NBA, Yao Ming is back!

After taking down two top-ranked big men, Jason Collins and Elton Brand, Yao Ming completely dominated the lower bracket of this year's high school one-on-one tournament.

After two tough battles, all opponents blocking the way in the lower half of the bracket have been eliminated.

The last obstacle blocking Yao Ming's path to the finals was none other than Ron Artest, a notorious troublemaker in this year's high school competition and a tough guy who roams the streets of New York.

Anyone familiar with the American high school basketball scene knows that Ron Artest, Elton Brand, and Lamar Odom form a truly formidable trio.

Artest was actually the big boss there, after all, he had the strongest fist and always stood up for others, so these two naturally wanted someone to protect them.

Brand, my good friend, got beaten up and turned into Britney.

He was just completely outmatched by Yao Ming in a one-on-one match, with no chance to fight back at all. As a native of New York, a "New York hoodlum" with the rules of the New York streets etched in his bones.

It would be strange if Artest could swallow this insult.

Nonsense, how can you be a big brother if you put up with it?

I can give up playing ball, but I can't give up being the big brother.

That's just how teenagers are.

So from the moment Artest stepped into the one-on-one arena, the atmosphere was instantly electric.

He speaks fluent, thick New York street slang, mixed with local colloquialisms. His speech is fast-paced, blunt, vulgar, and extremely aggressive.

A whole host of localized street slang and insider jargon were used, leaving not only the ordinary audience members completely bewildered, but even someone like Yao Ming, who had studied American culture and basketball materials beforehand, only half-understood it.

Most of the profanity and sarcastic slang can only be understood through context.

However, you can still roughly taste it—

Ok.

This guy is clearly looking for trouble.

But this also fits the style of Taiko in my mind.

Willing to stand up for his brothers.

As long as that person doesn't have an afro, it's fine.

"Hey, big guy from the East."

"Don't think you can be arrogant just because you beat a few weaklings."

"I'm standing right here today, and I'm going to teach you a lesson and show you just how tough basketball is on the streets of New York."

He was indeed standing up for his brother.

But his speaking skills are really lacking.

With your words, even Brand, whom you just knocked down, has become a coward in your eyes.

No wonder Brand's already bluish complexion turned even darker.

Taiko is a good person in every way, except that he's just not good at speaking.

"Let me tell you, my family has been practicing boxing for three generations, so don't you dare wet your pants."

That's really arrogant.

This is so Artest.

However, Yao Ming is now very quick-witted, and he'd love to quit basketball and start boxing instead.

His aura was naturally different, and the first thing he said made Artest freeze up.

"Then why did you play basketball? Why don't you box?"

Atai: ……

Surely you can't say you don't have the talent.

"Then your family's glorious tradition will end with your generation."

Atai: ……

"It's such a pity that you didn't inherit the family's good genes. Your father and grandfather must have been very sad."

Atai: ……

Damn it!!!

He now understood how Collins had felt.

They were laughing so hard down there just now.

I'm so angry right now.

After all, watching others do this is just something to watch, but when it happens to you, you're bound to get angry.

"Come on, bring it on! I want to see if this big guy from out of town can withstand the defense I've honed through my fists!"

What a defense honed inside a boxing glove!

The more I look at Yao Ming, the more familiar I feel with him.

After all, he had a really good relationship with Artest back then, and Artest had taken a lot of bullets for him.

Sigh, isn't this still the same old Artest?

Only someone like Yao Ming, who possesses memories of the future and knows the complete story, truly understands this guy's true nature.

He's usually incredibly aggressive on the court, using dirty tricks and playing filthy defense. He's always arguing with everyone and everything, even the referees, acting like a tough guy who's fearless. But when faced with a large-scale conflict, like the Malice at the Palace incident, he instantly turns into a coward.

The contrast is immediately striking.

Anyone who sees him in later generations will have to call him "Song Tai".

However, despite his complaints, Yao Ming knew he couldn't really treat this guy as a mere paper tiger.

While Artest's toughness may be somewhat exaggerated, his undeniable physical talent, ability to withstand pressure, and defensive instincts are all top-tier among his peers.

Growing up playing on the streets of New York, coupled with the influence of a boxing family, he has a strong instinct for close combat and an inherent aggressiveness that leads to savage collisions. His playing style is rough and wild, without fancy techniques, focusing on physical battles and close-quarters wear and tear. On the defensive end, he does all the dirty work, with a constant stream of small moves, such as elbowing, shoulder dropping, close-quarters pulling, and hidden collisions.

These types of players excel at disrupting the rhythm of conventional players with street-style tactics, wearing down their opponents' mentality through harassment and attrition. In the 1990s, with its legal hand-check defense, they were like fish in water, natural favorites of the era.

Yao Ming knew perfectly well that players who came from the streets of New York never followed any gentlemanly rules or regulations; they always believed in the law of the jungle.

Having a strong fist, a powerful body, and a variety of skills are the true keys to success.

Trying to reason with this kind of person, talk about rules, or advocate sportsmanship is like casting pearls before swine. The only way to shut him up completely and make him bow his head in submission is to crush him with absolute strength, shatter his arrogance, and make him personally experience the difference in their abilities.

Whether it's playing ball or boxing, as long as you can beat him in one of them, that's enough.

After all, that little blacksmith who almost never won a fight.

Doesn't that also win over Atai's heart?

The whistle blew precisely on time, officially kicking off this highly anticipated duel.

Artest showed absolutely no intention of testing the waters; he went all out from the start, holding nothing back.

He stepped forward and instantly closed in on Yao Ming, quickly shifting his feet to block him, lowering his body and center of gravity to a very low position – a typical top-tier wing defensive stance.

[Horizontal Jump Iron Elbow - Level 1]

Skill rating: A-

Unique Talent: Ron Artest

Core characteristics: close-quarters combat with sidesteps and leaps, covert elbow strikes for interference, brutal physical pressure, and comes with... a passive ability specifically designed to bully the weak and fear the strong.

Upon seeing the full extent of the skill, Yao Ming couldn't help but smile wildly, almost bursting out laughing on the spot.

"What are you laughing at!"

After saying that, Atai gave Yao Ming an elbow from the shadows.

I rely on.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Artest slapped down with his iron hand, grabbed the ball, and rushed inside.

It ended with a one-handed dunk.

Then came the moment when Altai went around showing off his masculine muscles.

After all, big muscles aren't just attractive to American women.

Men can be attractive too.

After displaying his masculine hormones, Taiko turned around and said, "How was it! You can't be soft-spoken when you come to play in America!"

Don't worry, I just didn't play in the NBA in the 90s.

Let me get used to it.

Let alone a center, even an outside player has a hard time breaking through in this era.

If you put your right hand on your waist, the ball is too easy to steal.

Moreover, while Artest's perimeter defense may be rough, it is indeed excellent.

How could someone who's made the All-Defensive Team on the perimeter be bad?

That's really underestimating Taiko.

If it's a 5-on-5 situation, and you can get the ball in the low post and shoot high, Artest's height makes it easy for him to score.

But in American-style one-on-one, you have to start dribbling from the three-point line.

If I want to go toe-to-toe with Artest, I'm not big enough right now. Artest weighed around 112 kilograms when he was drafted, plus he was incredibly physical.

It's not easy to confront him head-on, like you would with Hardaway, by simply sitting down in his place.

Moreover, Hardaway will definitely hold back a bit because of his status as a star player, while the opposing player, Taj, will go all out.

Yao Ming's gaze shifted, and he saw Bill Lambiel standing next to him, who had never looked up.

Suddenly, my vision brightened.

There's work to be done.

Let me see the skill that tormented Danzi to the point of ecstasy.

So what's the truth?

Come on, Lambiel, heal me!