Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 1000 1000 581 Becoming the Focal Point_2

?Chapter 1000: Chapter 581: Becoming the Focal Point_2 Chapter 1000: Chapter 581: Becoming the Focal Point_2 The Clippers management was under pressure.

The Los Angeles media wanted the team to actively pursue Howard because with the Clippers’ current roster, it was indeed difficult to compete for a championship. The local media were unwilling to see Yu Fei waste a season.

However, when Arne Trem made an offer to the Brooklyn Nets, the counterpart demanded the Clippers must include Griffin and a draft pick in the deal, or Antetokounmpo plus a significant number of draft picks.

Yu Fei called off the trade. He said, “We don’t need Dwight.”

It was not a statement made in anger. In an era that was extremely unique for centers, Howard became the only center to average 20 points and 12 rebounds per game. Thus, the title of “the league’s No. 1 center” naturally fell upon him.

Yet, space basketball had become the mainstream of the times. Even Yao Ming had transformed into a top-tier space center, and Howard’s defense, rebounding, and limited low-post scoring ability seemed somewhat outdated for the current game.

Howard’s defense was indeed strong, but he did not like defending the pick-and-roll. He was good at finishing at the rim but also disliked participating in pick-and-roll finishes. He preferred low-post play, as that was the education he had received from childhood—the great centers should attack from the low post. Moreover, he lacked shooting ability.

Although his rim protection was among the league’s top, in the modern basketball environment, could his defensive role really compare to Griffin’s contributions on the offensive end? In the age of space basketball, the answer to this question might be no.

A person who could not help the Brooklyn Nets break through Miami in the Eastern Conference, what could he do in the West?

As for trading Antetokounmpo, that was even more impossible. Let’s not even mention that Yu Fei had opened his “heavenly eye,” even without it, after the Greek had clearly shown his limitless potential, he became an untradeable asset for the Clippers.

The Clippers stepped away from the negotiating table.

The local media in Los Angeles cursed Trem for his inaction upon hearing the news.

Trem did not respond to this, and when Yu Fei was asked about the Howard trade, he merely said, “The management needs to consider the bigger picture.”

Then, they headed straight for the Christmas battle.

Starting in December, the Clippers team seemed to awaken, winning more than losing, with Yu Fei’s stats climbing step by step. By the time of the Christmas battle, his average stats had already reached 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists per game.

At present, Yu Fei’s average points per game ranked first in the league, and his average rebounds and assists were all in the top three of the league.

Griffin was reaping the benefits of playing with the GOAT.

With Yu Fei by his side, he wouldn’t become the focus of the opponents’ defense, and with the reduced pressure, his stats were also rising. Currently, he averaged 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists per game, with a field goal percentage nearing 57%—a terrifying efficiency.

It was precisely because both of the Clippers’ star players were performing so well that the media and fans started to expect the team to bring in a third star player.

Yet, this seems like something that will be difficult to achieve in the short term.

Then came the year-end marquee match.

If the NBA regular season is divided into three stages, then the Christmas battle is the most important game of the first stage.

All the hype is here, as the league usually schedules teams with high viewership against equally matched opponents.

This year, the Clippers’ opponent was the Cavaliers.

After sending John Wall away, the Cavaliers finally resolved their internal ball-handling issues.

James’s reign was confirmed, and the team played well since the start of the new season, currently at 20 wins and 10 losses, only trailing Miami.

Setting them up against the Clippers with a record of 23 wins and 7 losses was quite appropriate.

Adding to this the years of rivalry between number 44 and number 23, the league didn’t even need to make an effort to promote it. Just posting the two players’ headshots was enough to make fans think of a slew of background stories.

Staples Center
Yu Fei followed a 5-5-5-5 pattern for his pre-game warm-up.

Five shots from close range, five from the paint, five from the free-throw line, and five from beyond the three-point line; only when he made all of them would he move on to random shooting.

On the other side, James, wearing headphones, ignored everyone, just dunking the ball whenever he got it.

There was no interaction between the two before the game started.

“GOAT, you won’t say a few words to LeBron?” Pierce asked, looking for something to stir up.

Yu Fei replied, “I have nothing to say to him.”

Pierce was quite curious to know how the GOAT had fallen out with James.

As someone who had been there, he certainly knew that when James first entered the league, Yu Fei appeared at the draft as his “big brother.”

James came with an unparalleled halo, but at that time, the GOAT had already completed his revenge against the former GOAT, leading the Bucks to lift the trophy.

In Boston, Pierce was hard-pressed to understand the reason, but he knew for sure that the league and Nike forcing James and Yu Fei into a “dual hero” promotion had definitely hurt James.

He couldn’t beat Yu Fei then, and he can’t now either.

The gap was so large that the parties involved shouldn’t even harbor delusions of surpassing it.

However, the uninhibited Greek took the initiative to greet James.

When Antetokounmpo was still in Greece, James, representing Nike, went there for an event. At that time, the young Greek sensation saw James from afar, witnessing the grandeur and presence of this king, which left a strong impression on Antetokounmpo, who was then undecided between playing football or basketball. Since then, he had only one goal—to become an NBA player.

After a while, Antetokounmpo ran back, beaming with joy.

“What are you smiling about?” Pierce asked sharply, “Step in dog shit?”