Bogut saw the Chinese reporter leave the coach speechless and stepped in to smooth things over.
"My dear reporter friend, the records between teams aren't that simple. China can beat Spain, and we can beat China. There's no contradiction!"
Seeing his smug expression, the Chinese reporter's anger flared, and he continued to confront him, "I don't think so. Yao Ming always crushes you. Your head-to-head record against Yao Ming is five losses, and in one game, you fouled out with six! What makes you so confident about winning?"
Well-reasoned and factual!
The other reporters burst into laughter again. Bogut's face turned red with embarrassment, and he was so flustered he couldn't speak.
Bogut's eyes darted around. He knew he couldn't compete with Yao Ming, so he shifted the focus to Li Feng.
Li Feng was very popular now, but he was just a guard, so Bogut began to belittle him.
"I admit Yao Ming is better than me, but the outcome of a team game isn't decided by one person. Our Australian frontcourt and backcourt are full of talent. China is simply not good enough! Especially that Li Feng, he's no match for us at all!"
The reporters booed. Everyone knew Li Feng had been playing well in the recent games and was a crucial contributor to China's three consecutive wins.
Yet, Bogut publicly disparaged Li Feng, which was utterly shameless.
Another American reporter stepped forward and said loudly, "In these three games, Li Feng has averaged 33.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 12 assists. Do you think anyone on Australia can match him?"
This reporter was relentless, directly throwing the stats in Bogut's face. Bogut was once again rendered speechless and simply turned his head away, refusing to speak.
...
The press conference on the Chinese side was somewhat subdued. Australia was weaker than the previous three opponents, so the reporters had few questions.
Li Feng briefly answered two questions before going to warm up.
Before the game started, several players quietly arrived at the venue, including Leo Brown from the Knicks, and scouts from the Suns and Warriors.
Furthermore, back in the United States, team owners and coaches alike turned on their televisions to watch the game.
Their sole focus was on one person: Li Feng!
Before the official match, the system awakened again and appeared in Li Feng's mind.
"Ding, the system has issued a mission to the host."
"Host Li Feng must achieve three highlight plays to unlock an advanced card treasure chest!"
Li Feng was overjoyed. It seemed he would have a rewarding day after the match.
After warming up, the players from both sides took the court, and the game officially began!
China Men's Basketball's starting five were Li Feng, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Sun Dasheng, and Du Feng.
Since Zhu Fangyu was suspended for two games, Du Feng took his place.
Australia's starters were Bogut, David Andersen, David Barlow, Bruton, and Mills.
Yao Ming and Bogut stood at center court, ready for the tip-off.
The referee's whistle blew, and Da Yao secured the first offensive possession for China.
Li Feng held the ball in the backcourt, and Bruton of Australia immediately applied full-court defense!
It was clear that Australia knew Li Feng had been playing well recently and wanted to set a tone by intensifying the defense on him.
Australia was known for their physical, beast-like play, which was a characteristic of Australian basketball.
And Bruton was the most troublesome among the Australians, so one could imagine the defensive pressure Li Feng was about to face.
Li Feng dribbled the ball in the backcourt, and Bruton clung to him like a catfish, constantly interfering.
However, Li Feng was prepared and didn't engage him, passing the ball off early.
This was a sign of maturity.
Basketball was a team sport, and Li Feng was too lazy to get into a confrontation with him. He knew very well that they were not on the same level, and engaging with him would be beneath him.
Sun Dasheng received the pass, and after crossing half-court, passed the ball back to Li Feng to orchestrate the offense.
Li Feng wanted Yao Ming to make a play first, so he observed Yao Ming's position.
Unfortunately, Australia was well-prepared. They not only had Bogut set up in the post for position but also had Andersen fronting him to prevent Yao Ming from receiving the ball.
This made it difficult for Yao Ming to get the ball, and China's first offensive possession was thwarted.
As time ticked away, Li Feng, with no other option, passed the ball to Yi Jianlian to make a play.
Yi Jianlian went straight for a pull-up jumper, but unfortunately, under the defender's interference, the shot missed.
The stadium was packed with spectators, the vast majority of whom were Chinese fans.
With three consecutive wins, the fans' enthusiasm was high, and they had great expectations for China.
In other words, their appetites had grown.
Therefore, when China's first offensive attempt failed, the audience let out a sigh.
Bogut secured the rebound and passed it directly to Mills.
Mills was a guard with distinctive characteristics. Although not very tall, he was very fast and had an accurate three-point shot.
Moreover, he had been nurtured by the Spurs, possessing excellent team awareness and exceptional discipline.
Mills received the pass from Bogut and immediately initiated a fast break.
The moment Bogut passed, Li Feng chased after him. His speed was even greater than Mills'!
It was terrifying.
Mills was positioned near the half-court line, expecting to have a clear path for a fast break.
Little did he know, as soon as he received the ball, Li Feng appeared before him.
Mills looked incredulous and had to dribble the ball slowly past half-court, settling into a half-court offense.
A good fast break opportunity had turned into a half-court set.
Bogut, witnessing this, was also shocked. He finally saw Li Feng's frightening capabilities with his own eyes!
However, Australia's strategy against China was effective. They played a rough style, avoiding Li Feng's and Yao Ming's defense on offense and attacking through the wings.
Australia's power forward Andersen and small forward Barlow were both strong and physically imposing.
Yi Jianlian and Du Feng were having trouble matching their physicality.
Thus, on Australia's first possession, Andersen drove hard at Yi Jianlian, successfully scoring and drawing a foul from Yi Jianlian.
Yonas watched from the sidelines, shaking his head slightly.
He was very familiar with the Australian team. When he coached in Lithuania, he often dealt with Australia.
At that time, Lithuania consistently handled Australia easily because Lithuania's players were superior in both individual physical conditions and skill level to Australia's.
Australia's rough play was useless against Lithuania.
However, China's players had a more refined, less aggressive style, and initially, they were at a disadvantage.
Especially Yi Jianlian, who was still a bit raw and might become a focal point for Australia's attacks.
China trailed 0-2.
Andersen stood at the free-throw line and made the additional free throw, making it 0-3. China had a poor start.