Both nauseating and comforting...

Jerry West couldn't find the words to describe the conflict within his heart at this moment.

But ignoring Qin Yue's skin color, West was confident that after tonight, Qin Yue would surely cause a new sensation in the basketball world.

"Over the past year, people have been discussing his prototype.

Some say he's a stronger Andrei Kirilenko, some say he's a taller Charles Barkley, and others say he has a greater athletic ability than Larry Bird... But in my view, he's like the Magic Johnson who was once doubted by many... Before entering the league, no one could predict his future. Yes, in today's NBA, there is no precedent for Qin; he is truly a unique presence."

Faced with Qin Yue's perfect performance in the first half, West's curiosity finally overcame the disgust brought to him by Qin Yue's skin color.

He was curious about the heights Qin Yue could reach in the future.

More curious about whether Qin Yue could establish a new trend in the NBA like Magic Johnson.

Since retiring and working behind the scenes, evaluating the endless stream of basketball talents with a critical eye had become one of West's main daily pleasures due to his work.

During halftime, in the visiting team's locker room, compared to the leisurely West...

David Lee, the star power forward of the SEC league, was on the verge of breakdown.

His feelings at this moment were also beyond words.

Because in just one half, Qin Yue had completely dominated him.

In the game, Qin Yue could dribble past him and gracefully finish a jump shot.

On the court, Qin Yue could also use a Crossover to dodge him and charge straight to the basket, displaying his talent at will.

On the perimeter, Qin Yue's every triple-threat with the ball left him at a loss.

Moreover, Qin Yue's hand-off coordination with Paul at the top of the arc and high post plays made him, the Gators' core inside player, a burden to the team...

At that moment, Lee even doubted if he could really make it to the NBA after graduating as a senior.

Compared to the David Lee in Qin Yue's memory...

Although Lee already had impressive finishing skills in his senior year, with a deadly mid-range shot in pick-and-roll plays with his teammates, he hadn't yet transformed into the All-Star power forward through NBA's polishing.

At this point, Lee still needed to improve his confrontation skills to showcase his offensive techniques in higher-level games.

In the locker room, Billy Donovan noticed the change in Lee's mindset.

So, he called upon Noah, the one who's always been fearless in the team.

Donovan hoped to use Noah's energy on the court to help Lee, to awaken the team's vitality, as now, the self-imposed isolation mode among the Gators...

Was not just limited to Lee.

Tonight, Al Horford, who was making his starting debut as a freshman, also fell into self-doubt.

Is this the gap between me and the NBA's future number one draft pick?

Despite possibly being the Gators player who respected Qin Yue the most before the game.

But on the court, the impression Qin Yue left on him...

Was no less than the mental shock Thanos gave everyone when he first appeared in the future 'Avengers'...

After halftime, the game resumed.

Joakim Noah, subbing in for Horford, immediately charged towards Qin Yue relentlessly.

At that moment, Noah's fierce expression made the already dispirited Horford feel a wave of shame.

Although Horford didn't know what Noah was planning to do to Qin Yue, in his view...

The courage Noah displayed was exactly what he lacked.

However, just when Horford and the Gators were expecting Noah to say or do something to Qin Yue...

Noah grabbed Qin Yue's hand and said earnestly, "Could you... could you close your eyes when you shoot later?"

Hearing this, Qin Yue was taken aback.

Noah paused momentarily and then said, "You... you're too accurate tonight, there's no way my teammates and I can defend you.

This game is my debut, and I don't want to leave without anything to show for it, so could you close your eyes while shooting... so I can grab a few rebounds?"

Seeing this, Horford on the Gators' bench said with a face full of indignation, "Can someone pull him back? I don't have an embarrassing teammate like him!"

The next second, Noah strutted back to his half, looking at Horford as if he were an idiot and said, "Qin is the Michael Jordan of college basketball.

To deal with players of this caliber, you have to make him happy so he'll go easy on you."

Horford: "..."

What the hell!

Joakim Noah, what kind of logic is this?

On the court, Qin Yue naturally wasn't going to close his eyes while shooting.

However, as the second half progressed, Horford noticed...

Qin Yue seemed to truly adopt a gentler playing style on the court.

The most direct change was that in the entire second half, Qin Yue didn't perform any of those powerful dunks and breakthroughs like he did in the first half.

On offense, he showed people more comprehensively his ball-handling and coordination abilities.

Especially Qin Yue's smooth jump shot...

In Jordan's heart, when he watched from the stands, was Qin Yue playing basketball or was he plucking at his heartstrings with his fingertips?

The Qin Yue in the second half was undoubtedly the Qin Yue in Jordan's mind.

But actually...

The reason Qin Yue changed his style in the second half was mainly that he was learning how to better distribute his stamina on the court.

Moreover, Qin Yue was also gradually testing...

Whether his current skills could support him in maintaining dominance in collegiate basketball while in energy-saving mode.

This point is crucial for a player aiming for the NBA.

Because in the future, in a 48-minute game, and with 82 games in an NBA season...

It's impossible for Qin Yue to maintain abundant stamina at all times.

That night, on the stands, Vaccaro saw what was on Qin Yue's mind and thus praised him, saying, "I was worried he might get too excited...

But unexpectedly, at such a young age, he already understands how to control his desires."

In the end, with a substantial lead allowing for an early celebration of victory, Qin Yue delivered an outstanding performance with 38 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks, and 3 steals in this highly anticipated challenge match.

It's worth mentioning that in the second half, to appease Paul, while coordinating the team's offense, Qin Yue also achieved many "indirect assists" that wouldn't be counted in the stats.

This didn't bother Qin Yue.

Because these "indirect assists" not only made Paul happy but also couldn't affect the impression he left on people tonight.

This season, the Devil's Deacon Team's goal is to win the NCAA Championship.

Back then, Jordan had to find ways to appease Pippen for the NBA championship.

So why shouldn't Qin Yue buy off Paul with a few assists today?

After the game, Noah, who was completely won over by Qin Yue, once again rushed towards him and, under the furious glares of his teammates, took off his jersey, "Can you sign this for me? I... I really like you, from tonight on, I will be your most loyal fan."

Seeing this, Qin Yue didn't put on airs, but after signing for Noah, said worriedly, "Are you sure... doing this won't anger your teammates?"

Noah shook his head and said, "A hypocritical warrior will only hate those opponents who defeat him, but a true warrior should face his opponent head-on and learn to appreciate them."

At this moment, Qin Yue suddenly felt that what Noah said made a lot of sense.

Of course, what Qin Yue didn't know was, once Noah returned to his teammates, he immediately changed his expression and said to Horford, "Qin is a future NBA number one pick, aren't you going to take this chance to ask for his autograph?"

Horford shook his head and said, "I don't think I am qualified to do that tonight."

2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block.

This was Horford's performance in this game.

In Horford's view, he wasn't even worthy of being called Qin Yue's opponent tonight.

And after a half-time adjustment, though Lee scored 12 points and 8 rebounds in the game...

But, like another "Qin Yue" from a privileged family, he still couldn't shake off the shadow of this game.

Fortunately, Lee still had a long season ahead to regain his confidence.

As a senior, Lee had already accumulated enough reputation over his four-year collegiate career.

No one would deny all of that because of this game.

Moreover...

Tonight, he was up against Qin Yue?

"This is unquestionably the greatest performance I've ever seen in college basketball..." In a post-game interview, Prose described Qin Yue's court performance like this.

"He destroyed our defense, destroyed our offense... I don't know how to comment on him, but he's definitely the best power forward I've ever seen in college basketball," on the other side, Donovan also gave Qin Yue extremely high praise.

79 to 103.

After the game, looking at the scoreboard, Donovan knew better than anyone that if the Devil's Deacon Team hadn't held back in the second half due to the score difference, the visiting Gators would likely have suffered an even more severe defeat.

Without a doubt, in this season opener, Qin Yue led Wake Forest and fully demonstrated their strength to the world.

"In the ACC vs. SEC challenge, with a convincing performance, Qin Yue has virtually secured the number one draft pick for next year." — The New York Times

"Jerry West said in a phone interview that he would be very surprised if Qin is not next year's number one pick." — The Los Angeles Herald

"Kobe Bryant should thank Qin because this superstar from China shifted people's attention away from the Eagle County incident with an unparalleled performance, allowing Kobe to focus on dealing with the troublesome case." — The Denver Post (Note 1)

"Tim Duncan announced his strong comeback with 34 points and 21 rebounds in the Spurs' home game against the Warriors on November 10th." — ESPN News Flash

...

Note 1: The superstar here refers to the college basketball superstar, and due to the current timeline, Kobe's Eagle County incident is at its peak and won't be resolved until after the All-Star Weekend in 2005.

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