The match between China and Lithuania had already become a tense, explosive affair even before the tip-off.
The verbal sparring between the head coaches and Li Feng's bold declarations had thoroughly excited the fans.
On basketball forums, Chinese fans engaged in heated discussions about the game.
The fans were divided into two camps.
One side argued that Lithuania's overall strength surpassed China's, and while China could fight hard, they had no hope of winning.
However, the other side firmly disagreed, believing that with Yao Ming and Li Feng, the Chinese team could absolutely contend with Lithuania!
Each side presented their own reasoning, leading to a lively debate.
The battle was imminent!
When the starting lineups were announced, fans noticed that Li Feng was still on the bench, not in the starting five.
This caused a stir among Chinese fans, who felt that Li Feng, having performed so well in the previous game, should have been a starter.
Yet, some knowledgeable fans understood that despite Li Feng's good performance against Spain in the last match, he was currently considered a surprise weapon.
A mature team, they believed, needed a starting five that could execute a consistent strategy.
The starting lineups for both teams were as follows:
China's starting lineup: Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Liu Wei, Zhu Fangyu, Sun Dasheng.
Lithuania's starting five: Kaukėnas, Šiškauskas, Lavrinovič, Jasikevičius, Javtokas.
Although Coach Jonas projected confidence verbally, he felt a sense of unease internally because the Lithuanian national team was too familiar with his playing style.
Having coached in Lithuania for many years, his style was consistent: difficulty defending pick-and-rolls and inability to break through zone defenses.
While Yao Ming could dominate the paint, Lithuania's interior defense was not to be underestimated.
Specifically, Lavrinovič's defensive capabilities in the paint were considerable.
Amidst the rapt attention of the crowd, the highly anticipated game began!
Yao Ming and Lavrinovič stood at center court for the tip-off.
The referee tossed the ball high, and Yao Ming, relying on his exceptional talent, tipped it to himself, giving China the first possession!
Liu Wei dribbled the ball past half-court, and Lithuania's guard Kaukėnas moved up to defend him closely.
Given the pre-game tension between the two sides, Kaukėnas's movements were quite aggressive.
Before Li Feng's emergence, Liu Wei was considered the national team's best ball-handler.
Even so, he found himself struggling against the opposing guard's defense, stumbling as he crossed half-court.
Seeing Yao Ming establishing position in the paint, he immediately passed the ball.
The first offensive possession was crucial!
Everyone knew that China's primary offensive strategy was to get the ball to Yao Ming.
Upon receiving the ball, Yao Ming leaned into Lavrinovič with force, then made a move to his right, faking a shot.
Although Lavrinovič was stronger than Yao Ming, his defense was like a sieve against him.
With Yao Ming's fake, Lavrinovič shifted his weight to the right.
*Swish!*
Yao Ming keenly sensed the shift in his opponent's balance behind him and immediately pivoted to his left, easily shaking off Lavrinovič.
Lavrinovič was stunned; it was too late to block the shot.
*Swish!*
Yao Ming shot!
A soft floater secured two points.
2:0
China scored first, taking a temporary lead!
The crowd erupted in thunderous applause and cheers!
Yao Ming truly was China's invincible Great Wall, so steady.
Lithuania's head coach stood by the sideline, shaking his head slightly with a sigh.
While he knew Yao Ming was formidable and had prepared thoroughly beforehand, encountering him in person, Yao Ming was simply unstoppable!
During the pre-game practice, the head coach had planned for double-teams and fronting the post against Yao Ming.
However, Lavrinovič had scoffed, saying dismissively, "Why bother with all that? I can guard him myself!"
Not wanting to dampen his player's enthusiasm, Lithuania's coach devised two plans, agreeing to let Lavrinovič guard Yao Ming one-on-one first.
If that failed, they would then implement the fronting strategy and double-teams.
As expected, Yao Ming immediately provided Lavrinovič with a harsh lesson in humility right from the start!
After scoring, Yao Ming excitedly pumped his fist.
For the usually reserved Yao Ming, this was his most unrestrained celebration.
Lavrinovič was dejected, having witnessed Yao Ming's prowess, and felt a pang of doubt.
Yao Ming's Chinese teammates came over to high-five him in celebration.
Li Feng, from the bench, was not idle.
He understood the importance of team morale and knew that even from the bench, he could contribute.
Therefore, Li Feng and the other reserves jumped up, cheering excitedly for Yao Ming's basket!
Lithuania's players initiated their offense. Guard Kaukėnas dribbled the ball in the backcourt, raising his left hand to signal his teammates to stay calm.
Playing away from home, Lithuania had to withstand the roaring boos from the Chinese fans.
Although Liu Wei defended closely, it was evident that Kaukėnas possessed superior dribbling and control skills, allowing him to cross half-court with ease.
Upon crossing half-court, he immediately called for a pick-and-roll, with Javtokas moving to screen Liu Wei.
Kaukėnas drove towards the basket.
While Yao Ming provided help defense, his physical size and strength meant he wasn't as quick.
Meanwhile, Javtokas moved to the edge of the paint, and Kaukėnas, with perfect chemistry, tossed him the ball.
After catching the ball, Javtokas scored with a bank shot before Yi Jianlian could rotate to defend, also adding two points.
The score was tied at 2:2!
This exchange clearly showed that China's defense against pick-and-rolls was poor, allowing the opponent to score easily.
Jonas's face turned grim on the sideline, and he felt a growing anxiety.
Defending pick-and-rolls was crucial in modern basketball, but it wasn't something that could be mastered overnight.
The Chinese players were trying their best, but the results were still unsatisfactory.
In the ensuing play, Lithuania adopted the strategy of fronting the post and double-teaming Yao Ming.
There was no other option; guarding Yao Ming one-on-one was simply futile.
Lavrinovič conceded after just one possession and abandoned the one-on-one defense.
Yao Ming found it increasingly difficult to receive the ball.
Even when he did, his offense in the face of double-teams stalled, and turnovers began to increase.
Furthermore, the other Chinese players did not step up to compensate.
China started falling behind.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 23:15, with Lithuania leading by eight points.
Notably, Lithuania scored 14 points through pick-and-rolls.
Additionally, Lithuania shot 3-of-5 from three-point range, demonstrating high efficiency.
In contrast, for China, apart from Yao Ming's 8 points, the scoring efficiency of the other players was low, and they failed to provide a strong response.
As the second quarter began, Jonas rearranged his lineup in an attempt to close the gap.
However, Lithuania's strength was undeniable, and they continued to suppress China's offense, with the point differential gradually widening.
By halftime, Lithuania had surprisingly built a 20-point lead!
54:34!
The fans in the arena were utterly disappointed, and their cheers were no longer as loud as at the start.
Many fans began to grow restless, expressing their dissatisfaction with Jonas and chanting Li Feng's name.