Chapter Five: Bringing a Ball to a Fight—What Could Go Wrong?

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Hua Shier exchanged a brief word with Old Kobe, then felt his vision begin to blur, while the chaotic sounds of the court gradually faded away.

Darkness enveloped him, and his consciousness seemed to slip away.

When he regained clarity, the roar of thunderous cheers filled his ears. Hua Shier found himself still standing on the court, but the fatigue from the earlier game and scuffle had vanished completely; his entire being was reinvigorated, his mind and body restored to peak condition.

Beside him stood Old Kobe, and surrounding them were teammates from the Lakers, including young Fisher.

Yet unlike before, when the arena was the home court of the Mosaic team, this time he saw the purple-and-gold court of the Lakers.

Just as he fully woke, a memory flashed rapidly within him — a memory related to Shaquille O’Neal from the 2001 season.

Receiving this memory, Hua Shier realized that Event Two had begun.

The current moment was the first game of the 2001 NBA Finals: the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Philadelphia 76ers, held at the Lakers’ home, the Staples Center.

At this point, the game had not yet started. The starting five players from both teams were entering the court, preparing to tip-off.

As the opening game of the Finals, this match was under global scrutiny, broadcast or re-broadcast in nearly two hundred countries and regions, using more than forty languages.

The arena sparkled with stars; the sidelines were packed with celebrities who had come to watch. When “Hua Shier” feigned waving to the fans with his teammates, he even caught sight of the reigning pop sensation Britney Spears and film legend Jack Nicholson, among other stars.

As Hua Shier’s gaze landed on the celebrities seated courtside, a voice suddenly shouted loudly:

“Shaq, I’m your fan!”

Hua Shier turned toward the voice and saw the famous actor Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who would later become governor, standing courtside, waving excitedly at him. He smiled and waved back, shouting:

“Sylvester, Arnold, I’m your fan too!”

The two screen tough guys grinned broadly and called out again:

“Shaq, take them down — just like you did Charles Barkley!”

Huh... what did they mean by “just like taking down Barkley”?

It struck him as odd because, in the real world, no one would say that. Such remarks would only be directed at Barkley, as media reports had made it clear that Shaq was the one who got beaten.

A thought stirred within Hua Shier — could the timelines of Event One and Event Two be connected?

He made an OK sign toward Rambo and the Terminator, then quietly asked Kobe beside him:

“Have you been on a helicopter recently?”

Kobe’s face darkened, and he replied glumly:

“Hey Shaq, please don’t bring that up. Last time I went to the Grand Canyon in Colorado with Vanessa, I refused to take the helicopter, and she’s been teasing me for being a coward ever since. I really regret agreeing to your silly request!”

Hua Shier laughed heartily. Better to be teased by your wife for cowardice than to get into trouble later. Kobe’s answer confirmed his suspicion — the timelines of Event One and Event Two were indeed connected.

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At this moment, the players from both sides gathered at center court, ready for the tip-off.

A compact figure in a black No. 3 jersey of the 76ers, sporting cornrows and exuding a strong aura, approached to greet O’Neal and Kobe.

Hua Shier’s eyes lit up instantly as he recognized the player.

Allen Iverson!

The greatest No. 3 in league history, and one of his basketball idols.

If this were another place and time, not the Finals about to start, and he were not Shaq himself, he would have immediately rushed over to ask Iverson for an autograph.

But at this moment, the most important thing for Hua Shier was not getting Iverson’s autograph, but beating him in this game to help the Lakers sweep the 76ers.

After a friendly high-five with Iverson, Hua Shier smiled and said:

“Hey Allen, ready to get swept by us?”

Iverson flashed a defiant grin:

“Shaq, you know trash talk doesn’t work on me. On the court, I fear no one and welcome every challenge!”

Hua Shier said nothing but gave Iverson a thumbs-up — not representing O’Neal, but himself, sincerely.

The players took their positions: the Lakers’ starting five were Fisher, Kobe, Fox, Grant, and O’Neal; the 76ers’ starting five were Iverson, McKie, Jumaine Jones, Tyronn Hill, and Mutombo.

With the referee’s whistle, the ball was tossed high. Hua Shier, relying on O’Neal’s physicality, leapt swiftly and grabbed the tip-off ahead of Mutombo, directing the ball into his team’s half, where Fisher caught it.

Immediately after the tip, Hua Shier sprinted toward the opposing paint and secured his spot, unbothered by Mutombo’s defensive pressure given his robust physique.

Fisher dribbled a couple of steps and then passed directly to Kobe, already positioned on the left side beyond the three-point line.

Knowing Kobe well, Hua Shier expected him to shoot immediately, but he forgot that this was not the Kobe who would later become the team leader.

Kobe faked with the ball, then passed it directly to O’Neal, clearly signaling that the first shot should belong to the team’s leader.

Hua Shier used Mutombo’s presence to create space with a forceful move, then executed a surprisingly elegant, soft spin-hook layup that seemed incongruous with his massive frame, scoring two points.

Effortless and graceful!

He turned to Mutombo with a smile: “Come on, Dikembe, you almost stopped me!”

This line was the famous trash talk Jordan once threw at Payton, now humorously repurposed by Hua Shier against Mutombo.

It wasn’t disrespect; trash talk was part of the NBA, a strategy of warfare, aiming to break an opponent’s spirit and win without fighting — the highest form of strategy.

Mutombo’s abilities always fell just short of a super center and were inferior to O’Neal’s. If he could be provoked or his emotions unsettled by trash talk, it would greatly benefit the Lakers.

Unfortunately, Mutombo remained expressionless, calm and composed — the African mountain understood well that his opponent was O’Neal!

Not to mention Mutombo, the other elite centers, except for Hakeem Olajuwon who had dominated young Shaq for years, had all suffered under the relentless force of the Big Diesel.

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Seeing that Mutombo wasn’t falling for the bait, Hua Shier was not discouraged; he just smiled and quickly returned to defense.

The 76ers inbounded the ball, passing twice to the Lakers’ backcourt. Iverson took a long two-point shot from the left but missed.

Hua Shier loudly called out to Kobe:

“Hey Kobe, you gotta watch out. Either shoot a three, or take a mid-range jumper or drive; only fools take those long two-pointers!”

Kobe: “......”

Iverson: “......”

On the 76ers’ side, Iverson passed to Aaron McKie in the left corner who took a three-pointer, marking a response.

Fans of the 76ers hoped this three-pointer would be a good start, but after that shot, except for Iverson drawing a foul from Fisher and converting two free throws, they scored no more points for several minutes.

Historically, the Lakers’ Fox would have caught fire around this time, leading the Lakers and O’Neal on a 16-2 run against the 76ers. But this time, Hua Shier decided to take charge himself.

With his surge, he went 7-for-6 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line, racking up 16 points straight.

Under Hua Shier’s possession, O’Neal’s free throws astounded everyone — when had the Big Diesel ever shot so well?

In reality, they didn’t know this was not O’Neal’s usual level but Hua Shier’s own skill. Though a casual fan, he loved playing basketball; his other skills were mediocre, but his free throw shooting was quite good.

The NBA recognizes two players as virtually unbeatable: the basketball god Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal. But compared to Jordan, O’Neal had a glaring weakness — free throws.

A 50% free throw percentage gave rise to a specific strategy designed to limit Shaq — the “Hack-a-Shaq” tactic.

Now, with Hua Shier in O’Neal’s place, that weakness was effectively patched, making the Big Diesel truly unstoppable in the paint.

Hua Shier was on fire. His continuous scoring finally wore down Mutombo, who lost his composure; during one strong dunk attempt, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his ribs and lost strength, allowing the ball to be snatched away.

Only then did he realize he had been struck by an elbow from Mutombo during his jump.

Watching Iverson now advancing with the ball, he performed a killer crossover, crossed over Kobe, then floated a right-handed layup for two points.

Hua Shier complained to the sideline referee, insisting he had been elbowed.

But the referee said he hadn’t seen it and urged Hua Shier to return to the game.

Hua Shier was a little frustrated. He knew the referee’s claim was genuine since Mutombo’s foul was subtle, but at least they could have reviewed the replay.

Seeing the referee’s attitude and considering the commercial benefits of extending the Finals, Hua Shier understood — the league and David Stern probably didn’t want to see the Lakers sweep the title so quickly.

He could understand this commercial consideration, but now that he had taken on a mission, he naturally couldn’t let history repeat itself.

He gritted his teeth. It was just a minor trick; everyone had their dirty moves. So what if he fought while holding the ball?

The Lakers went on offense. Kobe dribbled past half-court, about to hand the ball to Fisher to organize the play, when O’Neal, not yet settled beyond the three-point line, reached out for the ball.

Though surprised that O’Neal wanted the ball before getting into position, Kobe still passed it to the team leader.