With fans across the United States eagerly anticipating it, the NBA Finals officially began.
UC Berkeley stuck with its usual starting lineup: Jason Kidd, Michael Bryant, Lamond Murray, Kevin Garnett, and Li Fei.
It was worth noting that...
Green Stewart had been suspended for two games after fighting Chris Wade the previous game, so he could only watch from the locker room while jerking off.
As for the University of North Carolina, its starting lineup was equally impressive.
Jerry Stackhouse, Darnad Williams, Rasheed Wallace, and Eric Montross.
Looking over North Carolina's roster, three players had NBA-level talent: Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, and Eric Montross.
Jerry Stackhouse would go on to become a two-time NBA All-Star, with a very strong offensive game.
Rasheed Wallace's abilities were beyond question. He could play both ends of the court, made four All-Star appearances, and even won a championship with the Pistons.
His frontcourt partner, the 7-foot-tall Eric Montross, was also a first-round pick in the upcoming draft in the original timeline, and made the All-Rookie Second Team.
It was precisely because of his twin towers alongside Eric Montross that Sheed had the confidence to make such a bold claim.
JUMP BALL!
Anyone with half a brain knew that Li Fei would beat Montross in the jump ball.
North Carolina had already sent Rasheed Wallace to guard the paint in advance.
"Pass me!"
Even with Rasheed Wallace guarding the paint so fiercely, Li Fei still raised his arm high, signaling for Kidd to pass him the ball.
Since this was their last dance, there was no way they could leave out their signature tip-off alley-oop.
Kidd's increasingly steady long pass found Li Fei downcourt.
Though Li Fei was completely off-balance in midair, his fearless playing style still gave him the edge in his collision with Wallace.
"BANG!"
Li Fei caught the ball with both hands in midair, switched to one hand, and slammed it into the hoop.
"This may be the last time we see Li Fei and Kidd connect off the opening tip!"
Marv Albert, the NBC commentator on the sideline, shouted, "But the exciting part is, they haven't let us down!"
Li Fei's dunk instantly drowned out the restless noise from the North Carolina crowd.
Michael Jordan's surprise appearance moments earlier had set the North Carolina section buzzing.
Now, however, it was as silent as Chopin's grave.
By contrast, the UC Berkeley fans were...
As rowdy as a midsummer day in Provence!
In the crowd, Jordan chewed his gum twice, hard.
"That kid's dunk really is just like the reports said."
Jordan seemed to be chewing gum to ease his shock. "He's a lot more explosive than I expected!"
David Falk, standing beside him, smiled with delight.
Having worked with Jordan for so long, Falk knew him very well.
Jordan talking like this meant Li Fei had caught his interest.
Of course, how interested was he? Would it be enough to make him announce a comeback?
This alone was still far from enough.
"Motherfucker!"
On the court, Sheed was loudly complaining to the baseline referee that Li Fei had committed an offensive foul.
"Rasheed, stop arguing!"
Seeing this, Jerry Stackhouse grabbed Rasheed Wallace and pulled him up. "It's time to hit Li Fei hard!"
Possession changed, and North Carolina went on offense.
The Golden Bears' defensive assignments didn't follow the usual matchup logic. Instead, they put Li Fei on Wallace, the bigger offensive threat.
After the pick-and-roll, Wallace popped outside, drawing Li Fei away from the paint, but Stackhouse passed the ball back to him.
Wallace glanced at his teammates and decided to show Li Fei what a modern stretch four could do.
After a jab step, he suddenly raised the ball. With his arm fully extended, he flicked his wrist and shot from midrange.
The Straight-arm shot!
It was Rasheed Wallace's signature move. Thanks to it, the future Sheed could hold his own against any legendary power forward.
But against Li Fei...
The big man's straight-arm shot came up short.
Sheed hadn't even had time to adjust to Li Fei's defensive reach before Li Fei swatted his shot into the stands.
"WOW! Li Fei opens the game by swatting away Rasheed's straight-arm shot! That was a clean block!"
Even at breakneck speed, the commentator couldn't keep up with Li Fei. "Forget the block—Li Fei's already looking to push the fast break!"
As soon as he finished insulting Rasheed Wallace, Li Fei took off downcourt on a coast-to-coast fast break.
With his nimble cadence and terrifying stride, it took him just two or three steps to leave Sheed behind.
He took off from the free-throw line, looked down at the rim, and finished the fast break with two more points.
4:0
"That kid can really jump."
Seeing the play, Michael Jordan, seated courtside, couldn't help chewing his gum faster. "His whole arm was practically above the rim."
From where he sat, Jordan had a clear view of how high Li Fei had jumped.
Jordan had dunked from the free-throw line before, but nowhere near as spectacularly as Li Fei.
Before coming to the game, Jordan had considered Green Stewart, who was suspended, the only star on the court.
Now Li Fei was changing his mind through sheer performance.
Back down the other end, Stackhouse and Wallace ran another pick-and-roll. Wallace, acting as the pivot, delivered a clever bounce pass to help Stackhouse get free of Murray.
But just as Stackhouse went up for a reverse layup, Li Fei, who had been ruling the skies all night, suddenly changed course and hammered the ball against the backboard.
"Another spectacular help-side block from Li Fei."
Li Fei's explosive plays, one after another, were putting the commentators' enthusiasm to the test.
"Jerry looked certain to score, but Li Fei's help defense has once again crushed North Carolina's hopes of putting points on the board."
"Li Fei seems to be telling his teammates through his actions: Don't panic. I've got this!"
Possession changed again.
UC Berkeley didn't have much of a chance to run, so they settled into a half-court offense.
Li Fei and Wallace wrestled for position. Wallace elbowed him and drove a knee into his lower back.
That was normal. If there weren't a few dirty fouls, it wouldn't be a '90s-level physical matchup.
But Li Fei wasn't a pushover either. He grabbed Wallace around the waist and turned him forcefully, taking control of the position. Then he shoved his backside into him and slipped inside.
In terms of strength, the still-raw Rasheed Wallace was no match for Li Fei.
And Kidd's pass was as reliable as an express delivery—right on target.
The instant he caught the ball, Li Fei spun and drove into the paint.
"Not a chance!"
Sheed shouted and rushed over.
Then—
Sensing the shift in Rasheed Wallace's balance, Li Fei broke out the Dreamy Footsteps again, spinning the other way and leaving Wallace in the dust.
With Montross coming over to help, he rose and slammed the ball down one-handed.
Sheed and Montross, North Carolina's twin towers down low, came crashing down!
6:0
The seven-thousand-strong crowd at Soldier Field erupted with deafening cheers and screams.
"OH! MY! GOD!"
The commentator's voice was swallowed by the crowd. "First he faked out Rasheed with Dreamy Footsteps, then he went straight at Rasheed and Eric and dunked over both of them!"
"With that shot, Li Fei showed off both his impeccable footwork and his terrifying physical gifts and brutal style of play!"
Meanwhile, Michael Jordan, sitting courtside, was burning up as if he were at the Gold Club in Atlanta with a beautiful confidante.
Watching Li Fei play truly made him want to return to the court.
He had been chewing gum to calm himself down, but suddenly realized that at some point, he had swallowed it.
"Michael, looking for this?"
David Falk had already pulled a piece of xylitol gum from his pocket. "So, is Li Fei's game getting your blood pumping?"
"I heard he's entering the NBA draft this year?"
Jordan took the gum from David Falk, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.
"That's right. One hundred percent."
"Looks like next season's NBA is going to be even more exciting."
Watching Li Fei recklessly take to the air on the court, Jordan murmured to himself.
"I'm starting to look forward to the new season..."
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