Wilt Chamberlain looked at Li Fei again, his admiration growing even stronger.
Just considering defense, even Chamberlain wasn't confident he could do what Li Fei had.
He'd held a star-level perimeter player to one make on eight shots and blocked him five times in a row.
And in Chamberlain's view, Grant Hill was good enough to average 15-plus points per game if he entered the NBA right away.
After entering the '90s, Chamberlain's biggest thought was this:
Good thing I came along early.
Compared to today's basketball rules and the caliber of its opponents, the NBA in his day had practically been on beginner mode.
Of course, Chamberlain wasn't about to sell himself short.
He'd never believed he was inferior to the centers of this new era.
Give me a proper, scientifically designed environment, and who the hell wouldn't get stronger?
In any era, he'd be the same era-defining superstar center.
Watching Li Fei sprint across the court,
Chamberlain couldn't help sighing. "Sometimes, I really do wish I could take on these guys."
But alas.
Time flowed like a river, and it couldn't run backward.
Meanwhile,
in Los Angeles, United States,
Jerry West, The Logo, was watching the game broadcast and starting to feel that something was off.
He'd thought Li Fei was a pillar holding up the sky, a beam supporting the sea.
But it turned out Li Fei was just as formidable on the perimeter, like an iron lock.
That might have been a bit of an exaggeration.
After all, Li Fei wasn't guarding some little point guard.
But Grant Hill wasn't some pushover small forward, either.
As the most technically gifted guard of his era, The Logo had been good at exploiting mismatches against bigger defenders. In his view of basketball, as the game evolved, a time would come when high-caliber point guards and shooting guards flooded the league.
Then, all those pick-and-roll mismatches would keep squeezing centers' room to survive. It would be the end of the center era.
Of course, that was all in the future. At least for now, that kind of thing wouldn't happen for another decade or more.
But Li Fei's arrival had gradually made The Logo reconsider.
Maybe the super centers of the future would be just like Li Fei.
At that thought, The Logo rubbed his freshly shaved chin. "Probably not. Not everyone is Li Fei, after all."
Setting aside the future,
The Logo was already amazed by Li Fei's defensive performance.
"So far, Li Fei's defensive range is much greater than we imagined."
"He can anchor an entire team's defensive system by himself."
"We need to keep a close eye on Li Fei's market value."
The Logo had a feeling.
After tonight, Li Fei's value would soar even higher.
Just the immense defensive range he'd shown tonight gave Li Fei reason to ask for another million dollars on his contract.
Any team hoping to acquire him would also have to add another million dollars' worth of assets to their trade offer.
"By the way, our Great Western Forum is hosting the semifinals, right?"
The Logo turned to ask his assistant general manager, Mitch Kupchak.
"Yes, Mr. West."
"Then I really will have to go see Li Fei play in person."
"Mr. West, are you sure Li Fei will advance?"
Kupchak said, "The game isn't over yet."
There were ten minutes left, and the lead was eighteen points.
It seemed... well, it wasn't...
Impossible to come back.
The Logo smiled. "If I were Li Fei, I'd already be celebrating."
Elsewhere,
in Phoenix,
Scott Layden, the Suns' general manager, had recently watched Li Fei play at home. Now, he received a call from the team's owner, Jerry Colangelo.
On the phone, Colangelo made his position clear. "I watched the broadcast of Li Fei's game today. His performance on defense was astonishing."
At the beginning of the season, Suns general manager Scott Layden had already told the owner he was interested in Li Fei. The team's star, Charles Barkley, was also very interested in him.
After a full year of watching him, even the team owner had been won over.
"Boss, I've been considering whether Li Fei and Charles Barkley could play together. From what I've seen, their playing styles might be an incredibly good fit."
Barkley playing center was out of the question. His lack of height would be a huge liability in the playoffs.
But at power forward, he was absolutely elite at holding his ground on defense.
With Li Fei roaming behind him, the two of them at the four and five would wreak havoc across the league.
And there was plenty of room to imagine what Li Fei and Barkley could do together on offense, too.
The only real problem was how feasible a deal for Li Fei would be.
He was too expensive.
Robinson, nicknamed Big Dog, had already fallen behind Li Fei in the draft rankings, yet he'd asked for a hundred million dollars on camera more than once.
If Big Dog wanted a hundred million, how much would Li Fei ask for?
If Li Fei really wanted a hundred million, what could the Suns offer in a trade?
The only player they might be able to offer was Barkley himself—the Flying Pig.
But Barkley was currently untouchable for the Suns.
They were counting on putting Barkley and Li Fei together in the frontcourt. How could they trade Barkley?
Would they have to offer Kevin Johnson?
Come on, Kevin Johnson was a 20-point, 10-assist player, and one of the most underrated second options and point guards in the league.
Were they really going to trade Kevin Johnson?
Had Li Fei's trade value really reached that point?
That question would keep following Li Fei until the draft.
Back at the game,
once Li Fei began guarding Grant Hill one-on-one for the entire second half,
the game was already over.
Even though the game was beyond saving, Coach K stood on the sideline looking dazed.
He'd never imagined one man's defense could influence a game to this extent.
Just one simple defensive substitution had made the outcome a foregone conclusion.
Finally, the end-of-game buzzer sounded. UC Berkeley beat the Duke Blue Devils 90–72, winning by eighteen points. They claimed the East's top spot and advanced to the Final Four.
Li Fei finished with 41 points, 28 rebounds, and 11 blocks. In four March Madness games, he'd recorded his second huge triple-double with blocks.
He was also the only player in March Madness history to record a triple-double with blocks twice in the tournament!
Once again, Li Fei had made history!
In response to popular demand, VIP members can now enjoy an ad-free experience.
Click to learn more
Before you continue