The Team USA had suddenly taken the lead again, stretching it to a 16-point advantage—something the Chinese audience had never expected.
How had this happened? Hadn't they held a slight advantage at the start of the first quarter? How had they already fallen so far behind in the second quarter?
Some knowledgeable viewers had realized that it was because Jiang Siming, their absolute mainstay, had been restrained. As a guard, he had no way to fend off the double-team defense all at once.
The defensive tactic was practically shameless. Two players stayed glued to Jiang Siming, leaving him no chance to even touch the ball.
That was why the China Team had been caught up so quickly.
By now, those who understood basketball also knew that Jiang Siming should switch positions. Staying at guard was restricting his individual ability too much.
After the players returned to the rest area, Yao Ming had already come over to discuss the matter with Li Nan, urging him to move Jiang Siming to small forward.
But Li Nan was unexpectedly stubborn. Not only did he reject the suggestion, he also had Jiang Siming rest temporarily and sent Zhou Qi onto the court instead.
The moment that decision was made, Yao Ming nearly lost his temper, but Jiang Siming stopped him. "He's the coach. For now, what he says goes. We can't cause a public falling-out in front of the whole world and damage the national team's image."
Yao Ming could only suppress his anger. He chose to sit with Jiang Siming in the rest area and quietly await the "good news."
When they saw Jiang Siming sitting in the rest area while Zhou Qi had taken the court, all the Chinese viewers were dumbfounded.
What was going on? Had Jiang Siming been subbed out?