On November 5th, the Devil's Deacon Team hosted their old rival at home for the final warm-up match before the start of the new season:
— the Tar Heels of North Carolina.
Although it's just a warm-up match, the explosive home music, the sizzling performances by the cheerleaders, the feverish audience, and the fragrant popcorn all remind the players stepping onto the court that tonight, they will face a match of extraordinary significance.
Needless to say, for sports enthusiasts, the sports industry in the United States, which is extremely developed, is indeed a "paradise" in a certain sense.
As everyone knows, the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, home to the Devil's Deacon Team, can accommodate a total of 14,665 spectators.
Therefore, to fill this sports arena, apart from the supporters from the school, the only ones the Devil's Deacon Team can rely on are...
"He rose from humble beginnings but never gave up!"
"Roar roar roar!"
"We are the judges of the devils, and he is our leader for the new season!"
"Roar roar roar!"
"He is the AAU National Championship winner..."
"Chris ———— Paul!"
"Roar roar roar!"
On the court, as Paul made his appearance when the home DJ announced the starting lineups for both teams, cheers loud enough to pierce the sky almost instantly engulfed the entire gymnasium.
This is the townspeople of Winston-Salem responding with their unwavering enthusiasm, as they have for decades, to the home team's star player.
That's right.
You are not mistaken.
Even though the total population of the town of Winston-Salem is only 180,000.
But these townspeople, who always come to cheer for the team on game days, are the true box-office guarantee for the Devil's Deacon Team.
This is the best American College Basketball atmosphere in North Carolina.
The Holy Land of Basketball, from which the NBA can't pry away even a tiny market share.
For the fans here, who have generations supporting their respective teams, how can those old NBA folks compare to these young college basketball players?
Sitting off the court, Qin Yue, who will debut his college career as a substitute tonight, was filled with emotion.
Because compared to the scenes he usually dreams about...
At this moment, when dreams meet reality, seeing this arena already boiling, Qin Yue's inner feelings can only be described as blood boiling.
Tonight, Prose sent Ellis, Cricketer, Monk, Evans, and Paul as the starters.
And on the opposing side, in the starting lineup that North Carolina sent out, there were three names Qin Yue was very familiar with.
They were Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, and Sean Mei.
As one of the main backgrounds in Qin Yue's memory for North Carolina, who reclaimed the NCAA championship trophy after 12 years, this current North Carolina team is just waiting for Marvin Williams to join next year to complete the famous "North Carolina Four."
And on the court, once the game started, this Tar Heel team quickly showcased their genuine dominance to the world.
After just a few possessions...
The originally boisterous home stadium turned into a silent library.
Before the game, Paul, who was eager to prove himself better than Felton, was almost immediately suppressed by Felton's matchup as the game began.
Unfortunately, even though Paul tried everything he could on the court to stop Felton...
He had no way to deal with Felton's bull-like breakthroughs.
Standing 185 cm tall, Felton weighs nearly 95 kilograms.
Due to his smaller stature, Paul couldn't compete in absolute speed or physical confrontation and could only take a passive beating.
Though looking at Paul's future NCAA experiences, he indeed gradually became a top-level point guard during his college career...
During this period of NCAA, however, there were two towering figures at the point guard position that Paul couldn't surpass no matter how he tried.
One was Felton.
And the other was Paul's eternal rival in the NBA, my cannon's perennial nightmare, Deron Williams from Illinois.
If Qin Yue remembers correctly, the upcoming 04/05 season's NCAA final was precisely Illinois versus North Carolina.
In that game, the two exceptional guards in the NCAA would show the world in a final showdown:
They are the unparalleled duo of this NCAA era.
And on the court, with Paul suppressed, leading Devil's Deacon Team's offense to a halt, seeing the widening score gap, Prose had to temporarily change plans, turning his gaze to Qin Yue, "The Beast is too isolated inside, I need you to go in and form a twin tower with him."
After a pause, Prose continued, "Do you remember the tactics I arranged for you during joint training?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Yue nodded, "I'll relieve Chris under pressure by screening and facilitating at the high post."
Prose patted Qin Yue's back in satisfaction, "If they switch to a zone defense, I allow you to attempt three-point shots based on your judgment."
Despite the arduous training last summer, Qin Yue's three-point shooting is still unstable.
Simply put, when he's in rhythm, he can hit many consecutive shots.
But once he's off-rhythm...
The scene is like Westbrook's spirit possessed.
There's no choice.
Due to changing his shooting form during the holiday and the new muscle memory needing years to perfect, regardless of how hard Qin Yue tries, he must follow the basic principles of basketball.