Chapter 111 — Kicking Down the Locker Room Door! The Hero of Los Angeles!

Scottie Pippen was still wearing his waist brace.

Clearly, the earlier scuffle had aggravated his old injury.

Even so, at the end of the game, Pippen led his teammates straight to the visiting team's locker room door.

"The Chicago Bulls are blocking the Lakers' locker room!"

"No way… is this going to escalate even more? Are the Bulls really trying to settle this with fists now?"

"Huge news! This is gonna explode!"

"Is the broadcast signal still off? Get it back on, now!!"

Reporters swarmed in after catching wind of the situation. Some were already recording in real-time. ESPN's crew regretted cutting the live feed after no one showed up to the press conference.

If they had streamed this locker room standoff live… the ratings would've gone through the roof!

"Let me be clear," Pippen told the cameras, "we're not here to start more trouble. We just want an explanation. That rookie crossed the line."

Two punches and an elbow from Alex Mo had put Rodman in the ICU.

Was that excessive?

Yes. Very.

Sure, Rodman started it. But let's be real—people love double standards.

Rodman grabs and hugs Alex?

Eh, just hard-nosed defense.

Alex knocking Rodman unconscious?

Too much!

While Pippen spoke to the press with poise, his real message was directed at the Lakers:

Hand over Alex Mo—or don't expect to walk out of Chicago standing.

With Jordan out, Pippen stood tall as the leader, exuding menace.

Suddenly, the locker room door slowly creaked open.

Everyone held their breath.

Time seemed to freeze.

"…Why are there so many people at the door?"

The first to peek out was Derek Fisher.

His job today? Perimeter OB. He hadn't unlocked his fighting stats yet.

When he saw the crowd—including reporters, cameras, and a hostile Bulls squad—he calmly shut the door and turned back inside.

The reporters exhaled nervously.

BOOM!

The door burst open from the inside!

"Who the hell is blocking the door?"

It wasn't just anyone.

It was Big Ben Wallace.

The moment he heard that the Bulls were outside trying to intimidate his team, Ben knew exactly who was leading the charge—Pippen, his rival all game long.

He didn't get a satisfying fight on the court?

Fine. He'll throw down off it!

Right behind Ben came Allen Iverson, and at the back of the group was Alex Mo, the Wu Sheng himself.

The sight of the Lakers' trio bursting out had every reporter's adrenaline spiking.

Faced with the Bulls blocking their exit, the Lakers had kicked the door down to confront them head-on.

This was about to be fireworks.

"We just came for a conversation. We're not here to throw hands," Pippen said calmly.

There were too many cameras. No way would he make a move that could ruin his image.

Besides, they were in Chicago. He figured the Lakers wouldn't dare swing.

He figured wrong.

"F*ck your words."

Ben Wallace didn't hesitate. With no warning, he threw a massive left hook straight at Pippen's face!

One of Pippen's teeth shot out on camera—flying nearly 10 feet.

"Whoa! What are you doing?!"

"Scottie! Are you okay?!"

"Your tooth! Your tooth is gone!"

The Bulls froze in shock.

Didn't the Lakers know they were supposed to be the scared ones? This was Chicago!

Pippen had been talking big all game, promising to handle things after.

Now, one punch later, he was toothless and speechless.

Ron Harper and the others?

They hesitated.

These Lakers were serious. They didn't care about optics, records, or where they were.

Ben Wallace just swung first, no questions asked.

Bill Wennington and Steve Kerr looked at each other.

Go in?

Hell no.

"Sh*t!"

Pippen staggered back, blood in his mouth.

"These kids have no respect!" he cursed.

"I thought we were here to talk!"

Ben cracked his knuckles.

"What? You want more? If you've got the guts to block the door, step up!"

He wasn't done.

Iverson and Alex Mo stepped forward too.

One punch from Ben was already intimidating.

But Iverson? The guy who busted Garnett's nose?

And Alex Mo, who KO'd Rodman and sent Jordan to the hospital?

That was terrifying.

Nobody moved.

Everyone's hearts pounded. Even the toughest Bulls players were frozen in place.

Alex glanced around.

"If none of you are stepping up, we're leaving."

He brushed past the frozen Bulls.

The reporters parted like the Red Sea.

Nobody dared ask questions.

Nobody dared breathe.

Back in the Bulls' group, Luc Longley whispered:

"Are we really gonna let them walk out like this?"

"Then go stop them," Ron Harper snapped. "Be my guest."

Longley thought about it for two seconds.

"Yeah… no. I'm good."

Just like that, the farce ended.

Big Ben's punch, paired with the silent threat of Mo and Iverson, had ended it before it really began.

The trio's reputation skyrocketed.

Back in Los Angeles

The moment the team landed, Lakers fans swarmed the airport.

"Mo, you wrecked Rodman! You're a legend!"

"Ben, A.I., Mo—you guys are the real Big Three!"

"You didn't just win a game… you beat Chicago! You're heroes!"

The crowd chanted "MVP! MVP!" as Alex waved to them.

He hadn't expected this.

He always dreamed of one day earning MVP chants at Staples Center.

Instead, he punched Chicago into silence and got MVP chants at LAX.

Not a bad outcome.

At Staples Center

Jerry West personally welcomed the team back.

As soon as he saw Alex, the LOGO smiled and said:

"That was well done."

"When you play the Bulls, you can't lose the mental battle. You held your ground—and more."

West gave Mo a firm nod.

"Rodman plays dirty. Always has. If you let him push you around once, he'll never stop."

"So either you beat him with basketball… or you beat him with your fists."

"And today, you did both."

West gave similar props to Ben, Iverson, Campbell, and even the veterans who held their own.

Even Fisher got a little credit.

The rookie may not have fought, but the way he assessed the situation—then opened the door for Ben to make a statement—showed poise under pressure.

Mo nodded in agreement.

Thinking ahead to Fisher's future buzzer-beaters and ice-cold moments in big games...

Yeah. The kid had it in him.

Meanwhile, across the league

Back in Minnesota, Kevin Garnett was stunned when he heard the news.

"No way… Mo fought Rodman?!"

Gugliotta laughed.

"Rodman? Nah. Mo beat Rodman, Jordan, and even kicked Pippen's tooth out."

"He turned the United Center into his personal dojo."

Garnett instinctively rubbed his nose.

Good thing it was just Iverson who hit him last time.

If it had been Alex Mo, he might've been in the ICU next to Rodman.