Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 765 765 506

?Chapter 765: 506 Chapter 765: 506 “You’re right, but I once destroyed Tim Duncan,” Brown replied, “I stepped over his head to win the championship!”

Ring culture is an abstract culture.

This culture began with Charles Barkley turning into a media person, known for his ringlessness due to his big mouth, always speaking bluntly. When brutal truths cut like knives, people counterattack with championships.

So eloquent, why didn’t you win a championship?

Brown completely abstracted this culture, because when he won the championship with the Bucks defeating the Spurs, even if his stats were blown away by Duncan, he was still stepping over Duncan’s head to win; plus, he scored 20 points in a game where he ate Duncan’s pie, isn’t it excessive to say he destroyed Duncan?

This theory is like the LOL World Championship equating to being the top five in the world. He based it solely on results, thereby not negating the process but creating one. Although I was destroyed, I won the championship, so essentially, I crushed you.

For a while, Brown’s hatefulness in San Antonio had surpassed both Yu Fei and Barkley.

The latter two were blacklisted for making size-biased remarks against Saint City.

Besides Brown, the high-profile figure was the SuperSonics’ sharpshooter, Anthony Morrow.

He thought the Spurs were nothing but chicken and dogs, and he couldn’t wait to play against the Lakers.

Durant was outspoken in a post-match interview show with ESPN.

At the news conference, Durant was very friendly to the local reporters from Saint City, hailed as “the only SuperSonics player who isn’t disliked.”

The much-anticipated Yu Fei kept a low profile.

After the game, Yu Fei briefly accepted a live interview, then while walking down the corridor, he saw Duncan wearing thick knee pads. He thought, if one day he had to wear such thick knee pads to play, he’d rather retire.

“We will come back.”

Duncan said to Yu Fei.

He indicated there was still a game six.

“Of course,” Yu Fei laughed, “See you next season.”

Afterward, they said goodbye, 28-year-old Yu Fei and 34-year-old Duncan passed by each other.

Two days later

Western Semi-finals Game Five

The experts agreed, this was the Spurs’ last game of the season.

The League was already hyping up the upcoming grand event.

Only Empire vs Evil Empire.

44 against 23 and 24

Reebok versus Nike

This was not just a major battle in basketball, but a showdown in sports, with Nike aiming to dismantle Yu Fei’s reign by bringing the two kings together in Los Angeles.

The Lakers continued to strengthen while the SuperSonics were plagued by injuries, with an incomplete roster and already at a disadvantage before the game even started.

But accepting that Yu Fei might lose is very difficult.

Because he had dominated the League for six out of the past seven years.

The Spurs now seemed like minor characters overstaying their welcome on stage, self-indulgently dragging out their part.

Everyone was tired of it, wishing they would quickly make their exit.

Even the off-court activities arranged by the League were more appealing than the Spurs.

“LOGO” Jerry West was at the venue tonight.

ABC arranged a face-to-face interview program for him and Durant.

West looked at the spirited Durant and asked, “You’ve won two championships at such a young age, a rare honor, how do you feel about that?”

“I must thank my teammates,” Durant said, “Without them, there would be no championship. What I’m most grateful for is that they are willing to let a young person like me be myself on the court.”

First thanking the teammates, then mentioning his own contribution, that’s what everyone who wants to please the media would say.

“On a scale from 1 to 100, how difficult do you think it is to win a championship?”

“The past two years might have only been 50,” Durant laughed, “But this year, it’s definitely over 90.”

Durant appeared both talkative and optimistic, though all the questions had been rehearsed beforehand, he exuded a charm that reminded West of Elgin Baylor.

But, West was not satisfied with Durant’s response about the difficulty of winning championships.

“Actually, the difficulty of each championship is 100,” West said, “You’re young, but you’ll realize this sooner or later.”

Half an hour later, the game started.

West was sitting in the front row, watching Fei surgically dismantle the Spurs defense on the court.

Fei’s three-point shooting percentage in this year’s playoffs had skyrocketed from 39% to 46%, considering most of his three-point attempts came from ball-handling stop-and-shoots and sudden shots after calling screens, as well as quick catch-and-shoots, this percentage was terrifying.

And his breakthrough had been famous in the League since his rookie season, so years ago, West told him, to become a flawless player, he had to hone his low-post skills.

Then, after performing surgery on the outside, Fei displayed the delicacy of a stitched wound in his low-post offense, single-handedly breaking the Spurs’ defensive system.

By halftime, the SuperSonics had built a substantial lead, making the second half a showcase match.

This made West realize that Fei had truly become an offensive core with no weaknesses in his game.

Considering his age, combined with subsequent development and training, and the tempering of his will, most athletes reach their peak between the ages of 28 and 30.

Now, Fei had officially entered his peak.

Spurs, with all their stars but lacking a dominant superstar, naturally couldn’t compete.

4 to 1

The Spurs fell in the Western Conference semifinals.

“Humans have some bad habits, one of which is remembering the ugliness of those you dislike,” Fei said as he talked about the upcoming Western Finals, “In that regard, I am the ultimate human.”

The Lakers had already swept the Mavericks aside one step earlier.

Texan tears were shed in the semifinal, but no outsiders would sympathize with them because the upcoming battle is the most important series for the NBA since 1991 when Jordan and Magic Johnson showcased a generational shift in the Finals, and the Bulls established their century’s crown in 1998.

It’s not the Finals, but its significance has surpassed 99% of the historical finals.

The consensus outside is that whoever enters the Finals wins the championship.

The Celtics and Magic in the Eastern Conference deeply detest such statements, but unfortunately, unless the New York Knicks revert back to their 70s golden days, the narrative of professional basketball will always be monopolized by the West Coast.

In the future, a hundred authors will write books about the battle of the only empire and the evil empire, but no one will notice who emerged from the Celtics and Magic in the Eastern Conference during the same period.

This is not disdain, this is reality.

Because everyone loves an ultimate human showdown.

Los Angeles

The moment the SuperSonics defeated the Spurs and advanced to the Western Finals, all Lakers players received a text message.

The message was brief, but the short sentence could brew a sense of an impending big boss.

LeBron James put down the weight plate, pulled off his headphones, picked up his phone and saw, on the coach’s group message, “They’re coming.”