I Really Just Want to Hit the Iron

On March 21, the state quarterfinal matchup between Lower Merion High School and Chester High School took place at Capital Stadium in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

On the 20th, Ridley High School had already secured its place in the semifinals before Lower Merion.

That is to say, if Lower Merion advanced, they would face Ridley High—the "defending champions and six-time consecutive title holders"—in the semifinals.

Okay...

That name sounds intimidating, but for the Lower Merion players, who had been thoroughly beaten by Ridley twice before...

Stay humble!

No more swelling egos!

Didn't you see what happened to Swartz last time?

In the words of Lower Merion center David Rasman: "We're just a bunch of low-key, expressionless tools."

Before the game started, Su Feng noticed that aside from the upcoming match, the topic that dominated his teammates' conversations was Michael Jordan.

Understandably so—he was the biggest icon of the '90s.

Even without social media?

Jordan was still Jordan.

From what Su Feng gathered, most of his teammates were unsure whether Jordan could return to his peak form.

After all, the "Old Rogue" was now 32 years old.

And, well...

His comeback debut had been rocky.

Proving that even gods can stumble.

In his return game against the Pacers, it was as if he'd been possessed by the spirits of the future "Four Brick Brothers"...

Jordan shot just 7-for-28, clanked 21 shots off the rim, scored only 19 points, and the Bulls lost to the Pacers.

Luckily, the '90s media environment was much more forgiving. Without social networks, criticizing someone wasn't so easy or cheap.

So, for Jordan—returning after 21 months away from basketball—most of the media and Bulls fans were pretty patient.

Su Feng knew Jordan's comeback would be full of drama.

For instance, in the upcoming playoff series between the Bulls and the Magic...

Magic guard Nick Anderson once joked: "Michael wearing No. 45 isn't as scary as No. 23. No. 23 was like a rocket—gone in a flash. But No. 45? He needs a runway to lift off. No flight left."

Bro... You really played yourself.

In Su Feng's past life, many people used to roll their eyes at "face-slapping" moments in online novels—thinking, "That would never happen in real life."

But in reality...

Truth can be stranger than fiction.

Su Feng remembered it clearly: after this failed return, Jordan would go on to train like a man possessed during the summer, and after that...

The rest was history.

Once opponents had mocked him and shown their fangs, Jordan and his Bulls responded by silencing everyone—one win at a time.

It really happened. No novel would dare write such a perfect arc.

Interestingly, many analysts later argued that the early Bulls squad was technically stronger than the later one.

Yet it was the second three-peat Bulls that delivered a 72–10 miracle season.

Honestly... belief really can work wonders. It can turn you into a force of nature.

Just look at...

Tomjanovich. But I digress.

Back to the point:

At Capital Stadium, the "tools" of Lower Merion were ready for battle, led by their duo of hammer-and-anvil scorers.

Ironically, Su Feng—who thought all the spotlight would be stolen by the "Old Rogue"—once again misjudged.

Not only did Jordan's comeback not outshine Lower Merion, but they actually surfaced on that same wave of hype.

In the '90s, fans in Pennsylvania who adored Jordan didn't have many chances to see him play live.

Tickets were rare, travel was expensive, and TV reigned supreme.

So, to form an image of Jordan, people relied on newspapers and magazines.

Until Lower Merion showed up.

Suddenly, Pennsylvanians realized: maybe we don't have to travel far to see the Bulls...

Because maybe... we've got our own "Little Bulls" right here.

Kobe, Su Feng, Lower Merion's dynamic duo—Philadelphia's Gemini—nicknamed the Little Bulls. Know what I mean?

So when Lower Merion rolled into Harrisburg, this sleepy capital city suddenly lit up with excitement again.

Don't be surprised—Harrisburg might just be one of the most overlooked capital cities in the country.

Overshadowed by Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's capital rarely gets attention on this scale.

But thanks to Lower Merion, Harrisburg has been buzzing these past couple of days...

Sure, it's just a high school league—but never underestimate Americans' passion for sports.

Take the NCAA, for instance. During March Madness, even a football stadium packed with 100,000 fans can feel like a tight squeeze.

So imagine a stadium that only seats 13,400?

"Are we really this popular?" Su Feng muttered during the player introductions, surrounded by deafening chants of "Su! Su! Su! Su!" He couldn't help but feel something ominous.

"Of course we are—we're not just the best in Pennsylvania, we're the best combo in the whole country," Bryant replied with a grin, giving Su Feng a hearty slap on the back.

During the team intros, Su Feng experienced firsthand the theatricality of the American DJ announcers...

"Their names echo from the Delaware River to the Schuylkill. Their talent could outshine even the clouds atop the Appalachian Mountains. They charge ahead like a runaway train through Pennsylvania—they are the twin kings of Philadelphia, the pride of Lower Merion—"

"Kobe Bryant—BRYANT!!"

"Su—FENG!!"

Su Feng: "..."

Seriously... Blizzard really knew what they were doing later on.

Americans sure know how to bring the drama.

The DJ's theatrics had Su Feng nearly running to the scorer's table to throw chalk powder in the air.

Just as he was about to do it, a little voice in his head said, "Brother Feng, please... show some mercy to the audience."

"This is our first battle for the state championship—lock in!" Bryant shouted as he swept his intense gaze across the team during warmups.

In the center circle, Chester High's big man Chris faced off with Kobe for the jump.

Snap!

Explosive and springy, Kobe didn't give Chris a sliver of a chance this time.

The last time these teams met in an exhibition game, Chris beat Kobe on the jump—something Kobe, ever the perfectionist, hadn't forgotten.

Lower Merion took the first possession.

Inside Capital Stadium, the crowd roared.

That's star power for you.

Chester had struck first last time, only to lose to Lower Merion.

And tonight, their key match-up was once again facing Su Feng's elite basketball brain—DeMarcus.

As the game began, Su Feng ran the play as drawn by the coach, using a double screen from Rasman and Stewart to find open space.

After patching things up, Swartz—Su Feng's reformed "tool guy," thanks to Kobe's influence—passed him the ball.

But Chester, well-drilled and determined, wasn't here to mess around. Two defenders quickly closed in on Su Feng.

Locking eyes with Kobe, Su Feng made his move.

Jump, hang time, wrist flick!

The heir to the mighty "Iron King" had no fear!

Swish—!

Whistle—!

The shot dropped and he got the foul!

Su Feng had leaned into the contact with flawless dramatics—Oscar-worthy.

From the bench, Coach Greg pumped his fists. Meanwhile, Drew glanced at his dad, unimpressed.

"Dad... you totally dropped an F-bomb when Su shot that."

In truth, Greg had made peace with Su Feng's "chaotic brilliance." After all, stars have privileges.

And with every one of Su's wild shots, Kobe was already in rebound position—ready to crash the glass.

That was part of Su Feng's "Stat-Pad Sewer Strategy."

Use the board to bait Kobe into becoming his personal rebound machine.

"Think about it, Kobe," Su reasoned. "You're blowing everyone away with your offense. But if you really want to go pro, you've gotta be a complete player."

"You're already pulling down 10 boards a game. Why not push for 15?"

"With that many rebounds, you can lead the break yourself—and I can shoot with more confidence knowing you'll clean it up."

Kobe, being Kobe, fell for it.

How could he not? He genuinely worried Su Feng might flop without support.

And as Su Feng's self-proclaimed basketball mentor, he felt it was his duty to help.

That's steel-forged friendship.

Back on the court, Su Feng knocked down the free throw.

4–0.

And it wasn't just curious fans showing up tonight…

There were tabloids, national papers, local radio stations, big-name reporters, scouts from North Carolina, Duke, NCAA teams—even 128 scouts and journalists total!

In the stands, NBA veteran Mark's assistant, Speed, was taking meticulous notes.

Lately, Mark had joked that Stern would laugh out loud every time he read one of Speed's glowing reports on Lower Merion.

But Speed insisted, "Hey—I'm careful with my words."

Still, as he scribbled in his little notebook, one line stood out:

"Su's game always surprises. His shot has that magical pull—you're just waiting for the next one."

Speed wasn't a scout—he wrote more like a fanboy.

Back in the game, Chester took the next possession.

DeMarcus used a screen to drive the lane and tried to finish with his signature finger roll...

Smack!

Su Feng, lying in wait, packed the shot with full force—like slamming down a "KFC Family Feast of Basketball Justice."

During the break, Kobe had taught Su Feng the art of stealing and blocking.

"With your long arms, big hands and freaky fingers, you don't need to crowd your guy—just wait, read the timing, and boom—drop the hammer."

Oddly enough, Kobe's coaching voice always sounded like he was chewing his words…

After the block, Kobe snatched the rebound with vintage Pippen timing.

Su Feng followed.

Kobe, about to go for a spinning dunk, suddenly pulled up...

He kissed the ball off the glass for Su Feng, who soared in, caught it, and jammed it home with one hand!

Okay—maybe "jammed" is generous. Su Feng's vertical wasn't that impressive yet.

Should we still count that as a dunk?

Absolutely.

Probably.

His vertical rating was only 61—not bad for the average person, but not quite NBA-flashy.

Still—6–0!

All six points to Su Feng.

"Let's go, NBA, here we come!" Kobe shouted, chest-bumping Su Feng.

Su Feng nodded. "Let's go."

Honestly, Kobe was starting to sound like Master Roshi...

Next play: Chester fumbled again.

Su Feng switched into Iverson Defense Mode—tight, fearless, and bold.

Kobe helped out, and with Su's elite lateral movement, he wasn't losing position anytime soon.

If you're gonna pad the steal column... channel A.I.!

After snatching the ball, Su Feng tossed it to Kobe, who quickly passed it back, and Su Feng finished with a gliding dunk.

Emmmm... if you leave the ground and hang a little—it's a glide, okay?

How far he glided?

Doesn't matter!

It. Was. A. Dunk.

8–0.

Su Feng: unstoppable.