Li Fei slowly walked onto the raised platform under the gaze of countless eyes.
He stood tall and straight, his handsome features all the more striking beneath the spotlight.
Unlike his excited teammates, he merely wore a faint, confident smile as he calmly accepted the worship of the fans throughout the arena.
He warmly embraced Stern. Stern patted him on the back and whispered in his ear, "Congratulations, kid. You're creating an era that belongs to you."
Li Fei took the ring but did not put it on immediately. Instead, he raised it high and acknowledged the stands in each of the four directions.
The camera flashes reached their peak at that moment, preserving the scene for eternity.
Then, amid solemn music, the championship banner bearing the words "1998-1999 NBA CHAMPIONS" slowly rose before Li Fei and all the Knicks players. It eventually hung high above Madison Square Garden alongside the previous championship banners, proclaiming the glorious history of the team.
The Chicago Bulls players were forced to watch the entire long and "torturous" process.
Jordan's fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, his fingernails nearly digging into his flesh.
He carved that humiliating scene deep into his mind, turning it into a blaze of battle that was about to erupt.
Once the ceremony ended and the lights came back on, both teams returned to the court for their final pregame warmups.
The giant screen above the arena displayed the starting lineups for both teams tonight.
New York Knicks: Point Guard Latrell Sprewell, Shooting Guard Allan Houston, Small Forward Donyell Marshall, Power Forward Li Fei, Center Arvydas Sabonis.
Chicago Bulls: Point Guard Ron Harper, Shooting Guard Sam Cassell, Small Forward Michael Jordan, Power Forward Karl Malone, Center Luc Longley.
The referee blew the opening whistle. With an experienced