In the t.n.t. live broadcast room, Barkley sighed repeatedly, deeply impressed by China's tactical adjustments.
"It's so bold for China to use new tactics in the knockout stage. Jonas has something special!"
Smith, however, shook his head. "I don't think it's entirely Jonas's idea. I noticed Li Feng communicating a lot with his teammates on the court, especially with Yao Ming. They were whispering frequently."
Barkley nodded. "Indeed, I noticed that too. He doesn't act like a rookie at all; he has great leadership presence!"
"Yes, yes, I feel the same. He directs his teammates' positioning on the court and sometimes shouts commands. He's really daring."
"Argentina is in trouble today. Their loss hinges on this one point, Li Feng."
"Ginobili is being heavily suppressed by Li Feng today. Time truly waits for no one!"
"If this were a few years earlier, the 'Demon Blade' wouldn't be beaten so badly. He hasn't scored in the second half."
"I'm very curious, why is Li Feng's explosive power so strong? It's terrifying."
"Exceptional talent, perhaps, just like Yao Ming. China might produce a very strong player every few years."
"If you say that, China could become a potential rival to the United States."
"Absolutely. I have a premonition that China will reach the finals in this Olympics. The outcome of the game will be hard to predict then."
...
While the commentators were engrossed in their discussion, China extended the lead to 12 points with another step-back three-pointer from Li Feng.
At this point, with 7 minutes and 41 seconds elapsed in the first quarter, the score was 73:61.
Prigioni, helpless, called another timeout. He found Li Feng to be a "bug," unstoppable.
Jonas was very excited, high-fiving his players on the sidelines.
With victory seemingly within reach, advancing to the semifinals would be a massive leap for the Chinese men's basketball team.
In fact, Jonas was under immense pressure. The Olympics were being held on home soil, and failing to even reach the quarterfinals could result in severe criticism from the fans.
Having already reached the quarterfinals was considered an accomplishment. If they could make it to the semifinals, Jonas's position as head coach would be very secure.
During the timeout, the Argentinian head coach didn't know what to say, as Argentina had already given their all.
He could only hope for Ginobili to regain his form, suppress Li Feng, and seize the advantage.
But, how easy was that to achieve?
Ginobili sat there, stewing in his frustration.
As the defending Olympic champions from the previous Games, being so disheveled today was truly disheartening.
"Coach, this is my fault today. Brothers, hold on for a bit. I will definitely fight back in the fourth quarter!"
Ginobili understood that age was catching up with him, and it all came down to stamina.
Therefore, he planned to sit out the third quarter, asking his teammates to try their best to not let the deficit widen, and then unleash the 'Demon Blade's' ultimate skills in the fourth quarter to turn the game around.
Although the possibility was slim, the coach could only go with this plan.
So, after the timeout, Ginobili still did not come back onto the court, and the other Argentinian players gritted their teeth and persevered.
On China's side, Li Feng also went to the bench to rest, as he had picked up another foul in the third quarter, accumulating a total of 3 fouls.
Yao Ming was also substituted out. Although he played comfortably in the third quarter, he was rested for the sake of the fourth quarter.
Both teams were largely fielding their reserve players.
China's reserves had an average performance today, with their shots feeling cold. Argentina's reserves took the opportunity to narrow the gap.
Wang Zhizhi was a bit frustrated, having missed all three of his previous attempts.
Seeing that Wang Zhizhi was no longer calling for the ball, Liu Wei passed it to Li Nan.
Li Nan, known as "Little Li Flying Dagger," was a precise three-point shooter, but for some reason today, after making one in the first half, he couldn't make another shot.
At the end of the third quarter, the score was 78:73, with China leading by only 5 points.
The Argentinian head coach was satisfied, believing there was still hope in the fourth quarter, as a 5-point deficit was not insurmountable.
Li Feng and Yao Ming sat on the sidelines, unperturbed, as both were well-rested and confident in winning the game in the fourth quarter.
Ginobili had recovered a lot of his stamina, and his expression was solemn.
He seemed to be back with the Spurs, in a critical moment where he needed to make the play himself.
The fourth quarter began, and both teams fielded their main players.
It was clear that they were fighting for momentum.
Whoever could establish an early advantage would have a better chance of winning.
Li Feng and Yao Ming discussed at length while off the court, feeling that introducing a few new tactical plays would catch Argentina off guard.
Argentina's possession, Ginobili once again had the ball.
Having rested sufficiently on the bench, he was full of energy from the start.
The Demon Blade was unsheathed!
Li Feng was also shocked. Today's Ginobili made him temporarily forget how formidable the "Demon Blade" was in his prime.
But the Ginobili of the fourth quarter showed him the flair of his past glory.
Swish!
Ginobili used a screen and drove into the paint again, executing a massive crossover. An ankle-breaker!
It was evident that even at 32 years old, Ginobili still possessed incredible core strength.
Then, facing the double-team defense from Yi Jianlian, he performed an extremely exaggerated fadeaway jump shot with a long hang time.
It was spectacular.
Kobe's fadeaway was similar to this.
Unfortunately, Ginobili still had some injuries, specifically a back injury.
If he were completely healthy, no one could have defended this fadeaway jump shot.
The back injury reduced his vertical leap slightly. Li Feng leaped to block, his fingertips brushing against the ball again.
This slight impact caused the ball to deviate from its trajectory, hitting the rim and bouncing out.
Big Yao secured the rebound and initiated the counter-attack, passing the ball to Sun Dasheng again.
Sun Dasheng's initial burst was fast, but Argentina's defense reacted quickly, retreating swiftly. The fast break did not materialize.
Transitioning into a half-court offense, Big Yao ran to the baseline again.
Oberto followed him, but the other Argentinian players, having learned from experience, began to focus on helping with the defense.
Just as Argentina's interior players were about to collapse, Li Feng suddenly made his move.
He had been passing the ball extensively, which had made Argentina's perimeter defense slightly complacent.
Li Feng unleashed the league's fastest first step, breaking past Ginobili's defense. Ginobili called for his teammates to double-team, but Li Feng was simply too fast.
The help-defense players couldn't even grab Li Feng's jersey, and could only watch as Li Feng drove to the basket and finished with a one-handed dunk!
Boom!
How dominant!
Ginobili sighed again, admitting that no matter what, he couldn't outplay Li Feng today.
Yao Ming's threat from three-point range gave China's offense more tactical depth, making Li Feng's drives relatively easier.
Next, Argentina initiated another offense, with Ginobili passing the ball inside to Scola.
Scola attempted to exploit Yi Jianlian before Li Feng could rotate over, but Li Feng, like lightning, raced to the basket again and delivered a massive block on Scola.
Despite Scola's agile footwork, Li Feng, after observing him throughout the game, had become familiar with Scola's movements.