Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 995 995 579 Unsettled Soul_3

?Chapter 995: Chapter 579 Unsettled Soul_3 Chapter 995: Chapter 579 Unsettled Soul_3 You should know, when Magic Johnson retired, Old Buss actually gave him a 5% stake in the team.

Jordan’s experience with the Bulls reminded Yu Fei of Clay Bennett in Seattle who chose to dismantle the team to save money—these are examples of capital’s tendency to disregard the team’s interests and the feelings of star players for pure private gain.

Since they did such things, then the stars themselves must also weigh their options.

The innate advantages of a transmigrator made Yu Fei believe he could succeed anywhere, therefore, the overall quality of the owner was his main consideration.

Steve Ballmer was qualified in every respect.

In some ways, he was like Old Buss, and moreover, he was much wealthier than Old Buss.

Playing for him, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about Ballmer dismantling the team to save money.

As long as they could produce results, Ballmer wasn’t afraid to spend.

An owner who is wealthy and willing to delegate authority is the best owner Yu Fei could find—it’s the best situation a superstar can have. To reach even higher, one would have to be like Jordan, retiring and then becoming an owner himself.

One day later, the Clippers arrived in Indiana.

The Pacers were an average team in the Eastern Conference with moderate strength.

They weren’t as bad as the Bobcats, nor strong enough to make it to the playoffs.

This type of team was the most awkward existence in the League; their struggle was simple to understand.

Because they were in a small market, they dared not tank boldly; they needed to maintain a certain level of performance to attract fans, while also looking to the draft to pick a core player. However, unlike the 76ers who shamelessly threw their face to the ground and lost without limit, hoping for a miraculous star to fall from the sky was an incredibly slim chance.

The Clippers beat their opponents without any surprises or dangers.

They were then faced with a tough challenge—the Miami Heat.

So far, the Miami Heat had only lost two games: one was to the talent-explosion of the Golden State Warriors, the other was due to underestimating the opponent and being unexpectedly defeated by the Timberwolves.

“Frye, I admit you are the greatest among our generation of players,” Wade said to Yu Fei before the game with a look of pride, “but Michael is the GOAT in my eyes; you will never replace him.”

“The way you put it, I can’t tell if you’re trash-talking me or just being coy,” Yu Fei said.

Wade replied, “I’m just sharing my opinion. Now that I’m also part of the champions club, I have the right to speak my mind.”

“OK.”

That was the last thing Yu Fei said to Wade before the game started.

It had only been two years since Yu Fei last won a championship, but newcomers like Wade no longer revered him.

Humans indeed are a forgetful species.

Yu Fei told himself not to get angry, otherwise, he would be just like Jordan.

He wouldn’t be like Jordan, becoming a competition monster who forever craved to prove his invincibility.

However, years of countless successes, the arrogance brought by eight championship titles, and the inflated ego from being molded into an idol, had completely changed his attitude towards people and things that did not show him respect.

Yu Fei thought to himself, has Wade already forgotten the experience of being kicked in the ass by me? Well then, time to kick his ass again!

Some people need to be crushed over and over again to remember those painful memories.

As soon as the game started, Yu Fei quickly got into the zone.

He assisted on defense by blocking Wade, then followed up with an assist for a Tocumbo fast break dunk.

From the first round, the Clippers showed a defensive intensity that exceeded regular season standards. However, the Miami Heat did not take them seriously.

For a team that has won the championship, the biggest challenge is not the targeted strategies from other teams, but rather the self-complacency that arises after winning the title. This complacency can make champions satisfied with the outcome, take the future lightly, and become disgruntled with the things happening around them. Most defending champions are defeated by this mindset.

Now, the most obvious characteristic of the Heat’s behavior was their arrogance.

It was not until Yu Fei scored 16 points in the first quarter, leading the Clippers to an 11-point advantage going into the second quarter, that the Heat began to take things seriously.

However, the Clippers, with the lead in hand, would not easily give up their advantage. Every round, Yu Fei would call isolation plays, forcefully taking on Curry or Yao Ming one-on-one.

Yao Ming was not in good form tonight, not only showing many weaknesses in defense but also struggling to find his shooting touch on offense. The drawbacks of weight reduction and spacing became glaringly obvious in this game—if his perimeter shooting was off, it was tough for him to adjust because the Heat rarely treated him as the focal point of offense.

Curry could respond with three-pointers, but the problem was that he was under pressure from Wade. Only when he had enough possession of the ball, could Curry’s energy fully explode.

Even if the Miami Heat understood this, it was difficult for them to make a decision. Wade, although older, had won dual MVPs just last season and was at the peak of his career. To bench Wade in favor of Curry? That was a hugely risky move, and no one dared to make it final.

It was this uncertainty and overinflation of talent that kept the Heat from leveraging their full potential.

Yu Fei got Yao to foul out in three quarters, and then by calling him out, caused Curry to be crushed on the defense while also preventing him from getting enough ball possession to respond, which gradually unbalanced him. Wade, who wasn’t as efficient as Yu Fei in isolation, started to lose control of the game.

The Heat fell behind by 11 points in the first quarter and by the fourth quarter, they were trailing by 21 points.

When Curry, repeatedly targeted and provoked by Yu Fei, finally lost control and committed a flagrant foul due to a violent pulling action, the last breath of the Miami Heat dissipated.

“If I were you, I’d have that damn Filipino let me play point guard!” Yu Fei said as Curry was leaving the court.

“You’re not me.” Curry retorted, “And I’m not you.”

After Curry left the court, the game officially entered garbage time.

Yu Fei made the free throw, bringing his score to 50 points, and then he was also subbed out.

In the end, the score was fixed at 119 to 102. The Clippers won against the seemingly invincible defending champions by a 17-point advantage on the road.

Yu Fei made headlines with his stats of 50 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists.

More than the stats, what really caught people’s attention was his statement after the game.

“Before the game started, Dwyane said a few words to me as a member of the championship club.” Yu Fei said, “Here, I, as a member of the eight-championship club, reject his words and warn him never to speak to me in that tone again.”

Then, Yu Fei smiled: “Just kidding, Dwyane, you know I didn’t mean that.”

Yes, he knew.