James caught the ball and faced Doncic.
Old Zhang didn't choose to attack right away. Instead, he lofted a pass into the low post, finding Embiid, who had established position.
Embiid caught the ball and went to work with his back to Giannis.
He dribbled once and backed into him. Then, using the force of Giannis's resistance, he stepped back and turned, smoothly creating space before rising for a mid-range fadeaway jumper.
Swish~~
The ball swished through the net.
4–2
Big Butt opened the game by showing off the "elegant" style of play that had made him the only forward-center in history.
On to the next possession.
Team Chen Xi had the ball.
Chen held it at the top of the key and initiated the offense.
He dribbled left, imitating the previous play, then lofted a pass into the paint to Jokic, who was posted up down low.
Unlike Big Butt, Teacher Jokic hadn't seemed all that eager to attack at first. It wasn't until he met Chen's gaze that he caught on and backed into position.
A moment later, Chen's pass arrived.
So Jokic, "forced to work," had no choice but to try a post-up of his own.
He leaned into Embiid and held the ball in both hands as he surveyed the floor.
After dribbling once, he quickly turned toward the middle, then fired a precise bounce pass to Giannis, who was cutting in from the other side.
Giannis caught it and sprang straight into the air, throwing down a vicious "Noxian Guillotine" that slammed the ball through the hoop.
The score was tied again at 4–4.
But it was already clear that the two teams had shown completely different styles in the opening minutes.
For Team James, the two superstars had each displayed their incredible talent,