Shaquille O'Neal has had a long peak period and is currently in the prime of his career.

but...

If we're talking about Shaquille O'Neal's peak, it would have to be the 1999-2000 season. In the post-Jordan era, O'Neal was almost invincible that season and was undoubtedly the best player in the league.

Moreover, Kobe has grown into one of the league's top shooting guards.

That same season, the Lakers embarked on their three-peat journey. If they hadn't faced Wei Guo in the 2001-02 season, they could have truly achieved a three-peat.

In recent years, the league has also seen the emergence of two top interior players: Duncan and Wei Guo.

O'Neal's spotlight has been overshadowed by Wei Guo, but O'Neal still averaged 27.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per game this season.

Kobe has become a superstar, and Shaq is still in his prime. This is the Lakers' last hope for winning the championship... If they can't win the championship this season, the title will become increasingly distant for them.

........

Putting aside these messy thoughts, O'Neal returned to the court.

Lakers on offense.

Kobe received the ball at the top of the key and lobbed it to O'Neal under the basket.

O'Neal received the ball, used his body to push Yao Ming aside, and shot with a hook shot.

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went through the net cleanly.

32:35!!

The Lakers lead by 3 points.

After scoring, O'Neal ran to the backcourt. Having experienced last season's Finals, O'Neal has matured a lot. He would say harsh words to Wei Guo, but he didn't trash talk Yao Ming.

and...

Ma Long has been thoroughly defeated by Wei Guo this season.

The reason is obvious to everyone... Wei Guo really takes good care of his younger brother Yao Ming. In games against the Rockets, the players would rather face Wei Guo directly than deliberately bully Yao Ming.

The Rockets are on offense.

Wei Guo moved to the weak side to draw the Lakers' defensive attention. Yao set a screen for Francis, then retreated to the three-point line to receive a pass from Francis and took a mid-range shot.

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball went into the net.

This can be seen as Yao Ming's response to Shaquille O'Neal. Although Yao Ming's dominance under the basket was not as great as O'Neal's, he had an accurate mid-range shot.

Gentry smiled and said, "Yao Ming is no longer a rookie when he first entered the league. He and Wei Ge have learned to let the ball do the talking."

"Yao Ming is an excellent center."

The assistant coach also said, "He will definitely make a name for himself in this league."

China now has four players in the league. Yao Ming's performance is worthy of his status as the number one draft pick, while Wang Zhizhi and Yao Ming's performances are slightly lacking.

The two were very envious of Yao Ming...

It's not that I envy him for being the top scorer, but rather that I envy Yao Ming for being by Wei Guo's side, and for Wei Guo being able to help Yao Ming grow.

...

The Western Conference playoffs are fiercely contested.

After defeating the Jazz, they will face the Lakers, who have the 'OK combination'. If they can get past the Lakers, they will face the Spurs or the Kings in the Western Conference Finals, both of which are tough opponents.

According to the experts...

This year's Western Conference champion will be the NBA champion.

...

The Rockets and Lakers battled fiercely in the first half.

50:50!!

The first half ended with the two teams tied.

Wei Guo was the last to return to the locker room, and he almost choked to death as soon as he entered.

"Why is it so spicy?"

Wei Guo frowned and looked towards the kitchen.

Wearing an apron, Gentry fiddled with the spatula in the kitchen. In just a few minutes, Gentry brought out a plate of bright red stir-fried peppers. "Everyone, come and try my cooking!"

"Stir-fried chili peppers?"

"This is too pungent..."

"You look ruthless. Coach, what are you planning to do?"

The players gathered around a plate of stir-fried chili peppers, chattering amongst themselves.

Gentry handed over a stack of chopsticks. "I noticed that everyone was a bit lacking in energy during the first half, so I'm making you a plate of stir-fried chili peppers to perk you up. This was specially brought by a friend from China; it's really super spicy and incredibly satisfying."

Everyone looked at Yao Ming and Wei Guo.

They are both Chinese, and Lao Jin emphasized that the chili peppers were brought from China, so naturally they should be the first to taste them.

"Chinese cuisine is vast and profound; you know far too little about it."

Wei Guo rolled his eyes, picked up his chopsticks and took out a large piece of chili pepper. "Hmm...not bad, sweet and sour."

The Rockets always have their team dinners at Chinese restaurants.

Everyone knew that Wei Guo wasn't the one in the team who could eat the most chili peppers. Seeing Wei Guo chewing chili peppers with a smile on his face, the others picked up their chopsticks.

Holy crap!!!

"Hiss..."

"It's spicy!!!"

Then came a series of wails.

"Don't vomit!"

Gentry ordered, "All of you, finish your food and swallow it. Anyone who dares to spit it out... won't be playing in the second half."

This statement was quite effective; not a single person dared to spit it out. Each one forced themselves to swallow the chili peppers and then frantically grabbed a drink to rinse their mouths.

"Old Jin, you definitely have a serious illness..."

Wei Guo cursed, "If someone faints from the spiciness, is the competition even going to continue?"

Gentry asked curiously, "Brother Wei, aren't you alright?"

Wei Guo said, "How could I be alright? I was faking it. Why should I be the only one eating such spicy chili peppers?"

"Brother Wei, you're so good to us."

Francis's eyes welled up with tears from the spiciness, and he rinsed his mouth with a drink while expressing his gratitude to Wei Guo.

This farce is over.

Halftime was almost over, and Gentry said, "Everyone dares to challenge these devil peppers, the Lakers are nothing! In the second half, widen the score gap!"

actually...

Gentry suddenly had this idea because he had read several biographies of famous Chinese figures.

It is said that someone bought a large bunch of chili peppers and placed them on the table in order to study. When he felt listless, he would chew on a chili pepper, sweat profusely, and then continue his hard work in his studies.

but...

How can such a story be brought to the sports field?

........

The second half began, and Francis was still a little dazed.

Facing Fisher's defense, Francis used a crossover to get past Fisher, drove to the basket, and jumped over O'Neal.

At this moment...

Francis's mind went completely blank, a side effect of the ghost pepper.

O'Neal didn't expect that Francis, a 6'6", would actually try to dunk on him!

O'Neal stretched out his arm!

Francis's ability to become a Western Conference All-Star starter proves that he is no ordinary player.

actually...

Francis's vertical jump is 114 centimeters, which is 3 centimeters higher than "Half-Man, Half-Amazing" Carter. There are few players in the entire league who can jump higher than Francis.

"Bang!!!"

Francis faced off against O'Neal and successfully dunked while riding on O'Neal!

There was a moment of silence at the scene.

Then...

"Francis!"

"Francis!"

"Francis!"

This name resounded throughout the stadium.

he...

This man named Francis dunked on Shaquille O'Neal!