Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 841 841 528

?Chapter 841: 528 Chapter 841: 528 All it took was one crushing defeat, just one person who was supposed to lead the team forward, but instead steered the ship straight into an iceberg.

The birth of the Evil Empire stemmed from an insatiable desire for championships.

They sold the prospects of winning championships to those who were talented but without titles, and the thirst for glory got them on board.

But now, the person who led them aboard had taken a suicidal action.

Naturally, those who had come to satisfy their desires had to figure out what the other was thinking.

But James said it wasn’t over, they would fight for their dignity.

This was a lofty slogan, but his teammates really wanted to know why a formidable force like the Evil Empire had fallen to the point of fighting for dignity.

Who had dragged them into this damn dead end?

“Our job isn’t finished, why celebrate? I wouldn’t do that, there is one more game,” Coach Lu emphatically imitated Kobe, “We are going to send them home on our court!”

The reporters asked about the feelings when they saw Roy defending James one-on-one in the final moments.

“Feelings?” Coach Lu joked, “A bit exciting, this matchup is what we wanted to see.”

“Did you know from the start that LeBron couldn’t play one-on-one against Brandon?”

“No, no, not at all,” Coach Lu recalled a behind-the-scenes anecdote, “Brandon felt like Frye was playing like Michael Jordan tonight, and in order for us to win, he had to be Frye’s Scottie Pippen. At the critical moment, they chose to play one-on-one against our Pippen, what do I have to worry about?”

The reporters then brought Scottie Pippen’s words to Roy.

“That’s true,” Roy asked proudly, “Don’t you think my defense at the last moment was like Scottie Pippen? No, could Pippen have defended LeBron in the low post?”

It was a difficult question to answer.

It seemed Roy truly believed he was as great a defender as Pippen.

However, his teammates provided a very different answer.

“Our strategy was to let LeBron go against Brandon, even against our worst defender, we’re confident in LeBron!”

That was Kwame Brown speaking.

So naturally, the reporters asked, “Why are you confident in LeBron?”

Brown responded matter-of-factly, “Didn’t you see how he played at the last moment?”

“If it were me, Brandon would not be able to walk off the court…”

“You haven’t started in the last two games, does that shake your confidence in your judgment? Do you still think you’re the best center in the league?”

In the past, Brown would have passionately defended himself and claimed he would soon return to the starting line-up.

But this time, he thought for a moment before saying, “Shaquille O’Neal hasn’t been the best center for many years, everyone has their day. Maybe my time has ended…”

The most unsettling part of the whole interview was when Brown said “my time,” and the reporters felt no dissonance at all.

Over the years, Brown’s big mouth had become well known, and from his perspective, he had constructed a narrative logic in his own way.

The superstars defeated by Yu Fei in the playoffs were also defeated by him. The feats that Fei accomplished in front of them seemed as though he had done them as well.

So in that logic, if Fei was the best player in the league, then he was the best inside because he indeed represented the team in defeating those people.

Kwame Brown’s arrogance was a product remembered by time, much like the hype surrounding LeBron joining the Lakers before his twenty-eight consecutive losses.

But tonight, many people had their own say.

Jermaine O’Neal recalled last summer, Kobe convincing him to accept the Lakers’ minimum salary to compete for the championship.

“Looking at their situation now, I’m glad I didn’t stay,” Little O said, “I feel sorry for Kobe, he tried hard, some things are beyond his control.”

Chris Bosh rebutted the criticism from outsiders, asking the critics to look at his stats.

“If you check my stats tonight, you’ll scoff at those who say I can’t play center.”

Kevin Durant talked to an ESPN reporter about how the Supersonics had won by playing more as a team.

He also met Nike executive Lynn Memitt.

“Kid, are you satisfied with this outcome?”

Memitt asked.

This might have been the most dream-ending Durant could think of, although Fei scoring 50 points in three consecutive games would be the main topic for the media, he finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, ranking third on the team, and if not for Bosh’s dominant performance in the post, he would have been the second-highest scorer.

But that didn’t matter, what was important was that he had performed better than James on the other side.

He scored when he needed to score, and when it was time to defend, he fully utilized his talent.

“I couldn’t be more satisfied, Uncle Memitt,” Durant said with absolute confidence, “The Lakers are done, we’re going to achieve a three-peat!”

Memitt didn’t throw cold water on Durant’s enthusiasm, nor did he dampen his spirit, and he said nothing in the end.

Perhaps this was Durant’s victory, but it was certainly not Nike’s victory.

Yet in Nike’s plan, regardless of who won the Western finals, Nike was supposed to be the winner, because three of the four stars in this series were from Nike.