Facing Kidd, He Xi Meng advanced steadily, without accelerating. They were old rivals, and both were familiar with each other's offensive rhythm. He Xi Meng's current approach indicated he was preparing for a methodical, positional battle.
Kidd retreated, while simultaneously reminding his teammates to watch for switches. As expected, after He Xi Meng crossed half-court, he immediately called for Da Zhi to set a screen!
Although Da Zhi was not heavily relied upon in the playoffs this season and still needed to improve, he had proven his threat from beyond the three-point line during the regular season.
Da Zhi came to the high post to set a screen for He Xi Meng, then rolled to the three-point line. Kidd quickly followed, wary of He Xi Meng passing to Da Zhi for an immediate three-point shot.
Meanwhile, Garnett, who was chasing Da Zhi, also stared intently at He Xi Meng, guarding against a direct penetration.
However, He Xi Meng did neither. He didn't pass to Da Zhi, nor did he force a drive against Garnett. Instead, he patiently waited for Yao Ming, who was post-up on the low block, to rotate to his side. Yao Ming established position, reached out for the ball, and He Xi Meng lofted a pass over Garnett's head, directly into Yao Ming's hands!
Mourning saw the still somewhat boyish Yao Ming preparing to challenge him and immediately adopted a defensive stance, ready for Yao Ming's strong attack. But upon seeing Yao Ming's slender limbs, Mourning couldn't help but taunt him, "Come on, kid, let's see if you can make me take a step back..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yao Ming leaned into Mourning slightly, then turned and executed a jump shot!
Mourning was completely caught off guard by Yao Ming's decisive move! A player standing 2.26 meters tall, not driving to the basket, but taking a jump shot from the edge of the paint... Young man, you're not playing by the rules, are you?
There wasn't time to overthink. Mourning lunged, but the height difference was simply too great. No matter how hard Mourning tried, he couldn't reach Yao Ming's jump shot. He could only watch as Yao Ming released the ball over his head... As Yao Ming shot the ball with an incredibly soft touch, Mourning felt a sense of foreboding!
"Damn it! Should a big center have this kind of touch? Too t/
The ball reached the team! He Xi Meng immediately threw a precise bounce pass to Hu Wei Dong, who had found an opening. Hu Wei Dong cut from the left sideline to the middle, caught the ball, leaped, and executed a graceful one-handed dunk, successfully evading the trailing block attempt by Ray Allen, and slammed the ball into the hoop!
"Ah-oh! The Chinese team is playing with explosive energy!"
"More explosive than the equally explosive American team!"
"This momentum... who exactly is the Dream Team?"
...
Just after Yao Ming completed a powerful two-handed dunk under the basket, Hu Wei Dong immediately followed up on a fast break with his signature "Sky-Dweller's Flight" style of gliding dunk! The start for the Chinese team was indeed incredibly explosive. In terms of morale, the Chinese team was even more fervent than the American team!
Thus, following Yao Ming's provocation of Mourning, Hu Wei Dong's one-handed dunk also ignited the competitive spirit of Carter, the dunking king on the American team!
Carter took the ball from Kidd, signaled for his teammates in the paint to clear out, and declared he would take the ball and go one-on-one.
The Chinese player responsible for guarding Carter was Liu Yu Dong! Liu Yu Dong had not yet gained weight at this point; his mobility and strength were both adequate. However, Carter clearly underestimated Liu Yu Dong. After a fake and a drive, he used his shoulder to clear a path, drove into the paint, and raised his hand, ready to answer the Chinese team with a flying dunk himself...