There were still a few days before the semifinals began.
The Basketball Trio from China first arrived at UC Berkeley to see Li Fei in person.
And the first thing the three of them thought when they saw Li Fei was—
Damn, so tall, so huge!
They gave his muscles a squeeze. Damn, so hard!
No wonder he was hailed as a potential international superstar who could surpass Bruce Lee.
A height of 2.24 meters and a wingspan of 2.45 meters were no exaggeration.
That muscle density... What kind of Asian body was this? It was practically a Saiyan physique.
"Little Li, although this is our first time meeting, we've already looked at your magazines and posters countless times."
"Your build is even more exaggerated and sturdier than we imagined."
Xu Jicheng held onto Li Fei's arm as if admiring a work of art. "These arms, these thighs, this height... I've seen Little Yao from the Shanghai Youth Team, but compared to you, he's nowhere close."
"Old Master Xu—ah, no, Brother Xu—wipe that drool off first. Someone's filming over here."
At that time, Xu Jicheng's hair had not yet turned white, and he was only ten years older than Li Fei at most.
"Haha, sorry, sorry."
Xu Jicheng hurriedly wiped the drool from his mouth.
He was too tempted. Truly too tempted.
The moment Xu Jicheng saw Li Fei, he knew it.
The dawn of Chinese basketball had finally broken through!
"By the way, Teacher Xu, that Little Yao from the Shanghai Youth Team you just mentioned..."
Only then did Li Fei react.
"Oh, oh, Little Yao's name is Yao Riyue. He's a center on the Shanghai Youth Team. Despite his young age, he's already over two meters tall, and bone-age projections say he'll grow beyond 2.2 meters."
"Before you appeared, I thought he would become the future pillar of the men's national team. But now it seems that the one who'll carry that burden has to be you."
"I believe Little Yao will become your best backup center!"
"Hahaha."
Li Fei narrowed his eyes and laughed twice, but when he heard the last part, his face instantly darkened.
Li Fei's sudden change in expression made the Basketball Trio a little nervous.
"Although I'll be the one carrying the future Chinese men's basketball team... I need to stress this again."
Li Fei said solemnly, "I'm a guard, not a center."
???
The trio froze for a moment, then quickly smiled.
Good lord, a 2.24-meter guard...
Was this some kind of American-style dry humor?
Of course, Li Fei knew who Xu Jicheng was talking about.
But at Yao Riyue's current age, he probably had not even fully grown his little dick yet.
There were still a full six years before Yao Riyue entered the NBA.
But when Li Fei thought of the Chinese men's national team lineup six years later—
Yao Riyue + Li Fei.
The possibilities of that twin-tower pairing were genuinely terrifying.
The Basketball Trio conducted a simple interview with Li Fei, covering college life and casual topics. Li Fei found them especially warm and familiar, and they then filmed several simple segments of his training.
Although there was still no actual game footage to use as a reference, what they had filmed so far had already deeply shocked the Basketball Trio.
Once they took this material back to China for editing and processing, it could probably support at least ten episodes of a documentary.
But relaxed, heartwarming times were always short-lived.
Very soon.
Late March, United States time.
In Los Angeles, United States.
Great Western Forum.
The tense, blood-pumping March Madness semifinals began in blazing fashion!
University of California, Berkeley Golden Bears vs. University of Michigan Wolverines.
Nearly twenty thousand fans had the Great Western Forum buzzing with restless excitement.
NBC's live broadcast had already surpassed ten million viewers before the game even began!
As Li Fei warmed up before the game, the Chinese cameras remained firmly trained on him.
And perhaps to provide more material for the Chinese documentary, Li Fei generously displayed his talent and skills.
At the same time.
Li Fei noticed two figures on the other side of the court.
"Juwan Howard" and "Jalen Rose"!
Juwan Howard was the future power forward who would partner with Yao, known to Chinese fans as Uncle Huo the Second.
In just his second NBA season, he would average 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. Steady and reliable were the words that defined him.
At University of Michigan, he currently served as the team's absolute anchor.
Jalen Rose was a versatile, attacking guard who would one day average 23+5+5 in the NBA.
After Chris Webber left, he had taken on a larger share of the offensive load.
It could be said that these two absolute cores held up half of the Michigan Wolverines.
At the same time, University of Michigan also had a 2.13-meter defensive center in reserve.
"Eric Riley."
Anyone could figure it out with their toes.
Eric Riley and Juwan Howard would certainly do everything in their power to make things difficult for Li Fei.
"Chris is watching me from courtside. I will never let him down!"
During the pregame interview, Juwan Howard raised his arm and shouted, "Tonight, Michigan will reclaim its glory!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the arena's big screen focused on Chris Webber in the crowd.
Tonight, the former University of Michigan player had made time to attend the game.
He wore Juwan Howard's number 25 jersey.
All to support his alma mater!
"No one can withstand the bite of a hungry pack of Wolverines!"
In front of the camera, Chris Webber also shouted excitedly:
"I'll be here to watch the Michigan Wolverines charge to the mountaintop!"
Meanwhile, on the Golden Bears' side, facing the emotional boost brought by Juwan Howard and Chris Webber—
Coach Todd chose to remain steady.
"Our opponents came prepared tonight."
Coach Todd tapped the tactical board with his knuckles. "But we'll respond to all changes by staying the same."
"We'll first observe their defense. Get the ball to Li Fei and initiate from the paint."
"Don't worry, Coach."
Li Fei said with a smile, "We're calmer than anyone."
After that, the starters from both teams entered the court one after another.
Golden Bears: Jason Kidd, Michael Bryant, Lamond Murray, Green Stewart, Li Fei.
Wolverines: Jimmy King, Jalen Rose, Sam Cassell, Juwan Howard, Eric Riley.
JUMP BALL!
Just as two intersecting lines on a plane could have one and only one point of intersection, Li Fei's jump-ball result had one and only one possible outcome.
Li Fei swung his huge hand and directly tipped the ball into Kidd's hands.
The next moment.
Facing Eric Riley's stubborn effort in the jump ball, Li Fei's long legs covered the earth as he sprinted toward the paint.
"Damn it!"
Wolverines head coach Steve Fisher frowned deeply from the sideline. "Stop him!"
What he feared had still happened.
In order not to lose momentum from the opening tip, he had not instructed his players to give up the jump ball.
And then Li Fei's classic opening tip alley-oop exploded just as expected.
Juwan Howard, guarding the basket, leaped fiercely and went head-to-head with Muscle Man.
He did not retreat in the slightest.
Just as the Fab Five had promised three years ago.
The Wolverines would never be slaves!
Li Fei gripped the basketball tightly in midair. The moment they collided, both men were knocked backward in opposite directions.
But with his extraordinary wingspan, Li Fei still slammed the ball through the hoop with a thunderous bang!
2-0
Beep beep beep...
The sideline referee's whistle sounded immediately. Juwan committed a defensive foul, and Li Fei had one free throw.
In an instant.
An overwhelming wave of energy surged through the Great Western Forum.
At courtside, the Basketball Trio trembled. They did not even have time to be shocked as they scribbled crooked notes in their notebooks.
Li Fei possessed incredible athletic ability and courage that feared nothing. He dared to attempt any dunk that challenged the limits of the human body. His dunks were art that shattered the boundaries of human imagination...
Their pens flew across the pages.
They were afraid of missing even the tiniest one of Li Fei's strengths.
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