The coaching staff and players agreed with Li Feng's assessment, indicating Li Feng's more meticulous observation.
Finally, Jonas concluded, "Next is the knockout stage, and we cannot afford to be careless. We absolutely cannot fall behind in the first half. We must strive to lead every second!"
The players felt the tension of the knockout stage from his words.
After watching the footage, everyone returned to the training facility for targeted drills.
Defense against Ginobili and Scola was crucial. Li Feng took on the responsibility of defending Ginobili.
The task of defending Scola was entrusted to Yi Jianlian.
During Da Yao's training, Li Feng provided his suggestions based on the "Repair the Great Wall" skill within the system.
In truth, Yao Ming had also been grappling with his positioning.
In 2008, the league had already begun to see the trend of small ball. The Suns, formed by Nash and Stoudemire, had stirred up a yellow storm.
Concurrently, the proportion of three-point shots in team tactics was increasing.
As a dominant center, Yao Ming was clearly slowly losing influence.
Li Feng's words provided Yao Ming with the impetus to make a decision. He felt he shouldn't gain more weight, but rather lose weight to increase his mobility.
Simultaneously, Da Yao's excellent soft touch should be utilized more for three-point shots to extend his offensive range.
Although Da Yao and Li Feng reached a consensus, they still needed to seek the coach's approval.
The two specially sought out Jonas for a discussion that lasted over an hour.
Jonas was not a rigid coach. He listened to their suggestions and pondered for a moment.
He then stated, "The small ball style is indeed the trend now. We didn't see it as clearly in the first few games against strong European teams, but facing South American teams, including the US team, we must increase our three-point shooting percentage. You are right!"
Having received the coach's endorsement, Da Yao was relieved and began targeted training according to Li Feng's training plan.
Although the game was about to begin with limited preparation time, a little practice before the battle, even if not much, was still very useful.
Da Yao already had an exceptional shooting touch and frequently made long two-pointers with a decent accuracy.
Therefore, as he began practicing three-pointers, his progress was very rapid.
The day before the game against Argentina, Da Yao could shoot open three-pointers with 90% accuracy.
Moreover, his shooting release was very quick, not at all like a center's.
Li Feng watched from the sidelines, deeply impressed, and thought, China is truly fortunate to have a Yao Ming. It remains to be seen when another exceptionally talented big man will emerge.
Of course, in the game, Yao Ming's three-point attempts wouldn't be very frequent, but as long as he had the threat of a three-pointer, it would greatly enrich the team's tactics and make it difficult for the opposition to defend.
...
At the pre-game press conference, Li Feng and Yao Ming accepted media interviews.
As it was the knockout stage, the number of media reporters increased significantly. They paid great attention to the Chinese team, sending sharp and quick-witted reporters.
Yao Ming was experienced in dealing with the media, so he had already spoken with Li Feng before the press conference.
He told Li Feng to leave the difficult questions to him.
Li Feng knew that his older brother Yao was looking out for him, so he nodded in agreement.
As expected, the reporter's first question was sharp and directed at Li Feng.
"Mr. Li Feng, what are your thoughts on Ginobili? His statistics in this Olympics are quite ordinary, far from yours."
Li Feng knew this was a common tactic used by reporters to stir up trouble and provoke players. If a player fell for it and said something excessive, the reporter could then break the story.
Yao Ming gave Li Feng a look, and Li Feng understood.
Li Feng replied with a smile, "Ginobili is my idol. His influence on the court cannot be measured by statistics. He is still the pillar of the Argentinian men's basketball team!"
Seeing that Li Feng hadn't taken the bait and had answered well, the reporter was slightly disappointed and continued to ask.
"If that's the case, can you predict your matchup with Ginobili?"
This question was essentially asking: who will dominate whom?
Li Feng frowned slightly, cleared his throat, and replied, "Basketball is a team sport. The matchup between us is not the most important. We also need to consider the performance of our teammates and the team's coordination, so I haven't considered your question!"
"Next!" Li Feng decisively ignored him and looked at other reporters.
The reporter, having been rebuffed, sat down dejectedly.
Another Japanese reporter raised his hand and asked, "Mr. Yao Ming, you haven't played a significant role in the previous few games. How much playing time do you think you'll get in the game against Argentina?"
This was also an attempt to provoke. Yao Ming cursed inwardly but maintained a composed demeanor on the surface.
"My playing time is decided by the coach. You can ask him, but what I can tell you now is that my playing time will not be less than 30 minutes."
The reporters were in an uproar. They all knew that Da Yao's stamina seemed to have been restricted in recent games.
Especially without Li Feng, he played very tired.
Now, Yao Ming claiming he would definitely play over 30 minutes seemed like too much time.
Seeing the reporters whispering to each other, Da Yao added, "I'll tell you the reason. It's because China has Li Feng, and his ability to draw attention on the perimeter is very strong, so I'm not as tired. Playing more than 30 minutes is completely fine!"
The reporters became restless. They all understood that with Da Yao, the Chinese team had improved several levels, but they were still a notch below the world's top teams.
Now, with Li Feng's emergence, Da Yao was no longer fighting alone, unleashing his interior scoring prowess.
This made the Chinese team truly unstoppable.
"Mr. Yao Ming, do you predict that China can win a medal in this Olympics?"
Yao Ming replied seriously, "We will definitely win a medal. Just you wait!"
Yao Ming's confidence excited the reporters present, and they began to applaud.
Li Feng also smiled and high-fived Yao Ming, demonstrating the team's cohesion and their chemistry.
The atmosphere at China's press conference was lively, but the atmosphere at Argentina's press conference was somewhat somber.
Although Argentina had qualified for the next stage, they finished third in their group, which disappointed many Argentinian fans and players like Ginobili.
Therefore, the questions from the media reporters were also difficult to answer.
Ginobili and Scola attended the press conference with awkward expressions.
A reporter from the United States raised his hand and asked, "Mr. Manu, as the defending champions of the last Olympics, your group stage performance this time was less than satisfactory. Where do you think the problem lies?"
Ginobili replied with a cold expression, "The problem lies with me. It's my poor performance."
This was Ginobili's personality and one of the reasons he became the core of Argentina – his willingness to take responsibility.