Bat um and Pietrus were both exceptionally talented players, playing defense with a reckless abandon.
It was incredibly difficult for Li Feng to break free from their double-team.
Moreover, with Yao Ming resting, China's inside presence was once again bullied.
Under these circumstances, France's chances of advancing increased significantly.
The Chinese fans in the arena began to stir, unwilling to believe China would stop at the semi-finals.
If someone had told Chinese fans four years ago that China's men's basketball team would reach the Olympic semi-finals, they would have been overjoyed.
But having won a silver medal last time, setting the best historical record for Chinese men's basketball, fans naturally had much higher expectations for the team.
Never mind winning the gold medal, they at least expected the team to reach the finals!
Li Feng didn't want to disappoint the fans.
As an NBA superstar, it would be a disgrace if he couldn't lead his national team to a medal.
As the second quarter began, Li Feng still hadn't entered the game, with both teams' reserves facing off.
Although Wang Shipeng played well in the latter half of the third quarter, he was getting old and, after being tightly guarded by the opponent, couldn't receive the ball anymore.
Zhu Fangyu was in the same situation, with France assigning Bat um to tightly guard Zhu Fangyu.
The gap between the NBA and CBA was quite significant; Bat um guarding Zhu Fangyu one-on-one was very easy.
France continued to widen the point difference.
Three minutes into the fourth quarter, France had extended their lead to 13 points.
The helpless Deng Huade had no choice but to bring Li Feng and other main players back onto the court.
It was the final quarter, and they had to fight for it. Even if they lost, they had to show a good attitude.
After Li Feng came on, he was still double-teamed, and his Chinese teammates were still restricted on offense, unable to execute fluid attacks.
The point difference continued to widen.
With five minutes left in the fourth quarter, France was already leading by 16 points.
The Chinese fans in the arena were completely despondent, with some even starting to leave early.
Deng Huade also shook his head slightly and sat down, feeling that shouting was useless.
Li Feng's eyes turned red; he was also getting anxious!
He hadn't scored a single point in the fourth quarter yet. Was this performance worthy of so many Chinese fans?
Losing wasn't scary, but Li Feng's helplessness under the defense was the most terrifying!
Thinking of this, Li Feng gritted his teeth and decided to get serious.
Since you two are so happy double-teaming me, I won't be polite either.
Li Feng decided to give Bat um and Pietrus some physical play!
China's offense, Chen Jianghua dribbled past half-court. Seeing Li Feng still double-teamed, he had no choice but to attack himself.
Suddenly, he heard a "bang" followed by someone crying out in pain.
Chen Jianghua froze, turned his head, and saw Pietrus tightly gripping his left hand with his right, kneeling on the ground in pain.
No one saw clearly what had happened, and Li Feng stood nearby with an innocent expression.
Bat um, on the other hand, squatted beside Pietrus, repeatedly whispering apologies.
What had just happened?
It turned out that Li Feng, seeing the two of them pulling and grabbing him, double-teaming him too aggressively, seized an opportunity!
The opportunity was when Pietrus reached out to grab Li Feng's arm, preventing him from shaking free off the ball.
The moment Pietrus extended his hand, Bat um also reached out from the other side, intending to grab Li Feng's waist.
If Li Feng hadn't moved, the two of them would have had him completely locked down.
But Li Feng suddenly straightened up, moving himself over two inches in an instant.
This distance was short, but the timing was perfect, causing Pietrus's fingers to poke Bat um's hand.
Both of them had considerable strength and hadn't expected Li Feng to suddenly straighten up and dodge.
With a "crack," Pietrus's finger was instantly fractured.
Bat um also suffered, his hand was scraped open, and blood flowed out.
Bat um would be fine; he could just apply some medicine and a band-aid and continue playing.
However, with Pietrus's fractured finger, he definitely couldn't play in this game.
The team doctor rushed over, and after examination, announced that Pietrus had a fractured finger and would be unable to play for several months.
This was a huge blow to the French team, as his defense was crucial.
Because what happened in that instant was too fast, no one at the scene, including the referees, saw it clearly.
Some French fans thought Li Feng had broken Pietrus's finger and began to curse Li Feng furiously.
The referees, not seeing clearly, had to go to the sideline to check the replay.
When the footage of that moment appeared on the big screen, the fans finally saw clearly that Pietrus's fractured finger had nothing to do with Li Feng.
He hadn't seen or touched Pietrus's finger at all at that moment.
No one could have imagined that Li Feng would suddenly straighten up at that precise moment.
The French coach, Collet, sighed and shook his head. He couldn't be sure if Li Feng had done it intentionally, only blaming God for not being on his side.
After Pietrus left the court, France replaced him with Causseir.
Causseir played in the European league and was an offensive-minded small forward.
His defense was far less tenacious than Pietrus's, so after Causseir came on, Bat um's double-team could no longer restrict Li Feng.
Li Feng finally exploded!
*Swish!*
Li Feng squeezed past Causseir on the right and drove to the right wing.
Causseir's physical talent was also significantly inferior to Pietrus's, and Li Feng's push nearly made him fall.
Li Feng created open space and immediately received a pass from Chen Jianghua.
Before Bat um could close in, Li Feng pulled up for a contested three-pointer and shot!
*Swish!*
Three points made!
The deficit was back to 13 points!
The remaining Chinese fans were ecstatic, their cheers even tinged with tears.
"Li Feng, amazing!"
"Li Feng, I love you!"
"China will win!"
...
With just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter and a 13-point deficit, there was still hope, but it was incredibly difficult!
On the next possession, France attacked, and the ball was passed inside again.
Just as Ronny Turiaf caught the ball and prepared to hook it in, Li Feng suddenly exploded and swatted the ball off the backboard!
This rim-rocking block was absolutely stunning!
*Smack!*
The ball ricocheted far away, landing right beside Chen Jianghua.
Bat um and Chen Jianghua both chased after it, but Chen Jianghua was more desperate, his entire body sliding on the floor!
Chen Jianghua's hand touched the ball first, and with a flick, he passed it to Yi Jianlian on the right.
Arron didn't miss the opportunity his teammate fought so hard for. After receiving the ball, he sprinted down the court and finished with a two-handed dunk!
*Bang!*
The momentum had shifted!
This powerful dunk scored two points, narrowing the deficit to 11 points!
France's coach, Collet, had to call a timeout.
He knew very well what Pietrus's departure meant.
After the timeout, the game resumed.
Li Feng transformed into "Li Feng-natic" again; he was unstoppable!
*Swish!*
A step-back three-pointer!
*Swish!*
A pull-up jump shot!
*Whoosh!*
A no-look pass to the basket, and Zhang Zhaoxu slammed it home!
The Chinese players seemed to have been injected with adrenaline, and under Li Feng's leadership, they completely dominated the game!
With 33 seconds left in the game, Li Feng hit a long two-pointer, tying the score!
91:91!
After a whole game of effort, both teams were back at square one!
This basket sent the entire stadium into a frenzy of cheering and shouting!
After being suppressed all game, to tie it up in the final moments felt incredibly satisfying.
The French coach had anticipated this when Pietrus left the court, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.
He could only call a timeout, hoping to score on the next possession.
There was still a chance; with 33 seconds left, anything was possible.
Li Feng's face showed no trace of a smile; the game wasn't over yet.
With so many French stars, if any player made a fatal shot at the end, all the efforts of the Chinese men's basketball team would be in vain.
Therefore, Li Feng cautioned his teammates to remain completely focused for the final 33 seconds.
The French coach was indeed resourceful; he surprisingly brought back Parker at this crucial moment!
It was clear that Collet intended to score on this offensive possession!
And Parker, known as the "French Pocket Rocket," was invincible in the paint.
As long as he was given a sliver of space, he could drive through it.
Although Parker had been tightly guarded by Chinese players in the third quarter, his ability to seize opportunities was still strong.
After the timeout, the suffocating final 33 seconds of the game began.
Bat um inbounded the ball from the sideline, first passing to Bell.
Under the screen from his teammates, Parker drove towards the paint.
Bell immediately passed the ball to him.
Parker's feet seemed to be on roller skates as he zipped into the paint.
Zhang Zhaoxu aggressively defended, towering over Parker.
Unfortunately, Parker's post-up skills were abundant. With a pump fake, he managed to score with a reverse layup on the other side of the rim!
Parker didn't often use floaters, but in critical moments, he was daring and fought hard, pulling off a reverse layup!
93:91!
France had taken the lead again.
Only 10 seconds were left for China.
Deng Huade quickly called a timeout.
Although Deng Huade was an experienced coach, at this moment, his hands were trembling with nervousness.
His motion to call a timeout was immediately spotted by the photographers, and fans watching on television couldn't help but laugh.
Trailing by two points, everyone knew that China would give the ball to Li Feng.
Deng Huade held the tactical board and drew up the strategy.
The strategy was simple: find a way for Li Feng to get the ball.
Deng Huade instructed his teammates to set double screens and simultaneously told Zhang Zhaoxu to run towards the basket to draw the opponent's defensive attention.
The timeout ended, and China took the ball from the frontcourt.
Yi Jianlian stood by the sideline, observing his teammates' movements.
Li Feng, under the screen of his teammates, faked a move and then made a quick dash to the corner of the half-court line.
Arron immediately passed the ball, and Li Feng leaped high to catch it.
However, France's Bat um and Parker immediately rushed over, continuing their double-team.
Unexpectedly, Li Feng, with his superb skill and courage, executed a flashy dribble move, *slap!*
The basketball went between Bat um's legs.
Li Feng then accelerated and circled around from the side!
Only in streetball would such a move be seen, yet Li Feng pulled it off at such a critical moment...
The fans in the arena gasped in astonishment; it was unbelievable.
After getting past Bat um, Li Feng dribbled again towards the left sideline.
With only 1.3 seconds left on the clock, Li Feng quickly gathered the ball, pulled up for a fadeaway three-pointer, and shot!
The basketball arced through the air towards the basket!
Before the ball even reached the rim, the red countdown timer lit up, signaling the end of the game!
In!
Or out!
Everyone in the arena focused their gaze on the basketball!
The air seemed to freeze...
*Swish!*
A clean swish!
My three-point sword is the flame of hell!
I'm sending you home with my three-pointers!
After making the shot, Li Feng raised his right hand high and surveyed the crowd, as if telling the Chinese fans—
"I did it! Cheer!"
The Chinese fans went wild, shouting loudly and rushing towards Li Feng.
Even Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi ran onto the court, heading towards Li Feng!
Li Feng was lifted by his teammates and tossed into the air!
At this moment, Li Feng once again became the hero of the Chinese men's basketball team, saving them with his own efforts and powerfully advancing to the finals!
The commentator Zhang Zhi was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. Disregarding his age, he even jumped up.
"Oh! Oh! We won! China won!"
The French players clutched their faces in pain, unwilling to believe they had been defeated by a buzzer-beater from China...
In 10 seconds, just 10 seconds, Li Feng had completed the reversal!
Jana sat in a corner of the arena, tears of excitement streaming down her face.
She hadn't sat in the front row to avoid distracting Li Feng. Jana's status was different now; as a wife, she had to consider her husband in everything.
Li Feng played 33 minutes today and scored 37 points!
After the cheers of the Chinese players subsided, a local London female reporter approached.
"Congratulations, Li Feng, congratulations to the Chinese men's basketball team. You've advanced to the finals again!"
Although Li Feng had experienced many game-winning shots, he still couldn't believe this one, his face filled with excitement.
"Thank you, give me a moment, I... I'm just too emotional!"
Seeing Li Feng's genuine excitement, the female reporter took a step back, smiling as she watched him, waiting for him to calm down.
"Alright, you can ask your question now. Sorry about that."
After more than ten seconds, Li Feng finally calmed down.
"I can understand. Your game-winning shot was indeed spectacular and thrilling; even as a fan, I felt breathless."
"Did you imagine that the Chinese men's basketball team would reach the finals again?"
Li Feng paused for a moment before answering, "We did, but we were also mentally prepared for an early exit, as all the teams in this Olympics are very strong. We respect every opponent!"
The female reporter nodded in admiration and continued, "If the USA's Dream Team reaches the finals, do you have confidence in defeating them?"
Li Feng smiled, "The Dream Team is not invincible. Argentina and Spain have both defeated them before, and we will strive to do the same."
"Many of your friends are on the Dream Team. What would you like to say to them?"
Li Feng scratched his head and said with a sly smile, "I'd like to tell them that there are many beautiful women in London. I hope they take care of themselves and save some energy for the finals!"
The female reporter was taken aback by Li Feng's quick wit and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
...
After the interview, Li Feng hugged the French players one by one.
Parker was thoroughly impressed with Li Feng, and they chatted for the longest time.
Li Feng also liked Parker a lot; his post-up skills were very practical and served as an example for many smaller players.
Regarding Parker, there's one more thing to say—
"I'm not a top point guard, but I'll send the top point guards home!"