When Ewing was almost exhausted by O’Neal, getting dunked on twice and committing two fouls, Tomjanovich finally made a substitution, sending Yao Ming onto the court.
Ewing plopped down on the bench, his face covered in sweat, full of unwillingness, but had no choice. It’s the natural order; not everyone is Ah Gan.
One day, O’Neal will also be like Ewing, getting older, with declining athletic ability, bullied by younger, stronger centers.
Besides, when Ewing was young and strong, he bullied the old centers in the League quite a bit; what goes around comes around.
As Yao Ming took the court, Ewing bumped fists with him, seemingly passing his skills and strength to his apprentice.
In this period, Ewing already regarded Yao Ming as his apprentice, teaching him a lot.
Like mid-range shots, turnaround jumpers, and the rabbit hop fadeaway.
Of course, the rabbit hop move isn’t very suitable for Yao Ming, so it wasn’t taught much.
But when it came to shooting skills, Ewing taught everything he knew, and Yao Ming was indeed a very good student with great shooting talent.
Gan Guoyang’s set of shooting secrets, apart from him, no one else could learn, but Ewing’s teachings were perfect for Yao Ming.
As Yao Ming faced off with O’Neal, the fans became interested.
This game was broadcasted live on Turner Television, with Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith commentating.
"Yao Ming is on! Shaq, my brother, please use your unmatched strength to teach this Chinese kid a lesson! Though we’ve had fights before, at this moment, my heart is with you!"
But as soon as Yao Ming took the court, he gave O’Neal a scare.
He received the ball in the middle, held off O’Neal, turned around, and made a hook shot, scoring two points!
O’Neal didn’t guard this shot with full effort, but Yao Ming’s move was indeed quick, fierce, and precise, taking less than two seconds from receiving to shooting, very much in the style of Gan Guoyang.
O’Neal was annoyed at heart by Yao Ming scoring, thinking, with Ah Gan bothering me, that’s one thing, but you, rookie, also want to show off over me?
In the next play, O’Neal received the ball, turned, and drove along the baseline for a layup, only to make the same mistake many players had made before, underestimating Yao Ming’s height.
As a result, Yao Ming blocked it with a big hit! Gan Guoyang grabbed the defensive rebound, the Glory Team launched a fast break, with Yao Ming moving faster than O’Neal.
Cutting into the middle, Andre Miller passed to Jordan, who lobbed it to Yao Ming, and Yao Ming scored with a left-hand layup!
When Yao Ming scored, O’Neal had only just reached the free-throw line. Shaq was finally furious, blocked again, and caught in a fast break!
In the same position, with the same move, O’Neal tried to drive along the baseline against Yao Ming, but Yao Ming blocked him again with another swat!
The entire Glory Team’s bench erupted, and shortly after, Yao Ming posted up at a 45-degree angle, Jordan fed the ball to him, and Yao Ming caught it, turned, and made a fadeaway jump shot, scoring!
This was Patrick Ewing’s move! And also Jordan’s move! Yao Ming has been absorbing a lot from both of them recently.
After scoring, Ewing was happy like a big gorilla, almost pounding his chest, while Jordan also high-fived Yao Ming, beaming with joy.
Jordan was pleased not only because Yao Ming scored consecutively over O’Neal but also because Yao Ming’s skills were passed down from him, not Ah Gan.
Ah Gan’s set of vintage, odd moves is something only he uses. Let it disappear from the rivers and lakes when he retires!
But my, Michael Jordan’s fadeaway jump shot, will shine throughout the ages, continuing to be passed down in the NBA.
At this time, Charles Barkley, watching the game at the television station, was a bit panicked, and Kenny Smith was undoubtedly even more flustered.