What on earth is happening to this world?

Is there any hope left for it?

Have you ever experienced the feeling of being a fully geared, 20-kill-0-death AD Carry, ready to unleash the next wave of slaughter, only to accidentally die from a Teemo mushroom while trying to casually take down a Red Buff because your support failed to ward?

Well, that was pretty much Shaquille O'Neal's mood after the first quarter of the game against the 76ers.

3-for-5 from the field, 2-for-8 from the free-throw line, resulting in 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block. O'Neal's stats weren't terrible, but the way the game was going made him furious.

Seriously, couldn't you guys be a little more accurate?

Are you all just running around without scopes, getting lucky headshots, and mastering the art of rim-grazing?

20 to 29...

Looking at the scoreboard tonight, O'Neal felt like he had lost all hope in life...

Because this night was nothing like the magnificent scenario he'd imagined before the game.

As the final battle of 1996, O'Neal had conscientiously locked himself in his hotel room after arriving in Philadelphia to conserve his energy for this decisive battle.

To crush the 76ers and watch that kid named Su, that thief, weep under his mighty elbow.

If he could build a lead early, O'Neal even considered helping Kobe pad his stats.

That's right! As a big man with a vivid imagination, O'Neal had already devised a thousand ways for Su Feng to die.

However...

"It's time for a break, ladies and gentlemen! Let's take a look at how our 'Philadelphia Hero,' Su Feng, pierced the giant, Shaquille O'Neal, with his sword!"

At the end of the first quarter, the 76ers' in-house DJ was at it again.

The jumbotron replayed Su Feng's dunk over O'Neal after shaking him off.

Listening to the boos filling the arena, O'Neal couldn't have been more frustrated.

And what frustrated him even more was that after showing the replay three times, the jumbotron then showed Su Feng's buzzer-beater from his previous game against the Lakers...

"Calm and collected, that's our 'Philadelphia Hero'!

He closed his eyes before releasing that shot, saying afterward that he just knew it was going in!

All of Pennsylvania will remember that buzzer-beater! Ladies and gentlemen, what are you waiting for?

Vote for our 'Hero'! Doesn't he deserve to be an All-Star?"

"All-Star! All-Star! All-Star!"

What?

All-Star?

Kobe was stunned.

O'Neal, on the other hand, was trembling with rage.

Seriously, is that how you campaign for votes?

O'Neal had forgotten that before the game, the jumbotron had also shown Su Feng posterizing Ewing and Mourning, and he had been the first to cheer at the time.

Although "Ai Feng" (Allen Iverson and Su Feng) was far behind their predecessors after the first round of All-Star voting, Pat Croce, sensing a possibility, had been looking for ways to campaign for "Ai Feng" whenever he had the chance.

The 76ers had everything this season except a shortage of classic game highlights.

Don't ask, it's because they won against many strong teams, so the backdrop had to be impressive, right?

Honestly, if social media existed back then, Su Feng could have pulled a Larry Bird, lighting a cigar and asking Jordan and Hill which one of them was going to take second place.

However, the 76ers' DJ never imagined that he would inadvertently stab the hearts of the OK duo.

Kobe couldn't imagine what it would be like if Su Feng made the All-Star team.

Because he was planning to participate in the dunk contest this season...

"Hey, you poor little rookie, do you know that I'm already a distinguished All-Star player?"

Just imagining Su Feng standing with his hands on his hips, looking down at him, Kobe started to tremble with anger too.

OK harmony truly depended on Su Feng.

...

In the second quarter, the 76ers continued their glorious tradition of never giving up!

Look at "Ai Feng," who didn't need rest;

And the two black, tough guys from Alabama who also didn't need rest;

And some unknown third pick from '95...

The 76ers fans in the arena were moved!

What does it mean to spare no effort for victory?

What does it mean to treat every game as if it were your last?

There's plenty of time to rest after you die!

Go, 76ers!

For freedom, for Philadelphia, for Pennsylvania!

Perhaps, that's why coaches in the '90s liked to overuse their starters?

On the Lakers' bench, Harris couldn't sit still as the score gap between the two teams widened.

He quickly called O'Neal up and then, after thinking for a moment, called up Kobe as well.

Harris called up Kobe because of Fisher's performance off the bench tonight, which, in his opinion, was a bit of an appetizer...

How could it not be bad?

Even if Fisher read "The Prince" fifty times, he still couldn't guard Iverson.

What's more, this was an Iverson who had been praised to the skies by Su Feng?

Do you know what Su Feng said to Iverson before the second quarter?

Su Feng looked at Iverson, shaking his head and sighing.

Iverson initially thought he hadn't played well tonight, so he asked, "Su, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just feeling sorry for Michael Jordan," Su Feng said 'depressedly.'

"Why are you feeling sorry for him?" Iverson asked curiously.

"Because he might be retiring next year," Su Feng replied.

"Why?" Iverson pressed.

"Because Philadelphia has an Allen Iverson," Su Feng said seriously, looking at Iverson.

Fueled, Iverson was completely fired up.

At that moment, he seemed to have his own flame effect.

Philadelphia's "Answer" silently lowered his head, taking two steps and elbowing Su Feng, then taking two more steps and elbowing him again.

The "Silver Fox" was helpless.

He could only bring O'Neal back early.

And watching the player defending him change from Jones to Kobe, Su Feng suddenly felt a little "disdain," for some reason.

Oh well, less Iron Points were still points. He didn't even mind Pippen, so why would he mind Kobe?

But you have to say, after the Lakers made this substitution on the court, they really started to close the gap.

OK inexplicably displayed the same kind of chemistry as in the previous game.

O'Neal sets a screen, Kobe drives, Kobe passes, O'Neal dunks.

O'Neal gets double-teamed, passes to Kobe, Kobe shoots decisively. Although he misses, O'Neal grabs the rebound and puts it back in himself.

Wake up, Kobe, this isn't you!

Su Feng really wanted to wake Kobe up. He even specifically trash-talked Kobe a few times during the offensive plays.

But perhaps because of the Wellington steak last night, Kobe once again transformed into O'Neal's most reliable little brother.

O'Neal was moved to tears.

This was the teammate he wanted!

"Kobe, you don't have to pass me the ball all the time. Take more shots!" Seeing the gap between the two teams gradually narrowing, O'Neal really wanted Kobe to score more points himself.

Because that way, the script would return to O'Neal's hands.

Just imagining Kobe standing with his hands on his hips, flaunting in front of Su Feng after the game, O'Neal felt a little happy for some reason.

"No, Shaq, you're our main offensive weapon!" Kobe, who increasingly wanted to be the main force, realized that the coach would give him a thumbs-up every time he passed the ball to O'Neal more often.

In this life, with the appearance of Su Feng, Kobe, under increased pressure, was becoming more and more clever.

Su Feng was almost an All-Star. How could Kobe not try to find a way?

On the Lakers' bench, Harris had already worshiped the Logo Man in his heart.

As long as Kobe grew up, the OK combination would definitely be a great inside-outside duo!

On the court, just as O'Neal was getting more and more excited, Hendrickson came on again as the 76ers' fouls reached four in the second quarter.

O'Neal: "..."

Alright, alright, I get it. You want to see me perform free throws, right?

Clang!

Clang!

Are you satisfied now?

Just tell me if you're satisfied!

Hendrickson successfully fouled out in the second half, trembling when he came on the court, but standing tall when he left.

He was not alone!

He concealed his merit and fame and was the number one contributor to the 76ers' victory tonight!

Seeing Hendrickson foul out, O'Neal finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But...

Oh, naive Shaq, did you think we only had Hendrickson as a substitute?

O'Neal: "..."

O'Neal's confidence plummeted as he missed more and more free throws. Davis, who just wanted to annoy him, realized that he could actually increase the intensity...

O'Neal completely shut down after going 3-for-8 from the free-throw line in the second half.

By the end of the first half, the points that the Lakers had worked so hard to recover were once again widened by the 76ers because of the disrupted rhythm.

49 to 59. After halftime, the 76ers first used a terrifying inside-outside siege to deal with O'Neal.

Just as O'Neal was struggling, the Lakers' perimeter corps once again displayed their exquisite rim-grazing shooting skills.

The 76ers' basket enjoyed a full quarter of massage services.

O'Neal felt that it was really too difficult for him.

In the fourth quarter, after "Madman" Van Exel went crazy and sent a wave of rebounds to Ben Wallace and Ratliff...

Helpless, Harris had to take off all the starters early.

The Lakers conceded defeat early!

In the fourth quarter, O'Neal, who scored 29 points and 15 rebounds on 10-for-19 shooting and 9-for-24 from the free-throw line, sat dejectedly on the bench.

At that moment, watching Kobe, who had been brought on to level up on the court, O'Neal suddenly hoped that Kobe would grow up quickly.

O'Neal didn't sit idle. During the Lakers' timeout in the fourth quarter, he kept encouraging Kobe to score more points and be brave enough to take responsibility.

On the 76ers' side, after working hard behind the scenes all night, Su Feng was also exhausted.

It wasn't easy.

Winning a game was too difficult.

In this game, Su Feng played for 41 minutes, shooting 6-for-13 from the field, including 2-for-6 from three-point range, and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line, scoring 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.

You have to know that while Iverson and Ratliff were desperately double-teaming O'Neal, Su Feng's main focus was on cutting off O'Neal's passing lanes.

During this game, who knows how much sweat Su Feng paid behind the backs of the Lakers' happy perimeter corps?

How many brain cells did Su Feng use just by subtly hinting to Davis?

However, looking at the nearly four Iron Points he gained after the game, Su Feng felt that it was all worth it!

In the end, the score of this game was 91 to 108.

During garbage time, the Lakers relied on Kobe and Fisher to recover some points, but it was already irrelevant.

The 76ers swept the Lakers twice this season, completely locking the Lakers into the "fake strong team" club.

It's worth mentioning that after the game, when reporters asked if he would learn to shoot free throws underhanded to avoid being "Hacked," O'Neal angrily said that even if his free-throw shooting was terrible, he would never learn to shoot underhanded.

Moreover, in O'Neal's opinion, a crazy team like the 76ers was unique in the NBA.

The Bulls, Jazz, Sonics, Heat, Rockets, and other strong teams: Huh? Shaq, are you serious?

As he finished the interview and prepared to leave, O'Neal had no idea what he would experience in the coming year of 1997.

On the 76ers' side, after the game, the players, with the help of the cheerleaders, interacted with the fans in the arena.

After all, it was the last game of 1996. Su Feng and Iverson threw a lot of small gifts that the team had prepared in advance to the fans in the front rows.

Speaking of which, at the post-game press conference, Su Feng and Iverson once again amused the reporters.

These two guys were talking back and forth. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were doing a comedy routine...

...

"Allen, are you sure you want Su to drive?"

After the press conference, Su Feng and Iverson saw Kobe in the underground parking lot, as agreed at the end of the game.

You have to know that Kobe had finally returned to Philadelphia.

Although losing the game was hard to accept, if he had to return to Los Angeles without eating Su Feng's late-night snack, it would be doubly upsetting for Kobe.

But...

In the parking lot, Kobe was unsettled when he heard Iverson ask Su Feng to drive.

Because he had seen Su Feng's driving skills!

"What's wrong? It's just driving, right?" Iverson threw his car keys directly to Su Feng and then sat comfortably in the passenger seat.

"That's right, Kobe, let me tell you, last time was an accident. This time, I promise, I'll show you my real skills." Su Feng, sitting in the driver's seat, was determined to redeem himself.

Kobe sat in the back seat with suspicion, and then...

"Stop, stop, stop! Su, damn it, that's forward, we have to reverse first!"

"Oh, damn it! Su, how on earth did you get your driver's license?"

Su Feng: "..."

Honestly, after returning from Los Angeles last time, Su Feng had really borrowed Ben Wallace's car to try it out, but he clearly drove very smoothly at the time!

However, no matter how much Su Feng argued, Kobe wouldn't give Su Feng another chance.

He opened the car door and directly kicked Su Feng to the back row.

"I'll drive. I'm familiar with Philly," Kobe said, looking at Iverson in the passenger seat.

Su Feng felt extremely aggrieved because he felt that his driving skills were being questioned...

Before long, after the three arrived at Su Feng's apartment, Kobe and Iverson chatted while waiting for Su Feng to make a late-night snack.

Su Feng had previously tried to lock Iverson's stomach with food, but it turned out that Iverson preferred chicken soup for the soul.

Moreover, compared to eating late-night snacks at Su Feng's house, Iverson originally wanted to arrange a party.

But because Kobe had to return to Los Angeles with the team in two and a half hours, Iverson had to give up.

"Are you planning to open a pizza shop?" Iverson asked curiously while chatting.

Mentioning the pizza shop, Kobe's expression was extremely smug at the time. "Yes, this pizza shop will definitely be popular all over the United States."

Su Feng, who was in the kitchen, immediately shook his head when he heard Kobe's words.

Because he knew that even if this pizza shop lost money, Kobe would probably have it opened in the home venues of all the NBA teams.

Don't ask, it's just that Kobe's current life is plain, unadorned, and boring.

Because there were few ingredients left at home, Su Feng's late-night snack was just an unremarkable plate of spaghetti.

Su Feng and Iverson didn't eat much. Most of this plate of spaghetti was eaten by Kobe.

After eating and drinking his fill, the three of them chatted for a while.

When it was almost time, Iverson was responsible for taking Kobe to the airport.

It's worth mentioning that before leaving, Kobe specially asked Su Feng to write him an IOU.

"Is it necessary? Don't you trust my character?" Su Feng felt that Kobe was too distrustful of him now.

"It must be written!"

When Kobe became stubborn, not even ten bulls could pull him back. In his opinion, Su Feng had to write an IOU.

Otherwise, who knew if the pile of ingredients in his house would be eaten up by those two bastards, Ratliff and Ben Wallace, the next time he came to Philadelphia?

Iverson was amused by Kobe.

In Iverson's opinion, Kobe didn't understand the joy of playing with Su Feng at all.

"Well, not bad." After putting away the IOU, Kobe was in a great mood.

In this way, Kobe returned to Los Angeles. Next, after the New Year's Day, the 76ers would have to go to Seattle to pay their respects to Payton and Kemp first.

Looking at the 76ers' dense game schedule, Su Feng decided to just sleep on it if anything came up.

And not long after the game between the 76ers and the Lakers ended, in Chicago...

Because Rodman was suspended and Longley was injured, the "Old Rogue" didn't even have the strength to go to the casino these days.

The Bulls barely won against the Cavaliers and the Pacers. After the game against the Pacers, in the locker room, Jordan, touching his tired waist and looking at Pippen, who was icing his ankle, looked melancholy.

To ensure their record, the Bulls were now taking a desperate approach.

However, like the 76ers, the Bulls' schedule in January was not easy either.

Especially in January, they would play the Rockets twice.

Moreover, unlike before, the Bulls had recently received a warning from David Stern.

In two consecutive games, the number of free throws Jordan and Pippen had received combined for only 12.

Jordan, who knew Stern's personality well, understood that Stern was telling the Bulls not to let something like what Rodman did happen again.

In addition, many different voices had recently emerged within the team.

Many players believed that after Rodman was no longer in the locker room, the atmosphere in the team had obviously improved.

All the signs indicated that right now, the Bulls were experiencing difficulties they had never experienced before...

...

ps: Um... Let me discuss it with you. Should I just guarantee 10,000 words today? Also, do you guys have any more of those...

Are there any left?