At the time of the timeout, the Chinese male compatriots watching TV were "floating"...
At Spectrum Arena, under the leadership of cheerleader Hannah, the energetic 76ers cheerleaders wore miniskirts, revealing the dazzling white flowers on their chests.
"Coach, I want to play!"
"Eh, no, honey, listen to me, I really am watching the NBA—ouch, it hurts, don't pinch my waist..."
Unfortunately, two years later, fans would only see commercials during timeouts.
The timeout ended, and the game resumed.
After the break, the Bucks executed a successful low-post tactic.
Vin Baker worked with his teammates on a pick-and-roll, and from the left wing Ray Allen lobbed the ball to him.
However, Baker, with his long arms and legs, did not dominate the physical clash with Weatherspoon.
To be fair, Weatherspoon was also a player born in the wrong era.
Had he been born a few years later, learning to chase guards and poke at passing lanes, he could have been a proper championship piece.
Still, Baker's immobility against Weatherspoon and his unrefined body were squeezed and tossed around like waves...
But after a difficult spin, Baker's long arms showed their advantage.
Swish—!
4 to 9.
It was the 76ers' turn to attack. After being hit by the "Golden Double Guns" early on, the Bucks' defensive intensity immediately rose after the timeout.
Okay...
In this era, raising defensive intensity didn't mean motivational speeches from future coaches, or asking whether you were "awake" or not...
In the 1990s, improving defense meant: elbow to elbow, body to body.
Boom—!
On the court, Iverson once again broke through Douglas' defense.
Just as Iverson prepared to land like an NFL running back, Robinson came from the wing to defend and successfully "sacked" AI!
Although Iverson was strong, the collision at full speed sent even him flying two meters away.
The referees hesitated but did not blow the whistle.
Don't be surprised—this was the 90s.
Remember Michael Jordan being hounded by the Pistons' "Bad Boys"? His elbows and knees were battered, yet no fouls were called.
To put it bluntly, if a young player cried after being roughed up, Stern would never have introduced the "flagrant foul" rule against the Pistons' near-brawling defense.
Robinson's play was aggressive, but not dirty in the referees' eyes.
Thus, Robinson intercepted the ball and launched a fast break.
After dribbling to the three-point line, Robinson suddenly accelerated, using his elbow to block Su Feng.
Then came Robinson's signature move: three steps from the arc into a powerful layup.
6 to 9.
After scoring, the "Big Dog" turned to glare at Su Feng and Iverson, who had just returned. "Rookies, look—this is the NBA."
Iverson was fired up, but Su Feng pulled him back.
"You are Allen Iverson! In my mind, you're the man who wants to surpass Michael Jordan! Show them what real skill is," Su Feng said, patting Iverson's shoulder.
Adjusting his headband, Iverson nodded with determination.
The 76ers attacked again. The Bucks spread their defense wide, and Iverson faced tight pressure as soon as he crossed half court.
Douglas wanted to wear down Iverson's stamina. After all, he couldn't break through every possession like he did at the start.
The rhythm of the 90s was slower, tied to the long setups by guards.
The most classic example was the Bulls vs. Jazz battles. At critical moments, the Bulls didn't run complex plays—Jordan simply posted up after crossing half court.
As a member of the golden 1996 draft class, Iverson was naturally a prime target.
Against this kind of defense, the common solution was to find an opportunity to pass inside or to the wing. Because this can reduce the error rate.
On the court, Stackhouse felt his opportunity had arrived.
He raised his hand to signal Iverson to pass him the ball, ready to challenge Ray Allen.
Boom—!
Su Feng suddenly slipped into a high position to set a pick-and-roll for Iverson.
In basketball, the pick-and-roll is arguably the most common tactic.
Among the 76ers' big men, Williams lacked athleticism, and Weatherspoon preferred isolation plays. So, in Iverson's rookie season, the offense was mostly a variety of flashy one-on-one moves.
But now things were different.
Iverson faced defenders both behind and in front of him.
Douglas was blocked by Su Feng, and although Robinson rotated quickly, Iverson had already taken off!
Wham—!
Unfortunately, Iverson's layup was too strong, and the ball bounced off the rim.
On the bench, role player Davis felt inspired.
Because Su Feng was quick, could cut, had shooting range, and could roll to the basket, his pick-and-roll with Iverson looked promising.
Well...
Davis may have forgotten that Su Feng wasn't following his playbook at all.
The Bucks attacked again, and Robinson went to work. Same taste, same familiar formula.
Su Feng wasn't afraid of his physicality—Robinson's poor acting couldn't fool Su Feng's sharp eyes.
In Seattle, Payton believed Su Feng was a natural warrior.
Without the right mentality, how could one achieve greatness?
Robinson's career-high was 45 points, but his critical hit rate wasn't high.
Clang—!
The unique iron battle of the 1990s began. After Williams grabbed a rebound, Su Feng missed a turnaround jumper on the wing in the next possession.
With 5:27 left in the first quarter, Ray Allen stepped up to change the score.
Another long two-pointer:
8 to 9
Hand-checking placed too many restrictions on perimeter players, and referees often turned a blind eye. For fans, watching NBA games could be frustrating.
But for Su Feng, who thrived in physical battles, he enjoyed the punch-to-body intensity.
On the sideline, Davis prepared a substitution. He planned to replace Williams with Big Ben to speed things up.
Thanks to his strong preseason performance and his status as "one of their own," Davis decided to gradually increase Big Ben's minutes.
The 76ers attacked, and Iverson passed the ball to Su Feng.
Stackhouse and Weatherspoon were exasperated.
"What's going on? Su Feng is your guy—do you play basketball like this? Do you both just go one-on-one?"
On the court, Su Feng ignored their expressions. His focus was entirely on Robinson.
Holding the ball in his right hand, he looked ready to drive baseline.
Robinson anticipated Su Feng's move, but just as he rushed to cut him off, Su Feng suddenly dribbled the ball back through his legs!
Refer to his dribbling ability—rated 67!
This was the flashy between-the-legs move of Philadelphia's Irving!
Though a bit stiff...
It worked!
The unprepared Robinson was left behind, and Su Feng exploded forward with his signature jet acceleration!
In the Bucks' restricted area, Vin Baker and Ray Allen recovered in time. Su Feng's explosive speed shocked the entire Arena, but in the final two steps...
As Su Feng fell into the "desperate situation" of facing two defenders, Stackhouse suddenly made a strange decision.
He thought Su Feng would pass him the ball, so he sprinted forward.
And you might not believe it—Su Feng actually saw Stackhouse on this play.
After all, Stackhouse had been sending him one-on-one challenges every day. How could Su Feng forget that tragic face?
Although not known for his passing, Su Feng could swear on his right hand that he was always happy to "share the burden" with his teammates.
This time, instead of challenging Baker's long arms, Su Feng tossed the ball high into the air...
Awkward!
The quality of Su Feng's pass was average, a bit too high.
Fortunately, as the 1995 North Carolina standout, Stackhouse's leaping ability was truly impressive.
Clang—!
8 to 11
After a long silence, Spectrum Arena erupted again thanks to the alley-oop.
Su Feng's first career assist, comically enough, went to Stackhouse.
On Datianchao TV, Director Zhang laughed: "How reasonable was that pass?"
"To make his teammate look better, Su Feng deliberately threw it higher," he added.
Commentator Sun Zhengping agreed: "That was truly an imaginative pass."
On the court, Stackhouse froze for a moment, then walked over to Su Feng and extended his hand.
"Nice dunk. I'll let you off in training tomorrow," Su Feng said as they clapped hands.
"..."
At that moment, Stackhouse felt conflicted.
But after thinking it through, if helping Su Feng get an assist meant fewer battles with him, maybe it wasn't so bad.
The game continued. Vin Baker scored inside, adding two more points for the Bucks.
Perhaps because of Su Feng and Big Ben's aggressive defense, even Williams and Davis now looked uncomfortable.
To Davis, it seemed that even if you couldn't stop the ball, you still had to reach out!
The 76ers attacked. Iverson scored, and Witherspoon followed with a bank shot.
10 to 13
But after scoring, Weatherspoon stayed silent.
In his view, if Iverson kept playing so "independently" this season, his own stats wouldn't look good.
The Bucks attacked again. This time Williams extended his arm on defense and committed a foul.
Vin Baker went to the free-throw line, while the 76ers made substitutions: Big Ben for Williams.
As Baker prepared his free throws, he noticed the 76ers' lineup had weakened. Coach Ford pulled Robinson aside.
Tonight's inefficient Robinson had something in mind.
In the preseason, Big Ben had blocked him once. Back home, Robinson felt embarrassed.
Now was his chance for revenge!
Baker made both free throws.
12 to 13
Iverson dribbled past half court, and Big Ben came to set a screen.
Although Big Ben lacked offensive polish, Bucks center Lang followed him.
Douglas was dizzy from Iverson's dribble and was taken straight into Big Ben's arms.
When Douglas looked up, he saw a man with a robber's face grinning at him...
"Mom! A ghost!"
Swish—!
This time Iverson played it smart. Instead of driving inside, he calmly launched a democratic three-point shot from outside.
In the preseason, Iverson's three-point percentage reached 38.5%. In this short-range three-point era, his madness was just right.
12 to 16
The Bucks turned around to attack.
Robinson drove hard to the basket.
Unfortunately... not everyone's three-step move with the ball looks like a future highlight reel.
Robinson thought he had a beautiful play. As he rose, he noticed the help defense coming, so he deliberately paused in midair.
But just as the ball left his right hand, he forgot that Su Feng—who had been lurking easily behind—was waiting.
Since both had been nicknamed "The King," how could Su Feng, future mentor to Akron's child, not possess the "chase-down block" attribute?
Su Feng realized his defensive instincts were almost terrifying.
Snap—!
Su Feng nailed the ball to the backboard with both hands and grabbed it firmly!
Robinson was stunned when he landed. At that moment, he understood how exaggerated the static talent of the yellow-clad rookie in front of him truly was.
This was the new reality—100% despised passive.
If Robinson were truly the No. 1 pick, with consistent IQ, he could have led the Bucks' lineup to the top four in the East.
On Datianchao TV, Zhang Weiping exclaimed: "Su Feng just stuffed the top pick, Glenn Robinson!"
In front of the TV, young Yao chuckled: "Brother Feng's pursuit and defensive speed is too fast."
At Spectrum Arena, Su Feng threw the ball to Iverson after the block.
Iverson winked at Su Feng, signaling him to keep up.
At that moment, 20,000 Philadelphia fans rose to their feet.
Because as the "Golden Double Guns" rushed forward, everyone realized a masterpiece was about to be born!
Reaching the basket first, Iverson lobbed the ball perfectly in stride for Su Feng. This seemingly simple pass carried their growing bond.
This play deserved a spot in the day's Top Five highlights.
Su Feng caught the ball one-handed in midair and slammed it down like Kilimanjaro!
"Su —————————— Feng!"
Spectrum Arena erupted in chaos!
Su Feng never imagined that in his very first career game, he would deliver two such dunks.
As he landed, Iverson rushed to his chest in excitement.
"Hey, Su, do you know what you just did? You stuffed the No. 1 pick and finished a shocking dunk!" Iverson was even happier than Su Feng.
He knew that as long as Su Feng finished the play, it would be a Top Five highlight. That's why he signaled Su Feng to follow.
12 to 18
Chinese fans watching on TV were dumbfounded.
Some even began cursing the basketball association emotionally.
"Did you see that? This is freedom, this is never bowing—long live Philadelphia! For freedom!" shouted Pat Claus from the sidelines, raising his arms.
Reality was almost too dramatic.
As the saying goes, even novels wouldn't dare write it like this...
On the court, the Bucks were stopped by the 76ers for the second time.
At this moment, neither Robinson nor Baker, nor even Bucks coach Ford, dared to treat Iverson and Su Feng as rookies.
"Forget the bad start, guys, show some real skills!" Ford barked before drawing up tactics.
On the 76ers' bench, Davis patted Su Feng's shoulder with satisfaction. "Su, take a rest. When there are 7 minutes left in the second quarter, I'll put you back in."
Su Feng nodded obediently. "Okay, coach."
Davis smiled, then picked up the tactical board. "Next, we'll focus on Clarence."
Hearing this, Su Feng—still thinking about how to earn more playing time—realized Davis was helping Weatherspoon pad his stats.
Looking at Weatherspoon, who believed the coaching staff had bowed to him, Su Feng felt a pang of bitterness.
This was the NBA—ruthless.
Only here could Su Feng truly understand what "business" and "business alliance" meant.
At that moment, Su Feng further strengthened his "Heart."
So, after fulfilling his dream of entering the NBA, behind his goals of becoming a basketball star and marrying SuperStar, Su Feng added another dream.
He wanted to become the real "The King"!