Tang Tian.

As a result, Tang Tian and Dončić were matched up on both ends of the court.

Dončić wasn't Rui Hachimura. He had played against Tang Tian before. After a few possessions, he realized that Tang Tian's condition was about 70-80% back to normal. He knew that Slovenia didn't have much of a chance tonight.

Although he was different from Hachimura, he could help the team in other ways when strong attacks failed. He could even use his signature step-back three-pointer to score occasionally.

But Tang Tian's stifling defense still significantly reduced his effectiveness, not to mention he couldn't stop Tang Tian on the defensive end at all.

If Dragić hadn't played well in the first half, Slovenia might have collapsed by halftime.

However, they eventually couldn't hold on in the second half.

In the end, led by Tang Tian's 36 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, China defeated Slovenia 97-77.

They advanced to the Olympic finals for the second consecutive Games after Rio.

They were also the fourth team to achieve this feat after the United States, the former Soviet Union, and Spain.

This was the official mark of China's rise in basketball.

Dončić had 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists in a losing effort.

After the game, the Slovenian players walked towards the tunnel.

Only Dončić stared at the score on the big screen, his eyes red, clenching his teeth, unwilling to leave.

It was clear he really wanted to win.

Just then, Tang Tian walked over to him.

He reached out and patted Dončić's head, then said consolingly.

"You did your best."

Tang Tian was sincere. Without Dončić, the Slovenian men's basketball team would not have made it to the final four.

As another rising basketball star after Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dončić's future potential may not be lower than Antetokounmpo's.

"Thank you."

Although Dončić was unwilling, he knew the outcome couldn't be changed.

Tang Tian, as the world's number one basketball player, also showed his class.

"Keep working hard, the future is yours."

Tang Tian said, patting Dončić's head again.