"What did he mean by that sentence he just said to you?"

Before the game started, Tracy McGrady looked up at Yao Ming, who was almost laughing hysterically, and asked.

After thinking about it for a moment, Yao Ming replied, "If you translate what he just said into English... it's something like 'he's going to kill me'."

Hearing this, Tracy McGrady's eyes suddenly widened, and he said, "I don't understand why that makes you laugh."

At this moment, Tracy McGrady certainly couldn't comprehend it.

Although in 2005, the phrase "come at me, bro" hadn't become a classic yet, just thinking of Qin Yue's childish taunt like a grade-schooler made Yao Ming want to laugh.

You see, the Golden State Warriors, in the number 30 jersey, acting like a school kid.

Doesn't that make a lot of sense?

On the court, it's notable that tonight the Warriors' jumper isn't Brown but Qin Yue.

"Are you sure about this?" Brown asked, looking at Qin Yue.

"Of course, or... do you want to guard Yao Ming? If you really want to face Yao Ming, I can let you." Qin Yue turned his gaze to Brown and retorted.

"No, no, no... you know, Qin, Yao is an All-Star center, I'm not at all worthy of being his opponent." In the next second, after saying "NO" three times in a row, Brown hurriedly said.

Seeing this, Qin Yue gave Brown a white-eyed look and said, "Then why don't you mention that you were the number one pick in 2001 and he was the number one pick in 2002, both top picks in the NBA?"

Brown: "..."

Actually, the reason Qin Yue wanted to switch defenses with Brown tonight...

Besides the fact that he remembers Yao Ming always had solid victories against Brown, it's also because he didn't want to avoid facing Yao Ming.

Although Qin Yue opted to avoid Yao Ming on defense...

In the future, the media would praise his match-up with Yao Ming as thrilling based on the stats, but if kids in the future found out they never actually matched up on the court, wouldn't that be embarrassing?

However, before preparing for the jump ball, Qin Yue repeatedly instructed Brown, "Pay attention to Yao Ming's position when he asks for the ball on the court. If he positions himself deep, there's nothing I can do."

Brown, already familiar with being beaten by Yao Ming, nodded and said, "I can fully understand that despair; even Shaquille O'Neal would turn into 'small fry' in front of Yao."

With his confidence gradually restored.

Qin Yue noticed that Brown's sharp tongue was beginning to show its true form.

At center court, during the jump ball phase, Qin Yue didn't hold back against Yao Ming, and with a leap and his long arms, he secured possession for the Warriors.

On CCTV, due to the Chinese Derby, Coach Zhang also joined in the fun and said, "Yao Ming's disadvantage is in his wingspan. When we commend inside players, we often say a player has height and a long reach... but unfortunately, Yao Ming only has height, not a long reach."

Beside him, Sun Zhengping also commented, "According to official data, Yao Ming is one of the few players in the NBA whose height exceeds his wingspan."

On the court, besides Yao Ming, the other four starters for the Rockets tonight are Second Uncle Howard, Ryan Bowen, Tracy McGrady, and Streetball King Alston.

For the Warriors, besides Qin Yue, the other four starters are Brown, Pietrus, Richardson, and Davis.

After Davis dribbled past half-court, Qin Yue moved up to the high post to call for the ball.

Although tonight Qin Yue planned to primarily defend Yao Ming, Van Gundy clearly couldn't use Yao Ming to defend him.

It's not because Yao Ming was intimidated, just a simple basketball logic.

That is...

If your big center is pulled away, how can you protect the rim?

As one of the top defensive teams in this NBA era, if the Rockets did that, it would only prove their head coach Jeff Van Gundy didn't understand basketball at all.

Tonight, while the Rockets employed a zone defense, they were using two defensive schemes.

Firstly, if Qin Yue held the ball outside, McGrady, with his outstanding frame, would interfere with him.

Secondly, if Qin Yue posted up for the ball, Howard would buy time for Yao Ming to get back on defense.

Of course, since the NBA has a defensive three-second rule, although Van Gundy's defensive plan looks perfect, it is actually full of holes.

After all...

The NBA's zone defense and FIBA's zone defense are two different concepts.

At the top of the arc, after observing the Rockets' defensive positions while holding the ball, Qin Yue handed off the ball to Davis, who had circled back to receive it.

Alston and McGrady were almost simultaneously blocked by Qin Yue behind him.

Seeing this, Davis accelerated and, through a driving pass, handed the ball to Richardson on the wing.

Next, with Richardson fully attracting the attention of several Rockets players, he, having become more interlinked with Qin Yue, decisively lobbed the ball toward the hoop.

This pass had to be high enough to soar over Yao Ming's head.

Richardson's pass clearly achieved this.

Under the basket, adequately prepared before jumping, Qin Yue sprang into the air, catching the ball in a moon-grabbing fashion and dunking it, officially kicking off this Chinese Derby.

At that moment, the Rockets' weakness in the mobility of their power forward position was completely exposed.

This was the achilles' heel for the Houston Rockets.

Historically, in this era, the Rockets never feared teams with big centers.

Moreover, even if you were the kind of team centered around a superstar on the perimeter...

If Tracy McGrady was healthy, the Rockets, with Yao Ming protecting the rim inside and McGrady defending the perimeter outside, feared nothing.

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