He Xi Meng, after bringing the basketball past half court, would hand it over to Hu Wei Dong to initiate the offense, while He Xi Meng himself would move to the wing corner to lie in wait.
Hu Wei Dong was a versatile shooting guard on the Chinese team's backcourt. He had even filled in as a temporary point guard during the World Championships, playing competently alongside He Xi Meng. Thus, this tactic was retained and became a backup strategy for He Xi Meng to adjust during the game.
According to the head coach's instructions, He Xi Meng would stretch out to draw Kidd, Hu Wei Dong would hold the ball to contain Ray Allen, Liu Yu Dong would roam the mid-range, occasionally setting screens for Hu Wei Dong to create driving opportunities, and Da Zhi would switch between the inside and outside, tearing apart the American team's defense. In short, the four Chinese players spared no effort in creating shooting space for Yao Ming in the paint. Frankly, such treatment was unprecedented.
However, after being bewildered in the first quarter, Mourning began to familiarize himself with Yao Ming's offensive patterns.
Yao Ming's post-up strength was insufficient, and he held no advantage against the current Mourning. Therefore, Mourning's first choice when defending Yao Ming was to push him out, preventing him from getting close to the basket. But preventing Yao Ming from getting close to the basket did not completely curb his scoring ability. Because Yao Ming's mid-range jump shot was also quite lethal. If he couldn't drive, he would use his height to shoot, and Yao Ming could still help the Chinese team score. Thus, Mourning also had to find ways to stop Yao Ming's jump shot. The foul strategy was useless; Mourning had already tried it, and Yao Ming was an incredibly steady 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. The final solution was to constantly battle Yao Ming before he received the ball, preventing him from catching it comfortably. Even when Yao Ming received the ball, Mourning would deliberately maintain physical contact, using his strength advantage to keep Yao Ming in a state of constant exhaustion.
He Xi Meng, on the wing, clearly saw Mourning's attempts and changes on the defensive end, step by step. He couldn't help but marvel at Mourning's talent in the realm of defense, being one of the league's strongest defenders. In just over a quarter, Mourning had already figured out Yao Ming's weakness and found the most appropriate way to disrupt him, causing Yao Ming's shooting percentage to drop rapidly in the second quarter.
By halftime, the American team had successfully reversed the score, leading the Chinese team by three points.
For the Chinese men's basketball team, trailing the American Dream Team IV by only 3 points at halftime could essentially be considered a perfect performance, something worthy of praise.
He Xi Meng also felt that the team's first-half performance had basically met his expectations, but the situation in the second half was not optimistic. Because Yao Ming, who had carried the offensive load for the Chinese team in the first half, was showing a decline in scoring efficiency and had expended too much energy. If the Chinese men's basketball team continued to rely on Yao Ming in the second half, they would likely be blown out by the Dream Team.
Therefore, the Chinese men's basketball team needed to make adjustments and shift some of their offensive focus.
As for He Xi Meng himself, the American team was relentlessly double-teaming him. Although he managed to hit a few three-pointers amidst the chaos during rotations, scoring over 10 points at halftime, his overall offensive opportunities were limited, and the offensive space was very tight. Unless absolutely necessary, He Xi Meng was unwilling to force shots himself, because if he had to, it would mean the Chinese team was at its wit's end and about to go all-in. At least, that was not the case yet.
Thus, at the start of the second half, the Chinese team adjusted the defensive positioning of their two big men in the paint. Yao Ming moved to the free-throw line area to act as a high-post facilitator, while Da Zhi, uncharacteristically, moved to the basket to receive the ball.
Although Da Zhi disliked playing in the post, it didn't mean he couldn't. In fact, before Yao Ming fully developed, Da Zhi was the strongest player in the Chinese paint.
The sudden switch in positions between Yao Ming and Da Zhi also confused the Dream Team for a moment. Soon, they witnessed the reason for the Chinese team's change.
He Xi Meng returned to the point guard position, with Hu Wei Dong receiving on the wing. He Xi Meng first passed the ball to Yao Ming in the high post, then used Liu Yu Dong's off-ball screen to feign a drive into the paint, but instead made a sharp cut back to the three-point line to receive the ball. He then faked out the lunging defender and directly passed to Da Zhi, who was cutting to the basket!
Da Zhi back-down against Garnett, he didn't force a shot but used agile footwork and constant fakes to evade the "Wolf King's" block, ultimately stepping through for a layup. In the NBA, Da Zhi rarely played so deep in the low post to receive the ball and force shots, so when Da Zhi displayed his incredibly fluid post moves, Garnett was slightly surprised.
However, Garnett wasn't intimidated. He turned and responded with a basket of his own, an answer ball.
The Chinese team continued their offense. He Xi Meng still coordinated with Yao Ming in the high post, but this time, He Xi Meng genuinely chose to drive. After receiving a bounce pass from Yao Ming, he penetrated the paint but couldn't find a shooting opportunity. He circled out from the weak side and passed the ball to Yao Ming, who was cutting down the middle.
Garnett abandoned Da Zhi and shuffled sideways, preparing to contest Yao Ming's dunk. However, Yao Ming didn't force the issue against the "Wolf King." Instead, he took a dribble, executed a handoff, and passed the ball to Da Zhi, who was behind the "Wolf King"!
Da Zhi rarely dunked in regular games. Especially last season with the Lakers, Da Zhi mostly played as a stretch forward, creating space for the team, and even less so with dunks. But at this moment, Da Zhi knew that dunking was the best option. A normal layup would likely be blocked by Garnett, who was jumping in front, or Mourning, who was chasing from behind.
So, Da Zhi, steeling his resolve, leaped with all his might and successfully completed a two-handed dunk over Garnett. Da Zhi's dunks were rather understated. Simply put, they weren't explosive or flashy. But this dunk was brilliant because the timing was perfect. Mourning was flying in from behind Da Zhi, and Garnett, who had just jumped, hadn't yet extended his arms to contest.
The crowd erupted in cheers! Especially the Chinese fans, who couldn't help but clap their hands raw at Da Zhi's powerful display.
On the sidelines, Coach Tomjanovich was helpless. After finally managing to suppress the Chinese team's number 11 player, the number 14 player had started causing trouble again! Coach Tom was somewhat familiar with Da Zhi, the Chinese team's number 14. He remembered Da Zhi as a shooting big man, a stretch forward for the Lakers, so why was he playing like a traditional center in the paint?
And He Xi Meng, as the initiator of this offense, brushed off his sleeves and calmly retreated on defense, wary of a potential counterattack from the Dream Team.