However, although Yao Ming was pushed aside, he did not give up on defense. He exerted his strength and swatted a hand! Unexpectedly, he actually blocked Olowokandi's dunk! It was Olowokandi's own fault for underestimating Yao Ming. After shoving Yao Ming away, he didn't even bother with a fake move and went straight for the dunk! He thought that Yao Ming, completely suppressed by his strength, would retreat and yield. Little did he know that Yao Ming's psychological defense had been sufficiently strengthened by He Xi Meng during pre-game practice.
He Xi Meng had clearly explained to him some of the main problems he would encounter after entering the league. Being overpowered by a strong center was one of them.
He Xi Meng's strategy for Yao Ming was to fight and retreat, show weakness, conserve strength, and then explode with full power at the moment the opponent made their move, utilizing his height advantage to try and block their shot or dunk!
In this play, Yao Ming strictly followed He Xi Meng's strategy. He didn't engage in too much direct confrontation with Olowokandi in the early stages but instead gradually lured Olowokandi towards the basket and fought him in the final moment!
Judging by the effectiveness of this possession, Yao Ming was clearly the winner! Yao Ming secured his first block in his NBA career.
The only pity was that Yao Ming didn't quite control the force of this block. He used too much power and sent the ball out of bounds, resulting in the Clippers retaining possession.
"Sorry, I got a bit too excited at the end!"
Facing He Xi Meng, who was reorganizing the defense, Yao Ming apologized profusely.
"No, no, no! You did great! Blocking this shot is a success! If we didn't get the ball back, we'll just block another one!"
"Okay!"
Encouraged by He Xi Meng, Yao Ming returned to his position with renewed confidence.
However, the Clippers, attacking again, did not pass the ball to Olowokandi. McKinnes passed the ball to Piajkoski, who went one-on-one with Ginobili. Ginobili was initially faked out but chased back fiercely! Perhaps wary of the Spurs' interior presence of Duncan and Yao Ming, Piajkoski didn't dare to challenge the basket directly and instead pulled up for a mid-range jump shot!
The ball bounced off the rim, and Yao Ming leaped up, grabbing the rebound! He also secured his first rebound in his NBA career.
To prevent a steal, Yao Ming held the ball high until He Xi Meng came to receive it.
This was also something He Xi Meng had instructed him on before the game. Due to Yao Ming's extreme height, many smaller guards would try to steal the ball the moment he landed. To ensure the ball's safety, the best method for Yao Ming was to hold the ball high, assess his surroundings after landing, and then consider passing. During his rookie phase, he shouldn't rush quick passes, as such plays often lead to turnovers. Only when Yao Ming could confidently handle various unexpected situations on the court should he consider quickly passing the ball after grabbing a rebound to assist the smaller players in fast breaks.
After receiving the ball, He Xi Meng slowly advanced it past half-court. To accommodate Yao Ming and the returning Duncan, and to keep the game exciting, the Spurs were already leading by 10 points, and the first quarter wasn't even over. If he didn't want the game to devolve into a blowout too early, He Xi Meng had to slow down the Spurs' scoring pace. At least, they were no longer rushing three-point shots. And since Duncan was unwilling to score himself, He Xi Meng could take this opportunity to help Yao Ming build up his scoring stats for the day.
On this possession, He Xi Meng called for Duncan's high pick-and-roll, creating a mismatch against Brand, then lured Brand further out, and hit a bounce pass to Yao Ming at the edge of the paint!
After the pass, He Xi Meng saw Brand beginning to rotate back, intending to help Olowokandi defend.
He Xi Meng immediately shouted at Yao Ming in English, "Yao, if you get doubled, pass it to me!"
Got it!
With He Xi Meng's shout, Brand no longer dared to rotate back. He was afraid that if he did, Yao Ming might get scared and pass, and He Xi Meng's three-point threat would immediately materialize.
Therefore, he had no choice but to stick close to He Xi Meng's movements, staying within a step of the three-point line.
Inside, Yao Ming was left to deal with Olowokandi alone.
Yao Ming, in his rookie year, despite being 2.26 meters tall, was still relatively thin. Olowokandi, the number one pick in 1998, had played in the league for over three seasons and was in excellent physical condition and had considerable experience. Logically, he shouldn't have trouble with a rookie like Yao Ming. But the reality was that Yao Ming wasn't fighting alone.
After luring Brand away, He Xi Meng didn't rest. He loudly reminded Yao Ming, this time in Chinese, which only He Xi Meng and Yao Ming could understand.
"Keep using the pump fake on him! Olowokandi has a lot of inertia and a slow takeoff speed. After his center of gravity shifts, it's slow for him to recover his speed... use that move to beat him..."
With He Xi Meng's on-the-spot coaching, Yao Ming's shots became more decisive!
On this play, it was the same pump fake, but this time, Yao Ming added a simple dribble. After the dribble, he pulled up for a shot. Facing Olowokandi's fierce closeout, Yao Ming remained calm, and his soft touch again ensured the ball accurately hit the rim!
"Damn it!" Olowokandi, having failed to disrupt the play again, began to feel the pressure. He couldn't accept that a rookie number one pick could dominate him, a former number one pick from three years ago, so thoroughly. They were both number one picks, how could there be such a gap?
So, after Odom made a driving layup, Olowokandi, facing Yao Ming who again wanted to drive at him head-on, chose to commit a foul! He wanted to use a rough move to threaten Yao Ming and instill fear in him.
But Yao Ming merely rubbed his arm, which had been reddened by Olowokandi, and gave him a dismissive smile. In terms of emotional control, among the league's big centers, who could do better than Yao Ming?
Olowokandi's threat was ineffective against Yao Ming. Instead, this foul gave Yao Ming two free throw opportunities.
Stepping up to the free-throw line, Yao Ming blew on his palms. He calmly sank the first free throw and then confidently made the second!
Two for two from the free-throw line, Yao Ming was efficient and fluid, clearly confident in his free-throw shooting.
Yao Ming's perfect two-for-two from the line once again lit up the eyes of the Spurs fans!
"Incredible touch! I can't believe a seven-foot-six center could have such a touch!"
Yao Ming's touch is very soft, very stable! It's even better than David's..."
"This height with this touch is a perfect match..."