Li Feng, after delivering a thunderous block on Bogut, was also extremely excited, pounding his chest and roaring.
The Chinese players rushed over to chest-bump with Li Feng in celebration, their morale soaring.
In contrast, the Australian players were stunned by this block. Bogut, of all people!
Regardless, Bogut was a first overall pick in the NBA, not exactly an outstanding one, but he was still called "the passing line for a No. 1 pick."
If Yao Ming had blocked him, he might have been able to accept it psychologically.
But to be blocked by the 1.9-meter Li Feng was an extreme humiliation.
Bogut began to regret his actions, having loudly belittled Li Feng in the press conference, and now he had received Li Feng's "retaliation."
Australia inbounded the ball from the baseline, with only 3 seconds left on the shot clock.
Mills received the ball on the perimeter and rushed his shot, unfortunately missing. Yao Ming secured the rebound and immediately threw it to Sun Dasheng.
Sun Dasheng crossed half-court, intending to launch a fast break, but Australia's Mills and Barlow were quick to fall back on defense.
Li Feng immediately activated, moving up to receive the pass, and Sun Dasheng swung the ball to Li Feng.
Australia's Bruton still clung to Li Feng like a catfish, preventing him from accelerating. His movements were rough, and he had already committed a foul.
But the referee didn't blow his whistle, and Li Feng didn't complain. He protected the ball, observing his teammates' positions.
At this moment, those scouts were staring intently at Li Feng, eager to see how he would break free from the tenacious defense.
Seeing that none of his teammates had an open shot, Li Feng decided to attack on his own.
He turned his body and began to dribble. Bruton continuously harassed and bumped him, operating in the grey area between a foul and clean play.
Li Feng remained steady, using his strong physique to resist Bruton's interference. Then, with a sudden burst of speed, he drove towards the paint.
Bruton was immediately left half a body length behind. Panicked, he tried to swipe at the ball from behind, but Li Feng's dribbling skills were already masterful. With a quick turn, he evaded Bruton's attempt.
It was too fast. Australia's Barlow tried to rotate over to help, but he was half a step too late. Bang!
The two collided, and Barlow was knocked down. Li Feng swayed but remained upright, and at the same time, the referee's whistle blew.
The referee pointed at Barlow, calling a defensive foul. This was an accurate call; Barlow was moving to impede Li Feng and hadn't even established a stable stance.
Australia had reached their foul limit. Li Feng stepped up to the free-throw line and sank both shots!
The scouts watched, astonished. Li Feng's individual offensive capability was enough to tear through the opponent's defense!
"Hey, is this Li Feng's true strength? Was he hiding earlier?"
"Probably. Maybe it was the coach's plan."
"His drives are just too fast. I admit, I misjudged him earlier."
"I've been proven wrong too, hehe. But it's okay, I'm sure of it now. He's a superstar in the making!"
...
Just as Li Feng was going on a scoring spree and slowly narrowing the deficit, Jonas suddenly substituted him out again.
At this point, there were still more than 3 minutes left in the second quarter, and the score was 46:40, with Australia leading by 6 points.
Logically, Li Feng had come on the court with over 4 minutes left in the second quarter; he could have played out the entire quarter.
The spectators and fans were confused, as were the scouts. But Li Feng didn't mind; he was used to it.
Jonas's strategy was to let Li Feng unleash his power in the second half, to seal the game without giving the opponent any breathing room.
Therefore, Li Feng remained calm.
He had already completed two of the three "highlight moments" assigned by the system, and it had been effortless.
The two highlight moments were a driving dunk and the volleyball block on Bogut, both spectacular!
Humorously, after Li Feng was taken out, Australia's Bruton was also substituted out by coach Gole.
Bruton, the "catfish," was specifically brought in to disrupt Li Feng's mentality, and defending Li Feng also consumed a great deal of his energy.
As soon as Li Feng left the court, the Chinese team started conceding points again, and the deficit widened once more.
At the end of the first half, Australia's Mills hit an ultra-long three-pointer with 1 second left before the halftime buzzer.
The score was 57:42, with Australia leading by 15 points.
In the commentary booth, Yu Jia and Zhang Zhidao expressed their helplessness regarding the Chinese head coach.
"Zhang Zhidao, why does Coach Jonas always do this every game? I really don't understand!"
"This... perhaps it's his coaching style. Like Coach Popovich of the NBA's Spurs, who brought Manu Ginobili off the bench, but didn't truly treat him as a role player, only to utilize him as a surprise weapon."
Zhang Zhidao couldn't directly criticize Jonas, so he did his best to cover for him.
Yu Jia gave a wry smile, "What if they can't turn things around in the knockout stage? It'll be dangerous."
Zhang Zhidao nodded, "If they dare to play like this in the knockout stage, then I really wouldn't know what to say."
It wasn't just the domestic commentators who were confused; even TNT's Barkley and Smith were criticizing Jonas.
They were not as gentle as the domestic commentators; they went straight for the criticism.
"Oh, shoot! What the hell is Jonas doing? Taking Li Feng out again so early? He's not an old veteran!" Barkley clearly hadn't seen enough of Li Feng's performance and was disappointed by the substitution.
Smith's tone was less aggressive but still offered subtle criticism.
"The coach bears a lot of responsibility for trailing in the first half every game, and it's irresponsible to the fans!"
"Fire him! Jonas is truly incapable! I'd be a better coach myself. With superstars like Yao Ming and Li Feng in hand, and he doesn't know how to use them? What an idiot!"
Barkley, known as the "big mouth" of the commentary world, wasn't without reason; he truly dared to speak his mind.
...
In the locker room, Jonas, in a rare move, walked in.
He saw that the Chinese players were somewhat subdued, as everyone was in a bad mood due to trailing at halftime.
"Children, the game isn't 20 minutes, it's 40 minutes. So, trailing at halftime doesn't mean anything. You need to lift your spirits!"
Jonas had his own difficulties he couldn't express. His coaching style was not to over-rely on star players, hoping to play team basketball.
In fact, he was conflicted himself. Without relying on Li Feng, it was difficult for the Chinese team to win. However, relying too much on Li Feng would also lead to the degradation of other players' abilities.
Therefore, being a coach wasn't easy, as everyone had their own ideas.
Some coaches' styles were to resolutely focus on superstars, willing to let them play the entire game rather than lose.
However, such an approach also carried potential risks. When the superstar had a bad game or was injured, others would be completely unable to step up.
The team would collapse instantly.
Seeing that the other players were ignoring Jonas and the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Yao Ming, as the captain, quickly stepped in to ease the tension.
"Coach, actually, the teammates are all very competitive. Especially against Australia, everyone hopes for a clear victory!"
"I understand, I understand!" Jonas nodded. "In the second half, we'll deliver a fatal blow. Don't worry!"