Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 831 831 525 The Worlds Largest Noise_3

?Chapter 831: Chapter 525: The World’s Largest Noise_3 Chapter 831: Chapter 525: The World’s Largest Noise_3 In those years, the Kings Team faced off against the OK Lakers in the playoffs for three consecutive years, and in the 2002 Western finals they came close to eliminating their opponents. Part of this was the fault of the referees in Game Six, and another part was due to Chris Webber, who wasn’t known for performing well in crucial moments.

Bibby was the MVP of the losing side in that series, calling out Shaquille O’Neal throughout with his high-post jump shots.

Now, time had moved on, and he had joined the Lakers in pursuit of a championship. Currently, the Lakers needed his call-outs to respond to the SuperSonics.

Bibby directly called for a pick-and-roll at the power forward position targeting Little O.

What he didn’t expect was that Little O wasn’t scared of being targeted at all, because his defense was “no joke.”

The biggest fear for a big man guarding a smaller player is being beaten off the dribble, which is why it’s a tried-and-true tactic for ball-handlers to call out the big men.

But Little O didn’t give Bibby the chance to shoot and punish him, instead sticking to him closely, ready to stop any attempts to drive.

Bibby had no choice but to drive inside, but DeAndre Jordan surprisingly left Big Z to firmly guard the basket.

Bibby passed the ball to Big Z, who scored with a jump shot.

The trade-offs between the teams began to align.

Tough defense was required on the perimeter, the rim protector had to stay anchored in the paint, giving up the mid-range shots to the opposition.

And because the big men, who often take these shots, deal with a lot of physical contact in their position, it’s difficult for them to maintain consistent shooting touch throughout the game.

Yu Fei called for another pick-and-roll at the power forward position.

This time, James decisively decided to double-team Yu Fei along with Jamison.

So Yu Fei passed the ball to Little O, who, unguarded, drove straight to the basket for a score.

Both sides kept exploiting each other’s defensive weaknesses.

The game suddenly became predictable: you run a pick-and-roll at the power forward position, I do the same; you let Big Z shoot, I let Little O roll to the basket; both teams had points they struggled to defend.

So, how was the balance broken?

A few possessions later, James also called for a pick-and-roll at the power forward position, and unexpectedly, the SuperSonics sent Jermaine O’Neal his way.

James assumed it was a mistake, so he sped past Little O, storming towards the basket. Just when he thought he had a clear path, DeAndre Jordan, who rarely left the rim protection, strangely abandoned it and for less than a second, his relief turned to dismay as Yu Fei, though he appeared to switch onto Jamison on the perimeter, sprinted back into the paint and stripped the ball from James’s side.

James’s mind went blank, while Alonzo Gee, like a fierce hound, pounced on the ball that almost went out of bounds and saved it back to Yu Fei.

Yu Fei moved like the wind, being just as tireless as LeBron despite not resting since the game began, akin to a perpetual motion machine. Right behind him, Kobe’s pursuit was just as relentless.

As both players reached the frontcourt, Yu Fei leaped forward from the edge of the paint, and Kobe exploded with energy in that instant, matching his opponent. However, when two objects collide at full speed, the one with the larger mass has an immeasurable advantage.

Kobe was knocked aside by Yu Fei, his ball slamming into the basket like an asteroid that ended the age of the dinosaurs.

“BOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!”

Yu Fei roared as he pulled on the rim, letting out a thunderous yell toward Kobe on the ground.

The referee blew the whistle, adding luster to this moment that shocked the gods: “And one!!!”

“This dunk could hold a significance for Frye that surpasses time, just like Michael Jordan’s dunk on Patrick Ewing back in 1991!”

As Yu Fei prepared to take his spot at the free-throw line, the Lakers Team called a timeout.

The big screen at the stadium began showing replays of the dunk from different angles.

Then people realized, Kobe wasn’t meant to be the victim in this scene.

After Yu Fei stole the ball from James, James should have been sprinting back, but his first reaction was to look at the referee, thinking Yu Fei had committed a foul. Only then did he look at Yu Fei. By the time he did, Yu Fei was already across half-court, and Kobe was in pursuit, so he just stood there.

This led to what happened next.

“Had LeBron been the one to challenge Frye in the air instead of Kobe, the outcome might have been different.”

“LeBron’s physicality is stronger, he wouldn’t be knocked away by Frye like Kobe was.”

“Why did he just stand there?”

“What was he thinking?”

TV pundits accurately pinpointed the biggest culprit of that play.

While Kobe was the one who suffered the humiliation, no one would mock a player who raced back from the backcourt to defend and ended up dunked on the floor.

Moreover, Kobe was the King of Los Angeles.

Having been humiliated by Yu Fei, those who loved him would only blame his teammate.

Like the one who had every reason to chase Yu Fei but didn’t move at all.

As James walked off the court, some Lakers fans became restless.

“LeBron, are you just going to watch Frye dunk like that?”

“Why do you keep passing the ball, LeBron? Are you dodging responsibility?”

“Did you come to Los Angeles just to lose to Frye again?”

James looked calm, but a tumultuous rage was building within him.

He was a man who poised before he pounced.

He wouldn’t play ball recklessly, propelled only by passion like some mindless people.

He liked to observe, to think, and so he would weigh the pros and cons. Those who accused him of not defending didn’t understand the game. If he had chased back just now, he would have risked a foul just like Kobe.

Why were these people forcing him to make a foolish move that Kobe had already proven impractical through his actions?

“It’s just one basket. Don’t make a big deal of it!”

Kobe said loudly to everyone.

“Right, just one basket,” Jackson said, “but if he makes the free throw, the difference goes to 10 points. Kobe, we’re already behind by five baskets.”

Without a doubt, Kobe said, “I will fight back!”

Jackson nodded secretly; he wasn’t worried about Kobe’s warrior spirit.

Then, he turned to look at James.

“LeBron, do you remember how we lost the last game in Seattle?” Jackson asked.

James knew Jackson would answer his own question, so he didn’t respond.

“They cared too much about the officiating,” Jackson said. “If we consider the referees with every play, we can’t focus. Officiating is just a part of the game, LeBron, let that part leave your mind.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?” Jackson asked.

“Because of the noise,” James couldn’t imagine he would hear so much noise at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. “It’s too loud here.”

James was the most unique star player Jackson had ever coached.

He was also the only one Jackson thought needed to study Zen.

People like Jordan and Kobe, their emotions often fluctuated wildly; even if they were at a low point one second, they could be counted on to bounce back to the heights the next.

They would create a majestic inner world for themselves in which to worship their own souls.

But James, the more turbulent his inner world, the more likely he was to perform abnormally. His soul needed to rest in a hollow tree, his world needed something to depend on, his heart yearned for tranquility.

Zen speaks of the mind being elsewhere, seeing but not seeing, hearing but not hearing, eating without knowing the taste, that is the silence of Nirvana.

James had never reached that step; he was too easily influenced by the outside world.

Especially when standing in front of Yu Fei.

Every action of Yu Fei could shatter his peace.

“Then make them quiet down,” Jackson said. “LeBron, if you let Frye run wild on the court, they’ll only get louder. Silence them your way. If this world must have noise, then leave behind your own noise.”

After the timeout, Yu Fei returned to the court to take the free throw.

It was at this moment that the fans at the Staples Center unleashed a uniform roar of curses at the free throw shooter.

“FUCK YOU FLY!!!!”

“FUCK YOU FLY!!!!”

“FUCK YOU FLY!!!!”

Yu Fei smiled and made a listening gesture identical to Iverson’s classic “make some noise” poster.

This further ignited the emotions of the fans.

They became crazed, as if the city’s materialized contempt and hostility toward one person were on full display.

James watched silently, this greatest noise-maker of the current world was also the highest mountain he had to face.

Only by scaling this mountain could he wash away his stigma.

“Swish!”

Yu Fei scored the free throw.

35 to 45
The SuperSonics were ahead by 10 points.