The crowd of gifted fans was stunned. They truly hadn't expected He Xi Meng's firepower to be so fierce!
Far away in Boston, the great Jordan happily puffed on a large cigar, applauding and cheering for He Xi Meng on the television!
"Good, good! That's the rhythm, hit them hard!"
Pierce, also recuperating at home in Boston, was quietly following this game. He wanted to see what kind of level He Xi Meng could lead the current Celtics to without him.
As a result, he saw He Xi Meng dominating from the start, pinning the Wizards to the ground and rubbing it in, which made Pierce quite embarrassed...
On the Wizards' third possession, it was Jamison's turn to attack.
With the Wizards' three core players taking turns to shoot, it was also a form of balance.
Jamison finally lived up to expectations, one-on-one against Ariza, he hit a mid-range pull-up jumper, helping the Wizards score their first points.
The crowd finally breathed a sigh of relief. Even though Jamison's shot was very ordinary, they still applauded and cheered, wanting to boost the team's morale.
But as soon as they turned around and saw He Xi Meng with the ball, the crowd's mood instantly changed. They stared at He Xi Meng and shouted "defense!" in unison.
This effect was truly something else!
He Xi Meng quite enjoyed the atmosphere. The synchronized "defense" chants not only improved the defenders' focus but also increased the offensive pressure, serving as excellent stress training for young players.
On the Wizards' side, the new head coach Eddie Jordan loudly reminded his teammates to double-team!
Not to double-team Yao Ming, but to double-team He Xi Meng.
He Xi Meng's three consecutive three-pointers had scared Eddie Jordan.
On this play, facing a double-team from Arenas and Larry Hughes, He Xi Meng didn't force a shot. Instead, he called for Josh Smith's screen near the three-point line. He stopped abruptly, moved sideways, attracting nearly three Wizards defenders, and then threw a lob pass directly to the front of the basket!
Using the ball to guide the man!
Josh Smith didn't waste his good physique either! He turned and cut, took two steps, soared, and completed a spectacular alley-oop dunk with both hands!
This play not only showed the Washington fans the passing and assisting ability of a top point guard but also showcased the explosive physical prowess of a quality rookie!
In fact, Josh Smith was a capable inside player with decent shooting ability.
However, on the Celtics, Yao Ming was enough to carry the burden of clearing the paint.
Josh Smith's better role was to assist Yao Ming on defense and provide pick-and-roll scoring opportunities for He Xi Meng at the rim!
Dunking in the paint was not only efficient but also enjoyable for the fans, a win-win situation.
Although He Xi Meng himself didn't like dunking, he did enjoy assisting teammates for dunks...
The Wizards counter-attacked, and Arenas used his strong driving ability to shake off He Xi Meng, hung in the air, dodged Yao Ming, and finally scored his first two points of the game with a difficult layup.
Apart from the physical exertion, there was nothing wrong with that shot.
On the Wizards' counter-attack, He Xi Meng continued with their half-court offense. He first looked for Yao Ming in the post. Yao Ming searched for an opportunity with his back to the basket. Seeing the Wizards double-team him, Yao Ming decisively passed the ball back to the perimeter. He Xi Meng received the ball and passed it directly to Tony Allen on the right corner!
Tony Allen's current role was mainly on the defensive end, and his offensive presence wasn't very strong.
Suddenly getting an excellent open three-point opportunity, Tony Allen hesitated!
"Shoot! Don't hesitate to shoot!"
Under He Xi Meng's loud encouragement, Tony Allen finally made up his mind. However, the wasted time from his hesitation allowed Larry Hughes to quickly recover!
Tony Allen faked a shot, nudged Larry Hughes, who flew past him, then took a step sideways, and shot!
Unfortunately, the ball bounced off the rim!
Yao Ming and Haywood, Josh Smith and Jeffries were tangled together in the paint. No one could secure the ball immediately.
He Xi Meng drove into the scrum, using a time difference, and snatched the offensive rebound over the heads of the big men. Then, he turned and passed again to Tony Allen in the corner!
"Shoot again!"
This time, Tony Allen didn't hesitate at all. He caught the ball and shot, hitting the three-pointer!
The Celtics' three-point shooting percentage in the opening stages was outrageously high!
Even with normal shooting form, it was difficult for the Wizards to keep up with the Celtics' scoring efficiency, let alone the fact that the Wizards' shooting touch seemed to be quite poor today.
By the end of the first quarter, the Celtics had taken the lead, ahead of the home team by 11 points!
He Xi Meng left the court with the starting lineup to rest, with Payton, Malone, and Fox coming in to support Mark Blount and Kevin Martin. This was essentially three veterans leading two younger players.
He Xi Meng specifically instructed Payton to create more opportunities for Kevin Martin, saying the kid had the potential to be a great sixth man.
Kevin Martin, with his slender build and poor physical strength, was not favored by Rivers in practice.
In the previous few games, Kevin Martin's playing time was minimal, and his personal statistics were naturally dismal. Or rather, he had no personal statistics at all.
In this game, after being severely criticized by the great Jordan, Rivers let He Xi Meng take control of the lineup rotation.
Rivers thought He Xi Meng would promote his fellow countryman Hu Weidong to the second unit. However, He Xi Meng entrusted the important task to Kevin Martin, whom Rivers had the least regard for!
When Kevin Martin's name was called by He Xi Meng, he himself was somewhat surprised.
"Kevin, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses! Do you know what your weaknesses are?"
"Uh... poor defense, weak physical strength."
"And your strengths?"
"My scoring ability is alright!"
"Very good! Forget your weaknesses and play to your strengths! With limited rotation time, you need to use your offensive advantage to crush them before the opponents figure out your weaknesses..."
With He Xi Meng's instructions and Payton's organization and playmaking, Kevin Martin immediately hit a mid-range pull-up jumper after an off-ball screen.
Kevin Martin's shooting form was a bit awkward, but his accuracy was decent.
Seeing that this young fellow Kevin Martin was performing well, Payton was willing to pass him the ball, and Fox also came to set off-ball screens for him.
On the second offensive possession, Kevin Martin cut directly into the paint. The man met the ball, and Payton delivered a no-look bounce pass, accurately to Kevin Martin, assisting him for a layup!
On the Wizards' side, Eddie Jordan kept Arenas on the court, originally intending to use a strategy of "Qi horse versus Tian horse" to reduce the deficit.
Unexpectedly, a young kid in a No. 23 jersey emerged for the Celtics, matching Arenas's drives, shot for shot, and thwarted the Wizards' attempt to narrow the gap during the rotation.
On the television, the great Jordan, watching the live broadcast, looked at his assistant in surprise and said, "Was this kid also drafted by me?"