In May, the Longjing tea in the teahouse by West Lake in Hangzhou had already been refilled with water for the third time.
Lin Qi closed the video replay window of Boston's big win over Philadelphia. He moved the mouse and opened another video file on the desktop.
The screen flickered, and the scene switched to the Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey. It was Game 1 of the other Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup: the New Jersey Nets versus the Orlando Magic.
Compared to the extremely intense, attrition-based style of play in Boston, this series presented a different kind of game that was closer to modern basketball. Both teams were young, the court was spaced out, and the pace of offensive and defensive transitions was much faster.
Lin Qi was mainly curious about how Yao Ming would perform when facing a playoff-level center.
At the start of the game, the Orlando Magic passed the ball to Jermaine O'Neal. The power forward, who averages 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, is at the peak of his physical and technical abilities. He backed down Elton Brand in the low post on the left side. Brand's lower body was very stable, and he withstood two collisions from O'Neal Jr.. Seeing that he couldn't create space, O'Neal Jr. turned and jumped for a jump shot.
But the moment he made the shot, Yao Ming took a big step from the weak side and came over to help defend.
In Byron Scott's mobile defensive system, Yao Ming demonstrated excellent defensive positioning. He didn't even jump; simply by extending his long arm, he completely blocked O'Neal Jr.'s view. The ball bounced off the front of the rim, Brand held his position, and Yao Ming secured the rebound. Andrei Miller caught the ball and immediately launched a fast break.
The Magic's offense relies heavily on outside shooting. Gilbert Arenas Gilbert Arenas, who has emerged as a breakout player this season, often takes three-pointers in transition offense without waiting for his teammates to get into position. He hit two of these audacious three-pointers in the first quarter, helping the Magic stay close in the score.
But in the second quarter, Nets head coach Byron Scott made a simple matchup adjustment, assigning Andrei Kirilenko to guard Gilbert Arenas full-court.
This became the turning point in the first game of the semifinals. In the footage, Kirilenko stepped back half a step while defending, leaving the ball open for a shot. But when Gilbert Arenas attempted a pull-up jumper, Kirilenko's long arms and anticipation played a crucial role. He jumped from the side and flicked the ball with his fingertips. Throughout the second half, Kirilenko completely shut down Gilbert Arenas ' offensive rhythm, and the Magic's outside shooting went cold.
This kid... deliberately gave his opponent a little space, then used his abnormal speed and static talent to interfere with the shot.
What truly made Lin Qi sit up straight in the bamboo chair was the rotation time in the second half of the first period.
Wang Zhizhi took off his training uniform and came on as a substitute.
When Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi are both on the court, the Nets ' half-court offensive space becomes very open. The Magic's center Brad Miller, is a tough, heavy-handed big man, but he can't defend out there.
Near the end of the first quarter, Wang Zhizhi received the ball at the top of the three-point arc. Facing the onrushing O'Neal Jr., he made a very convincing shooting fake, then dribbled the ball a step toward the free-throw line. At this moment, Andrei Miller set a screen on the weak side, while Yao Ming had already gotten into position deep inside, backing down Brad Miller.
Wang Zhizhi flicked his wrist, delivering a precise bounce pass that pierced through the gap in the defenders and found Yao Ming. Yao Ming received the ball, feinted towards the baseline, then spun forward and used his height advantage to easily hook the ball into the net.
This sequence repeated itself several times in the subsequent game. Wang Zhizhi stretched the floor on the perimeter, taking three-pointers when the opportunity arose, and passing to Yao Ming as the high post pivot when there wasn't. Yao Ming's strong attacks inside, in turn, drew double teams from the Magic, creating numerous open looks for Joe Johnson and Kirilenko on the perimeter.
On the defensive end, when O'Neal Jr. tried to back down Wang Zhizhi, he found himself unable to move the Asia big man who had once been labeled "soft" by scouts. The rigorous strength training he underwent with the Boston Celtics over the past few seasons had brought Wang Zhizhi's lower body and core strength to the level of an NBA starting center. He was even able to work with Kirilenko to complete several high-quality plays through screens, and his help defense awareness had also made a qualitative leap.
Ultimately, the score was 108-101, with the New Jersey Nets taking the first win at home.
Yao Ming played 36 minutes, scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, displaying extremely high efficiency on offense. Wang Zhizhi, coming off the bench, played 24 minutes, contributing 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Kirilenko, with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks, completely shut down Gilbert Arenas.
The progress bar was dragged to the bottom, and the screen froze on the image of Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi high-fiving in celebration.
Lin Qi leaned back in his chair and closed his laptop screen.
Watching these two China centers display such mature competitive form on the playoff stage, Lin Qi felt a rare pang of regret.
"Trading Wang Zhizhi and Kirilenko to New Jersey back then, it seems like Byron Scott really got off easy," Lin Qi muttered to himself.
Wang Zhizhi and Kirilenko, both honed within Boston's defensive system, have become crucial pieces in the Nets' quest for the Eastern Conference championship. If the New Jersey Nets and the Boston Celtics do meet in the Eastern Conference Finals, these players will undoubtedly cause the Celtics significant trouble. Garnett will face Brand, who has advantages in both strength and size; Ben Wallace Big Ben have to contend with Yao Ming in the low post; and Pierce will have to contend with Kirilenko's spiderweb-like defensive network.
But Lin Qi quickly suppressed this regret rationally; Boston's current roster depth was sufficient to handle any tactical adjustments.
More importantly, after watching this game, Lin Qi felt even more confident about the youth training plan he had finalized in Beijing a few days earlier. The success of Wang Zhizhi and Yao Ming at this stage proved that East Asia Asian players, given top-level competitive training and tactical instruction, are fully capable of establishing themselves in the highest levels of professional leagues and even becoming tactical pivots. Those twenty young men who are about to be sent to United States high schools and the Europe EBA undoubtedly possess enormous commercial and competitive potential.
Lin Qi picked up the slightly cooled Longjing tea and drank it all in one gulp.
The situation in the Eastern Conference is quite clear. Now, let's see what happens in the Wild Western Conference.