He's Already the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year!

As the second half approached, the two NBC commentators warmed up the crowd with some pregame analysis.

"This might be the best game I've seen in this year's March Madness."

Marv Albert said with genuine admiration. "Both teams are playing championship-level offense and defense. This is an exceptionally high-level game!"

"Absolutely. Li Fei has protected the paint so well that Duke University has had to keep its offense away from the paint. But Grant Hill's sharp individual offense has kept the game close in the first half."

"We have to give Grant Hill the utmost respect, but if he wants to lead his team into the Final Four, he'll have to do even better in the second half."

Hill's performance had given the Duke fans in the arena hope.

But Wilt Chamberlain, a fan of Li Fei, didn't seem worried at all.

Cool as a cucumber.

What was there to panic about?

Soon, the second half began.

Duke University got the first possession.

Just as in the first half, they passed the ball to Grant Hill as soon as they crossed midcourt.

But the moment Hill touched the ball, the fans erupted.

Li Fei had stretched out an arm from roughly a step away from Grant Hill.

"What happened?"

The unexpected sight left Red Giant stunned.

"Li Fei is actually guarding Grant Hill one-on-one! That's the first defensive possession of the second half!"

"Exactly."

Kevin Harlan was just as surprised. "There was no screen or defensive switch. This doesn't look like an accident."

A 2.24-meter center guarding a 2.04-meter small forward.

A full 20-centimeter height difference.

It was an unusual sight on a basketball court.

Li Fei gave Hill a step and a half of space, allowing him plenty of room to handle the ball while making sure he wouldn't get left behind.

Facing Li Fei, Hill shook off his surprise and started dribbling with a series of quick, anticipatory crossovers, trying to beat him with rhythm and speed.

Screech!

Hill's shoes skidded hard against the floor.

With a head fake, he exploded forward like an engine roaring to life.

Hill didn't leave Li Fei in the dust, but he created a little space and drove straight to the basket for a high-arcing layup.

Li Fei's feet moved quickly as he chased him down. At the peak of Hill's layup, Li Fei swatted the ball away.

The ball flew out of bounds and landed right in the hands of Wilt Chamberlain, seated in the front row.

"Oh, my!"

"Li Fei shuts down Grant's first possession of the second half with a huge block!"

"Grant Hill underestimated him. If Li Fei is willing to guard Grant one-on-one, it means he has absolute confidence in his defense!"

"Get him, young man!"

On the sideline,

Wilt Chamberlain handed the ball to Li Fei, who was rushing over to save it.

The sideline camera caught the moment Li Fei and Wilt passed the ball beneath the spotlight.

A legendary image was born.

Across thirty years of basketball history, through three decades of changing tides,

that image appeared out of nowhere.

And it gave Li Fei, on the verge of entering the NBA, an even greater air of legend.

The inbound pass came in.

The commentators and fans were now certain:

In the halftime locker room, UC Berkeley had truly told Li Fei to guard Hill one-on-one.

The ball was inbounded and found Hill again.

The commentators were eager to see what would happen next. "Li Fei is guarding Grant again. Oh, my! His footwork is incredibly clean. Grant does have some room to drive, but after that last possession, challenging Li Fei at the rim would be extremely difficult."

This time, after dribbling, Hill stepped back beyond the three-point line and pulled up.

Too bad for him.

That was exactly what Li Fei wanted.

Li Fei had left him more than a step of space because that was the maximum distance from which he could still block Hill's shot.

A man who knew exactly how much space to give was a real man!

Li Fei stretched out his right arm and spread his fingers.

His middle fingertip brushed the ball.

Hill's shot became an airball.

Kidd grabbed the rebound and immediately launched a long pass upcourt. Li Fei caught it on the run and brought back the one-handed slam from the free-throw line.

Back at the other end,

Hill accelerated past Li Fei on the move, but Li Fei pinned his layup against the backboard.

After the change of possession, Li Fei faced a double-team in the half court and scored two with an early Straight-arm hook shot.

Just like that, the lead had grown to 12 points.

Back at the other end,

After getting blocked three times in a row, even Hill couldn't help but grow desperate, no matter how composed he usually was.

He sped up, stopped abruptly, and pulled up for a midrange jumper, leaning back to give the shot a higher arc.

This time, he had created plenty of space and was confident he could avoid Li Fei's block.

And yet—

Just as the ball neared its peak, Li Fei's fingertips brushed it again.

The block had been right there, teasing him from just outside his reach. Something about it felt off to Li Fei.

Back the other way,

Li Fei charged straight into the paint, shouldered Parks aside, and slipped through with ease. He was in and out as smoothly as you please!

54–40.

The second half had only been underway for two minutes, and the lead had already reached double digits.

It was the end of the world for Duke University.

"Calm down! Everyone, calm down!"

Coach K shouted from the sideline. "Get the ball to Cherokee Parks!"

But even with Coach K urgently instructing the team to change its approach,

nothing could stop the second half from turning into Duke University's final dusk.

Ten minutes into the second half, the lead had stretched to 18 points.

If Hill and Antonio Lang hadn't hit difficult three-pointers one after another, the biggest lead would have reached 24.

Those two threes were like the last glimmer of light before the darkness—a final act of defiance before death.

"I haven't even figured out what happened, and suddenly this game's a blowout."

The Duke Blue Devils' sudden collapse left Kevin Harlan bewildered. "Can someone tell me what's going on?"

"The reason is simple, my friend."

Bill Walton had spotted the problem long ago. "UC Berkeley changed one part of its strategy, and the Duke Blue Devils fell apart."

"The moment Li Fei started guarding Grant Hill one-on-one, the Duke Blue Devils were as good as dead!"

Hss...

Kevin Harlan couldn't help drawing in a breath.

He was right.

UC Berkeley's offense in the second half hadn't changed much from the first.

The Duke Blue Devils' sudden collapse

was because they'd scored just eight points in ten minutes.

Hill had suddenly gone cold in the second half.

Looking at his second-half performance, he'd taken eight shots and been blocked five times.

What a 58-point performance!

"I think it's time we took another look at Li Fei's defensive ability."

"His defense may be even more terrifying than we ever imagined!"

"He's a defensive master who can guard every area of the court, from the paint to the perimeter!"

Bill Walton's eyes blazed. "I even have reason to believe..."

"He's already the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year!"

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