Li Feng remembered what Yao Ming had told him before the game: never anger Kobe Bryant at the start of the match, as it would ignite his damn competitive spirit.
With this in mind, Li Feng didn't engage in a duel with Kobe and instead passed the ball early.
Kobe was somewhat surprised when Li Feng passed the ball to teammate Sun Dasheng. He had expected Li Feng, being a rookie, to be more aggressive.
Why would he avoid him in their first encounter?
Kobe became even more interested in Li Feng, finding him enigmatic.
Sun Dasheng received the ball and crossed half-court. He didn't initiate his own attack but waited for Li Feng.
Li Feng made a backdoor cut, shaking off Kobe's tight defense, and received the ball at the 45-degree angle on the left. Kobe immediately closed in again.
The Dream Team took Li Feng very seriously. Not only did Kobe guard him closely, but LeBron James and Chris Paul were also nearby, ready to intercept.
Li Feng didn't hold onto the ball. Seeing that Yao Ming had already established a good post position, he passed the ball immediately.
This was China's strategy: Li Feng would pass, not Sun Dasheng passing to Da Yao.
The difference was that if Sun Dasheng passed, the defensive pressure would fall entirely on Da Yao, making it uncomfortable for him to receive the ball.
However, with Li Feng passing, half the defensive pressure was on him, making it much easier for Da Yao to receive the ball.
Despite Dwight Howard's best efforts to contest, Yao Ming easily faked him out and made a soft hook shot!
2:0!
Da Yao scored two points in his signature style right at the start!
All the Chinese fans in the stadium were jubilant, cheering loudly for Da Yao's basket.
The Dream Team's offense. Paul brought the ball past half-court, and Sun Dasheng pressed him closely.
Paul called for a screen, and Carmelo Anthony stepped out to block Sun Dasheng, allowing Paul to drive to the baseline.
Howard raised his right hand, and Paul immediately lobbed the ball, attempting an alley-oop.
At this moment, Da Yao was half a step behind and it was too late to contest.
Just as Howard thought he had succeeded, a figure flew out from behind him, leaped high, and managed to intercept the ball preemptively!
My goodness!
Who was that?
To steal the ball from the "Superman" Howard, especially with an aerial interception, was terrifying!
When Howard finally saw who it was, he realized it was Li Feng!
Li Feng had anticipated Paul's move to the baseline and had abandoned Kobe to charge into the paint, hiding near Yao Ming.
The moment Paul passed, Li Feng burst out and completed the steal.
After the steal, Li Feng immediately initiated a fast break.
The Dream Team lived up to their name. The star players reacted extremely quickly. As soon as Li Feng stole the ball, Kobe and LeBron were already sprinting back on defense.
Li Feng passed the ball to Zhu Fangyu. Zhu Fangyu crossed half-court and, facing LeBron, didn't dare to dribble, waiting for Li Feng to come and receive the ball.
Sun Dasheng and Li Feng, along with Yi Jianlian, were the first to cross half-court. Zhu Fangyu immediately passed the ball to Li Feng.
Kobe anticipated the play and immediately stepped up to contest.
Li Feng and Kobe went for the ball almost simultaneously!
The audience was stunned. Li Feng and Kobe's first direct confrontation had begun!
Kobe was slightly taller than Li Feng and had a longer wingspan, so by rights, he should have gotten the ball.
But Li Feng's "fastest first step in the league" skill came into play. His footwork was quicker, and with a "swoosh!"
Li Feng reached the ball a step ahead of Kobe, executed a crossover, and drove past him!
The entire stadium gasped. That move was spectacular!
After getting past Kobe, Li Feng drove directly to the basket, with Sun Dasheng and Zhu Fangyu cutting to open spots.
LeBron hesitated for a moment but still stepped up to block Li Feng.
While Li Feng had strong penetration, his chances against LeBron were slim, so he passed the ball to Zhu Fangyu.
The moment Zhu Fangyu received the ball, LeBron suddenly lunged at him.
The speed of this help defense was terrifying. At the moment Li Feng passed, LeBron was almost moving at the same speed as the basketball towards Zhu Fangyu.
Zhu Fangyu released the shot rapidly, but unfortunately, he was a fraction of a second too slow. LeBron swatted the ball out of bounds with an incredible block!
Li Feng watched from the side, sighing slightly. It was too scary; the gap in talent was just too vast.
The fans let out cries of disbelief. LeBron was like an alien, with top-tier leaping ability!
LeBron's successful one-on-two defense greatly boosted the Dream Team's morale. Kobe, Anthony, and Paul all ran over to chest bump LeBron in celebration!
The Chinese players were startled by the block, and their morale dipped slightly.
Fortunately, Yao Ming roared, "Cheer up! It's okay, it's just one play!"
The Chinese team settled into a half-court offense and started their attack again.
With 15 seconds left on the shot clock, Yi Jianlian inbounded the ball, passing it to Li Feng.
Li Feng, facing Kobe, decided to take him on.
His successful steal earlier had greatly boosted Li Feng's confidence.
He didn't call for a screen but used a triple-threat move, faked, and then suddenly drove left.
Li Feng's speed was considerable, but Kobe was equally agile, immediately shifting his feet and cutting off Li Feng's driving lane.
Kobe's nine All-Defensive selections were not for show; his perimeter defense was astonishing!
Li Feng, with no other choice, used changes in rhythm, driving left and right. But Kobe stayed with him like a shadow, never out of position, his arms spread wide like a great bird, covering Li Feng.
With the shot clock winding down, Li Feng, helpless, passed the ball back to Yao Ming in the post.
This time, Yao Ming's reception was not as comfortable. Li Feng's pass was hurried, and Anthony was fronting him, nearly intercepting the ball.
After receiving the pass, Yao Ming had just over 2 seconds left on the shot clock, forcing him to take a fadeaway jumper.
Howard flew in to contest, affecting Yao Ming's shot, which missed.
LeBron secured the rebound and initiated a fast break.
Even though Sun Dasheng and Yi Jianlian managed to get back on defense, LeBron, once he got going, was unstoppable, like a tank.
Swoosh!
LeBron directly knocked Yi Jianlian aside and soared in for a powerful dunk!
This was the ultimate expression of violent aesthetics, and the fans at the scene let out heartfelt cheers!
The score was tied 2:2!
Kobe deserved a large portion of the credit for the Dream Team's score. He had made Li Feng very uncomfortable defensively, leading to a stagnant offense.
In the following play, China relied on Yao Ming to hold on. As expected, Li Feng's performance suffered after being targeted.
Aside from a few good passes, his individual offense was completely stifled.
Not only was Kobe guarding him personally, but the help defense from Paul and LeBron made it difficult for Li Feng to maneuver, leaving him at a disadvantage everywhere!
With 7 minutes and 25 seconds gone in the first quarter, the score was 14:8, with the Dream Team leading by six points.
Li Feng had scored zero points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists, a very uncharacteristic performance.
Seeing Li Feng panting heavily, Coach Jonas quickly called a timeout to let him rest.
Yao Ming was performing the best. Of China's 8 points, Yao Ming had scored 6. The other two points came from a put-back by Yi Jianlian.