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

6-for-6 from practice shooting

Taking photos with fans before the game.

Yao Ming's performance today showed the composure of a veteran star.

Standing on the sidelines, he looks like a big star.

Yao Ming is now getting more and more used to his young body, feeling incredibly light and agile, as if he hasn't felt this relaxed in a very long time.

This feeling can be captivating and addictive.

Even someone as composed as Yao Ming seems... a bit arrogant.

Now, Yao Ming's finishing under the basket and mid-range shot have regained some of their touch after a few days of practice, and they are definitely at an A+ level. In addition, he has such a light body and a pretty good explosiveness.

Yao Ming is also looking forward to this game.

Without competition, any evaluation is meaningless.

Yao Ming is eager to know how strong he is now and whether he is qualified to carry the Rockets forward.

As the time for the game drew ever closer, minute by minute.

The system's reel reappeared.

The Warriors are about to embark on their journey.

Your first official competition is coming soon!

[Target that can be eliminated by scanning: Stoudemire (Overall rating C+)]

[Title: Young Overlord-Level Cub]

It will soon witness your rise.

[Main Mission: Victory in the match, and elimination of this potential future dominant force under the basket]

[Description: The greater the psychological trauma inflicted on Stoudemire, the higher the reward; the base reward is a C- level reward]

[Mission Failed: Randomly experience a pain level of 7 or higher, lasting 30 minutes]

This time it's the complete task panel.

Yao Ming felt that the system was a bit too frivolous. Although the Suns were also a bad team, they at least had Marbury and Hardaway.

He's just a rookie.

Yao Ming really wanted to call out the tasks that rookies should have, but unfortunately, he was the one called to the stage.

The players from both sides enter the field.

Surprisingly, the Rockets started Yao Ming at center, followed by Morris, Mobley, Francis, and Griffin.

The Suns' side.

The moment Stoudemire made his first appearance, the Rockets' local haters erupted in cheers.

Next up were Shawn Marion, Anfernee Hardaway, Stephon Marbury, and Williams.

The level of attention they received was fairly normal.

This wave of fans is hard to manage. Yao Ming can guarantee that 10% of the fans cheering for Stoudemire are there to see him.

Let's take a look at the Suns' roster.

With a massive investment of their entire fortune and the addition of the 216cm tall Williams, it seems they're planning to leverage their player advantage to send the Rockets packing.

If the Suns think that way, then Yao Ming can rest assured.

Jump ball segment.

Yao Ming stood at the center line, and his opponent was not Stoudemire, but Williams.

As a traditional center, Williams is 216 cm tall and weighs 265 pounds, making him a heavily armored warrior.

The basketball was tossed into the air as the referee blew his whistle.

Yao Ming easily won the jump ball over this veteran.

Without needing high jumping speed, Yao Ming, with his height and wingspan, easily swung the racket at Francis, who was sprinting wildly towards the frontcourt.

Francis has recently become a bit superstitious about Yao Ming.

That's not confidence.

"Confidence" is not enough to describe Francis's current state.

He believed that Yao Ming's performance in yesterday's game was not an accident, so he let Marbury run wild in the opening game, leaving him bewildered.

Francis's athletic ability is astonishing.

Marbury couldn't keep up with the first step, and by the time he reached the Suns' three-point line, only Williams and Marion were defending him.

Choose to sandwich.

After all, this is Francis.

Stand still!

An inconspicuous but crucial skill for interior players, and the dividing line between top-tier interior players and "decent" interior players.

Once a team's scorer is double-teamed, the comfort level of the pass becomes crucial.

Francis is completely ignoring the double-team now.

He saw that big guy, that good brother. As long as he took a shot, the ball would be passed to him without any surprises!

Stop abruptly and push with your palm.

Yao Ming caught the basketball calmly at the free-throw line!

Stoudemire was still sprinting when Yao Ming started his shot!

6.7 seconds!

This is the time between Francis starting his sprint and Yao Ming's shooting motion.

That's incredibly fast.

In the studio, Barkley, dressed in a suit, jumped up excitedly when he saw Yao Ming shoot: "Yao made a mistake! He was too hasty! If he were a proper center, he should have driven to the basket!"

"This is such a damn shame!" Barkley shouted excitedly, representing many old-school fans.

The closer you are to the basket, the higher your shooting percentage.

In an era where everyone can play defense, mid-range and long-range shots are not even in the skill set of many interior players.

It's not that they can't train.

It's really unnecessary.

Most of the time they simply don't have the opportunity to shoot from mid-range or long-range.

However, the boos that the fans were just preparing were abruptly cut off by the orange arc and flash of light.

That was a really damn good shot.

This shot left both Francis and Marbury stunned.

*Whoosh!*

Basketball in the net!

Francis ignored Stallmayer, who was still standing there dumbfounded. That guy was indeed faster than Yao Ming and had already caught up with him to the defensive zone.

But that would be a waste of time.

Francis excitedly hugged Yao Ming and listened to the fans' screams, feeling extremely happy!

"So fast?"

Marbury and Hardaway, both fast-break specialists, exchanged a glance.

They were all somewhat surprised.

6.7 seconds of offense

In theory, this is simply impossible.

The Suns absolutely do not have a center who could pull off what just happened.

Seriously, this is unbelievable.

If Yao Ming had chosen to play like a traditional center, his movement would have been cut off by Marion. Passing requires a route, and Marion's movement blocked Francis's pass to Yao Ming along that route.

But just a moment ago, Yao Ming suddenly stopped running, stopping in a support position that he shouldn't have been in.

A Marion pressing forward will expose an excellent position to receive the ball.

Throughout his entire professional career, Yao Ming never encountered any superstar point guards, so he put in a lot of hard work to learn how to receive the ball.

It's just a pity that this opportunity is only being used now.

The Rockets got off to a winning start.

Although Marion and Marbury then scored a goal back.

Overall, fans are now "watching the game" rather than waiting for someone to "make a fool of themselves".

As for Barkley, he remained defiant in the studio: "Rookies have a protection period, right? Yao Ming's luck is truly, truly, good!"

"But even so, he's still just an amateur!"

Barkley's stubbornness stirred up the fans' emotions.

Many fans who wanted to give a thumbs up are now quietly preparing to continue being haters, cheering for Stoudemire and hoping he can perform like Yao Ming.

On the field.

Francis dribbles the ball forward.

Yao Ming didn't rush to run; he was stuck to Stoudemire and Marion at the free-throw line.

The Suns' "three towers" strategy finally paid off.

Although one goal just now doesn't prove anything, the Suns, with their deep roster, still managed to pull it off.

The free throw line is a very special position.

Because at that moment, Francis made a move that no one could understand.

Young Francis was a very impulsive player.

Many of his actions were irrational.

This is clearly a disadvantage in crucial plays and against unfamiliar teams, and it's because of this that Francis's career collapsed in the middle.

But at that moment, he acted impulsively and charged towards a position where a large group of inside players were clustered together.

It was as if they had heard a bugle call, a fearless sound.

Yao Ming's mouth twitched!

He had guessed that Francis would play recklessly, but he never expected him to be this reckless.

Marion is ready to shrink.

Little S also completed the front round.

It looked like they were about to block Francis.

Yao Ming started walking.

A very nice lateral movement.

The little black hand subtly grabbed Stoudemire, while Yao Ming simultaneously blocked Marion's position.

One for two!

He directly created some space for Francis to attack.

The agile Francis dribbled quickly with long strides, sprinting towards the small vacuum area created by Yao Ming.

A sudden stop and a decisive move!

"brush!"

The Rockets executed two excellent offensive plays at the start of the game.

Tomjanovic excitedly stood up from the bench!

Yao Ming's defensive awareness just now made Coach Tang's heart pound!