Finally, at the start of the second half, Li Feng took off his long sleeves and pants and stood up!
Seeing Li Feng preparing to enter the game, Chinese fans immediately cheered. They had been waiting impatiently.
In the previous match, Li Feng had shown an incredibly astonishing performance, pulling the Chinese men's basketball team back from the brink of disaster.
Therefore, the fans naturally assumed that Li Feng would once again step up and save the team from the depths of trouble!
During the halftime break, Jonas approached Li Feng and whispered a few words to him.
"Li Feng, we didn't play well in the first half, but it was also a test. Lithuania's tactics are all exposed now. Do you have the confidence to break through their defense?"
Facing Coach Jonas's expectant gaze, Li Feng nodded firmly.
"Coach, don't worry, I'll give it my all!"
"Good, I like your never-give-up spirit. The game is in your hands!"
Yao Ming also had high expectations for Li Feng.
Although Da Yao had played well in the first half, scoring 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting, he couldn't do it alone. Lithuania had a superior overall strength, and he was indeed struggling to carry the team by himself.
Da Yao couldn't understand why Coach Jonas hadn't put Li Feng in earlier.
However, he was a player and had to obey orders, so he didn't question Jonas, only doing his best to fight.
Before the second half began, he saw Li Feng preparing to enter the game and breathed a sigh of relief.
He also walked over to Li Feng, not saying much, but gently patting Li Feng on the head.
"Li Feng, the situation is critical, it's up to you!"
Seeing Da Yao's stern and overly tense expression, Li Feng smiled and made a joke.
"Da Yao, don't make me bald by patting my head, hehe."
In 2008, the "head-patting meme" involving Duncan and Ginobili didn't exist yet, so Da Yao was taken aback, then he smiled.
He found Li Feng to be quite humorous.
Li Feng's entry was met with a tidal wave of cheers from the entire Chinese audience.
"Li Feng, beat them!"
"Li Feng, I love you, go for it!"
"Da Yao, Li Feng, it's all up to you!"
Amidst the immense anticipation, the second half of the game began.
The Lithuanian players didn't pay much attention to Li Feng.
Although the Lithuanian coach had watched the Chinese team's previous match recordings, he insisted that Li Feng was just lucky.
Furthermore, Jonas not playing Li Feng in the first half solidified his belief: Li Feng was merely a surprise player who wouldn't cause any major trouble.
So, upon seeing Li Feng on the court, the Lithuanian coach merely smiled disdainfully and then ordered Javtokas, "Turn up the intensity on that Li Feng!"
It's worth noting that Javtokas was a renowned guard for Lithuania, nicknamed "The Devil Pig," with explosive physical attributes!
The nickname "Pig" was once the nickname of NBA legend Barkley.
Who was Barkley? He was the one who snatched the MVP from Jordan that year.
Because he was charging from behind, Li Feng had no way to defend.
The Chinese fans were terrified. They watched helplessly as the opponent attacked from behind, but Li Feng continued as if he hadn't seen it.
Countless fans were reminding Li Feng.
Just as the Devil Pig was about to collide with Li Feng, Li Feng suddenly exerted force and moved to meet Javtokas's charge.
Because Li Feng's exertion of force was very subtle and quick, to outsiders, it seemed as if Li Feng wasn't doing it intentionally.
A strange scene unfolded.
The Devil Pig seemed to hit a tank and was bounced backward, stumbling out of bounds and falling face-first!
As for Li Feng, he hadn't moved an inch and continued to drive towards the paint.
Lithuania's interior pillars, Lavrinovicius and Siskauskas, formed a twin tower defense.
Seeing their teammate knocked flying, they were not only shocked but also enraged.
They had to avenge their teammate!
This was the unwritten rule of basketball: if a teammate was in trouble, no matter what, you had to step up for them.
Team cohesion was demonstrated in this way.
Da Yao also reached the half-court at this moment. Seeing Li Feng going alone, he was a bit worried, so he called out, "Li Feng, if it's too much, let's go back to a set offense!"
This was actually giving Li Feng an out.
Although Li Feng had succeeded in the previous physical confrontation, he was an outside player, and the difference in height and weight compared to the opponent's big men was too great.
If he forced his way through, he would definitely be at a disadvantage.
However, Li Feng showed no signs of slowing down and continued to drive towards the basket.
Just as everyone expected Li Feng to be knocked flying, Li Feng suddenly made a sharp change of direction!
Whoosh!
Li Feng, while moving at high speed, suddenly broke past Lavrinovicius and Siskauskas like an arrow, charging into the paint.
These two tall players reacted like motionless wooden stakes, completely caught off guard.
In martial arts, speed is everything!
The ability to make a sharp directional change without slowing down was incredibly fast!
Not only were the players on both sides stunned, but the fans in the stadium also widened their eyes, even forgetting to cheer, causing a two-second silence in the arena.
Even the coaches on both sides were dumbfounded, their mouths hanging open!
The league's fastest first step!