Li Feng himself was quite shocked by his performance just now.
In previous matches, he had only collided with and knocked over guards. Today, facing a Greek power forward, he had managed to send him flying.
It seemed the treasure chest from the system was indeed a good thing!
Li Feng rejoiced inwardly.
4-0!
The Chinese team had delivered a resounding wake-up call to Greece!
Greek head coach Giannakis was shouting instructions from the sidelines, urging his players not to panic and to play their own game! At the same time, he warned Spanoulis not to get into a personal duel with Li Feng.
The coach's warning helped Spanoulis calm down. He also felt that Greece's overall strength was superior, but he couldn't gain much advantage in a one-on-one situation. Therefore, he curbed his arrogant demeanor and started playing team basketball.
The Greek team's offense began to frequently utilize pick-and-roll tactics. In terms of tactical execution, the Chinese team was indeed slightly inferior, and they found themselves in a passive position under the opponent's strategies. Papagiannis constantly used screens from his teammates to find open shots and take them.
After Li Feng's surge, the Chinese men's basketball team fell into a slump again, with a low shooting percentage and frequent misses. After all, Greece was a top-five team in the world, possessing strong overall defensive capabilities. Whether it was zone defense or man-to-man defense, they were top-notch.
After making two shots, "Da Yao" (Yao Ming) had also been thoroughly studied by the opponent. Through fronting the post and double-teaming, Greece made things difficult for Da Yao.
Li Feng seemed to have become invisible, no longer scoring and even struggling to keep up with the defensive rhythm. In reality, this was quite normal. Although Li Feng's improvement was immense, his defensive ability relied more on his physical attributes. Facing an evenly matched Greek team, he was somewhat overwhelmed.
Basketball is, after all, a team sport, and individual ability needs to be better integrated into the team. Moreover, this was Li Feng's first start, and the chemistry with his teammates was not yet sufficient. For example, during offensive movements, Yi Jianlian, Zhu Fangyu, and Sun Dasheng would sometimes collide with Li Feng. This was a sign of lacking chemistry.
China was slowly falling behind. With 6 minutes and 25 seconds left in the first quarter, the score was 12-7, with Greece leading by five points. Papagiannis and Spanoulis had each scored six points, accounting for all of Greece's points. Although Li Feng had scored four points, China's overall defense had shown problems.
Yu Jia and Coach Zhang on the Chinese sports channel began to express their concern. Yu Jia, with a grave expression, said, "The Greek team truly lives up to its reputation as a world powerhouse; they have found a way to deal with Li Feng and Yao Ming." Coach Zhang was no longer as excited as before, shaking his head slightly and saying, "Li Feng has played too little time with the starting players. When facing a strong opponent, it's difficult to manage everything."
"Yes, Coach Zhang, do you have any good suggestions for the current situation?" Coach Zhang pondered for a moment and replied, "Currently, the Chinese team can only use this game as practice. I hope they can quickly develop chemistry through the competition and suppress Greece!" "Our Chinese team has enough talent. Da Yao, Li Feng, Yi Jianlian, and even Sun Dasheng all have top-tier physical attributes; it's just the chemistry that's lacking." Yu Jia nodded repeatedly, acknowledging Coach Zhang as a basketball legend. Despite his often humorous commentary, his analysis of the game was very insightful!
...
The Chinese team launched another offense. The pick-and-roll tactic between Li Feng and Yao Ming had been deciphered, which frustrated Li Feng, but he also gained experience from it. Therefore, in this offensive possession, Li Feng focused on the details after the pick-and-roll. As Da Yao rolled to the baseline, instead of a lob pass, he directly delivered a bounce pass!
The timing was perfect, skillfully evading Greece's interference and allowing Da Yao to catch the ball comfortably. After receiving the pass, Da Yao executed a soft hook shot, easily scoring 2 points! After the score, Li Feng and Da Yao excitedly high-fived. This basket was not just about the 2 points but a strategic victory. It indicated that the chemistry between Li Feng and Yao Ming was improving, creating a 1+1 greater than 2 effect!
The score became 12-9, narrowing the gap to 3 points, with China temporarily trailing.
Spanoulis, feeling his rhythm, wanted to provoke Li Feng's defense again. During Greece's offense, Spanoulis didn't ask for a screen from his teammates but instead tried to drive past Li Feng. However, Li Feng did not let him pass this time. Instead, he used his quick footwork to cut off Spanoulis's driving lane.
Spanoulis found himself in a difficult situation, struggling intensely against the defense. He had previously thought Li Feng could only block shots with his physicality, but now he realized Li Feng's man-to-man defense was surprisingly excellent. Li Feng transformed into a defensive stopper, firmly locking down Spanoulis's individual offense. Reluctantly, Spanoulis passed the ball to his teammate, abandoning his isolation play.
Greece still maintained its lead through its overall strength.
After watching more than half a quarter, Barkley was somewhat disappointed with Li Feng again. He shook his head and said, "Li Feng is still playing based on his physicality." Smith asked, confused, "Why do you say that?" "Although Li Feng's first step is fast, he is still at a disadvantage against Greece's overall defense and cannot break through their defensive line!" Smith shook his head and said, "I disagree with your statement. I think Li Feng is trying his best to involve his teammates and is prioritizing the team."
Barkley was taken aback, finding Smith's analysis to be reasonable. "Smith, if what you say is true, then it means Li Feng still has a lot of room for improvement, and he's somewhat precocious." "Precocious?" "Exactly. I've seen too many young players who, at 18, think they can handle everything and are keen on isolation plays. They might score thirty or forty points in a game, but the team loses." Smith couldn't agree more; the situation Barkley described indeed exists. For example, Jennings, in his first game, scored over 50 points, stunning the league. However, in subsequent games, Jennings gradually returned to mediocrity because he always preferred to play isolation ball, which didn't help the team much.
At this point, the first quarter was nearing its end, with the score tied at 16-16, a low score. This was because both teams were playing with high defensive intensity, resulting in low offensive efficiency and difficulty in scoring.
While they were discussing, in the last two seconds, Li Feng made a long drive and took a super-long three-pointer from the mid-court logo! Barkley looked on in disbelief: "Good heavens, Li Feng really dares to shoot, and there are still two seconds left." Smith also felt Li Feng was a bit reckless.
However, before their words could even finish, the basketball drew a beautiful arc and swished through the net! A three-pointer! 19-16!
Amazing! Li Feng had showcased his powerful offensive ability in the final moments. This indicated that Smith's earlier analysis was correct. The reason Li Feng's performance had been average until then was that he was deliberately restraining his offense and trying his best to involve his teammates!
The Chinese fans in the stadium were ecstatic, jumping up again with thunderous cheers. "Li Feng, I love you!" "Li Feng, you are my god!" "I kneel before you, well done!"