NBA: Built to Dominate

Lakers Continue Their Dominance

On December 6, the Los Angeles Lakers extended their winning streak to 18 games after defeating the Sacramento Kings at home.

The Western Conference during this era had an obvious issue—a major imbalance in talent.

In the original timeline, a 40-win team (Minnesota Timberwolves) was good enough for the 6th seed in the West.

Meanwhile, in the East, even the 8th seed required at least 44 wins to make the playoffs.

And the top six teams?

Each had at least 54 wins.

This was the peak of the "East is strong, West is weak" era.

So, while the Lakers were rolling, many still questioned the level of competition.

Big Ben Returns – A Brief but Fiery Comeback

On December 7, in a back-to-back game against the Utah Jazz, Del Harris made two key decisions:

Rest Alex Mo.Start Ben Wallace.

The result?

The Lakers lost.

Even though Iverson put up big numbers, it became clear that without Mo, the Lakers weren't on Utah's level.

But Harris was relieved about one thing:

Big Ben didn't start a fight.

…Well, almost.

During the game, Karl Malone and Ben Wallace exchanged heated words.

"You guys only win because of Mo Ran!" Malone taunted.

Ben fired back:"If you don't believe it, try facing him 1v1!"

Malone smirked."Tell him to come to Utah—I'll show him what a real power forward looks like."

The Lakers and Jazz played four times this season.

Even though Mo missed this one, he wouldn't be sitting out all four.

The battle between Alex Mo and Karl Malone was only a matter of time.

Empty Stats Night – Iverson & Jordan Join the Club

After Mo's first game off, Iverson led the Lakers as the sole star for the first time.

He scored 37 points…

But the team still lost.

AI had officially joined the "empty stats" club.

But he wasn't alone.

That same night, Michael Jordan's Bulls lost to the Miami Heat.

Jordan had 37 points, 9 rebounds—but his teammates?

Scottie Pippen: 5-12 shooting.Toni Kukoc: 4-13 shooting.Dennis Rodman: 2-7 shooting.Steve Kerr, Randy Brown, Jason Caffey… all bricked shots.

For the first time this season, even Jordan was powerless.

And then?

The next night, the Bulls lost again—this time to the Toronto Raptors.

Jordan?

5-for-17 shooting.13 points.

This time, Scottie Pippen went off for 28 points.

And just like that, Pippen experienced what Jordan had felt the night before.

Jordan: "Welcome to the empty stats club, my friend."

With back-to-back losses, the Bulls' record dropped to 17-3.

Alex Mo Returns – Drops a Career-High 54 Points

The Lakers wasted no time rebounding.

With Mo back in the lineup, he torched the next opponent.

54 points (career high).23 rebounds.8 blocks.

Lakers back on a winning streak.

The message was clear:

With Mo, the Lakers were unstoppable.Without him, they weren't contenders.

Gregg Popovich Takes Over the Spurs

On December 10, the San Antonio Spurs made a bold move.

General Manager Gregg Popovich fired head coach Bob Hill…

And took over as head coach himself.

Why?

Because he believed the team wasn't tanking hard enough.

The goal?

Win the No. 1 draft pick.

At the time, no one knew what Popovich would become.

Most just saw him as a rookie coach with no experience.

But Mo knew better.

Popovich was about to change NBA history.

…Or was he?

With Mo's presence altering the NBA timeline, would the Spurs still land Tim Duncan?

Would the legendary "Big Three" of Duncan, Parker, and Ginóbili even form?

For the first time, Mo realized:

He might have completely changed the course of NBA history.

Lakers Destroy the Spurs – Popovich's First Loss

On December 11, the Spurs visited Los Angeles for their first game under Popovich.

The game?

A massacre.

The Spurs were actively tanking, and Mo took full advantage.

Lakers: 65 points (Mo & AI combined) in three quarters.Spurs: Their entire team had fewer points than Mo & AI.

Popovich, in his postgame interview?

"We just need to improve… one game at a time."

…Yeah, right.

Mo smirked after the game.

"Let's see if Tim Duncan still ends up in San Antonio."

All-Star Voting Opens – The NBA's Big Debate

On December 16, NBA All-Star voting officially opened.

This year was historic—

For the first time ever, China had an official voting system.

Fans in China could cast votes by calling CCTV or writing letters.

But before voting began, NBA executives held a private meeting.

The topic?

What position should Alex Mo be listed under?

He started the season at center.He shifted to power forward.He was now playing as a small forward.

Should he be listed as a forward or a center?

Ultimately, David Stern made the final call.

"Put him under 'center.'"

His reasoning?

The Western Conference centers were stacked:

Hakeem Olajuwon.Shaquille O'Neal.David Robinson.

By putting Mo at center, the competition would be insane.

It would generate the most headlines.

And most importantly…

It would create the biggest controversy.

The media immediately jumped on the story.

"Alex Mo will have to compete against three of the 'Big Four' centers for a starting All-Star spot!"

"His chances of starting just dropped to 0%!"

"There's no way Mo beats out Hakeem, Shaq, and Robinson in fan votes!"

American analysts were convinced:

Mo had no chance at an All-Star starter spot.

But what they forgot?

This was the first year China could vote.

Chinese fans weren't just voting to make Mo a starter.

They wanted him to be the top vote-getter in the NBA.

And when the results came in…

The world would finally see the power of the Celestial Dynasty.