Li Fei's show officially began midway through the first quarter.
His teammates kept setting screens for him, creating one-on-one isolation opportunities.
With his back to the basket in the low post, he braced against his opponent's heavy body, then calmly knocked down a fading mid-range jumper after absorbing the contact.
On the next possession, he caught the ball at the top of the arc, ignored the defender's closeout, and rose for a pull-up jumper to add another two points.
Pacers head coach Bird anxiously waved from the sidelines, constantly rotating defenders in an attempt to wear him down.
But no matter who they put on him, none could stop Li Fei's offensive surge.
Under the physical pressure, the Pacers' interior defenders picked up foul after foul, and their defensive rhythm completely collapsed.
Again and again, Li Fei kept harvesting points from the mid-range.
Turnaround jumpers, step-back pull-ups, catch-and-shoot jumpers—every kind of offensive weapon appeared in succession.
In the stands, the anticipation slowly drained from the faces of Pacers fans.
Every clean swish of the ball through the net hammered mercilessly at their confidence.
With two minutes left in the first quarter, Li Fei received the ball in the low post again.
Two defenders pressed hard against him from either side, shoving with all their strength.
Relying on his terrifying bulk, Li Fei held his position, lowered his shoulder, spun, and rose for the shot.
The whistle blew. The basket counted, and he had one free throw coming.
He made the free throw.
The buzzer ending the quarter echoed through the arena.
The scoreboard clearly displayed the astonishing numbers: Li Fei had erupted for 20 points in the first quarter.
Bankers Life Fieldhouse fell silent, with scattered sighs spreading through the stands.
Inside the TNT studio, Kevin Harlan raised his voice,