Malone: He Is Our Answer at Center!

"WTF?"

The situation shifted in an instant, forcing Malone to do a complete 180-degree turn.

"John, this is the gap in talent."

Malone looked at Stockton beside him:

"Keith had clearly created enough space to shake him off, yet he still couldn't escape the fate of being pinned against the backboard."

However.

No sooner had one wave subsided than another rose.

As possession changed, Li Fei established position in the low post against Van Horn and reached out for the ball.

"Thud!"

The ball hit his hands.

Li Fei backed into Van Horn and chose to hammer his way in, creating half a meter of space with a single step.

Oh ho!

This rugged, old-school style of play made Malone excited all over again.

This was exactly the scene he wanted to see.

Was it coming?

The scene where he punched Big Dog into the air.

Was it going to be reenacted?

Unfortunately, Li Fei didn't use the boxing theatrics Malone was hoping for.

But he did send Van Horn flying with a single shoulder check.

"Clang!"

Holding his left hand high, he launched into a standing dunk from two meters away from the rim to score.

"WTF?"

Malone was stunned on the spot and stood straight up from his seat: "Did I see that right, baby? A standing dunk from that far away from the rim?"

John Stockton was also shocked.

"Sit down, Cal."

But Stockton wasn't as excited as Malone: "Don't forget, we're from Utah."

The little brother from Salt Lake City just got dunked on, and you're in the mood to cheer?

Stockton couldn't get excited at all right now.

His intuition told him.

Keith Van Horn, that little brother, was likely in for a rough time.

Turning back.

Van Horn still wanted to get his revenge on Li Fei.

But Van Horn, who was inferior to Li Fei in both height and strength, had no chance of gaining any advantage in the paint.

His turnaround layup attempt was once again rejected by Li Fei.

Although Li Fei's 120-kilogram frame was certainly not considered a heavyweight center among players over 2.20 meters tall.

But Van Horn was even lighter than Li Fei.

"Another serving of hot pot; it won't be easy for Keith to score on Li."

TNT commentator Doug Collins shook his head: "He might be like us, underestimating Li Fei."

"We at least have to give credit to Li Fei's defensive ability; this guy is a rim protector who held Glenn Robinson scoreless."

Before the commentator's praise could even fade.

On the offensive end, Li Fei set a screen for Kidd at the top of the arc, rolled to the rim, and scored on an alley-oop.

6:0

Not only was he being suppressed by Li Fei on both ends of the floor.

What pained Keith Van Horn the most was.

Every time Li Fei scored, a portion of the home crowd would shower him with praise.

On the court, Van Horn still couldn't force a shot over Li Fei, and after his pass to an outside teammate resulted in a miss, Li Fei grabbed the defensive rebound. The Golden Bears went on the attack, but Lamond Murray missed a tough contested jumper.

Li Fei easily shoved Van Horn aside under the basket, stretched out his arms to secure the rebound, and put it back with a heavy dunk.

8:0

"If I may be blunt, scoring for Li Fei is as easy as drinking cold water."

At the commentary desk, Doug Collins shook his head helplessly: "I don't see how Keith Van Horn is anything like Larry Bird."

"On the contrary, Li Fei's performance is more like Hakeem Olajuwon!"

Agile movement, heaven-defying defense, comprehensive offensive arsenal, capable of playing both soft and hard.

Li Fei's style really does give off a sense of déjà vu of Olajuwon.

The game had been underway for over five minutes, and Van Horn had yet to score a single field goal.

He had only managed a pitiful two points from free throws.

Meanwhile, Li Fei was bombarding the paint, completely tearing apart the opponent's defense and even forcing them to resort to a double-team.

"Double him! Stop him for me!"

The University of Utah head coach screamed frantically from the sidelines.

However.

Even when facing a double-team.

Li Fei didn't panic in the slightest.

Before the double-team arrived, Li Fei half-turned and raised his right hand high.

Over the reach of two defenders, he unleashed a straight-arm hook shot.

Although Li Fei didn't have a system bonus to his shooting percentage, the defenders were simply too short to matter.

This shot stunned the entire arena.

The small hook shot in the paint is an essential skill for a center.

But if one can master this move to perfection and combine it with a height of over 2.20 meters.

It becomes an almost undefendable signature move.

"John, I have a strong premonition."

Malone, sitting on the sidelines, turned serious:

"Li Fei might just be the kind of center we've been desperately searching for."

The duo of Malone and Stockton had been paired together on the Jazz for eight years, but they had yet to achieve any significant success.

They had only reached the Western Conference Finals once.

They had been searching for a center who could provide help in the paint.

After all, in this era, the interior is king, and Karl Malone is effectively a power forward.

At the center position, they had Mark Eaton, a 2.24-meter, 125-kilogram defensive center nicknamed the "Mammoth."

But this Mammoth had essentially put all his attribute points into defense, and his offensive game was truly abysmal.

How abysmal?

Since entering the NBA in 1979, despite standing 2.24 meters tall, he never averaged over 10 points in a season. In the playoffs, whenever he was on the floor, the team was essentially playing 4-on-5 offensively.

Furthermore, he was already 37 years old, had suffered a major injury last season, and his status for the new season was in doubt.

So, over the summer, the Jazz traded for a former All-Star interior player from the Phoenix Suns: Tom Chambers.

However, this former All-Star power forward was not the perfect answer for the Jazz.

The 2.08-meter Tom Chambers preferred the power forward position, which overlapped heavily with Malone's spot.

Come playoff time, Malone would still have to slide over to the center position.

Just look at the potential opponents Malone would have to face at center in the playoffs.

The Dream Hakeem Olajuwon, The Admiral Robinson.

The African Mountain Mutombo, the 2.18-meter Vlade Divac.

Even power forwards like the Reign Man Kemp or the Flying Pig Barkley.

Any of them would be enough to give Malone a headache.

This is why Malone hadn't been able to break out of the West for so many years.

Moreover, Chambers was already 35, and not only was he never known for his defense, but his offensive skills were also no longer at an All-Star level.

After a few team practices, Malone had already given up any illusions about this interior partner.

But when he saw Li Fei.

He looked at him with the intense greed of a lecherous man spotting a 36E woman in black stockings and Valentino heels.

"We must make a move as soon as possible."

Malone stared at Li Fei, his voice heavy:

"It won't be long before Li Fei becomes a hot commodity!"

(Please cast a gift, everyone. Just watch a free "Power for Love" video. Thank you, thank you!)