Bang!
Almost the instant Li Fei caught the ball, Mourning slammed his chest into him.
It was no ordinary physical contact, but a collision brimming with power and determination, as if he meant to drive Li Fei straight out of bounds.
Veins bulged on Mourning's face, his teeth clenched as he muttered nonstop, applying pressure with both trash talk and brute force.
"Welcome to Miami, kid! This isn't your backyard!"
Li Fei's base was as steady as a rock, and he did not budge an inch.
He felt the immense force bearing down from behind him, yet the corner of his mouth curled slightly upward.
Rather than forcing a post-up, he planted his right foot, spun sharply to the left, and flowed straight into a fadeaway jumper.
Mourning reacted with incredible speed, rising almost in sync and extending his arm, his fingertips nearly reaching the ball.
Yet Li Fei's fadeaway leaned back too far, and his release point was too high. Mourning's block attempt was ultimately futile.
Swish!
The ball traced a perfect arc and dropped cleanly through the net.
2–0.
After scoring, Li Fei did not even glance at Mourning. He simply turned and jogged back on defense calmly, as though he had merely made an ordinary practice shot.
That kind of disregard was more damaging than any trash talk.
Mourning's expression darkened further. He clapped his hands sharply and roared at his teammates, "Defense! Show them our defense! Don't let them score so easily!"
It was the Heat's turn to attack. Hardaway used his elusive crossover to shake Sprewell loose for a sliver of space, only to immediately run into Marshall's help defense.
The ball was quickly swung to Jamal Mashburn on the other side, but Allan Houston was there defensively as well.
That was the Heat's offensive