Ethan Brooks knows Francis very well—after all, they were teammates during Yao Ming's early career, and Francis is respectfully called Franchise by Chinese fans.

As for Franchise, if his shooting were accurate, would he still be called Franchise...

Francis really wanted to just shoot a three-pointer like his opponent.

Doing whatever comes to mind—that's the real Francis, pulling up for a three right away...

"Clang!"

The sound of a missed shot is nothing unusual. Ratliff outmuscled Eddie Griffin to grab the defensive rebound.

The Hawks' inside advantage was overwhelming. Francis felt the murderous glare from coach Rudy Tomjanovich on the sidelines, and only then remembered his sub-30% shooting percentage from outside. He quickly turned to get back on defense.

Emmanuel pushed the ball upcourt. Ethan Brooks spaced out at the three-point line at a 45-degree angle, while Rahim posted up down low, calling for the ball to go one-on-one.

Rahim had an incredible physique—2.06 meters tall, a bona fide oversized small forward, much taller than his defender Kenny Thomas. With just a couple of moves, he shoved Kenny Smith into the paint. Ever since Hakeem Olajuwon left, the Rockets' interior has been so weak it's hard to believe this was once a traditional center powerhouse. Rahim was unstoppable under the basket, forcing a shot over Eddie Griffin and Kevin Cato for an and-one.

Francis looked dejectedly at Ethan Brooks running back. You're a point guard! You didn't even touch the ball on that possession—are you even a point guard anymore?

Francis took the inbound from Kevin Cato and pushed upcourt, almost losing his cool and firing up a shot right away. Luckily, he held back, or else the coach would have chewed him out again.

Francis looked at Ethan Brooks, who was at least two meters away from him, and felt a surge of frustration.

Once again, Ethan Brooks sagged back to defend from the free-throw line. That's right, Ethan Brooks was guarding Francis the same way people would guard the future LeBron James. After all, whether it was Francis or LeBron James, they were both unstoppable for him—not even in the same league! Their physicality was just overwhelming.

As for that earlier flash-of-brilliance steal, against a ball handler of Francis's caliber, that was just luck. If he tried to stick to him like Klay Thompson, Ethan Brooks figured he'd get run over.

Honestly, the defensive strategy that the future Gregg Popovich came up with really works well against athletic wings with poor shooting. Francis was out of options—he didn't dare shoot from outside. Usually, catch-and-shoot threes have the best rhythm, but if you're pulling up off the dribble, most people need to adjust, and that adjustment gives the defender time to close out. At that point, you can't drive, another dribble is a violation, and you might not be able to pass right away. Forcing a shot over tight defense isn't a good idea—not everyone can play as recklessly as Tracy McGrady, nor do they have Tracy McGrady's talent to back it up.

Catching and shooting is different: first, the rhythm is good; second, even if the defender closes out as you pick up the ball, you can still dribble away.

That's why even someone like Reggie Miller, the best three-point shooter so far, always prefers catch-and-shoot.

But for guys like Francis, Stephon Marbury, Carter, Tracy McGrady, Baron Davis... and a whole bunch of other wings, what does defense matter!

What does a packed paint defense matter!

Francis just charged into the paint like he was carrying a bundle of dynamite...

Ethan Brooks watched Francis in his red Rockets jersey, charging in like an angry bull. If this were the world of Running Man, there'd definitely be red flames burning around him...

Even though Ethan Brooks wasn't actually a professional basketball player, at least in this moment, he was! He knew he couldn't just let Francis barrel into the paint—he couldn't step aside! Even with Ratliff and Mohammed forming a wall, if he gave way, Francis would probably just dunk right over them! Once Francis got going, unless it was O'Neal, even Dikembe Mutombo or Ben Wallace would just be background props!

Ethan Brooks clenched his teeth and braced himself against Francis.

The moment they made contact, Ethan Brooks really felt like he'd been rammed by a bull. He wasn't that strong to begin with, and Francis was the most athletic point guard in the NBA. It was just like Chinese guards facing American guards in international games—completely outmatched physically!

He couldn't stop him! At best, Ethan Brooks delayed Francis for half a second, forcing him to change direction, because if Francis just bowled him over, he'd probably get called for an offensive foul.

But that half second was enough—Emmanuel and Mohammed had already come over to double-team.

Francis looked toward the basket. Ratliff was like a guardian, covering both Eddie Griffin and Kevin Cato. Neither of them could even get open for a pass, both intimidated by Ratliff's massive elbows.

Francis felt utterly hopeless! The gap between the two teams was just too big—especially inside. After Hakeem Olajuwon was traded to the Raptors, the Rockets' interior was done for. When Francis first entered the NBA, Hakeem Olajuwon was still there. Even though he was old, his presence alone commanded respect. But now, the Hawks dared to use just Ratliff to guard both Rockets big men! And those two were so timid, they didn't even dare to challenge him.

Francis forced up a shot and missed.