Thankfully, the game was nearing its end, and Brazil's head coach wasn't planning on substituting Nenê.
Li Feng walked to the free-throw line and calmly made the shots!
90:87, China led.
However, back on the other end, Barbosa drove into the paint and passed the ball to Splitter, who faced Yi Jianlian and sank a two-point hook shot.
90:89.
The situation remained uncertain, with just over a minute left on the clock.
Li Feng dribbled past half-court. Facing a double-team, he looked left and right, feigning a pass.
The moment Barbosa momentarily lost focus, Li Feng suddenly accelerated and broke through from the left.
Barbosa tried to grab Li Feng, but Li Feng gave him no chance to foul.
In the crucial final moments, one couldn't rely on the referees, as they tended to relax their calls.
After getting past Barbosa, Li Feng drove towards the basket.
Nenê, having been dunked on earlier, held a grudge, but he had indeed underestimated Li Feng.
So, this time, disregarding his four fouls, he established position early, straightening his body, preparing for a full-force confrontation with Li Feng!
Li Feng, of course, understood Nenê's intentions and decided to take him out of the game!
Brazil had managed to stay neck-and-neck with China primarily due to Nenê!
Now that he had four fouls, Li Feng thought, "I'll help you graduate!"
*Swish!*
Li Feng moved towards the center, seemingly trying to shake off Nenê.
Nenê grunted, "Scared?"
But he didn't let Li Feng go, using his decent speed to continue blocking Li Feng's path.
Li Feng was trapped under Nenê, appearing helpless.
Struggling left and right, unable to break free, Li Feng finally gathered the ball and faked a shot.
Nenê wouldn't allow Li Feng to shoot and immediately jumped, fiercely pressing towards Li Feng.
Li Feng had precisely wanted to draw his jump! *Bang!*
The moment Nenê jumped, Li Feng also leaped, colliding with Nenê, then arching his body and executing a small layup.
*Whoosh!*
The ball soared into the air, landing perfectly in the basket.
Meanwhile, Li Feng was sent tumbling to the ground by Nenê's contact.
*Beep!*
The referee's whistle blew again – another 2+1!
Nenê was furious, throwing his hands up and rushing towards the referee, vehemently arguing.
The Brazilian players quickly rushed over, pulling Nenê away.
Another technical foul at this point would have been troublesome.
Nenê walked off the court with his head down, seething.
Li Feng, however, made an even more provoking gesture, waving goodbye to Nenê's retreating back!
He made the free throw, bringing the score to 93:89, with China leading by four.
The game clock showed 57 seconds remaining.
Brazil theoretically still had a chance.
But Li Feng's sudden outburst had instilled panic in the Brazilian players, shattering their confidence.
Brazil's offense. Taylor dribbled past half-court, facing Chen Jianghua, and attempted to drive past him.
But Chen Jianghua was also improving; he established position early, blocking Taylor's driving lane.
This was Chen Jianghua's advantage – his strong learning ability.
Li Feng had intended to double-team, but seeing Chen Jianghua actually stop Taylor filled him with excitement, and he shouted encouragement: "Jianghua, awesome!"
Taylor's drive failed, so he passed the ball to Varejão, who had come in for Nenê.
Varejão possessed good playmaking abilities. He dribbled a couple of times and then suddenly made a bounce pass to the cutting Garcia.
Garcia scored on a layup!
93:91, China led by two points.
36 seconds remained on the clock.
China's offense.
If China could score two points, their four-point lead would secure the victory.
Because of this, Brazil began to aggressively double-team Li Feng, with rough plays.
Li Feng didn't engage in excessive tussling and passed the ball to Chen Jianghua.
At the same time, he made a gesture to Chen Jianghua.
Chen Jianghua immediately understood. He dribbled at the three-point line, moved laterally, and then suddenly shot a three-pointer!
Since Chen Jianghua's long-range shooting ability was average, he had only attempted two three-pointers that day, missing both.
Therefore, Brazil didn't pay much attention to this long-range attempt, waiting to rebound.
Unexpectedly, just as Varejão and Splitter had established their positions and were preparing to secure the rebound, Li Feng suddenly squeezed between them and leaped into the air.
Varejão and Splitter were stunned. By the time they tried to rebound, it was too late.
Li Feng grabbed the rebound, faked out Splitter, then half-turned and shot a floater off the glass, scoring!
Incredible!
Li Feng, transforming into a center, grabbed the rebound under the defense of Brazil's two big men and scored off the glass.
This play was incredibly dominant. The Chinese players rushed over excitedly!
With a four-point lead, China had almost secured the victory. Li Feng had once again saved the Chinese men's basketball team!
Brazil's head coach clutched his head and roared in frustration.
He could never have imagined that neither of his two big men could secure the rebound, allowing Li Feng to score.
With nine seconds left in the fourth quarter, Brazil trailed by four.
Brazil's coach had to call a timeout.
To close the gap, they needed quick three-point shots. If they could make a three-pointer, then foul.
Although the hope was slim, the Brazilian players were making a final push.
Unfortunately, after the timeout, Brazil's Garcia's shot missed, ending their chance to catch up.
Ultimately, China defeated Brazil, securing their fourth group stage victory.
As of now, only the USA in Group A and China in Group B had a perfect 4-0 record, topping their respective group standings.
After this victory, no one doubted China's strength anymore.
Many media outlets began discussing whether China could pull off an upset against the Dream Team in this Olympics!
On August 5th, two group stage games were played.
In Group A, Argentina defeated Nigeria 93:79.
In Group B, Australia thrashed Great Britain 106:75.
On August 6th, four games were played.
In Group A, Lithuania defeated Tunisia 76:63.
Nigeria lost to France 73:79, with France narrowly winning.
In Group B, Russia lost to Australia 80:82, with Australia pulling off a minor upset.
The final game was between China and Great Britain.
Great Britain was the weakest team in Group B.
China was well-prepared, leading by 17 points by halftime.
Less than five minutes into the third quarter, China had extended their lead to 23 points. Great Britain's morale crumbled, and they were completely demoralized.
Finally, China defeated Great Britain by 34 points, achieving a five-game winning streak in the group stage.
On August 7th, the final two group stage games were completed.
The USA Dream Team defeated Argentina in Group A, achieving a five-game winning streak.
In Group B, Brazil defeated Spain 88:82.
Thus, all group stage matches concluded.
The final standings for Group A were: USA, France, Argentina, Lithuania, Nigeria, and Tunisia.
Nigeria and Tunisia were eliminated.
The final standings for Group B were: China, Russia, Brazil, Australia, Spain, and Great Britain.
Consequently, Spain and Great Britain were eliminated.
Spain's elimination came as a shock to many fans.
Pau Gasol called Li Feng before departing.
"Li Feng, I was hoping to compete against you in the knockout stage, but alas, I have to go home..."
Gasol's tone was filled with extreme disappointment.
Spain, as a world power, had consistently been a top-eight team in major tournaments for years.
Their early exit this time indicated the arrival of a generational shift for Spain.
In fact, if not for Li Feng's emergence, the Chinese men's basketball team would have faced a similar predicament.
"Brother Paul, it's okay, we'll meet again on the court!"
"Haha, alright, then until next time. I wish you and the Chinese team success in winning the trophy!"
"Thank you..."
...
After the group stage, all teams had two days of rest to prepare for the upcoming knockout stage.
The knockout stage was brutal yet thrilling.
Fans eagerly awaited each elimination game, cheering for their favorite teams.
Before the knockout stage began, Zhang Guidance and Yu Jia, the commentators for China Central Television Sports Channel, interviewed Li Feng and Yao Ming.
"Xiao Feng, the group stage is over, any thoughts?" Zhang Guidance asked, affectionately putting an arm around Li Feng's shoulder.
Li Feng smiled, thought for a moment, and replied, "What I want to say most is that the chemistry of our Chinese men's basketball team is excellent, and every player has made significant progress."
Zhang Guidance nodded, "That's right. Anyone who has watched the games has been shocked. The Chinese players have come together as one, displaying our Chinese spirit. It's truly inspiring!"
Yu Jia also asked, "Li Feng, the knockout stage is about to begin, and our first opponent is Lithuania. What preparations do you think the Chinese men's basketball team needs to make?"
Li Feng responded, "Lithuania is a traditional powerhouse. Their national team's player combination this year is very balanced, with a complete roster and strong capabilities. We will disrupt their rhythm through aggressive hustle and start with our defense!"
Zhang Guidance then asked Yao Ming a question.
"Da Yao, how is your body? Are you okay?"
Yao Ming, who was very familiar with Zhang Guidance, nodded and replied, "My ankle is an old injury, but after treatment from the team doctor, it's fine. I believe I will play in all the games!"
Zhang Guidance and Yu Jia knew Yao Ming's importance, especially against a traditional powerhouse like Lithuania.
Yu Jia asked, "Da Yao, what do you think are the advantages of the Chinese team compared to the USA Dream Team?"
Yao Ming smiled and pointed at Li Feng, "Li Feng is the biggest advantage for our Chinese men's basketball team. As long as Li Feng is on the court, we are confident in defeating any opponent, including the Dream Team!"
Zhang Guidance nodded vigorously, knowing that Yao Ming's statement was not modesty or politeness, but a sincere reflection!
After the interview, the Chinese team proceeded to their first knockout match.
Although Lithuania ranked fourth in Group A, seemingly weak, that was not the case.
During the group stage, Lithuania nearly defeated the USA, giving the Dream Team a scare.
Therefore, Lithuania was definitely not a pushover team.
On August 8th, at 9 PM, the quarter-final match between China and Lithuania commenced.
China's starting lineup was Li Feng, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Sun Dasheng, and Chen Jianghua.
Lithuania's starters were Javtokas, Jankūnas, Jasaitis, Kleiza, and Žukauskas.
Lithuania's Olympic roster for this edition largely retained the lineup from the previous Olympics.
Yao Ming and Javtokas stood at the center circle for the jump ball.
With the whistle, the game began, and Javtokas secured the first possession for Lithuania.
Although Yao Ming's ankle had healed, he was still cautious and didn't jump at full force.
Jasaitis dribbled past half-court, and Li Feng moved up to guard him closely.
They had encountered each other in the 2008 Olympics, but Li Feng was a reserve then, and their matchups were limited.
This time, Jasaitis wanted to provoke Li Feng, partly because he felt he had improved significantly and wanted to assert dominance, and partly to enrage Li Feng.
The importance of Li Feng to the Chinese men's basketball team was well-known. If they could enrage Li Feng, the game would become easier.
*Bang!*
Jasaitis bumped Li Feng with his shoulder.
The impact was strong, causing Li Feng to stumble.
Jasaitis was indeed robust and also five centimeters taller than Li Feng.
Li Feng didn't get angry at all; he had experienced all sorts of situations in the NBA and continued to press his defense.
Unexpectedly, Jasaitis didn't stop and suddenly swung an elbow towards Li Feng's neck, *bang!*
This was a bit excessive. Although Li Feng wasn't injured, the impact was painful.
Seeing Li Feng's brow furrow in pain, Jasaitis was pleased; this was exactly the effect he wanted.
Just as he was about to continue his dirty play, Li Feng suddenly established position, blocking his driving lane, then extended his long arms, *smack!*
Li Feng snatched the ball directly from Jasaitis's hands.
After the steal, Li Feng tapped the ball again, directly to Chen Jianghua, who was nearby.
Chen Jianghua immediately launched a fast break.
Lithuania's players hadn't even reacted when Chen Jianghua scored two points on the fast break.
4:0!
China delivered two heavy blows to Lithuania right from the start, stunning their players.
Lithuania's head coach, Antanas, shook his head in frustration. He hadn't expected that Yao Ming, who was nearing retirement, still possessed such terrifying interior dominance!