After sitting by the drinking fountain and remaining empty all night, Kobe's thoughts had already surfaced, while Su Feng kept turning over and over.
In case of emergency, Kobe had turned off his mobile phone.
Philadelphia.
After returning to his apartment following the press conference, Su Feng couldn't sleep.
He tossed and turned on the bed, excitedly rolling around…
After all, it was the first game of his career, capped off with a clutch play. For Su Feng, who had poured out countless hours of sweat over the past two years, how could he not be overjoyed?
After a long while, Su Feng picked up his phone, intending to call Bryant.
"Shut down?"
Su Feng felt a little disappointed.
Because Kobe hadn't shared in his joy, the moment felt incomplete.
And so it went, until late into the night, when Su Feng, unable to sleep, finally drifted off.
The next day.
When Su Feng woke up, he realized it was already morning.
It was fine—since there had been a game yesterday, the team hadn't scheduled training for that morning.
After breakfast and fixing his hair, Su Feng headed to the training hall.
"Su, did you watch TV? You and Allen made three of the top five plays."
As soon as Su Feng entered the hall, assistant coach Jason greeted him.
"I saw it."
Su Feng's clutch dunk had taken the number one spot among the top five plays. Another highlight was his block against Robinson, followed by a fast break score. Iverson also had a play on the list—a lightning-fast one-handed dunk.
Unfortunately, the English commentary for the top five plays was enthusiastic but lacked nuance.
It's worth mentioning that before training began, Coach Davis deliberately praised both Su Feng and Iverson.
Of course, Davis also emphasized the upcoming game against the Chicago Bulls.
"Su, tomorrow I want you matched up against Michael. Any thoughts on that?" Davis asked, looking at Su Feng.
Thoughts?
Su Feng's only thought at that moment was: Davis, you're really throwing me into the fire!
Su Feng was worried about hitting a bottleneck in his defensive ability and knew he needed to be tested—ah, to face Michael Jordan, something Su Feng had always dreamed of!
After all, Jordan was a legend. How could Su Feng not want to challenge him?
When Su Feng first learned basketball in his previous life, his favorite thing was to play with friends wherever the competition was strongest.
So without hesitation, Su Feng replied: "No problem, coach!"
Davis nodded with satisfaction. "Defending Michael Jordan isn't just Su's responsibility alone. I hope everyone can learn from Su on the court and support each other, because we are one team!"
After winning the season opener, the 76ers' morale had risen significantly.
But the mention of facing the Bulls…
Well, that was enough to make anyone nervous.
In 1996, too many players were intimidated by Jordan.
Many rookies were even specifically warned by their coaches before games not to provoke the "old rogue."
So, in the eyes of Weatherspoon and others, Su Feng and Iverson might as well have been renamed "suicidal."
Look at Stackhouse—after being publicly humbled by the legend last year, he's much more low-key now, isn't he?
Meanwhile…
After overhearing Weatherspoon and others privately discussing "Ai Feng," Stackhouse went off to practice shooting alone.
Because of the veterans' temper, he had grown irritable himself…
And ended up beating himself up several times a year.
But Su Feng…
Has a saying: There is an iron man named Su, who resembles a dragon, enjoys one-on-one battles, and immediately becomes an ally whenever he meets Iverson.
His motto is: No matter how good the play is, if the stack is high, it's invincible and hard to beat.
"Hey, Jerry, are you shooting?"
After the coach explained the tactics, the players entered free practice time.
Seeing Stackhouse practicing three-pointers, Su Feng stepped forward with a laugh.
Sure enough, could he really escape the fate of battling him?
Stackhouse looked up at the ceiling, then tossed the basketball in his hand to Su Feng with a sigh.
"Bring it on!"
Su Feng raised an eyebrow at Stackhouse.
He had only wanted to chat briefly…
"Aren't you here to challenge me to a one-on-one?" Stackhouse asked in surprise.
Su Feng shook his head. "I just played such a tough game yesterday—how could I be that reckless?"
Relieved, Stackhouse smiled and said, "I watched the top five plays. Your two dunks were impressive."
"Hey, it's not really a big deal."
Su Feng scratched his hair, looking at Stackhouse expectantly.
Stackhouse nodded. "Well, it's good you have such a humble attitude."
Su Feng: "????"
Su Feng suspected Stackhouse hadn't caught his hint, so he pressed further: "But it really is exciting to make the top five."
Stackhouse spread his hands.
"I also made the top five last year. Honestly, don't worry too much about it. The most important thing is to play well."
Although Su Feng knew Stackhouse was right, he suddenly grew serious after not hearing the response he wanted—twice in a row.
"Come on, Jerry, let's play one-on-one!"
"..."
Stackhouse's mindset collapsed.
He wanted to refuse.
But could he?
On the court, when teammates heard Su Feng and Stackhouse were about to face off, they immediately started betting again.
"Perhaps this is fate?" Stackhouse thought silently.
…
Philadelphia—just as the 76ers were training, the Bulls players, who had flown in after last night's game, were also waking up one by one.
There is an unwritten rule in the NBA: after a game, the coach will never wake the players early the next morning.
The 82 regular-season games test not only strength but also endurance.
Of course, such unspoken rules also accommodate the "night owls."
After all, Harden merely inherited the fine traditions of his predecessors.
In fact, one of the great pleasures for many NBA players is experiencing the different nightclub cultures in various cities and, as they say, "helping" local women improve their happiness index.
Take "Rain Man" Kemp, for example—he was notorious during this period. Even years later, he didn't know how many illegitimate children he had.
There's a saying in the NBA: if you see Kemp again on a basketball show, it's probably because he can't afford his child support.
After the team arrived in Philadelphia, Phil Jackson did not reserve the 76ers' arena for pre-game practice.
Unlike the outside perception that the Bulls would simply copy and paste last year's success, Jackson—who had long endorsed KFC—was keenly aware of problems within the team.
After achieving unprecedented success last year, the decline in the Bulls' momentum was undeniable.
Take Rodman, for example. Last year, in order to prove himself, he behaved off the court but remained disciplined during games.
This year was different.
Over the summer, Rodman was busy making movies and appearing on reality shows. His focus had gradually drifted away from basketball.
In Su Feng's previous life, during the 1996–97 season, Pippen and Jordan even wanted to kick Rodman off the team.
The reason was an incident in a 1997 game against the Timberwolves. While battling Garnett, Rodman dove out of bounds to save a rebound.
Tripped by a cameraman, Rodman got up in frustration and kicked the photographer directly in the crotch.
During Rodman's suspension, the Bulls' record remained solid, leading many players to believe they could win without him.
And unlike the first three championships, during the latter three, the Bulls' roster was aging significantly.
On February 17 of the following year, Jordan would turn 34.
Rodman was already 35, and key players like Pippen and Harper were also past 30…
In addition, to preserve their championship core, the Bulls' total payroll exceeded $58 million that summer—a record high in NBA history.
Of course, a large portion of that went to Jordan himself.
That summer, Jordan's agent, Falk, had initially proposed a two-year, $50 million deal to Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Reinsdorf, however, was only willing to sign for one year. In the end, Jordan received a staggering $30 million annual salary.
One year later, "True Fragrance" Reinsdorf would pay Jordan another $33 million. (Note ①)
The total value of those two years was $63 million. Ironically, Reinsdorf's "brilliant operation" ended up costing the Bulls more than Falk's original two-year, $50 million proposal.
And behind Jordan's sky-high contract renewal was Pippen's increasingly strong sense of "jealousy."
In Pippen's view, Jordan had given a lot to the Bulls and deserved the $30 million he received.
But Rodman was also earning $9 million a year, while he…
Well, Pippen really couldn't blame anyone but himself.
Before signing his seven-year, $20 million contract with the Bulls, everyone around him had warned that NBA salaries would inevitably rise in the future and advised him not to lock himself into such a long deal.
At the time, however, Pippen firmly believed those people were trying to mislead him.
So he signed—and two years later, when he looked at his teammates' salaries, he cried.
In the 1996–97 season, Pippen's annual salary was only $2.25 million.
As the Bulls' second-best player, his salary ranked just sixth on the team.
Pippen's "jealousy" would fully explode in the 1997–98 season.
Seeking a lucrative extension and revenge against management, Pippen played in two charity games with a foot injury before the season began, which led to nearly half a season lost to injury.
From a broader perspective, the Bulls' second three-peat—especially the last two titles—was always on the edge, each championship extremely difficult to secure.
In truth, they were no longer invincible.
For this reason, Phil Jackson never discouraged Jordan from testing rookies during the second three-peat. He even occasionally joked about newcomers in front of Jordan.
Because Jackson needed Jordan to stay motivated.
Just as Jordan said in the summer of 1997, when urging the Bulls to re-sign Jackson: "I only play for Phil Jackson." And indeed, Jackson only truly trusted Jordan within this Bulls team.
Now, two rookies had successfully triggered Jordan's "serious buff."
After arriving in Philadelphia, Jordan didn't go anywhere.
He shut himself in the hotel.
In addition to watching the 76ers' game footage, he studied Iverson's college highlights and Su Feng's high school tapes, as well as the top five plays shown on TV.
After some careful thought, Jordan sought out Pippen.
It's worth noting that during the Bulls' second three-peat, Jordan often showed rare emotional intelligence by publicly praising Pippen to keep him appeased.
Frankly, Jordan was never a god.
He was a man willing to sacrifice everything to win championships.
Otherwise, what "god" have you ever seen partying off the court more than Jordan?
Hiss…
Well, perhaps Zeus fits that description…
Anyway, back to the point.
"Tomorrow, I want to guard that kid they call 'The King,'" Jordan said to Pippen.
Pippen nodded—he enjoyed testing rookies.
Still, he found it odd. Last year, the 76ers had produced a youngster named Stackhouse, and now this year, again, another?
"In addition, I want you to guard the kid called 'The Answer,'" Jordan added.
"..."
For a long moment, Pippen stared at Jordan. "You're not joking?"
Jordan shrugged. "I want to bet with you."
MD again?
This wasn't the first time Jordan had dragged Pippen into a wager—and in the past, Pippen had been burned by it!
As we all know, the Bulls play a video of a bull running on the big screen at home games. Jordan, who loves betting on it, would find Pippen and wager on which color bull would win.
Because the video was pre-recorded, Jordan quietly asked management which bull would cross the finish line—and then tricked Pippen all season long…
"Relax, this game is absolutely fair, open, and just." Jordan patted his chest and swore with his conscience.
Pippen rolled his eyes. In his view, Jordan's conscience had long been gambled away in Las Vegas along with his banknotes.
But having assisted Jordan for so many years, Pippen wasn't stupid. He looked at Jordan curiously. "This time, what do you want to bet?"
"Tomorrow's game—let's see which of us defends those two rookies worse. Bet $5,000." Jordan sneered.
"Of course, I can't let you lose. So, for the one called 'The Answer,' every time he doesn't shoot in front of you, I'll raise you $500," Jordan added.
Pippen thought for a moment. Although guarding Allen Iverson was clearly more difficult, that raise…
Well…
Alright!
After all, where else would Jordan do charity?
In Pippen's view, instead of Jordan's money going to those greedy capitalists, it was better for him to take it as a "poor man."
So, Pippen agreed readily.
"That's it. I'll talk to Phil about it."
Seeing Pippen agree, Jordan was delighted. He felt his "serious mode" had now shifted into second gear.
Don't ask—it was all about tormenting the newcomers.
…
On the 3rd, Su Feng woke up from a nightmare.
He dreamed that during a game against the Lakers, just as he wanted to face Kobe Bryant, O'Neal's body suddenly multiplied in size, and then Shaq slapped him to the ground.
"Phew, it was just a dream."
Considering Kobe's limited playing time in his rookie season, Su Feng even suspected he might not face Kobe at all this year.
Hey, my opponent is already Michael Jordan, Kobe.
Originally, Su Feng refused to be thrown straight into the dragon's den right after leaving "rookie village."
But whenever he thought of Kobe's expression of envy and jealousy, Su Feng felt cheerful.
No helping it—sometimes men's fun is just that simple.
"By the way, according to the timing, he should already be drinking the sports drink I sent him before. I'll wait a few days before sending another batch." Su Feng, awakened by the nightmare, thought silently as he opened the refrigerator.
Because today was game day against the Bulls, all of Philadelphia was buzzing like it was a holiday.
NBC would broadcast the Bulls' visit to Philadelphia, making this the first live appearance of the "Golden Double Guns" in the United States.
In addition, NBC planned to air an exclusive interview with Su Feng during halftime.
It must be said—the American media really know how to seize hot topics to attract viewers.
After staging a clutch dunk in his debut, Su Feng's name wasn't yet widely known, but his popularity had already skyrocketed.
Many Chinese fans in North America regarded Su Feng as their idol. After all, watching only Black and White players battle each other, who else could they relate to?
Nike and Adidas couldn't sit still. Both giants saw potential in Su Feng.
But before rushing, agent Bill Duffy had something to say.
Duffy gave Su Feng two options: one was to immediately start negotiations with the two giants and decide based on their offers; the other was to wait.
After discussing with Duffy, Su Feng chose to wait.
The reason was simple. Nike and Adidas weren't fools. Su Feng's shoe endorsement contract would have to start at a minimum of five years.
And with such a long contract, caution was necessary.
Su Feng was willing to wait another six months because he knew that, given the opportunities he had with the 76ers, his stats would look even better by then—and the contract would be bigger.
Once negotiations began, there wouldn't be much room for bargaining.
Su Feng usually didn't go to any "golden clubs." His happiness was simply playing basketball.
After signing a contract with McDonald's, Su Feng wasn't short of money. Even if he wanted to invest, he wasn't in a hurry.
Therefore, in Su Feng's view, the most important thing right now was to play every game well.
The better his performance, the more leverage he would have in negotiations with Duffy.
Only then would those two giants treat him like candy.
Simply put: either don't talk about it yet, or talk about it properly.
"Bulls…"
After checking his arsenal again, on the way to the arena, Su Feng could already feel the extraordinary weight of this upcoming regular-season game…
The biggest boss of the 90s.
The Chicago Bulls.
Let's do it!
…
PS: Note ① Before the labor negotiations of the 1998–99 season, the NBA had no maximum salary cap. Therefore, Jordan could use Bird Rights to sign contracts with the Bulls. In theory, it all depended on whether the owner was willing to spend. Ewing's $18 million in the 1995–96 season and $20 million in the 1997–98 season are also examples.