This year's projected top three picks in the draft were all but set.
Big Dog Glenn Robinson of the Boilermakers at Purdue University.
Jason Kidd of the Golden Bears at UC Berkeley.
And Li Fei, who played on the same team as Jason Kidd.
He was from China!
The three players had completely different styles of play and played different positions.
The NBA's two major media outlets, TNT and NBC, had also sat down to discuss the top pick several times.
"Glenn Robinson is averaging 30.3 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game this season. He can score from anywhere on the court, and he already has what it takes to average over 20 points per game in the NBA."
On Inside the NBA, TNT host Ernie Johnson said, "I don't know of a team that could turn down a young Michael Jordan!"
To be fair, Big Dog had been spectacular this year.
Thirty points and 11 rebounds per game!
At 6'7", he was hailed as the next Michael Jordan, and it wasn't just hype.
But fellow host Kevin Harlan disagreed. "When it comes to the numbers, Glenn Robinson isn't truly unbeatable."
"Just look at Li Fei's stats. He's consistently averaging 38 points per game and as many as 18.5 rebounds, not to mention 8.2 blocks."
"People say that as time goes on and teams get more familiar with Li Fei's game, his blocks per game will drop. But his block numbers have been remarkably consistent over his last five games: eight every time."
"And I have to remind you, he's putting up those numbers while averaging just 27 minutes per game, because most of Li Fei's games are spent in garbage time."
When it came to the numbers—
No one in NCAA history could match Li Fei's stats.
"Of course, no one would deny Li Fei's numbers."
Ernie Johnson seemed ready for that. "If you judge him by the stats alone, Li Fei is simply unbeatable."
"But don't forget, there are hardly any centers with decent defensive skills in the entire Pac-12."
"In the NBA, he'll have to face the Four Centers, as well as elite big men like Mutombo and Kevin Willis."
"Do you really think he can hold his own against those players at 7'4"?"
"In my view, Li Fei is just the next Big Bamboo Pole, Shawn Bradley."
Shawn Bradley.
The second overall pick in the 1993 draft, he was the tallest player in the league at 7'6", with superb shot-blocking ability. In college, he averaged 5.3 blocks per game.
But the guy struggled after entering the NBA. He was too skinny, lacked strength, and had a terribly weak lower body. With his 107-kilogram frame, he gave the NBA one iconic poster dunk after another.
The original Paul George.
"Comparing Li Fei to Shawn Bradley is completely irresponsible."
Kevin Harlan launched into a forceful rebuttal.
"First, Li Fei's lower-body strength is far superior to Shawn's. That's a fundamental difference between them. Just watch Li Fei play. He's never afraid of contact—in fact, he loves it."
"Besides, Shawn's narrow shoulders are painful to look at. Li Fei's shoulders are twice as broad."
"Second, Li Fei is already better than Shawn at the shot-blocking skill he prides himself on."
"Keep in mind that Li Fei's wingspan is 2.45 meters, 12 centimeters longer than Shawn's. And Li Fei is even more athletic when it comes to running and jumping."
"I'm not exaggerating when I say that if Li Fei faced Shawn, he'd dominate him on both ends of the court."
"So stop comparing Shawn to Li Fei."
"The real question is whether Li Fei deserves to be the top pick. In terms of physical gifts, stats, and potential, he's the undisputed choice."
"The only thing we have any doubts about is his health."
With that, Kevin Harlan brought out his notes.
"But the fact is—"
"The regular season has been going on for two months, and Li Fei hasn't missed a single game."
"On top of that, he's been in perfect, 100-percent condition for every game. His health is better than anyone else's!"
"And if I remember correctly..."
At this, Kevin Harlan smiled. "In the preseason game against Glenn Robinson, Li Fei punched Glenn so hard he ended up in the hospital."
"I heard Glenn even landed in the ICU and suffered a concussion."
"Man, one punch and he got a concussion. So who's the fragile one here?"
Kevin Harlan's rebuttal had completely overwhelmed the opposition.
But as for who truly deserved to be the top pick—
Everyone had their own Hamlet.
The only real answer would come in the tournament.
March Madness!
Whoever emerged from the brutal, physical battles of March Madness would have the stronger case!
And time passed amid all the debate.
Halloween, Christmas, New Year's...
They came and went in a flash.
Before long, it was February.
In this season of new growth and renewal, UC Berkeley continued its winning streak.
After crushing Washington State University 98–52 at home, winning by 46 points—
UC Berkeley's regular season officially came to an end.
They finished undefeated, with a record of 22–0.
They ranked first in the conference, looking down on the rest of the Pac-12, and set a new record for the best regular-season performance in school history!
"Li, you've reached the postseason undefeated and set a new school record. But why don't you look happy?"
After the game, a reporter held out a microphone to Li Fei.
"Because there's nothing to be happy about."
Li Fei looked puzzled by the question. "Is going undefeated really something to celebrate?"
After a pause, he spoke calmly.
"Only the view from the summit is worth smiling about!"
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