The starting five for Croatia were Marin Rozić, Marko Banić, Sandro, Nikčević, and Stanko Barać.
With the referee's whistle, the game began, and Yao Ming and Barać met for the tip-off.
Yao Ming secured the first possession for China.
Li Feng dribbled past half-court.
Croatia's shooting guard, Banić, came up to defend.
Perhaps it was Li Feng's exceptional performance in recent games that made Banić want to immediately put pressure on him.
*Bang, bang...*
Banić began to bump into Li Feng, trying to force a turnover and simultaneously testing the referee's foul tolerance.
This was experience; Banić had played in European leagues for many years and was a seasoned veteran.
However, after Banić's contact, Li Feng's dribble remained steady, his body barely swaying.
This shocked Banić.
Li Feng inwardly sneered. After enduring a few more bumps, he executed a change of direction, leaving Banić behind and driving to the baseline.
Big Yao moved into the low post and signaled for the ball. Li Feng immediately passed it to him with perfect precision.
Croatia's center, Barać, stood at 2.17 meters. He was shorter than Big Yao and had average jumping ability, but he was strong.
Big Yao was forced to lean as Barać pushed against him, but Yao Ming's post-up skills were incredibly refined, and he still managed to make the shot.
*Beep!*
The referee's whistle blew, calling a foul and awarding a 2+1!
Yao Ming's first offensive play was successful, and the entire crowd rose to cheer!
In almost every matchup, Yao Ming dominated the opposing bigs. It could be said that apart from his stamina, Yao Ming was world-class in every other aspect.
The Croatian players were resilient and did not get discouraged by this play. They high-fived and encouraged each other, their faces showing defiance.
Big Yao stepped up to the free-throw line and calmly sank the additional free throw!
Croatia's offense began, and their pace was quick. Upon entering the frontcourt, Banić intended to score.
But as he was about to shoot, Li Feng intercepted the ball from his side and behind.
Banić was five centimeters taller than Li Feng and had good jumping ability, but Li Feng still managed to easily block him.
This massive block was astonishing, and the crowd gasped.
After stealing the ball, Li Feng rapidly crossed half-court. Banić was in pursuit, but he realized he couldn't catch up to Li Feng.
Li Feng launched himself from the free-throw line and soared for a powerful dunk!
5:0!
China had caught Croatia completely off guard from the start.
Li Feng had orchestrated both of these scoring plays, and Croatia finally understood Li Feng's prowess.
The Croatian head coach roared in frustration on the sideline, gesturing wildly.
"Defense! Guard that Li Feng! What are you doing?"
Banić felt a sense of embarrassment. He thought he could lock down Li Feng, but not only did Li Feng outplay him offensively, but he also gave him a spectacular block defensively.
It was utterly humiliating. Banić significantly increased his focus.
Croatia initiated another offensive play.
This time, Banić did not handle the ball; he let point guard Sandro organize the offense.
Sun Dasheng defended Sandro. Sandro drove near the paint and passed the ball to Rozić in the corner.
Rozić was a power forward but a very accurate three-point shooter.
As he received the ball, Yi Jianlian was already in front of him.
The Chinese team was extremely well-prepared. Knowing their opponent was a good shooter, Coach Jonas had given a strict order: do not give any opponent an open shot!
Even if it meant fouling, prevent them from shooting!
Rozić had no choice. Yi Jianlian's defense was too tight, so he resorted to a bounce pass to Barać in the post.
Yao Ming had scored on Barać earlier, and Barać wanted to retaliate.
Big Yao braced himself against Barać, denying him space to turn. Barać faked left and right but couldn't shake him.
He grew impatient and forcefully bumped Yao Ming.
Unexpectedly, Yao Ming was prepared and executed a "chair pull."
Barać lunged into empty space, lost his balance, fell to the ground, and fumbled the ball.
Zhu Fangyu, with quick reflexes, snatched the ball and initiated a fast break.
At this moment, Li Feng had already reached the half-court line. Zhu Fangyu immediately passed him the ball.
Li Feng received the ball and crossed half-court, noticing Nikčević had rotated back on defense.
Small forward Nikčević was also fast; he had played one season in the NBA and was a skilled player.
With him defending, Li Feng faced significant difficulty, but without hesitation, he continued his drive to the basket without slowing down.
At this point, Zhu Fangyu had also run past half-court.
Although Li Feng had a high probability of scoring with a layup, Zhu Fangyu had stolen the ball on the previous play. Thus, Li Feng jumped into the air and executed a "rhino's gaze" move, passing the ball back to Zhu Fangyu, who was beyond the three-point line.
Zhu Fangyu, as expected of China's premier three-point shooter, shot it with precision!
Swish!
Another three-pointer!
The Chinese team had scored eight unanswered points right from the start!
8:0!
The fans were going wild.
What was expected to be a evenly matched, intense showdown had turned into an early surge by China.
The Croatian head coach was furious and had to call a timeout early to let his players regroup.
The Chinese players were ecstatic, high-fiving and chest-bumping each other as they happily walked off the court to rest.
Jonas was pleased, feeling that the team's preparation was thorough and the players were performing exceptionally well.
However, amidst the celebration, a potential concern arose: Yao Ming's knee was bumped during his post-up battle with Barać.
Although Big Yao felt he could continue playing, he still had the team doctor examine it.
Li Feng noticed this and was startled.
Big Yao was too crucial to the Chinese team.
While Li Feng had been outstanding in recent games, Yao Ming's dominance in the paint was equally important.
If Big Yao were to be injured and sidelined, China would be in a precarious situation.
Li Feng walked over and quietly asked, "Brother Yao, how are you feeling?"
Yao Ming managed a slight smile and said, "It's fine. A few minutes of rest will fix it. You guys go ahead and play for a bit."
After the timeout, Big Yao was resting on the bench, and Wang Zhizhi came in as a substitute.
The Croatian players saw this as an opportunity, believing they could exploit the inside game with Big Yao off the court.
In the subsequent possessions, Croatia began to play to their strengths. They moved the ball faster and found a few fleeting shooting opportunities.
Rozić and Nikčević both hit two three-pointers, narrowing the score.
8:6!
Jonas frowned. He knew Croatia was a tough opponent, but conceding two consecutive baskets indicated issues with China's defense.
The disadvantage of Yao Ming's absence was evident.
Although Da Zhi was a few years older, his offensive capabilities were not in question.
The problem lay in his defense.
He lacked Yao Ming's height and his help defense was average, creating open opportunities for the opponents.
Li Feng walked up to Wang Zhizhi and whispered, "Da Zhi, I'll help with the defense later. You just focus on protecting the rim!"
Wang Zhizhi was also regretting his defensive lapse. Seeing Li Feng offer assistance, he nodded gratefully.