Mike’s task for Li Feng was to run while dragging a large tire.
The purpose of this was to practice explosive power.
Many NBA stars and NFL stars performed this training.
It had to be said, this training was incredibly tough. When Li Feng first started, he felt like his waist was going to break.
But Li Feng’s talent was top-tier. After adapting, he was doing it with impressive form.
Mike stood nearby, holding a stopwatch, timing Li Feng.
As Li Feng dragged the large tire faster and faster, Mike’s expression became more and more incredulous.
He had trained many star players. Usually, they couldn’t adapt for the first two days, and their speed was nowhere near adequate.
This was because the large tire had significant friction with the ground, and being round and bulky, controlling its path was difficult.
Yet, Li Feng mastered the technique of exerting force in just over an hour.
Mike told Li Feng that many NBA stars did this training, such as Kobe and LeBron.
These two, as league superstars, possessed not only top-tier skills but also top-tier physical conditioning.
…
After a day of training, Li Feng’s waist and back were aching.
When he returned to his room at night, he quickly accessed the system and used the [Rapid Recovery] skill.
As expected, after using the skill, the soreness in Li Feng’s body vanished immediately, and he felt full of vitality.
Li Feng slept soundly and the next day, participated in offensive and defensive drills with his teammates.
Younes was in high spirits. Leading the team to the semifinals had already exceeded expectations.
Therefore, he was shouting loudly throughout the training session, appearing very excited.
Because the intensity of the knockout stage was high, the training intensity was reduced. The players mainly focused on relaxation and stretching.
However, Li Feng was different from the others. He still followed his usual training regimen. The other players watched, quite bewildered.
To avoid making others feel awkward, Li Feng explained, “In the previous few games, I only played half the game, so my stamina is still sufficient.”
Younes was also shocked by Li Feng’s training volume. He had coached in many club teams but had never encountered a player with such abundant stamina as Li Feng.
He walked specifically to Li Feng’s side, patted his shoulder, and advised, “Li Feng, I know you are young and recover quickly, but this is the knockout stage. You should conserve some energy.”
“It’s alright, Coach. I know what I’m doing. I won’t have stamina issues during the game!”
While everyone was having lunch, Chen Jianghua specifically sat next to Li Feng.
Before the Olympics began, Chen Jianghua was highly anticipated, with the media hailing him as Yao Ming’s capable assistant.
But in the first group stage match, apart from a dazzling breakthrough, Chen Jianghua had no other outstanding performances, which greatly disappointed Younes and other coaching staff.
Consequently, Chen Jianghua was later relegated to the bench, and his playing time became very limited.
Li Feng’s subsequent explosive performance made Chen Jianghua quite displeased.
He believed his skills were no worse than Li Feng’s and openly disagreed with Li Feng and even Younes.
As everyone knows, Li Feng, through his phenomenal performances, repeatedly pulled China back from the brink of disaster, turning the tide!
After winning over everyone with his play, Li Feng also managed to win over Chen Jianghua.
Initially, he never high-fived Li Feng, nor did he communicate with him.
But today, he voluntarily sat next to Li Feng. His teammates were surprised, and Li Feng was also taken aback.
However, Li Feng had a very good mindset now, so he greeted Chen Jianghua with a smile.
“Hi, Jianghua.”
“Li Feng, I apologize. My attitude towards you before was not good.” Chen Jianghua was also a man of strong emotions and corrected his mistakes.
Li Feng blinked in surprise, then playfully punched Chen Jianghua’s chest.
“What are you talking about? We’re brothers. There’s no need for apologies!”
Seeing that Li Feng didn’t care at all, Chen Jianghua felt relieved, scratched his head, and said, “I want to learn your breakthrough and shooting. I used to think my breakthroughs were good, but at this high level, they don’t work anymore.”
Li Feng nodded slightly. “Okay, we’ll train together this afternoon. We can help each other.”
Li Feng was very humble, not positioning himself as a teacher, which made Chen Jianghua admire him even more.
During the afternoon training, Chen Jianghua held the ball and proactively said, “Li Feng, let’s have a one-on-one first. I want to see how much of a gap there is between us!”
Li Feng understood that although Chen Jianghua was convinced, he still wanted to compete.
“Alright, then let’s play to five points. See who scores more.”
“Okay, let’s start!” Chen Jianghua was very excited. Li Feng was currently the hottest star, and the opportunity to have a one-on-one against him was incredibly rare.
“You go first!”
Li Feng took a defensive stance, letting Chen Jianghua attack first.
Chen Jianghua was not polite. He observed Li Feng’s positioning and initiated his attack.
Suddenly, he moved rapidly to the right, his signature move.
To be honest, Chen Jianghua’s linear speed was indeed very fast. Among Chinese guards, he was outstanding.
But in front of Li Feng, he didn’t seem as fast.
The league’s fastest first step was not for nothing!
Li Feng activated almost simultaneously, blocking Chen Jianghua’s breakthrough path, making it very difficult for him.
Chen Jianghua had no choice but to stop, execute a half-turn, attempting to shake off Li Feng.
Li Feng was prepared, sliding his feet, blocking again.
At the same time, Li Feng extended his long arm, poking the ball out from under Chen Jianghua’s armpit.
Chen Jianghua felt his grip loosen and knew it was bad. He rushed to grab it, but it was too late.
Li Feng’s body was too strong, like a small truck. When they both lunged for the ball, Chen Jianghua was bumped, staggering and losing his position.
This was a normal collision, not a foul. Li Feng secured the ball.
The possession changed, and it was Li Feng’s turn to attack.
Chen Jianghua blushed, sighing inwardly. He truly had too large a gap with Li Feng, whether in reaction speed or technical execution, he was not up to par.
The reason he was stripped of the ball just now was his poor ball-handling technique, which Li Feng exploited.
Li Feng held the ball, and Chen Jianghua defended.
Chen Jianghua thought, “My offense might not be good, but I’ll try my best to defend and save some face.”
Unfortunately, Li Feng wouldn't give him the chance.
Li Feng performed the same move as Chen Jianghua, breaking through from the right side.
The motion was the same, but his technique was far superior.
Li Feng’s breakthrough from the right was not only much faster than Chen Jianghua’s but also had excellent rhythm.
He first glanced to the left, and in the instant Chen Jianghua was distracted, he accelerated. Chen Jianghua’s reaction was a quarter-second too slow.
That quarter-second caused Chen Jianghua to lose his optimal defensive position.
Li Feng left Chen Jianghua half a body length behind, driving to the basket. Chen Jianghua tried to commit a foul, but Li Feng’s strength was too great.