Compared to Harden's step-back, Li Feng's was more concealed, nearly tripping up Harden and Westbrook.
Swish!
Li Feng's three-pointer also went in!
A strong response!
Harden broke out in a cold sweat.
The same move, why did it look so cool when Li Feng did it!
Li Feng's answering three-pointer greatly boosted the confidence of his Chinese teammates and the fans in the arena, who erupted with a thunderous roar!
Team USA's offense.
Westbrook used a screen, drove to the basket, and went for a layup against Zhou Peng!
People say Westbrook plays recklessly, but his drives and touch around the basket are also exceptional.
When he gets going, he's unstoppable!
Back on the other end, it was Li Feng again, using a teammate's screen for a fadeaway jumper, scoring 2 points.
Currently, China was hanging on by a thread thanks to Li Feng's extraordinary performance.
The score remained around 10 points, and Team USA found it difficult to pull away, as the other Chinese players, while not offensive powerhouses, defended with incredible effort.
Deng Huade watched from the sidelines, appearing calm, but his heart was in his throat.
He was worried about Li Feng's physical condition.
Li Feng hadn't rested for a single minute in the second half.
Meanwhile, Team USA was using a rotation of stars, with numerous superstars taking turns on the court, achieving similar results.
With 2 minutes and 47 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the score stood at 92:83, with Team USA leading by 9 points.
Yao Ming couldn't sit still any longer. He couldn't bear to watch Li Feng carrying the entire offensive load.
He requested to play, and Deng Huade hesitated, feeling that although Li Feng was tired, he was in rhythm and could continue for a bit longer.
"Da Yao, rest for another two minutes. I'll call a timeout soon to let Li Feng rest, and then you'll both come onto the court."
Yao Ming had no choice but to sit back down.
The defensive pressure on Li Feng intensified, escalating from a double-team to a triple-team.
This kind of defense was practically an insult to the other Chinese players.
The message was clear: no one else needed to be guarded except Li Feng!
Fortunately, Zhu Fangyu finally stepped up.
Using Zhou Peng's screen, he got open, and Li Feng immediately passed him the ball.
This was the second time he had passed to Zhu Fangyu.
Earlier, when the ball went to Zhu Fangyu, he rushed his shot and was blocked by Love.
This time, Zhu Fangyu didn't disappoint Li Feng, his shot quicker. Swish!
A three-pointer!
After making the shot, Zhu Fangyu let out a roar and ran over to chest bump Li Feng in celebration.
This three-pointer narrowed the deficit to 6 points for Team USA.
The hope for a comeback significantly increased.
Unfortunately, on the other end, Anthony responded with a pull-up three-pointer, dousing China with another bucket of cold water.
This was the reality of Team USA, a team comprised of world-class superstars.
Time ticked by, and the score remained around 10 points.
With 5 minutes and 14 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the score was 99:89, with Team USA leading by 10 points.
Deng Huade called a timeout, preparing to bring in all his starters.
The superstars of Team USA were also feeling the strain, Li Feng's pressure was immense.
Westbrook and Harden were gasping for air as they came off the court, exhausting themselves double-teaming Li Feng.
If they had to defend Li Feng like that for 10 minutes straight, both of them would likely collapse.
Li Feng was incredibly mobile, constantly running the court without a moment's rest.
What was most terrifying was that Li Feng wasn't running at a steady pace.
Accelerating, stopping suddenly, accelerating again, changing direction, using fakes…
He was truly a machine!
In reality, Li Feng was also gritting his teeth and enduring. During the timeout, he closed his eyes, adjusting his breathing, using the [Curry Stamina Recovery Technique].
Deng Huade watched this and sighed.
He employed a small tactic. After the timeout, Li Feng didn't re-enter the game, letting other players take the court. As soon as they gained possession, he immediately called another timeout.
Calling two consecutive timeouts was a strategy to give Li Feng more rest.
This tactic wasn't common but had been used by coaches before, for instance, in another parallel universe, Tyronn Lue used it while coaching LeBron James' Cavaliers.
Since LeBron hadn't rested for a single minute in that game, Coach Lue called two consecutive timeouts in the fourth quarter to allow him to rest.
…
The two timeouts allowed Li Feng to recover most of his stamina, and both teams' starters returned to the court.
However, at Li Feng's suggestion, Chen Jianghua was replaced by Wang Shipeng, and Sun Dasheng was replaced by Zhu Fangyu.
These two players had stronger offensive capabilities and could help Li Feng deal with the double-teams!
Although Sun Dasheng and Chen Jianghua had better defense, their defensive contributions against Team USA were negligible. Therefore, it was better to have the stronger three-point shooters, Zhu Fangyu and Wang Shipeng, on the court.
The game resumed.
China's offense. Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul double-teamed Li Feng again.
Li Feng made a bounce pass to an open Wang Shipeng.
Wang Shipeng was not young anymore and had weaker stamina, but today he had only played about 10 minutes, so he was fine.
Swish!
As expected of a player with a strong heart, this three-pointer brought the score difference back to 7 points!
99:92!
Team USA's offense. LeBron James passed the ball to Kobe Bryant, with Li Feng guarding him one-on-one.
Kobe called for a pick-and-roll, with Anthony Davis setting the screen high up, blocking Li Feng, and Kobe drove to the baseline.
Unexpectedly, Li Feng's ability to navigate screens came into play, as he directly squeezed past Anthony Davis and followed Kobe to the baseline.
Kobe was surprised and had no choice but to force a difficult shot, a highly contested fadeaway.
But Li Feng was too close, taking off at the same time!
Li Feng's explosiveness was quicker, compensating for the height difference, and with a slap!
Li Feng tipped the ball, deflecting it directly towards the space between Yi Jianlian and LeBron James.
Yi Jianlian fought fiercely, letting out a roar and leaping up, disregarding his body's balance, and tipped the ball, directly passing it to Zhu Fangyu.
LeBron James was startled by Ah Lian, almost colliding with him.
Upon receiving the ball, Zhu Fangyu initiated a fast break, with Wang Shipeng and Li Feng also sprinting past half-court.
Li Feng received the ball, drawing the attention of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant, and threaded a pass through the defenders to Wang Shipeng.
Da Peng took the three-pointer from the corner!
Swish!
Another make!
The deficit was instantly reduced to 4 points!
In the critical moments of the fourth quarter, China's offense and defense suddenly exploded, catching Team USA off guard!
Coach K shook his head and called a timeout, intending to disrupt China's momentum.
The Chinese fans were jubilant, incredibly excited!
They, who had been on the verge of despair, now waved their red national flags and sang "My Motherland" in unison!
This scene was also deeply moving for fans from other countries!
Li Feng chest-bumped his teammates in celebration. This surge was incredibly satisfying, especially from Wang Shipeng, who could still be relied upon in crucial moments!
Of course, Li Feng's defense was the foundation of China's counterattack.
After the timeout, the game continued.
Kobe Bryant's eyes once again displayed the ruthlessness of a killer. He stood near the 45-degree angle, leaned against Li Feng, and signaled for the ball.
LeBron James passed the ball to him again.
Kobe was the most ruthless killer, and Team USA knew this.
But there was only one ball, and it had to be given to the most ruthless killer.
The other Chinese players wanted to help double-team Kobe.
Because when Kobe played in the NBA, no team dared to guard him one-on-one; it was always a double or triple team.
But Li Feng was also determined, signaling to his teammates not to double-team and to let him guard Kobe alone!
Kobe, with his back to Li Feng, leaned back, sensing Li Feng's position, and then suddenly turned and drove towards the sideline.
That area was occupied by Kevin Durant and Zhu Fangyu, who were entangled, forming a perfect screen for Kobe. Kobe was very clever.
Li Feng instantly understood and preemptively moved to get in front of Kobe, crashing into him with a bang!
Kobe knocked Li Feng to the ground!
Everyone looked to the referee, wondering what the call would be.
The referee was also a bit nervous; this was a crucial moment in the finals, with top superstars from the world of basketball on both sides.
The whistle was a bit delayed, but the referee pointed towards Kobe!
An offensive foul!
The entire arena held its breath, silent. The moment the referee pointed at Kobe, a roar erupted!
Kobe was also helpless, offering a wry smile as he pulled Li Feng to his feet!
This was sportsmanship; Kobe admired Li Feng, but on the court, he had to give his all!
He hadn't reached the foul limit yet, so there were no free throws, and possession changed hands, with China on offense.
Li Feng dribbled the ball at the half-court line, facing a double-team, seemingly about to pass again.
The moment Paul shuffled his feet sideways, Li Feng suddenly drove left, squeezing past Paul.
Kobe rushed to cut him off, but Li Feng turned again to the right, essentially completing a circle around Paul.
"This is bad…"
Kobe and Paul were startled, but it was too late. Li Feng seized the opportunity for a pull-up three-pointer!
Li Feng had toyed with two legendary defenders.
Swish!
Another three-pointer!
The deficit was just 1 point!
After making the shot, Li Feng raised his hands, scanning the crowd and basking in the cheers of the Chinese fans!
His teammates rushed over and embraced Li Feng.
But Li Feng remained calm, shouting, "Quick, get back on defense!"
Team USA inbounded the ball from the baseline, setting up their half-court offense.
This time, Kobe did not ask for the ball, as he felt a bit embarrassed after missing the previous two possessions.
While some people say Kobe played selfishly, that was when he was with the Lakers.
When his teammates were not performing well, Kobe had to carry the load himself.
But on Team USA, with so many superstar teammates, Kobe was quite deferential.
LeBron James brought the ball up the court, called for a screen, and drove to the paint.
Just as he was about to drive to the basket, Yao Ming suddenly stepped in front of him.
LeBron was wary of the dominant center and didn't drive himself, instead passing to Anthony Davis on the right side of the basket.
Anthony Davis jumped for a powerful dunk!
This was unavoidable. If Yao Ming didn't come to help defend, LeBron would have dunked it himself. This choice impacted the morale of both teams.
LeBron's powerful dunk would have undoubtedly electrified the arena; the momentum of "Little Emperor" was undeniable.
101:98.
Team USA led by 3 points again, with 2 minutes and 52 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
The suspense remained, with nearly three minutes left and a 3-point difference!
China's offense.
Li Feng dribbled past half-court. This time, he didn't drive but passed to Wang Shipeng in advance.
Since Wang Shipeng had made consecutive three-pointers, Team USA didn't dare to be careless, and Kevin Durant personally guarded him.
Facing Durant, the tall and lanky "Spider-Man," Wang Shipeng didn't drive but passed to Yi Jianlian.
Yi Jianlian had been at a disadvantage against LeBron James, but he didn't give up, deciding to take him on in the final moments.
He shouldered LeBron James once and then turned for a jump shot.
LeBron jumped high, and with a slap!
Indeed, the "Little Emperor" was top-notch in one-on-one defense, deflecting Yi Jianlian's shot.
The Chinese fans put their hands on their heads, sighing in regret.
Who would have thought that Ah Lian's innate talent would come into play?
Although LeBron had knocked the ball away, Ah Lian tipped it again in the air, and by chance, he tipped it to Yao Ming.
Yao Ming hadn't expected it and almost failed to control the ball.
After securing the ball, Yao Ming turned and dunked!
Anthony Davis didn't even realize what had happened before Yao Ming scored.
The fans laughed, and Li Feng and the other Chinese teammates also smiled.
This was the result of grit and effort!
As long as you fight hard, fate will favor you.
101:100, China still trailed by 1 point.
It was so tense, so exciting!
Many Chinese fans felt breathless. Every score from either team impacted the outcome of the game.
Team USA's offense.
LeBron James once again held the ball, but instead of driving, he suddenly passed to Kevin Durant.
Durant was a scorer comparable to Kobe Bryant, and with the ball in his hands, he was essentially the endgame.
Facing Zhu Fangyu's one-on-one defense, Durant didn't make any unnecessary moves and went straight for a pull-up!
He was likely worried about Li Feng's help defense; after all, Li Feng's help defense and steals were too formidable after the Finals.
Swish!
He made a long two-pointer.
The Grim Reaper had appeared, brandishing his scythe!
103:100, Team USA maintained their lead.
The air on the court seemed to freeze.
China's offense.
Li Feng still wasn't holding the ball, but he made a gesture, dribbling the ball slowly at the top of the arc.
The superstars of Team USA were unsure of Li Feng's intentions and were very tense.
Since Wang Shipeng and Yao Ming had both scored recently, they didn't dare to double-team Li Feng excessively.
With only 5 seconds left on the shot clock, Li Feng appeared to be initiating his move. He bent down and dribbled the ball harder—
Bang… Bang…
Kobe and Paul were extremely nervous and narrowed their defensive circle slightly, blocking Li Feng's driving lanes.
Suddenly, Yao Ming made a cut from the basket to the corner!
Anthony Davis was stunned.
He had been wrestling with Yao Ming for rebound position, but suddenly Yao Ming pushed him away and ran towards the corner.
The moment Anthony Davis hesitated whether to chase him, Li Feng had already passed the ball like a cannonball.
The pass was perfectly elevated. Upon receiving it, Yao Ming didn't need any adjustments and immediately pulled up for a corner three-pointer!
By the time Anthony Davis reacted and tried to pounce, it was already too late.
Swish!
Yao Ming's first three-point attempt of the game was a make!
Some people say Yao Ming would be eliminated in the small-ball era.
That's utter nonsense!
If Yao Ming hadn't gained weight and developed a three-point shot, he would have been a dominant center in the small-ball era.
103 all!
This unique play surprised everyone!
In fact, this tactic had been used quite a few times during Li Feng and Yao Ming's second championship season.