Reborn in 96, I started by taking charge of the Dallas Mavericks.

US time.

5 month 17 day.

The NBA playoffs have entered their second round.

The first game to start was between the Dallas Kirin and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Oriental Dragon Stadium.

The stadium was already packed with spectators even before the game started.

The players on both sides were warming up on the sidelines before the game.

Lakers head coach Phil Jackson watched his players train on the court with a big smile on his face.

This was the first time Phil Jackson had smiled so happily since Jordan retired.

For him, this match was also a revenge match.

If the Mavericks hadn't emerged, the Bulls might have won their second three-peat much earlier.

Although Jordan is no longer with us, we have Shaquille O'Neal. Judging from O'Neal's performance in the first round, his dominance in the paint is unmatched.

Phil Jackson believed that the Lakers, led by O'Neal, were definitely capable of challenging the Qilin team.

"Bang!"

At this moment, it's the Lakers' halftime.

Shaquille O'Neal and Scottie Pippen just completed an alley-oop, eliciting screams from the surrounding fans.

Seeing O'Neal's condition today, Phil Jackson couldn't help but nod.

However, the next second.

The sound of a ball hitting the rim could be heard from the other half of the court.

McGrady landed lightly on the floor, seemingly having just completed a dunk.

Just then, Chen Fang walked over and greeted him, saying, "Coach Phil, we're facing off again. I hope the Lakers can last longer in this series."

Phil Jackson thought Chen Fang was coming to make amends, but little did he expect that this guy was coming to deliver harsh words.

Phil Jackson instantly withdrew his outstretched hand, snorted coldly, and said, "Hmph, don't be too smug. The Los Angeles Lakers will definitely be the ones advancing to the Western Conference Finals."

"Oh, really? It seems Coach Phil is very confident. That's great. We love to crush your confidence."

Chen Fang smiled slightly, not angry that Phil Jackson didn't shake his hand.

At that moment, a camera at the scene captured this moment.

According to the commentators at the scene, what should have been a heated argument between the players turned out to be a fight between the two head coaches.

However, fans who know about the past between the two are well aware that there is a history of conflict between Chen Fang and Phil Jackson, so this is not surprising.

……

Soon, both sides finished their warm-up.

At the referee's signal, the starting players from both sides stepped onto the field and moved to the center circle.

On the Qilin team's side, Chen Fang still put Nowitzki on the bench and put Ben Wallace in the starting position.

Chen Fang currently uses these two lineups most often: Yao Ming and Dirk Nowitzki, and Yao Ming and Ben Wallace.

If the opposing team has an advantage in the paint, Chen Fang will put Nowitzki on the bench and let Ben Wallace start in order to relieve Yao Ming's pressure in the paint.

If the opponent's interior strength is relatively weak, Chen Fang will have Nowitzki start at power forward to further enhance the offensive firepower.

Undoubtedly, facing the Los Angeles Lakers with Shaquille O'Neal today will be a tough test for the Qilin team's interior defense.

Therefore, Chen Fang placed the main player in the starting lineup as usual.

Today's starting five for the Qilin team are:

Yao Ming + Ben Wallace + Tracy McGrady + Kobe Bryant + Steve Nash.

The Lakers' starting lineup is as follows:

Center: Shaquille O'Neal.

Power Forward: JR Reed.

Small forward: Scottie Pippen.

Shooting Guard: Glen Rice.

Point Guard: Derrick Harper.

To be honest, in Chen Fang's eyes, this Lakers team was just so-so, and their ability to reach the second round of the playoffs was entirely due to O'Neal's performance.

Pippen is getting old, and all his stats are declining.

As for the others, sorry, Chen Fang doesn't know them at all.

If it were the Los Angeles Lakers team led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant back then, Chen Fang might be a little nervous.

But without Kobe, Shaq is destined to be unable to cause any significant trouble.

Moreover, Kobe is now crowned king with the Qilin team, while Shaq is still struggling for his first championship trophy.

The relative strengths and weaknesses of the two have already been determined.

JUMP! BALL!

After the referee tossed the basketball high into the air...

The 1998-1999 NBA Western Conference Second Round Game 1 between the Dallas Kirk and the Los Angeles Lakers has officially begun!

During the jump ball, Yao Ming used his height and long arms to help his team gain possession of the ball.

Immediately, the Qilin team launched a fast attack.

Kobe and McGrady sprinted toward the Lakers' basket.

After receiving the ball, Nash swung it straight toward the basket.

At the same time, McGrady helped Kobe block the Lakers players behind him.

Kobe stepped onto the paint, then used his calf to push off, instantly launching himself into the air.

He then received a pass from Nash in mid-air and completed an alley-oop dunk.

"Clang!!!"

Kobe Bryant's powerful dunk gave the Qilin team an early lead.

2:0

The Qilin team took the lead with 2 points.

Come back.

The Lakers counterattack.

After bringing the ball across half-court, Derek Harper passed it directly to O'Neal.

O'Neal received the ball and immediately tried to go one-on-one with Yao Ming.

O'Neal was holding back a lot of anger.

To be precise, he had been holding a grudge against Yao Ming ever since the All-Star Game.

Based on his ability and regular season stats, he should be a shoo-in for the Western Conference All-Star starting lineup if nothing unexpected happens.

But then an unexpected incident occurred.

Yao Ming, a rookie in his first year, was voted into the starting center position in the Western Conference by Chinese fans.

This greatly displeased O'Neal, who was determined to teach Yao Ming a lesson in the game and let him and all the fans know who the best center in the league is.

O'Neal backed down the ball and made a powerful impact.

Yao Ming's face was contorted as he desperately tried to defend himself, as if he were facing a raging bull.

"Kid, I advise you not to be reckless. Be careful not to get hurt. I won't go easy on you."

As O'Neal drove past Yao Ming towards the basket, he taunted Yao Ming.

Seeing that O'Neal's attention was entirely on Yao Ming, Ben Wallace immediately came up from the other side to double-team O'Neal.

This forced O'Neal to turn towards the baseline, but the position he needed was too deep; if he turned towards the baseline, he would go directly out of bounds.

Despite being double-teamed, O'Neal remained calm, using his powerful back to push past both defenders to reach the basket before turning and slamming it home with a dunk.

This shows just how amazing O'Neal's strength was.

Even with the combined efforts of Yao Ming and Ben Wallace, they couldn't stop Shaquille O'Neal's offense.