NBA: This center is incredibly strong.

At Madison Square Garden, the starting lineups for both teams are displayed on the big screen.

Knicks starting lineup: Mark Jackson, Latrell Sprewell, Allan Houston, Larry Johnson, Marcus Camby.

Magic starting lineup: Armstrong, McGrady, Hill, Andrew Deklerk, Chen Yan.

The referee walked into the center circle with the ball, followed by the center forwards from both sides—Camby and Chen Yan.

Camby entered the league four years earlier than Chen Yan. Although he is 2.11 meters tall and 5 centimeters shorter than Chen Yan, his wingspan is equally terrifying. He is a top rim protector in the league and a future best defensive player.

He glanced at Chen Yan, not saying anything trash, but the meaning in his eyes was clear: Rookie, this is your first regular season game. If you run into me, you're in for a lot of trouble.

Chen Yan was unaware of this, as he was preoccupied with how to collect emotion points.

The referee was Joey Crawford—yes, the same bald referee who would later eject Duncan from the bench.

He held the ball to his chest, preparing to call for a jump ball as is customary.

Just then, Chen Yan remembered a joke from his past life and blurted out, almost without thinking, "I want to check the ball!"

Crawford thought he had misheard: "What did you say?"

Chen Yan then realized that he had blurted out his true feelings, and could only bite the bullet and explain.

"I want to inspect the ball. Can I take a look at it?" he said seriously, even extending his large hands. "I need to make sure the air pressure is standard, the weight is correct, and the feel is suitable for the game. This is the opening game of the regular season, so we can't be careless."

The audience members in the rows near the center circle of Madison Square Garden vaguely heard the conversation and began to whisper among themselves.

McGrady watched this scene from beyond the three-point line, his eyes narrowed, and his lips twitched slightly, revealing his signature half-smile.

Armstrong froze on the spot. He had played basketball for so many years and had never seen a system where the ball was checked before a jump ball.

Crawford stared at Chen Yan for a full three seconds without any change in expression.

But to everyone's surprise, he actually passed the ball over.

"Okay, you can see for yourself."

Chen Yan took the ball and examined it repeatedly.

He pressed the surface of the ball with his fingers, spun it around a few times, and even brought it close to smell it—the action was so professional that an uninformed person would think he was testing materials in a laboratory.

More than 2 eyes in the stadium, plus countless viewers in front of their televisions, were watching this 16-meter-tall giant meticulously "test the ball" in the center circle.

Camby's expression had changed from impatience to confusion, and then from confusion to suspicion, as if to say, "Is this kid crazy?"

About five seconds later, Chen Yan solemnly handed the ball back to Crawford and nodded: "Referee, there's nothing wrong with the ball, the air pressure is normal, the bounce is up to standard, you can play."

Crawford took the ball, and his lips finally twitched involuntarily.

He suppressed a laugh, but his tone already carried a "Are you kidding me?" implication: "Of course, no problem. This is the match ball I just checked before the game."

Chen Yan remained unfazed, and even added, "It's always good to be cautious, Mr. Referee."

Seeing that Crawford didn't pursue the matter further, he praised himself for his quick thinking.

Camby, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, finally couldn't hold back any longer and muttered, "Rookie, are you messing with us...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Crawford had already raised the ball.

"Get ready for the jump ball."

Chen Yan crouched down slightly, and his eyes suddenly changed. They were no longer the serious and honest look he had when he was "inspecting the ball," but rather the sharp look of a predator locking onto its prey.

Crawford tossed the ball into the air.

Camby jumped up; his speed was impressive. As the second overall pick in the 96 draft, his athleticism was unquestionable.

But Chen Yan was faster.

With his 2.16-meter height, 2.34-meter wingspan, and terrifying jumping ability, he touched the ball before Camby's hand could even reach it.

He smoothly flicked the ball backward, and it flew into Armstrong's hands.

A low gasp rippled through Madison Square Garden—not because of the outcome of the jump ball, but because of the height the rookie had jumped.

Armstrong caught the ball, advanced past half-court, and was still muttering about what had just happened.

"This kid...checking the ball before the jump ball? How did he even think of that?"

After landing, Chen Yan strode towards the front of the field, his face showing no change in expression.

It was as if he hadn't done the "I want to check the ball" scene at all, as if he were just a serious and dedicated professional player who came to play the game.

Meanwhile, the Knicks players all got into position to defend.

In the early stages, both sides were probing each other, and the pace wasn't fast.

The Knicks' defense has always been known for its toughness. Larry Johnson, with his massive frame, relentlessly harassed Deklerk in the low post, while Sprewell, like a mad dog, tore at the perimeter.

While McGrady and Hill possess outstanding individual abilities, the Knicks' rotation and rotation coverage were excellent, preventing them from having easy opportunities to shoot.

Chen Yan experienced NBA-level competition in the very first offensive possession.

Camby wouldn't let him into the three-second zone, using his forearm to brace against his waist and his knee to occasionally wedge against his lower body.

This wasn't the kind of tentative defense you see in preseason games; this was a real, hard-fought battle.

"The intensity of competition is indeed different in the regular season, but it's not that bad." Chen Yan quickly adapted to the competition without backing down.

When he was positioning himself in the low post, Camby pushed him to the vicinity of the free-throw line, so he simply pulled out to set a screen for McGrady.

McGrady's broad frame blocked Sprewell's pursuit like a wall. McGrady used the screen to break through to the right, drawing help defense before passing to Hill in the corner.

Hill faked a shot and drove into the paint, taking a floater before Camby could help defend.

"Clang!"

A pop-up window appears.

Rebound!

Jason boxed out De Klerk, Houston held off Hill's aggressive rebound, and Camby turned to grab the defensive rebound.

Just then, a large hand reached out from behind him.

It's not filming, it's retrieving.

Chen Yan slipped in from the weak side at some point, and just as Camby was about to touch the ball, his fingertips touched the ball first, flicking it towards himself.

Camby reacted quickly, immediately turning around to reposition himself.

Chen Yan seized the opportunity to jump again and grabbed the ball.

Having reached the restricted area, he directly overwhelmed the opponent with his talent, pushed back, quickly turned, jumped with both feet, grabbed the ball with one hand, and dunked it over Camby.

"How dare he?" Camby was dumbfounded, wondering who gave this rookie the courage to dunk on him.

Immediately afterward, Camby jumped to block the shot.

The two sides made physical contact and confronted each other in the air.

The result was unsurprising: Chen Yan won a resounding victory.

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, Chen Yan slammed the ball into the basket with one hand.

The basketball hoop shook violently, and the net ropes flipped upwards as if hit by a bomb shockwave.

Chen Yan's hand was still hanging on the rim, and his weight made the rim groan.

Camby was thrown over by the force and landed on his backside on the floor, becoming part of the background.

A world-famous painting was born!

Madison Square Garden was silent for a fraction of a second.

Then came a complex cacophony of sounds—exclamations, sighs, and sporadic cheers from New York fans who were unwilling to admit it but had to applaud.