"Shaquille O'Neal took Western Conference Player of the Month for January." Penny Hardaway and Tracy McGrady sat aboard a flight to Philadelphia, preparing to attend this year's NBA All-Star Game in Philadelphia.
"Shaq averaged 40.6 points, 17.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.9 blocks, 1.1 steals, and 4.5 turnovers in January. He put up those numbers on 59% shooting. What a beast."
"Shaq won Player of the Month, yet he can't even start in the All-Star Game. He's probably furious." Penny knew O'Neal's childish, petty personality very well.
If something like this had happened to Duncan, he might not have cared at all. He might even have raised both hands in agreement, happy to sit on the bench and watch the All-Star Game.
But for Shaq, who had set his sights on winning MVP and sweeping up every honor this season, such a result undoubtedly enraged him.
Especially since the league had publicly stated that there was nothing wrong with its voting system. That so many fans had indeed voted, and there were no plans to change the system in the future.
What did that mean?
It meant that as long as Yao Ming and O'Neal were in the same conference, O'Neal had permanently lost any chance of being an All-Star starter!
His mentality had completely collapsed!
For a player who couldn't even make the All-Star starting lineup, winning MVP would undoubtedly become even harder.
None of the grand ambitions Shaq had declared before leaving the Lakers seemed likely to come true.
The Houston Rockets were currently only fourth in the Western Conference, behind the Kings, Grizzlies, and Lakers. Their record gave them no advantage, Kobe had left him far behind statistically, and now even Yao Ming was stealing his spotlight.
O'Neal spent all day whining on social media, only to get