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

Rockets' turn.

Francis relinquished control of the ball to Norris and then began his off-the-ball movement!

Although Francis didn't like this style of play and thought it was a bit beneath him, Yao Ming called him "Big Brother Francis" because of that.

We must support our own little brother!

Francis's change of tactics immediately made Stockton nervous.

He couldn't keep up; Stockton's athleticism simply couldn't withstand Francis's running. All that was left was to solidify the penalty area.

"Defense!" Stockton quickly made a battlefield command gesture.

The signature move of a traditional point guard.

They and the coach have a distinction between the larger system and the smaller systems below.

Stockton's command on the field takes precedence.

Stockton positioned the Jazz's aggressive players to try and force Francis to stop, while he himself was forced to switch onto Norris.

This playing style is favorable to the Rockets.

Because Francis made a run, the Jazz solidified their paint, leaving only Yao Ming and Ostertag under the basket.

Yao Ming received an incredibly high pass.

Without stopping the ball at all, just hold it up and turn your back!

Currently, Yao Ming is outside the restricted area, while Ostertag is not out of position.

This playing style was Yao Ming's favorite position during his prime.

Beating Ostertag was a bit of a bully.

But... bullying an old guy who doesn't play basketball very cleanly, let's just consider it doing a service to the people!

Yao Ming raised the ball and turned around.

Ostertag shot the ball with an almost desperate look in his eyes.

His movements were as precise as a defender's.

The basketball swished through the hoop, and Yao Ming flicked his wrist: "Well done, Francis!"

Oh, he called me "boss" again!

Francis became even more motivated in an instant, even though this style of play was tiring and didn't fit Francis's style of showing off, or the standard of a bigger AI.

But he called me boss!

Ostertag has played for the Jazz since 94 and is an inexpensive yet excellent defender in the paint.

His main job is to position himself, defend, and assist Karl Malone.

Although it's somewhat contrary to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, that's the tactic.

So... he doesn't play very cleanly. The Jazz are a remote and stable team, and their style isn't just about one person, it's about everyone.

Ostertag knew in that instant that he couldn't stop Yao Ming.

It's not a matter of whether he's old or not; it's that even if he were young, he couldn't beat that monster. At that height, he couldn't defend against it at all.

Even though he has a height of 218 cm and a wingspan of 224 cm, it's useless.

A purely technological gap!

So when Ostertag got dirty, when Yao Ming was matched up against him again, his knee hit Yao Ming's thigh directly, and the movement was very subtle!

Yao Ming grinned.

The Jazz, well, that's the familiar formula, the familiar taste.

Stockton, outside, calmly reined in his rhythm.

Judging solely by talent, Stockton would have had almost no chance of playing in the NBA. He lacked speed, strength, and explosiveness; he wasn't even tall enough.

But his calm mind, wild strategic vision, and computer-like passing accuracy are remarkable.

All of this makes Stockton a different kind of terrifying compared to those players with explosive physiques.

By making full use of his teammates' positions and causing Francis to lose his footing, Stockton seemed to pass the ball to Karl-Marlon without even looking at his man.

As the longest-standing super partners in the alliance.

Their teamwork had become instinctive.

Karl Malone received the ball and drove to the basket. Yao Ming came out to help defend, and Malone, with a wicked smile, said, "Kid, this is for you!!"

He launched a high-flying attack, and the key point was that the elbow was almost aimed at Yao Ming's eye!

That move... I've seen it before!

In his past life, when Karl Malone was with the Lakers, the Rockets and Lakers met in the playoffs, and Karl Malone used this tactic against him.

This is a feint.

It looks like a flying elbow, but after the player dodges, Karl Malone will coordinate with Ostertag to catch the ball and dunk it.

Ostertag behind him was ready.

Yao Ming is ready too!

As expected, Yao Ming dodged his head away, and Karl Malone laughed: "Softie!"

The basketball goes from being shot to being lifted, flying up the rim.

Ostertag behind him was about to dunk. But at the same time, Yao Ming also jumped up.

The Adventure System provided Yao Ming with some jump points.

Although it was still a fireball, it was indeed a little taller. In addition, he hadn't gained weight and was still young, so he managed to grab the ball with one hand from that ridiculous height!

"Counterattack!"

As soon as Yao Ming roared, Francis started running.

He had no doubts whatsoever.

Then came Yao Ming's incredible long pass, which Francis showcased with a reverse windmill dunk!

Nima!

Francis's dunk ignited the arena, and even though it was an away game, many fans in Salt Lake City cheered.

Malone and Ostertag stared at Yao Ming in disbelief.

What the hell is this thing?

Such a height, such a reflex!?

The Rockets caught up in the score, and to make matters worse, they started playing well and established their own rhythm.

The offense revolves around Francis's positioning.

If Stockton doesn't follow, then sorry, he really will shoot!

If I tried to keep up, I'd feel bad because I couldn't keep up at all.

As for using positioning to block Yao Ming, that would be even better. Just ask Ostertag if he could defend Yao Ming.

In reality, it's completely impossible to defend against anything.

He couldn't even see how Yao Ming got the ball or how he scored; the ball had already gone into the basket.

Although Yao Ming is not without flaws.

His defensive range and size are insufficient, and he is occasionally overpowered, but his massive and consistent offensive firepower completely compensates for this weakness.

Veteran coach Sloan has already stood up from the bench.

The current rhythm has been completely disrupted by the Rockets, or rather, by Yao Ming.

Yao Ming solved Stockton's problem from a perspective that no one had ever offered before, but after all, it was Sloan who did it.

He quickly began to devise another strategy.

Let Karl Malone come out and deal with Norris.

Norris is just a minor character. His defining characteristic is that he can't do everything, but he can do everything. So when Francis changes his fighting style, he can act as a transition point.

The Jazz don't actually have a shooting guard right now.

Their shooting guard is Harpring, and the 201cm tall forward was just a makeshift solution. Due to their overall age and declining physical abilities, Sloan used overall height to compensate for the lack of athleticism in open play.

But once Karl Malone pulled it out, everything was solved.

Under pressure from Calmaron, Norris couldn't even receive the ball consistently, committing three turnovers in a short period!

"The Jazz's defense is really excellent. Karl is guarding Norris, and now the pressure is on the Rockets."

Kenny Smith in the commentary room gave Karl Malone a thumbs up.

As for the effect of the show, there will definitely be different camps.

Sir Charles Barkley, standing nearby, scoffed, "Give me a break. With his old arms and legs, how many runs can he make? He can't solve Yao Ming's problem as a consistent scorer. That bastard Karl is just clinging to life; he's completely useless. What can you expect Ostertag to do to Yao Ming?"

"If Yao Ming is a diamond, then that guy isn't even glass."

Barkley was perfectly justified in praising Yao Ming, and even planned to elaborate on Yao's back-to-the-basket skills and the importance of training with Barkley's Jazz.