Chapter 140 True Fans are Scarier Than Haters

Although the team lost to the Jazz in Salt Lake City, a large number of "Ai Feng" (Su Feng) die-hard fans still came to greet the 76ers upon their return to Philadelphia.

However, looking at the signs held by these die-hard fans, Su Feng couldn't help but feel like he was being trolled...

If these signs were translated into future internet slang, they would roughly be:

"Feng's got 30+, Feng's awesome, the 76ers lost, but Feng didn't!"

"Who's the youngest 30+ scorer in the NBA? Only Feng!"

"Handsome fadeaway, domineering drives, that unrestrained smile, as long as Feng's here, the flag of defiance will always fly!"

Su Feng patted his forehead. Sure enough, sometimes true fans are scarier than haters.

Honestly, just looking at these signs, Su Feng felt like he was about to become a god.

"Well, it looks like I need to call Tracy tonight."

For some reason, Su Feng now felt that whenever he showed signs of getting carried away, he would immediately think of McGrady.

Of course, Su Feng could only accept trash talk from McGrady.

Because Carter's trash talk, which came from someone without friends, well, it was lucky for Carter that he wasn't in the NBA yet...

Otherwise, Su Feng would definitely show him what defense that even Jordan's kidneys couldn't withstand was like!

If he couldn't defend him to death, Su Feng could wear him down to death.

It was like when Su Feng played Hearthstone in his previous life, he loved playing control warrior. Being able to punish an aggro deck made him happy all day.

...

On the 29th, after the Lakers arrived in Philadelphia, Kobe couldn't resist the temptation of good food and took the initiative to call Su Feng.

"What? You want to eat Wellington steak? Sorry, it's all gone, Ben and Theo ate it all a few days ago."

"Huh? Italian sausage pizza is fine too? Sorry, that's also gone, Ben and Theo ate it all a few days ago."

"Australian crayfish? Where would I have that in my fridge?"

"Spaghetti? Okay, I can make that for you."

Kobe was furious.

What happened to the big meal you promised to make me?

The thought of how he had finally returned to Philadelphia, but Su Feng had given all the good ingredients to others, made Kobe feel annoyed.

Philadelphia, Market Street, Su Feng's apartment.

Seeing Kobe again after a month, Su Feng noticed that Kobe's elbows were noticeably thicker than before.

But compared to his own...

They were still a bit thinner.

Kobe was relatively slender in his rookie season. Before he started fighting with O'Neal for that damn low post position, Su Feng knew that Kobe wouldn't be gaining weight like crazy.

"Seriously, Su, it's rare for me to come back, and you're making such simple spaghetti?"

Looking at the spaghetti with only tomato sauce and a little meat sauce in his plate, Kobe felt that Su Feng had changed.

Before, even without him reminding, Su Feng would always prepare a big meal for him.

But now, ever since he formed the new Philadelphia CP with Allen Iverson, Kobe felt that even the frequency of Su Feng calling him had decreased.

"Eat it or not?" Su Feng said, looking at Kobe with his 'Fiery Eyes.'

"..."

Kobe didn't answer, but started eating with a face full of grief.

It was tough...

Why did this guy's tone and manner of speaking change too?

After eating a big plate of spaghetti in one go, Kobe curiously looked at Su Feng, who was still busy in the kitchen, and asked, "Are you making your own dinner?

What are you going to eat?"

"Wellington steak," Su Feng replied straightforwardly.

Kobe: "!!!"

What the hell!

Kobe couldn't sit still anymore. He stood up and stared at Su Feng with his 'Death Stare,' saying, "Didn't you say you didn't have any left?"

"Yeah, this is the last piece. I can't eat spaghetti myself, can I?" Su Feng said with a wink.

Kobe felt like he had suffered a billion points of damage.

At this moment, his mood was even worse than when McGrady had sprayed him with 13 sentences in 35 seconds a few days ago.

Whatever.

Maybe...

That's life?

Kobe was silent. He sat at the dining table, motionless, his expression blank.

A few minutes later...

When he saw Su Feng bringing out the Wellington steak from the kitchen, Kobe vowed that from today onwards, he was done with Su Feng...

"Eat it, what are you waiting for?" Su Feng said with a smile, placing the Wellington steak in front of Kobe.

"..."

After a long silence, Kobe looked up at Su Feng and said, "This is for me?"

"Duh, with your appetite, would that plate of spaghetti be enough for you?" Su Feng rolled his eyes at Kobe and said.

"Then aren't you going to eat?" Kobe asked curiously.

Su Feng didn't want to tell Kobe the cruel truth, because before Kobe arrived, Su Feng had just finished another steak.

Su Feng wasn't lying to Kobe, because on Christmas night, his ingredients had indeed been almost wiped out by Big Ben and Ratliff.

However, with the friendship between Kobe and Su Feng, how could Su Feng not have a backup plan knowing that the Lakers were coming to Philadelphia at the end of the year?

At the dining table, seeing that Su Feng didn't answer him, Kobe, thinking that Su Feng hadn't eaten yet, hesitated for a moment and cut the steak into two halves.

He kept a quarter for himself, and then looked at Su Feng and said, "I'll just taste it, you eat some too!"

Damn it...

Kobe, you know, with the emotional intelligence you're showing in front of me, O'Neal is really going to cry in the future.

"You eat, I'm not hungry," Su Feng said to Kobe with a smile.

"That won't do, you're my best friend, how can I let you go hungry?" Kobe said seriously, looking at Su Feng.

"I'm on a diet recently, the coach wants me to control my weight," Su Feng said, making up a reason.

"You really aren't going to eat?" Kobe looked at the steak in the plate, swallowing his saliva.

"Really not eating," Su Feng said with a smile.

After finishing the steak, Kobe was satisfied.

Next, Su Feng and Kobe talked about the NBA for a while.

Kobe's situation was good. So far this season, he was averaging 9.4 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game.

For Kobe, who was currently just a small substitute for the Lakers, these stats were better than his rookie season in Su Feng's previous life.

But compared to Su Feng, who had almost been blown into a Philadelphia Jordan by die-hard fans...

These stats were unconvincing!

Young Kobe, I just scored 30+ in Salt Lake City, you know?

The youngest 30+ scorer in the NBA, his name is Su Feng, you know?

My playing time is three times yours, you know?

Unfortunately, Su Feng couldn't successfully stab Kobe's heart.

Because after eating the Wellington steak, Kobe was in a good mood.

"Come on, with your shot selection, I get anxious just watching you," Kobe retorted.

Su Feng: "..."

"Is that how you play basketball? To put it nicely, you're decisive, to put it bluntly, you're just throwing up shots," Kobe added.

Su Feng: "..."

What the hell!

Su Feng's negative emotions +1, +1...

Remember this, Kobe, don't you ever play basketball like me in the future!

Seeing Su Feng's speechless expression, Kobe was overjoyed.

Before leaving, Kobe thought for a while and said to Su Feng:

"Su, wait, one day, I will face you on the court as a starting player for the Lakers."

In fact, regarding Su Feng's recent achievements, Kobe was just complaining on the surface. In his heart, he knew very well that although his starting point was higher than Su Feng's when entering the NBA, he had now been surpassed by Su Feng.

However, the future was still so long, and Kobe believed that he would definitely not lose to Su Feng in terms of endurance.

...

On the 30th, at the Zhongzhou Arena, because it was the last battle of 1996, before the game, the 76ers also played a slogan at home to say goodbye to 1996 and welcome 1997.

During the pre-game warm-up, Ratliff and Big Ben began to "praise" each other again.

Especially when he saw O'Neal's brutal dunks during the warm-up, Ratliff suddenly felt a little pain in his stomach and a little tightness in his chest...

During the peak of O'Neal's career, his power was so great that the entire league feared him.

He even forced the league to introduce zone defense in the 00/01 season to limit him.

Su Feng knew very well that the Lakers, with O'Neal, were the most difficult opponent for the current 76ers.

The last time the team won in Los Angeles was largely coincidental, and in Su Feng's opinion, it was not of any reference value, because even if Ratliff and Big Ben were at their peak, they couldn't resist this shark.

But for Su Feng, who was treating every game as his last, no matter how difficult it was, he had to fight!

How could he allow this fast and nimble shark to show off at the Zhongzhou Arena?

...

Speaking of which, just as Su Feng was busy behind the scenes...

On the other side, O'Neal's eyes were also fixed on Su Feng.

O'Neal would never forget that this kid was the one who hit the game-winner against the Lakers in the last game.

And it was right in front of him!

The thought of the Lakers being mocked as a "fake strong team" after that game made O'Neal angry.

O'Neal really couldn't understand why he had signed autographs for both Su Feng and Kobe, but why was Kobe so obedient, while Su Feng was so rebellious?

Recently, when Kobe came off the bench, O'Neal would always encourage Kobe to shoot boldly.

Because in O'Neal's opinion, he had to help Kobe surpass this Su Feng.

Anyway, it didn't matter if Kobe missed.

Wouldn't that just increase his offensive rebound stats?

What's the big deal?

This season, O'Neal was averaging nearly 4 offensive rebounds per game. In the public's opinion, many people believed that the only reason preventing O'Neal from becoming the rebounding champion was because he was sometimes too "lazy."

And facing these criticisms about his "laziness," O'Neal's response was also very domineering.

He believed that he didn't need to grab rebounds like Rodman because he didn't rely on that to make money.

It was said that after hearing O'Neal's response, the angriest person was not Rodman, but a certain unit of measurement in Chicago.

Tonight, O'Neal, who came to the Zhongzhou Arena with the motivation to blow it up, had already informed his teammates in advance.

The shark was about to feast!

...

Zhongzhou Arena, as the big screen showed the starting lineups for both teams tonight, the atmosphere in the entire arena gradually reached its climax.

Lakers: O'Neal, Campbell, Ceballos, Jones, Van Exel.

76ers: Ratliff, Big Ben, Su Feng, Stackhouse, Iverson.

Tonight, "Little Clever" Davis changed the team's starting lineup under Su Feng's subtle suggestions.

Because the 76ers couldn't contain O'Neal, Davis planned to run and gun with the Lakers, to see who could score faster.

And believe it or not, Stackhouse, who hadn't been in the starting lineup for a long time, was actually reluctant to start tonight.

Because Stackhouse had become more and more happy as a substitute recently, and the local media in Philadelphia had praised him for having the potential to compete for the Sixth Man of the Year award.

In Stackhouse's opinion, there was no future in starting for the 76ers.

If it weren't for Su Feng's sake, he, Stackhouse, would rather be a small substitute!

On the Lakers' bench, Kobe's thoughts were completely different from Stackhouse's.

Although he was still 'obediently' sitting on the bench tonight, Kobe couldn't hide his frustration at this moment.

Kobe was no stranger to Philadelphia.

Because he was the "Son of Philadelphia."

Even today, the glorious years of Lower Merion would always flash in Kobe's mind.

Looking at Su Feng wearing the 76ers' number 23 jersey, how could Kobe not be envious?

This was the script that Kobe wanted the most.

Starting!

The next time he came to Philadelphia, he must become a starting player for the Lakers!

Kobe clenched his small fists on the bench, while on the court, after O'Neal won the jump ball for the Lakers' first possession, Van Exel dribbled the ball past half court.

O'Neal walked towards Ratliff step by step with his formidable pace.

Having received psychological counseling from Su Feng before the game, Ratliff was not as flustered at this time. He decisively went in front of O'Neal, trying to interfere with his reception of the ball.

On the side, Big Ben's eyes were also closely watching Jones, who was preparing to pass the ball to O'Neal.

However, even though Big Ben and Ratliff had done their best, O'Neal still received the ball unreasonably, then opened up Big Ben and dunked the ball for the first basket.

That, is Shaq!

2-0!

O'Neal was very proud of making the basket. However, just as he was about to celebrate the dunk with a "霸王步 (ba wang bu - Tyrant Step, a boastful way of walking)"…

Big Ben had already run to the baseline and passed the baseline ball.

"......"

O'Neal, who had just taken the first step of his celebration, almost twisted his waist.

The 76ers were too much!

After coming to the Lakers, O'Neal had gained a lot of weight, and the only way to defeat such a team with a big center was to use speed.

Of course, O'Neal was still very fast at this time. Look, didn't he successfully return with a face full of resentment?

Looking at the unhappy O'Neal, Su Feng thought, you're unhappy with just this, you're going to explode later, aren't you?

There was no way to use conventional methods to deal with O'Neal.

Because if this shark could be solved by conventional methods, the NBA wouldn't have introduced zone defense for him.

On the court, the 76ers' first possession also went in. Iverson shook Van Exel and made a mid-range shot.

During this period, the Lakers' outside line, except for Jones, was leaky.

This kind of mid-range shot was one of Iverson's signature offensive moves, and coincidentally, the position where Iverson had just shot was exactly where O'Neal couldn't defend.

Back on the Lakers' possession, O'Neal tried to establish position again.

Ratliff used all his strength this time, but after O'Neal gently swung his butt, Ratliff was pushed away again...

That said, O'Neal's strength was really terrifying.

4-2, O'Neal easily scored after running over Ratliff before Big Ben's help defense arrived. At this time, on the 76ers' bench, Davis called Henriksen.

After confirming that Ratliff was indeed unable to resist O'Neal, Davis was ready to make a substitution.

On the court, looking at Henriksen, who was standing on the sidelines and looked even thinner than Ratliff, O'Neal was a little disdainful.

Because even Ratliff couldn't defend him, did the 76ers expect this guy to defend him?

Of course, Henriksen couldn't defend O'Neal.

And the person he was going to replace wasn't Ratliff either.

On the 76ers' possession, after Iverson drew Van Exel's hitting foul, Henriksen came on and Big Ben went off.

On the Lakers' bench, Harris was a little confused...

Because he couldn't understand what Davis was trying to do.

This Ben Wallace was playing well, and his help defense was also good, so why was he taken off?

Unfortunately, Su Feng didn't know Harris's thoughts, otherwise he would have told Harris: Isn't that obvious? We're going to 'Hack-a-Shaq,' are we going to keep Big Ben to trade fouls with you?

Unfortunately, Su Feng hadn't saved Big Ben's free throws.

He had even let Big Ben practice the '端尿盆 (duan niao pen - holding a chamber pot)' divine skill, but...

Whether it was because Big Ben had an "idol burden" or not, this guy shot even worse than usual when practicing 'holding a chamber pot.'

Before convincing Big Ben to wholeheartedly accept 'holding a chamber pot,' Su Feng felt that this guy's free throws were hopeless.

On the court, Henriksen made a screen for Su Feng after coming on. The Lakers didn't know much about his characteristics, but looking at him, the Lakers players thought that this should be a Laettner-type player.

There was no way, the 76ers' substitutes were all secret weapons, because even the 76ers' fans didn't know what characteristics their substitutes had...

Henriksen was a player selected by the 76ers in the second round this year. He played in the Summer League with the Iron Triangle in the summer. His playing style was soft, but he had a good shot.

The Lakers players' guess on the court was right, this guy was indeed a Laettner-type player.

"Are they trying to create offensive space and pull our bigs out?" On the Lakers' bench, Harris thought to himself, looking at Henriksen, who was standing still at the baseline.

Clang!

After Henriksen's screen, Su Feng's jump shot missed, and O'Neal secured the rebound. However, just as O'Neal was preparing to pass the ball to Van Exel, Henriksen, who had been motionless, suddenly moved...

He fearlessly rushed towards O'Neal, then hugged O'Neal tightly with a tremble.

O'Neal: "???"

Are you crazy!

...

P.S.: I went, this chapter, at least the second half of the chapter was revised 9 times, and rewritten 9 times. So tired! 15,000-word update delivered. Ah Qiao can't stand it anymore. Good night, dear readers! Please ask for a wave of monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, favorites, and rewards! See you tomorrow!