O'Neal's Signature Confused Face, Chicago Bulls Fight Back!

At the postgame press conference, the remarks from the two franchise stars formed a stark contrast.

The moment O'Neal sat down, he launched into complaint mode, pouring out his grievances to the cameras. "I was getting double-teamed brutally. They were practically holding a wrestling match on me! They used every dirty little trick they could on me, and the referees just turned a blind eye. It's not fair!"

Reporters immediately pointed their microphones at him, while camera flashes lit up the room. O'Neal's complaints were exactly the headline they wanted.

When it was Kobe's turn, however, his answer was completely different.

Faced with reporters' questions about the loss, the young Kobe showed no trace of dejection. If anything, his eyes were even more resolute.

"We lost. That's on me."

Kobe spoke calmly. "If I had made a few more shots, if we had played a little better on defense, we would have been the winners. The series is still long. We'll be back."

No complaints, no excuses—only a hunger for victory and strict demands of himself.

New York, inside Li Fei's mansion.

He sat before the massive screen, having watched the full game replay and the postgame interviews, a faintly amused smile appearing on his face.

"Interesting."

Even he could no longer accurately predict which of these two teams would ultimately emerge from the Western Conference.

According to his vague memories of basketball history, Kobe seemed to be the San Antonio Spurs' natural nemesis.

For many years to come, the Spurs' vaunted defensive system would repeatedly be torn apart in the playoffs by Kobe's unstoppable mid-range jumpers.

But history had long since veered off course because of his appearance.

Kobe at this stage had clearly improved compared to his original timeline and already possessed All-Star-level strength, but he still was