The Basketball Trio from China felt that this trip had truly not been in vain.
None of the previous scouting reports had ever mentioned that Li Fei possessed such dreamlike footwork.
This was like...
Marrying a beautiful woman through a blind date, only to discover after the wedding that she was actually gay and loved bringing her female best friends home for meals. Fuck, it was like discovering a new continent!
What a fucking surprise!
"What the fuck?"
On the court, Juwan Howard, who had just been thoroughly embarrassed, couldn't help swearing.
Even though it was Dreamy Footsteps, that move was supposed to be his signature.
Li Fei actually dared to show off in front of an expert?!
"Hang in there, Juwan!"
"Get him back! Get him back!"
"Use your post footwork too!"
"..."
Shouts rang out from the Michigan fan section.
"Juwan, crush this trash!"
Even Chris Webber was shouting desperately from the sidelines.
On the court.
Naturally, Juwan Howard was unwilling to be outdone after hearing Webber's voice.
Carrying the will of his senior Webber, he called for the ball in the post and faced Li Fei one-on-one!
Li Fei pressed his body against Juwan, firmly staying in front of him with his arms raised high.
Li Fei remembered Howard more from his days partnering with Yao in the paint. By then, Uncle Huo was no longer involved in much of the offense.
But Li Fei knew that young Uncle Huo had been no pushover on offense. He could average twenty points per game in the NBA, with strength, footwork, shooting, and efficiency that made him the perfect power forward.
However.
No matter how polished the technique was, it meant nothing in front of utterly monstrous physical gifts.
No matter how Howard shifted his feet, how solidly he planted himself, or how he sold his fakes.
Li Fei had only two words.
Unmoved as a mountain!
Then Li Fei showed the entire world why the Phoenix Suns, despite already having Charles Barkley, still wanted to pursue him, and why the Jazz, despite having Karl Malone, still viewed him as an SSS-tier target.
No matter how good the footwork was, it was useless against absolute height.
Juwan Howard's feet were practically twisting into a spinning top, yet he still couldn't escape Li Fei's encirclement.
At the sidelines, Chris Webber was sweating nervously.
"Hang in there, Juwan!"
"Don't dodge him! Crush him!"
It seemed that he had heard the encouragement from his senior Webber.
In the end, Juwan turned savage and slammed his shoulder into Li Fei.
Was it coming?
Was it really coming?
Junior Juwan, carrying Michigan's Will of Fire.
Was he finally going to rise up?
However.
To Chris Webber's disappointment.
Juwan's Will of Fire had only just ignited when Li Fei extinguished it with a Water Dragon Jutsu.
Li Fei might not have had an advantage in strength, but he was absolutely not inferior to Juwan.
Unable to shake him off or back him down, Juwan Howard could only force up a shot.
Li Fei did not even need to jump. He simply stood there and snatched the basketball away.
Uh...
Chris Webber immediately fell silent like a wilted eggplant.
Ohhh...
A wave of disappointed groans suddenly rose from the University of Michigan half of the arena.
Someone had actually blocked Juwan Howard's shot without even leaving the ground.
So their steady power forward was not invincible after all...
On the other end, Li Fei ran a pick-and-roll with Kidd at the top of the key, rolled down to the free-throw line, and Kidd quickly passed the ball back. The moment he caught it, Li Fei dribbled with his left hand and feinted a drive to the rim.
"Don't even think about it!"
Juwan Howard quickly stepped up, while Eric Riley under the basket immediately rotated over to help.
But in the very next instant, Li Fei planted his right foot, his knees and ankles moving in perfect coordination as he spun gracefully on the move.
He easily got past Juwan Howard.
It was smooth and flowing, without the slightest hesitation.
Before Eric Riley could even close out, Li Fei had already put up an inside shot and calmly made it.
6–3
"Another brilliant footwork finish!"
Bill Walton shook his head in amazement at the NBC commentary desk. "Li Fei first sent Juwan Howard a huge block on defense, then came back and used Dreamy Footsteps twice in a row to break Michigan's defensive setup."
"I never expected Li Fei to keep giving us such enormous surprises in the semifinals. His footwork is so crisp and clean, like the waters of San Jose."
"Juwan was ready to bang bodies with Li Fei, but against Li Fei's Dreamy Footsteps, he was like a dung beetle running into diarrhea—he worked for nothing."
"I heard that Li Fei's offensive arsenal is indeed diverse."
Meanwhile.
Inside a VIP suite at the Great Western Forum.
The Logo found it increasingly strange. "But I've watched a huge amount of his game footage. Has his footwork always been this nimble?"
"This is also the first time I've seen him use footwork like this. His draft comparison is really starting to resemble Hakeem more and more."
Li Fei's draft comparison had initially been Olajuwon.
Later, people had compared him to Bill Russell, Kareem, and Wilt Chamberlain.
But Li Fei's Dreamy Footsteps, every move and every motion, really did resemble The Dream.
"This isn't just technique. It's also a display of physical ability."
The Logo narrowed his eyes.
As a historic NBA superstar, he had the ability to see through appearances to the essence beneath them.
"Li Fei can execute those moves because he has flexible hips and legs. His knees and ankles can withstand enormous pressure. At the same time, he has tremendous core strength, allowing him to suddenly pull back even when his body is rotating to the limit, while still generating speed and explosiveness."
This was like so many players who had taken Olajuwon's Dreamy Footsteps classes.
All players with good footwork had techniques that were more or less similar.
But Olajuwon was unquestionably the player who had combined Dreamy Footsteps and physical ability most perfectly.
"Mr. Jerry, are you saying that only powerful physical hardware can perfectly execute Dreamy Footsteps? In other words, Li Fei's physical strength actually far exceeds our expectations."
"Exactly."
The Logo said, "People always say that Li Fei's health will be a massive concern, but at least from what I can see, he isn't that bad."
"He's even better than the vast majority of stars in the league!"
As they spoke, ten minutes had already passed in the first half.
Before a double-team could arrive, Li Fei once again used consecutive spin moves to shake off Juwan Howard's defense. Facing the help defense inside, Li Fei simply swung his arm straight and threw down a poster dunk.
Just ten minutes into the game, Li Fei had already erupted for eighteen points!
Eighteen points in ten minutes.
Projected over a forty-minute game, wasn't he headed for eighty points?
"Li Fei surprised us on defense last game. Today, his offense has given us an even bigger surprise."
The Logo watched the restless fans inside the Great Western Forum.
It was as though he could see what the Lakers would look like over the next ten years.
"Ten years ago, Magic Johnson created the Lakers' Showtime."
"But Li Fei will bring Los Angeles into Dream Time!"
Dream Time!
The Dream Era.
Kupchak could not help taking a deep breath.
That name was kind of cool.
"For Los Angeles's Dream Time."
"We must go all out in the trade market!"
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