NBA: Yao Ming at his peak returns to his rookie season

Ben Wallace had fantasized about it countless times.

He was fantasizing about playing against O'Neal, about defending against the Great Shaq's back-to-the-basket moves, and about the Great Shaq not lying on his back on the rim, but being slammed to the ground by his block!

But this time... he got shoved by another center!

The Auburn Palace was completely silent.

Fans were stunned by Yao Ming's shot!

Francis excitedly chased after Yao Ming, slapping him hard on the shoulder: "Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! You, you were fucking amazing! You should have dunked on him!"

Francis was initially convinced he had suffered a huge loss.

I never expected Yao Ming to have this trick up his sleeve!

From the moment that ball went in, it seemed like Yao Ming had unleashed a certain side of himself.

He started hitting very lightly, but very violently!

During the offensive possession, Prince recovered some energy and seemed to be planning to stabilize the game with a mid-range shot, but Yao Ming blocked it with a slap!

4 blocks!

Only two players have recorded four blocks against the Pistons this season.

One is Kevin Garnett, the Timberwolves' potential MVP and currently the league's leading scorer.

The second is Camby, who just joined the Jazz.

Now Yao Ming has become the third!

Prince tried desperately to retrieve the ball, but Francis was faster; the guy grabbed the ball and ran off laughing.

At that moment, Francis's talent seemed to mock Prince, who was diving to save the ball.

Francis is absolutely awful now.

He was planning to dunk after a three-point attempt.

Fortunately, he's not that brain-dead.

Finally, he drove straight to the basket and dunked for a score. After Yao Ming returned to the court, he scored 4-0 in 42 seconds, leading his team to widen the score gap!

Startled, Larry Brown sat up from the bench.

I saw Francis jumping on Yao Ming's back.

Actually, Francis isn't that great. He's very talented, but he's not particularly smart on the court.

The problem is with that big guy.

Isn't this kid tired?

Yao Ming played the entire first quarter, 8 minutes in the second quarter, and 10 minutes in the third quarter. Now he plays at least 30 minutes in high-intensity games!

He still has energy!

What kind of monster has this physical ability?

After a brief moment of surprise, Ben Wallace quickly directed Michael Curry to create space on the court.

We can't let Yao Ming continue playing like this.

This is already the fourth quarter. If Yao Ming dominates the game, they will lose all face!

The battle under the basket is getting intense!

Ben Wallace was pulling at Yao Ming's jersey, and Michael Curry, who was helping on defense, even jumped on Yao Ming!

The higher-ups at the Olympic Tower were practically fainting from the shock.

The players were so engrossed in the game that they seemed to have forgotten it was a nationally televised event. And because of Yao Ming, it wasn't just a nationally televised event; it was a global televised event.

Foreign journalists and television stations come from more than 30 countries!

How dare they play like that?!

Yao Ming's first appearance on the world channel was a truly spectacular moment. His jersey was torn to shreds as he carried Michael Curry, a 206cm tall and 240-pound heavyweight forward, and dunked on the rim!

The referee naturally called for an additional penalty.

Yao Ming made his free throws without hesitation, and he also changed into a new jersey.

The basketball court is now dominated by the young Yao Ming.

The Pistons' trump card, Ben Wallace's rebounding and low-post defense were disrupted again, and Yao Ming, with his excellent health and stamina, forced his way into a two-on-one situation under the basket, and he actually opened up the scoring!

Coach Tang on the bench was really something; he considered calling a timeout several times, but didn't dare to say it out loud.

The score gap widened.

Now that we've brought in Cato, who's recovered a bit, and Mobley, who's almost exhausted, we might just take them down in one go. We don't have to play every game around Yao Ming.

In the end, Tang Shuai gave up.

Watching Yao Ming and Steve Francis, who can only dribble and pass the ball, take on the entire Pistons team, it's like a 1v5!

Larry Brown brought up one defender after another.

However, ordinary double teams are no match for Yao Ming's incredible performance.

The Rockets aren't the only ones feeling exhausted; the Pistons are also fatigued, with Ben Wallace's athleticism declining.

Okur's defense was a mess, and Michael Curry was too short.

None of them could accomplish the task of limiting Yao Ming.

The current Pistons, like the Rockets, lack a power forward who can provide help defense.

Yao Ming was panting heavily from exhaustion.

Although Yao Ming had just taken a small energy booster, restoring his stamina to what it was before the first quarter of the game, the Pistons' all-out defense was indeed tough.

Even Yao Ming almost couldn't hold on.

"Can we continue?" Francis asked as he retreated to defense.

Francis really gave it his all in this match.

He was truly giving his all to help Yao Ming on defense; he probably hadn't played this hard since joining the NBA.

If you're already this exhausted, Yao Ming, who's even taller, must be expending even more energy.

"No problem, Steve, I can fight them until dawn!" Yao Ming once again uttered his famous quote.

Francis seemed to have his energy replenished by those words!

What defines a tough guy?

This is Yao Ming!

It's not about guarding the basket like Ben Wallace; it's about relentlessly attacking even against an insurmountable peak like Shaquille O'Neal to prove you're a tough guy.

Yao Ming is fighting with all his might, even when his stamina is depleted, he will fight to the death. That's what a tough guy is like!

The Detroit stands were long since silent!

Fans are cheering for both sides.

Someone was even shouting, "Yao Ming, come to Detroit! This is a real man's city! The Motor City welcomes you!"

I don't know if it was a tortoise, but it had a really loud voice!

The bloody battle continues.

Yao Ming's slightly thin body relentlessly faced the Pistons' fierce attacks under the basket, but his body did not seem weak and frail; rather, it gradually grew taller.

The match was a fierce battle that lasted until the very last second!

Thanks to Yao Ming's outstanding performance, two Pistons players had to leave the game in the final moments due to excessive fouls.

Yao Ming also scored 27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks!

Pistons star Ben Wallace had 8 points and 19 rebounds in a single game.

No chance of victory!

The match ended amidst cheers from the fans.

Francis jumped onto Yao Ming's back, shouting repeatedly, "This super big man is ours, ours! We beat Ben Wallace!"

The frustration of being suppressed for the past three seasons was finally released at this moment.

Francis, on the Pistons' side, smiled wryly: "I just transferred to this team and this kid has already surprised me. What has he been eating? How come he doesn't get tired at all?"

Ben Wallace, head bowed, rubbed his chest. "It's not about being tired or not. That kid's back-turn just now was really powerful!"

Yeah, that hurts!

Ben Wallace felt that in the final moments, this kid's strength was probably not too far off from O'Neal's. He was the third back-to-the-basket center that Ben Wallace had seen with such strength, after O'Neal and Barkley.

Moreover, Yao Ming's foundation is very strong.

The Rockets still won the game.

Yao Ming's first nationally televised appearance in the United States ended perfectly.

The Rockets' zero-win record against the Pistons over the past three seasons has become a point of interest for revenge.

After the game, the Rockets immediately sent Yao Ming to the player tunnel. This time, thankfully no one threw anything around, and some people even tried to shake hands with him.

By receiving this treatment on the road, Yao Ming also won over the Detroit fans with his strength.

What they didn't know was that Tony, a member of the Rockets' uniformed staff, was currently banging his fist on the table with the committee!

Because the two black men in front of me were carrying a bunch of equipment.

They suspect Yao Ming is on drugs!