Iverson's wild shooting spree did not stimulate He Xi Meng, because He Xi Meng knew Iverson's playing style and that he would not choose to go shot for shot with him.
However, Kobe and Eddie Jones, provoked by Iverson, fell into a frenzy of抢投 (qiǎng tóu - snatching shots) themselves.
Unfortunately, neither of them had a better shooting percentage than Iverson today. Whichever of them stepped up to go shot for shot with Iverson would result in one outcome: defeat!
On the contrary, He Xi Meng played it safe, teaming up with O'Neal to counter Iverson, and thus helped the Lakers hold on through the first half.
But in the third quarter, when the 76ers saw the chaos on the Lakers' perimeter, head coach Larry Brown decisively tightened the defense, guarding O'Neal in the paint to cut off the connection between O'Neal and He Xi Meng, forcing the Lakers to exchange shots with the 76ers on the perimeter… The result, of course, was that the internally discordant Lakers nearly came to blows on the court over ball possession…
The 76ers took advantage of the situation and went on a 26:16 scoring run, effectively sealing the victory!
In the end, the visiting 76ers triumphantly carried away a victory, handing the Lakers their second consecutive loss.
He Xi Meng only managed 12 points and 10 assists in this game, with only 7 shot attempts. Most of the ball possession was squandered by Kobe and Eddie Jones, and the Lakers played like a scattered sand pile.
After the game, Harris lost his temper, which was rare: "We are playing like shit right now! Worse than shit! At this rate, forget about competing for a championship; we won't even make it to the Western Conference Finals… In the next game, whoever the hell continues to play recklessly will be sitting on the bench serving drinks…"
Undoubtedly, Harris's words were aimed at Kobe and Eddie Jones.
"And you, Xi Meng! Damn it, you rested all summer and forgot how to shoot? Show some spirit! We need you to hit threes on the perimeter! Threes! Do you understand?"
"What the hell! Who did I offend? Although I had a slight intention of coasting, the main reason is that I can't get the ball! The passes I throw are like clay oxen entering the sea, with no return! I can understand not getting the ball back from O'Neal deep in the paint. But for the other teammates' passes, whether according to reason or the head coach's instructions, they shouldn't be lost in translation… So the problem is clear: it's not my fault at all… Could it be that Harris thinks I'm an easy target?"
Although He Xi Meng was easygoing, he didn't want to be a scapegoat. Just as he was about to retort to this "Silver Fox" who didn't distinguish right from wrong, he suddenly noticed that Comrade Harris was winking at him while speaking.
"Hmm? What's going on? Killing a chicken to warn the monkeys?"
Although He Xi Meng was displeased with Harris making him a target for criticism in front of the whole team, he had to admit that this approach preserved Kobe and Eddie Jones' faces as much as possible. In fact, everyone could tell who Harris really wanted to scold, yet Harris didn't scold them, but instead aimed his criticism at He Xi Meng, urging him to shoot more from the perimeter…
Most players were criticized by their head coach for shooting recklessly and inefficiently. He Xi Meng, however, was criticized by his head coach for shooting too little and not shooting at all. The players on the bench were confused whether Harris was truly criticizing He Xi Meng or praising him?
Those bench players who didn't get playing time or shot opportunities had their first reaction: "Coach, how about I shoot? A forced melon isn't sweet! He Xi Meng doesn't want to shoot, I do! Give me the chance, and I'll resolutely complete the mission! If you tell me to shoot 10, I'll definitely shoot 10, not 9…"
But the Lakers' problem now was clearly not whether He Xi Meng shot or not, but whether Kobe and Eddie Jones were fighting for the shots.
He Xi Meng wanted to play it safe and stay out of their vortex of conflict. Head coach Harris wouldn't allow it! He wanted to ensure the team's winning record, so he wanted He Xi Meng to rise up and take over his share of the ball possession, curbing their escalating reckless shooting rights…
And O'Neal, this time, sided with the head coach Harris. As the team leader, the Lakers losing meant O'Neal losing. Therefore, O'Neal also didn't want Kobe and Eddie Jones' squabbling to disrupt his winning rhythm.
To reduce their ball possession, there had to be someone with enough weight to step up and fill that void. Among the current Lakers, He Xi Meng was the only one who could fill that role.
Under the insistence of Harris and O'Neal, He Xi Meng had to step up and take a few more strides to control the Lakers' speed of disintegration, while also buying time for management to seek a trade…
In the following few games, He Xi Meng increased his shot attempts back to around 15 per game, and his average points per game rose from 10 to around 20. During this period, Kobe and Eddie Jones still didn't get along, but with O'Neal and He Xi Meng performing well both inside and outside, coupled with the efforts of Horry, Fisher, Campbell, and others, even with Kobe and Eddie Jones having some minor outbursts, it didn't prevent the Lakers from going on another five-game winning streak!
The Lakers' record stabilized, but Eddie Jones' position did not.
After this period of "ball possession turmoil," the Lakers management finally made the decision to trade Eddie Jones away, keeping the more promising Kobe.
On March 10, 1999, the Lakers and the Hornets reached an agreement. The Lakers sent Eddie Jones and Campbell to the Hornets in exchange for Glen Rice!
From the perspective of offensive and defensive balance, the 27-year-old Eddie Jones was definitely stronger than the 33-year-old Glen Rice.
However, player trades cannot always be understood solely in terms of equal player strength.
Eddie Jones had been with the Lakers longer than Kobe, and his current fan base was not weaker than Kobe's. For the Lakers to promote Kobe and sideline Eddie Jones, it was bound to cause Eddie Jones dissatisfaction. How could Eddie Jones willingly serve the Lakers?
Glen Rice was different. Although he was the leader for the Hornets, a strong dragon doesn't suppress a local snake. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Rice's seniority was less than Kobe's! And Rice was already 33 years old. In Charlotte, his age was an advantage, allowing him to suppress a bunch of Hornets rookies in the locker room with his years of service to the team. But in Los Angeles, he had to start anew, and his age of 33 became his disadvantage!
Because he was approaching the final contract period of his career, he had no right to challenge the rising star Kobe! If he wanted to continue playing in Los Angeles, he had to accept the role assigned to him by the team, play on the wing, and calmly be a shooter who didn't compete for ball possession with Kobe…