He Ximeng nodded meaningfully, "That's right, him. Rumor has it his eyesight is 800 degrees… though I think that's an exaggeration. Judging by the lens thickness, it shouldn't be more than 600 degrees…"
"600 degrees is still pretty bad! Must see double vision of the basket, right? This… Liu Yudong and Zheng Wu made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, just coasting? Old Zheng even got a ticket to the national finals, and Old Liu… tsk tsk tsk, I don't even know what to say about them…"
"So? Confident you can beat this number 8?"
"Absolutely!" Zhang Zhenpeng thumped his chest, "In the future, when we face Nanjing No. 9, I'll handle this four-eyes! Just watch how I avenge Old Liu…"
He Ximeng patted Zhang Zhenpeng's shoulder and said nothing more, offering silent encouragement.
He Ximeng had a rough idea of Hu Weidong's strength. If not for injuries, Old Hu might have been the first Chinese player to land in the NBA… However, compared to Old Hu, He Ximeng was more interested in Shanghai Modern's standout player, number 11: Yao Ming!
Yes, during yesterday's warm-up, because the game times for Zhuji Middle School and Shanghai Modern were not consecutive, He Ximeng had not seen Big Yao.
Today was He Ximeng's first encounter with Big Yao in this timeline.
Still the familiar number 11, still the familiar profile. The only difference was that Big Yao was exceptionally young, thin, and tall now… In fact, Big Yao's registered height was 2.20 meters, meaning he was still in his growth spurt… Because he was thin, he appeared exceptionally tall, especially when juxtaposed with the other high schoolers.
Perhaps sensing He Ximeng's "intense" gaze, Yao Ming turned his head towards Zhuji Middle School.
He Ximeng gave Big Yao a "long time no see" smiling emoji. Big Yao gently nodded and returned a polite, perfunctory smile.
You are still the you of the past, but he is no longer the him of the past.
But He Ximeng believed that their friendship was just beginning.
After Old Hu finished reciting the oath, the opening ceremony concluded, and the Eastern Conference Finals officially began.
The first game of Group A was Hefei No. 1 High School vs. Wuhan No. 6 High School.
Wuhan No. 6 High School, led by their ace player Gu Beilang, scored two three-pointers at the start, taking the lead.
However, after Hefei No. 1 High School stabilized, under the leadership of their core player Guo Aotian, they launched fierce drives and counterattacks.
Both teams played a half of good basketball, ending the last minute in a tie.
With Gu Beilang missing a contested three-pointer, Guo Aotian drove to the basket, drew a foul, and made one of two free throws, 68:67, Hefei No. 1 High School defeating Wuhan No. 6 High School in a comeback.
The second game of Group A was Shanghai Modern High School vs. Wuxi Furen Middle School.
Because Nanjing No. 9 High School was the champion of the Eastern Conference last year, Zhong Shijie had always thought that since Furen Middle School ranked second in the Jiangsu Province, only behind Nanjing No. 9 High School, and the gap didn't seem significant. Therefore, Zhong Shijie concluded: Furen Middle School's strength in the Eastern Conference Finals was likely to be among the top two or three… at least, in the top four, right?
As a result, in their first group stage game, Furen Middle School met Shanghai Modern High School!
Seeing the 2.20-meter tall Yao Ming take the court, Zhong Shijie's teammates were dumbfounded: Could this game even be played?
Zhong Shijie refused to believe it and encouraged his teammates not to be afraid. People who are tall don't necessarily play basketball well…
However, once the game started, Big Yao proved with his actions that he was not only tall but also played basketball exceptionally well!
Big Yao easily won the tip-off at center court. Liu Wei pushed the ball past half-court and lobbed it to Big Yao under the basket. After receiving the pass, Big Yao dunked it with both hands, drawing gasps from the crowd!
Furen Middle School's center was 20 centimeters shorter than Big Yao and lacked the necessary weight. Crucially, he didn't know how to defend Big Yao, and was easily pushed under the basket, resulting in a powerful dunk…
Seeing Big Yao's skillful catch and dunk, Zhong Shijie's heart sank. He realized that Shanghai Modern's number 11 seemed to have more than just height… But he still took the ball from the point guard and used a teammate's screen to drive into the paint…
Shanghai Modern didn't even bother with a chase-down defense, leaving Zhong Shijie to Big Yao in the paint!
Facing Big Yao, Zhong Shijie wanted to use his hang time for a pump fake followed by a layup.
However, Big Yao spun and delivered a left-handed block, sending Zhong Shijie's layup attempt solidly out of bounds…
Zhong Shijie stumbled, nearly falling. He had not expected Big Yao's defensive coverage area to be so vast…
Furen Middle School inbounded the ball again. This time, Zhong Shijie directly chose an outside jump shot. But whether it was the previous block that affected his shooting touch, the long-range shot bounced off the rim.
Yao Ming easily grabbed the rebound. Liu Wei had already accelerated ahead!
Utilizing his height and court vision, Yao Ming made a half-court pass to the streaking Liu Wei. Liu Wei caught the ball and drove straight for an easy layup.
Yao Ming didn't even participate in this fast break; he simply stood quietly on the opponent's half, watching Liu Wei perform…
"This is too strong, isn't it?"
"If number 11 just stays under the basket like that, how can we drive to the hoop?"
"Does that mean in the future, when facing Shanghai Modern, we'll have to rely on outside jump shots?"
"If we only shoot jumpers, what about the rebounds? Who can out-rebound him?"
"It's not like he'll play the entire game. At least when he's off the court, you can attack the basket…"
"And there are still number 8 Liu Wei and number 6 Zhang Wenqi… Last year, when Liu Wei and Zhang Wenqi led the team, they helped Shanghai Modern reach the top four of the Eastern Conference Finals, right?"
"This year's Shanghai Modern is terrifying…"
On the stands, there was a chorus of laments.
He Ximeng knew better than anyone present how terrifying the combination of Yao Ming and Liu Wei was. However, the current Big Yao was not invincible, and there were still many weaknesses. This was indeed a moment that tested the on-the-spot adaptability of the team coaches. If the head coaches couldn't come up with targeted offensive and defensive strategies and let their players play Shanghai Modern with conventional tactics, such as zone defense and penetration, they would be completely suppressed by Shanghai Modern… The final result would merely be a stepping stone for Big Yao's rise to glory.
On the Furen Middle School side, their head coach's adaptability was lacking. Knowing that conventional tactics were ineffective against Big Yao, he still insisted on Furen Middle School playing their established strategy, which resulted in wasting the talents of Zhong Shijie, the top high schooler from Taiwan.