Gan Guoyang adjusted for a moment and then launched another attack.
He first broke through to the basket, causing Lang Li to foul, then went to the free-throw line and made both shots.
Then, near the top of the arc free-throw line, he made consecutive mid-range jump shots.
Three jump shots, all made under the defender's pressure, the defenders had already defended to their limits.
But it was no use; with his rhythm and state adjusted, Gan Guoyang was feeling very hot.
He scored another 8 consecutive points, with China Team leading 37:25, with more than half of the first half played, leading Australia by 12 points.
The fans of the Australian Team present were getting anxious; a 12-point deficit is not easy to chase.
Gan Guoyang is also very adept at playing this tug-of-war when holding a lead.
At this point, he could control the situation on the court. Whenever Australia tried to gain momentum, he would step up and hit precise jump shots to counter.
Unlike the opening of the game, Gan Guoyang was no longer aggressively charging and creating fouls; he knew the referee would not easily blow the whistle at this time.
Without caution, he might even be called for a foul himself. Relying on his long arms and height for excellent shooting, he ended his attacks with jump shots and three-pointers from the outside.
If Australia stretched their defense outside, he would pass the ball into the interior, where Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi, with their height and arm length, posed a significant threat to finish.
Of course, Yao Ming was still a bit inexperienced, and during several attacks at the basket, he wasn't successful; under the brutal confrontation from Australians, his control and finishing ability were slightly lacking.
Otherwise, China Team could have pulled the score further apart in the first half.
At halftime, it was 48:35, with China Team leading Australia by 13 points.
In the knockout stage, the confrontation between both sides was very intense. Returning to the locker room, you could see both Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi's arms covered with red marks.
Gan Guoyang scored 21 points in the first half, with 4 assists and 4 rebounds, scoring more than the average for the Australian Team.
Among other players for China Team, Wang Zhizhi followed closely with 8 points, Yao Ming with 6 points, with the two inside players being important firepower points.
On the contrary, on the outside, players like Hu Weidong and Sun Jun were not sharp with their three-point shooting, only making one shot.
The team's shooting accuracy was entirely supported by Gan Guoyang alone.
Still, in the locker room, Gan Guoyang was cheerful and humorous, saying to the group, "No worries, if you're not hitting shots tonight, it doesn't matter. We're banking goodwill for the next game. This is called the law of conservation; just right for our semifinal next game, our three-pointers will explode and take our opponents away."
For others, saying such things might come off as arrogant. It's only halftime, leading by 13 points, and he's already bragging about the next game?
But Gan Guoyang is different; saying this shows his confidence and also indicates that he's very confident in controlling the match's situation.
Sure enough, as soon as the second half began, Gan Guoyang went at it again, like in the first half's opening, starting an aggressive attack.
The difference was, he changed his technique, catching the ball at the low post and quickly spinning to complete the attack.
No flashy preliminary moves, no elaborate footwork, just using his wingspan and height advantage, catch, spin, and jump shot directly.
He would shoot within 3 seconds, and his shots were lethal; Australia's defensive intensity was quite lacking compared to NBA's one-on-one defense.
Their zone defense and double-teaming were not very effective, as Gan Guoyang shot quickly, with a high release point, making interference difficult.
To successfully double-team, they had to act before he starts the motion, which had a very short time window.
And only when Gan Guoyang was in a poor position would double-teaming be effective, forcing him to pass the ball.
With over a decade of experience dealing with double-teams, Gan Guoyang's attention to detail was nearly flawless and had reached a master level.
From positioning, Gan Guoyang would carefully select, first observing the opponent and then finding the perfect timing.
His mind was like a holographic map, forming a memory in the Three Second Zone of which positions are easy to be trapped and how to shoot after catching the ball.
This was the best defensive strategy he had honed since he started learning from Bernard King's techniques until today.
Therefore, in the face of heavy defensive obstacles, Gan Guoyang could always find gaps and avoid defensive traps, never getting caught in a double-team and awkwardly passing the ball.
These details and skills are one of the reasons he's surpassed many superstars, and among the new Golden Generation of players, only Kobe has learned part of this.
The FIBA defense line is denser, but Australia's players' defensive capabilities are not as good as NBA players, so in the second half, Gan Guoyang made many shots despite strong defense.
It seemed forced, but in fact, it paid no mind, hitting consecutively and silencing two-thirds of the Australian fans in the arena.
With good positioning, coupled with excellent shooting touch tonight, and a passion for playing for his country, Gan Guoyang entered an unstoppable state.
In seven minutes, he made 7 out of 8 mid-range shots and 3 free throws, a storm of 17 consecutive points that silenced two-thirds of the crowd.
More importantly, the Australian Team's morale was broken; they couldn't stop him, and on the offensive side, they couldn't keep up.
There was no single fast break; it was a set battle every time, and ultimately they resorted to haphazard three-point shots, only to see the situation fall apart.
At this point, playing at home was no longer an advantage but a pressure, facing immense pressure in front of their local spectators.
No one could step up to save the day; Gates and Shane Hill tried to use their individual abilities to save the game, but after getting blocked twice by Gan Guoyang, they quieted down.
At 36, King was still king; for these non-NBA players, the skill gap was too significant.
Though in the final stage of the second half, Australia attempted a comeback, and the referees started to play a part, granting many free throw opportunities.
But the gap from earlier was too big, and every time Australia had chances they couldn't capitalize on, China Team slowed the pace and played it out, making it hard to change the outcome.
In the end, the score was fixed at 91:83, with China Team defeating Australia by an 8-point advantage in the quarterfinals, moving into the top four.
Gan Guoyang casually scored 41 points in the entire game, with Wang Zhizhi scoring 14 points, Hu Weidong 12 points, and Yao Ming 9 points, still in a single-superstar model.
Australia had long anticipated China Team would play this way, but it was no use, as Gan Guoyang charged forward alone.
Even if the Australians wanted to blunt his spearhead, it was no use; even without the spearhead, he could still spear through.