In street basketball bars, living rooms, and college dorms, China fans were cheering everywhere. Everyone raised their glasses in celebration, sharing in the joy.
Many fans said outright that this was the most exhilarating NBA Regular Season opener they had ever watched. The all-Chinese Lakers had made every China fan proud.
They left comments one after another, looking forward to every upcoming Lakers game and firmly believing this all-Chinese team could go even farther on the NBA stage.
Of course, wherever there was praise, there were bound to be doubts.
A small number of haters also appeared online, mocking the all-Chinese Lakers' performance.
"It was just a Regular Season game. They only played well because they got lucky. The Celtics weren't even taking it seriously."
"An all-Chinese lineup won't get far in the NBA. They can't keep up physically or tactically. This win is nothing more than a flash in the pan."
"Wang Yi is already 41. He doesn't have the stamina to last an entire season. He may be playing well now, but he'll collapse sooner or later!"
"Just wait. It won't take many games before the Lakers are exposed for what they really are. This kind of outburst can't last!"
Those mocking remarks were quickly drowned out by an overwhelming wave of praise.
The vast majority of fans firmly believed the all-Chinese Lakers had earned their victory through sheer strength, and that Wang Yi's form was no accident. They would shatter every doubt with one brilliant performance after another.
In fact, the Lakers soon answered those doubts with a powerful showing in their second game.
In their second game, they faced the Brooklyn Nets. The Lakers scored 141 points over the course of the game.
The Brooklyn Nets scored 132, and the Lakers ultimately won by nine points.