Jordan still sat alone, his sunglasses hiding his eyes. No one knew what he was thinking at that moment, but the slight tension at the corners of his mouth betrayed the unrest within him.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Madonna, and other entertainment celebrities also stopped talking, their gazes fixed on center court, their faces filled with tension and anticipation.
In the stands, tens of thousands of Knicks fans gradually stopped shouting as well. Everyone rose to their feet, staring intently at the basketball in the referee's hands, barely daring to breathe.
The entire Madison Square Garden fell into a brief silence, with only the arena DJ's deep countdown echoing through the building.
"10... 9... 8..."
Amid the countdown, the head referee slowly raised the basketball in his hand, his arm tensing slightly as he prepared to toss it into the air.
Li Fei and O'Neal tensed their bodies at the same time, their eyes locked on the ball, their knees bent slightly as they prepared to jump.
Their presences collided in midair—on one side stood the Knicks' dominant interior force, and on the other, the Lakers' king of the paint. Whoever won the tip-off would earn the first offensive opportunity for his team.
At the TNT commentary desk, Kevin Harlan's voice rang out again, charged with excitement. "Ladies and gentlemen, the countdown is over. The game is about to begin!"
"Li Fei versus O'Neal in the opening tip—this will be the first major highlight of this epic showdown!"
Marv Albert spoke tensely. "O'Neal has tremendous explosiveness, but Li Fei holds the advantage in height and wingspan. And his reaction speed is far beyond that of players his size."
Bill Walton added, "While the outcome of the tip-off can't determine the direction of the entire game, it can have a huge impact on