"Pay more attention to helping inside from the perimeter, get back faster in transition, and if you have to foul, make it a hard one. Don't let them score so easily!"
With the score tight and the situation unfavorable, Li Chunjiang began to grow anxious.
If they lost this game, China Team would be eliminated in the Top 16 and would have to play placement games alongside Iran for a direct berth in next year's Olympics.
That was absolutely not something the fans wanted to see or could accept.
After all, this China Team had three NBA players, as well as Tang Tian, the Number One Player in Basketball.
Not just Li Chunjiang—even Yao Ming in the stands had his hands under his chin, feeling immense pressure.
Reform needed momentum, and results in Major Tournaments were crucial.
If the men's national team fell here, the resistance to his reforms would visibly increase.
Tang Tian reached out as if to pat Li Chunjiang on the head, but in the end, he merely patted his shoulder, signaling for him not to be nervous.
Seeing the calm in Tang Tian's eyes, Li Chunjiang's tense expression eased somewhat.
"Put in the offensive lineup."
Tang Tian said only one more sentence.
Li Chunjiang nodded.
More than three quarters into the game, no matter what lineup he used, they could not defend Embiid and Siakam inside.
Since they could not stop them, they might as well let loose and trade offense. After all, an Outside three-pointer was worth one point more than a two-pointer.
And they needed to win by more than ten points to advance, so they needed offense to extend the lead now.
After the timeout, China Team made widespread substitutions: Fang Shuo and Ding Yanyuhang on the perimeter, Tang Tian and Abudushalamu at