The Hua Xia team launched another attack. After crossing half-court, Li Feng waved for Wang Zhizhi to come up for a high pick-and-roll.
Although Wang Zhizhi had been playing as a substitute, his understanding and execution of pick-and-rolls were very mature. Therefore, Li Feng intended to use this to boost Wang Zhizhi's confidence on offense. wΑp.kanshu伍.net
As Da Zhi moved to the high post and screened Bannick, Li Feng seized the opportunity to drive towards the baseline.
Barack couldn't keep up with Li Feng's pace, so he could only squat at the edge of the paint.
This gave Li Feng the space to shoot. However, Croatia's defense was active, and Lovric came over to provide help defense.
Da Zhi seized this excellent opportunity. He quietly moved to the basket from behind Barack. Li Feng immediately lobbed the ball high, over Barack's head. Da Zhi caught the ball and slammed it down with a one-handed dunk!
Li Feng and Da Zhi's pick-and-roll tactic was successful.
After scoring, Da Zhi was very excited and high-fived Li Feng.
Li Feng said softly, "Da Zhi, when we're on defense later, remember, I'll be helping out."
"Got it!"
Li Feng played the role of a core player, which was to bring out the opponent's strengths as much as possible while helping his teammates cover their weaknesses.
The effect of this was that the entire team operated like a precision machine, with each gear interlocking and rotating to deliver maximum power!
Seeing how flawlessly the Hua Xia team executed the pick-and-roll, the Croatian coach nodded slightly at the sidelines, showing his appreciation.
It was Croatia's turn to offense. They had scored on their last two possessions, so they intended to continue targeting Wang Zhizhi.
With Li Feng's assistance, Da Zhi's defense was no longer hesitant, and he firmly protected the rim.
Seeing that Da Zhi wasn't coming out to help, Croatia's Niccevic decided to attempt a floater.
Just as he drove into the paint and attempted a right-handed floater, Li Feng ghosted in again and swatted the ball away.
The ball was batted out of bounds. Croatia continued their offense, but they only had 6 seconds left on the shot clock.看書喇
Li Feng's help defense disrupted Croatia's offense, leaving them somewhat bewildered.
The inbound pass went to Sandro, who, under Sun Dasheng's defense, had no comfortable shooting space and forced a shot, resulting in a miss that didn't even hit the rim.
Da Zhi grabbed the rebound and threw a long pass directly to Zhu Fangyu, who was at the 45-degree angle.
Zhu Fangyu, Li Feng, and Sun Dasheng all started almost simultaneously, launching a fast break!
Statistics showed that among the Hua Xia players, these three had the highest fast-break efficiency.
This was due to their speed and strong finishing ability.
Despite the Croatian players desperately trying to get back on defense, the three executed a coordinated play. Li Feng drew two defenders, and Sun Dasheng scored an uncontested layup!
With this offensive and defensive sequence, Da Zhi's strengths were utilized, his weaknesses were covered by Li Feng, and Hua Xia once again went on a run.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 26:19, with Hua Xia leading by 7 points!
Li Feng only took 4 shots in the first quarter, making 3 for 7 points. However, he also dished out 4 assists, recorded 2 steals, and 2 blocks, delivering another all-around performance.
The 7-point difference wasn't too large, but the gap on the court was much greater than the score suggested. Croatia was completely suppressed.
Furthermore, from the perspective of the game's flow, the Hua Xia players were playing with ease and clear strategy.
Croatia found scoring very difficult. If they hadn't made a difficult three-pointer in the final seconds, the lead would have been 10 points.
The Hua Xia fans in the Wukesong Stadium were jumping and cheering. If Hua Xia truly advanced, these spectators would be the lucky ones to witness this historic moment.
What made Croatia feel most despairing was that Da Yao only played 2 minutes in the first quarter.
In previous Hua Xia teams, if Da Yao was off the court, it was essentially game over.
But today, after Da Yao left the court, Hua Xia's offense and defense did not suffer significant losses, indicating a substantial improvement in Hua Xia's overall strength.
Yao Ming watched from the sidelines, feeling very gratified and excited. He finally didn't have to bear such a heavy burden.
The occurrence of such a situation did not mean Da Yao was no longer important; he remained the most crucial core player for the Hua Xia team.
However, whether a team can reach its peak is most importantly reflected in its reduced reliance on core players.
Of course, in critical moments of the game, when a decisive play is needed, the core superstar still needs to step up.
This is why superstars have higher tactical importance and command higher salaries.
Before the start of the second quarter, Li Feng went to inquire about Da Yao's condition again.
"It's nothing, the team doctor said it's just a hard impact, a bump. I can play in the second quarter!" Da Yao said optimistically, patting his leg.
Hearing Da Yao say this, Li Feng was relieved.
In the second quarter, the Hua Xia team fielded an all-reserve lineup.
Due to Wang Zhizhi starting, the height of the reserve lineup was insufficient, and Croatia took advantage of this to score a few points.
Just over a minute into the second quarter, Da Yao returned to the court!
In the stands, many Hua Xia fans were worried about Yao Ming. They had seen him play only 2 minutes in the first quarter and were anxious.
Now, seeing Da Yao back on the court to continue the game, the fans stood up and applauded, cheering for Da Yao.
With Da Yao's return, the reserve lineup's combat effectiveness immediately increased.
Chen Jianghua unexpectedly played earlier today. In the previous few games, he was ranked behind Liu Wei and Wang Shipeng.
But today, he played alongside Da Yao.
This was an on-the-spot adjustment by Coach Jonas. After seeing Chen Jianghua's breakthrough ability and shooting skills significantly improve through training with Li Feng, he made this decision.
Therefore, Jonas decided to give him more playing time.
In reality, Chen Jianghua's potential was indeed higher than Liu Wei and Wang Shipeng, but he lacked experience and relied solely on his own drive to play, often making him a double-edged sword in games.
With Da Yao and Chen Jianghua on the court, they immediately turned the tide, and Hua Xia once again extended their lead.
Following a play between Chen Jianghua and Da Yao, Da Yao received a pass from Chen Jianghua's drive and scored with a dunk. Hua Xia was now leading by 15 points!
Li Feng, on the sidelines, excitedly waved his towel and cheered for his teammates.
Da Yao's health was crucial to the team, and Li Feng didn't want any of his teammates to get injured.
Da Yao's excellent play allowed Li Feng to rest for a while longer.
However, about seven minutes into the second quarter, Da Yao was once again knocked down by Croatia's center, Barack. The impact was again on his knee!
This was no longer a coincidence; Barack was clearly doing it intentionally.
Chen Jianghua and Li Nan rushed over, yelling angrily at Barack. The crowd also became agitated, shouting insults!
Da Yao lay on the ground in pain, clutching his knee, as the team doctor rushed to his side.
Barack feigned innocence, spreading his hands as if to explain.
The referees went to the sideline to review the replay. In the end, they decided to give Barack a Flagrant 2 foul.
Da Yao, enduring the pain, made the free throws, but he had to leave the court for treatment and rest.