In the TNT broadcast booth, Barkley and Smith were providing commentary, with Shaquille O'Neal joining them as a guest.
O'Neal, a long-time friend of Yao Ming, was very familiar with his playing style.
He was quite fond of Li Feng, and in the broadcast booth, he was supportive of Li Feng, while Barkley was belittling him, and Smith remained neutral.
"See that? Li Feng is too raw, Kobe is locking him down!" Barkley said boastfully, shaking his bald head.
"Don't rush it, Li Feng is still young, he needs time to adapt," O'Neal defended Li Feng.
Smith smoothly mediated, "Actually, no player can perform well under Kobe's defense. Li Feng is doing alright, he's passing a few good balls, and he hasn't even played a single NBA game yet."
Barkley pouted and continued to mock, "But that's not what the media is saying, they're saying Li Feng is already a superstar, as if no one on the Dream Team can stop him!"
O'Neal retorted, "It's only the first quarter, why are you in such a hurry? If he could blow past Kobe in the first quarter, would he still be human?"
"Regardless, if he really makes it to the NBA, he'll just be an ordinary player. I'm putting my words out there," Barkley stated confidently.
O'Neal shook his head, "I think he'll be at least better than Ginobili."
Barkley widened his bull-like eyes and argued, "Do you think Ginobili is weak? His performance in the past few years was second only to Kobe's, he's too strong!"
"I didn't say Ginobili was weak, I'm saying Li Feng has great potential. He's stronger than Ginobili in some aspects, like strength and speed!"
...
It wasn't just TNT that was arguing heatedly; fans in the game's live chat forum also began a lively discussion.
Fans nowadays were becoming increasingly impatient. Previously, players would be commented on and attacked after a game.
But now, before the first quarter was even over, some fans couldn't take it anymore and had started their barrage of criticism.
"What is Li Feng even playing? He's really wasting Yao Ming's prime, he might as well have played Chen Jianghua!"
"Sigh, he's completely locked down by Kobe, he's just not good enough!"
"I think he's playing alright. Kobe is clearly not focusing on offense today, just defense. Who can withstand that!"
"Let's just hope we don't lose by too much. Team USA is too strong overall, they're here to win the championship!"
...
Li Feng sat on the bench, covering his head with a towel. He had expended a lot of energy.
This was his first time experiencing the defensive intensity of top NBA stars, and it was truly suffocating.
However, Li Feng was not discouraged. The setbacks in the first quarter only fueled his competitive spirit.
Li Feng secretly vowed in his heart, "I've almost adapted, I'll show you all something later!"
Both sides made substitutions.
For the Dream Team, the substitutions had little impact, as they were all superstars anyway.
Just look at the Dream Team's bench lineup—
Wade, Boozer, Prince, Kidd, Bosh!
This lineup was not inferior to the starters.
So, in the latter half of the first quarter, the Chinese team collapsed again, and the Dream Team went on a run.
Wade's drives, Boozer's mid-range shots, Prince's fast breaks, Kidd's transition threes, Bosh's dominance in the paint...
The Chinese reserves struggled to hold on, only managing to score a few points through Wang Zhizhi and Chen Jianghua.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 32:15, with the Dream Team leading by 17 points, on the verge of blowing out the game.
Although the fans had been mentally prepared, the way the game started left them greatly disappointed.
The Wukesong Stadium, usually filled with shouts, fell silent.
Yao Ming was also in a bad mood, but he did not lose heart. He proactively sat next to Li Feng.
"Li Feng, have you adapted?"
Li Feng's body trembled. Yao Ming's first question was about his adaptation?
Did Yao Ming still believe in him?
Li Feng looked at Yao Ming and nodded slightly, "Brother Yao, I think I've adapted. We'll fight back in the second quarter!"
Seeing that Li Feng had not lost his confidence, Yao Ming smiled and punched Li Feng's broad shoulder.
"That's the spirit! Youth is your capital. Fall down where you stand, and get back up!"
Then, they high-fived each other, offering mutual encouragement!
In the second quarter, Li Feng and Yao Ming returned to the court, with other starters also playing earlier than expected.
The Dream Team had relaxed a bit. Since the first quarter went so smoothly, Coach K did not bring in the starters, maintaining the lineup from the latter half of the first quarter.
As soon as Yao Ming stepped onto the court, he bullied Bosh, dunking over him and drawing a foul for a 2+1!
The Dream Team was not flustered at all, given their substantial lead.
Yao Ming smoothly made the free throw, bringing the score to 32:18, with the Dream Team still holding a 14-point advantage.
Kidd was bringing the ball up the court when Sun Dasheng suddenly applied full-court pressure!
This was Li Feng's idea before the second quarter started; he had secretly told Sun Dasheng to surprise the opponents.
The US team would never have imagined that the Chinese team would dare to apply full-court pressure.
Sun Dasheng's defensive ability was quite good, and under Li Feng's guidance, he had improved rapidly.
Under his pressure, Kidd almost made a mistake, stumbling his way past half-court.
Wade hurried to receive the pass, but Li Feng was defending Wade, desperately fighting for position and preventing him from receiving the ball.
Kobe and LeBron on the sidelines were astonished!
Wade's abilities were not inferior to Kobe's; in fact, in terms of driving to the basket, Wade was even stronger.
Especially Wade's speed and strength, which were tank-like among shooting guards.
Li Feng was actually able to withstand Wade?
Kobe frowned. He felt that Li Feng had definitely underperformed in the first quarter and hadn't played at his best!
Kidd had no choice but to pass the ball to Boozer.
Boozer's mid-range shot was excellent, but under Yi Jianlian's tight defense, he missed. Yao Ming secured the rebound and passed it to Li Feng.
Earlier, Li Feng had made Wade very uncomfortable with his defense, so Wade wanted to retaliate. He stuck close to Li Feng, trying to steal the ball.
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
Wade continuously collided with Li Feng, trying to force a turnover with his strong physique.
Who knew that Li Feng was unfazed? He had adapted to the NBA's intensity and rhythm, exerting continuous force and pushing back!
Wade actually stumbled, nearly falling.
Taking advantage of Wade's displacement, Li Feng sprinted with three steps and flew towards the basket.
Prince came charging from the side, trying to block Li Feng!
This meritorious player from the Pistons was extremely fast and had excellent leaping ability, a practical player.
Li Feng noticed Prince and immediately executed a half-turn in the air, using his back to shield Prince before switching to a left-handed layup!
The difficulty of this move was immense, and it was also very imaginative.
The audience at the scene immediately let out gasps of amazement. It was incredible!
Two points were scored!
*Beep!*
The referee's whistle blew, and another 2+1 was called!
As soon as Yao Ming and Li Feng took the court, they displayed a completely different spirit!