Foul or not, Li Feng easily scored with a layup.
Li Feng threw the ball to Chen Jianghua and smiled, encouraging him, "Again! Keep it up!"
Chen Jianghua had already lost confidence. The previous offense and defense made him realize the immense gap.
But seeing Li Feng's encouraging gaze, he nodded and initiated another offense.
This time, Chen Jianghua attempted his other signature move: a behind-the-back dribble and crossover.
During the group stage match against the US team, Chen Jianghua had managed to dribble past Kobe Bryant with a behind-the-back move while moving at high speed.
That play became Chen Jianghua's sole highlight.
Facing Li Feng, he decided to try it again, to see if Li Feng could defend it.
Bang, bang, bang!
Chen Jianghua dribbled the ball, starting from near mid-court, and then suddenly executed a behind-the-back dribble.
Indeed, his change of direction was sudden, causing Li Feng to be half a step off balance.
But the moment Li Feng was off-balance, he circled behind Chen Jianghua, catching up from the right rear.
Just as Chen Jianghua was going for a layup, Li Feng surprisingly delivered a chasedown block.
Slap!
The basketball was slapped onto the backboard and bounced away.
Chen Jianghua smiled bitterly, shook his head, and turned around, saying, "Li Feng, the gap between us is too vast. I won't try anymore. You should guide me instead."
Li Feng smiled and patted his back, encouraging him, "Actually, your talent is quite good, and your strengths are very obvious. It's just the details that are not quite there."
"Details?" Chen Jianghua's eyes lit up. He wanted to know what detail was wrong.
"Yes. The first detail: the moment you break through, you need to protect the ball with your body and use your other arm to shield the opponent."
Chen Jianghua nodded repeatedly. He had never thought about these things before, only relying on his speed to get past opponents.
"The second detail: your breakthrough lacks rhythm."
"Rhythm?"
"Yes. Let me give you an example. Have you ever watched Pierce play?"
"I haven't paid much attention." Chen Jianghua's favorite player was Iverson, so he hadn't watched much of Pierce.
"Pierce's breakthrough speed isn't fast, but he always manages to break through successfully because of his good rhythm. When you break through, you need to pay attention to the opponent's shift in balance."
Chen Jianghua scratched his head, not quite understanding.
Li Feng personally demonstrated. He initiated another breakthrough, letting Chen Jianghua defend him.
Then, Li Feng easily drove past him again, this time not relying on speed but catching the moment Chen Jianghua shifted his balance.
Chen Jianghua suddenly understood and exclaimed, "I get it, I get it!"
So, he tried again according to the method Li Feng instructed.
Although it wasn't very fluid, it was better than before. Li Feng encouraged him, "Good, good, you've improved. You'll get better with more practice."
...
Li Feng did not take Chen Jianghua lightly just because he was a substitute; he trained with him seriously for the entire afternoon.
Yoonas and the other teammates watched, their admiration for Li Feng renewed.
For a team's core player to have the patience to do this was truly rare.
The next day was the final training session before the semi-finals.
The entire Chinese team practiced some tactics and running plays.
Most of the tactics were initiated by Li Feng from the perimeter, and occasionally they would let Big Yao operate from the post as a pivot to set up teammates.
In addition, Yao Ming pulling out to shoot three-pointers had also become an important offensive weapon for China.
Due to their consecutive victories, the Chinese players were all excited and filled with fighting spirit.
The training was very successful, with the players pouring their sweat onto the court.
...
While the players were training, the fans were not idle.
China's historic run to the semi-finals had sent countless Chinese fans into a frenzy, with discussions happening on all major forums.
Most Chinese fans were optimistic about China, believing that the men's basketball team would surely defeat Croatia and advance to the finals to face the US team.
However, a small minority of fans, having watched Croatia's games, felt that Croatia was a difficult matchup for China.
This was because Croatia's players had strong shooting abilities, with every position being at a sharpshooter level.
Among all the teams in the Olympics, only Croatia had all its starting players maintaining a shooting percentage above 45%.
This was frightening!
It was common for a team to have one, two, or even three players with high shooting percentages, but for all of them to be above 45% was truly astonishing.
The Croatian team was a magical team because it didn't have many star players; it was a team of commoners.
This was very similar to the Croatian football team in the 2018 World Cup, both of whom had broken into the semi-finals as dark horses.
Domestically in China, more people favored the Chinese team.
However, internationally, more people favored Croatia, perhaps due to the association with football.
At the pre-game press conference, Li Feng and Yao Ming were interviewed by the media.
The media turnout was exceptionally high today, with twice as many reporters as in the previous game.
A European reporter raised his hand and asked, "Mr. Yao Ming, you made two three-pointers in the last game. Will three-pointers become a regular weapon for you in the future?"
Yao Ming smiled and said, "Not really. I won't shoot many three-pointers, but I will take them when it's unexpected!"
The reporter pressed further, "Is this an arrangement by your coach, or a move of last resort for you?"
Yao Ming coldly smiled, "I am slowly adapting to the rhythm of the small-ball era. How could it be a move of last resort?"
Another Korean reporter asked, "Mr. Li Feng, do you think there's any difference between the Croatian team and Lithuania?"
Li Feng replied, "The Croatian team is a very special team. Their players have strong shooting abilities, and they are more physical. We will take them very seriously."
"Do you have any defensive arrangements?"
Li Feng smiled and replied, "That's our tactical secret. I won't tell you."
The reporters burst into laughter, and the Korean reporter shook his head helplessly.
A Chinese reporter then asked, "Mr. Li Feng, the US team is very likely to reach the finals. Do you have confidence in defeating the US team?"
Although Li Feng was looking forward to the finals against the US team, the semi-finals had not even begun yet.
Discussing the finals now would be somewhat disrespectful to Croatia.
So, Li Feng waved his hand seriously and said, "Please save that question for after we reach the finals!"
The Chinese reporter had to retreat to the back.
...
The semi-final, which fans had been eagerly anticipating for three days, finally began.
China versus Croatia.
The Wukesong Stadium was packed with people, fans arriving early to cheer for the Chinese players.
The Chinese players were also excited and emotional, as for the vast majority of them, this might be the only time in their lives they would stand on this highest basketball stage in the world.
China's starting five remained Li Feng, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Sun Dasheng, and Zhu Fangyu.