When pride still matters

Chapter 111 When the Overlord Falls
The end of the All-Star Game heralds the end of the All-Star holiday.

Two days later, the Wizards will face the Lakers for the first time this season.

But Yu Fei seemed to have consumed too much energy in Philadelphia. On the first day he returned to DC, he missed training because of the flu. The next day, the situation did not improve, which also meant that he would definitely miss the first game against the Lakers this season. a match.

"Change the channel! I don't want to watch this!"

On the night of the game, Yu Fei stayed on the sofa at home, and Anthony Lawson switched the TV to the game channel.

It was the Wizards vs. Lakers game.

"Let's take a look and see how powerful the Wizards are without you." Lawson said with a smile.

People who are sick are always pessimistic, "You can't beat the Lakers with or without me, right?"

"You can take a look then."

Now is the pre-match interview session.

Moreover, it is still an interview with Jordan.

Although most of the hype surrounding this game revolved around Kobe and Jordan, some media still realized that this was the first time Jordan played against Phil Jackson's team as a player for another team.

So one wonders what Jordan thinks.

It's rare for people to see Jordan show his true feelings during the Wizards period. This is a rare occasion.

"We know our friendship will transcend any fights we have on the basketball court, and no matter what happens, there is a feeling of love between us."

Does Doug Collins cry?When will he feel love for Jordan?
However, Phil Jackson, who believes in Zen Buddhism, seems to be emotionally closed, and he rarely shows emotion, "Michael is one of the most special players I have ever coached, and I can't tell you how lucky I am in words. ."

Jackson's words were equally touching, but his expression and tone were flat.

Although Jackson, Collins, Jordan and Kobe all insisted that this game was not a personal showdown, it became clearer when Shaquille O'Neal missed the game due to a toe injury and Kobe became the Lakers' lone star.

As expected, the Lakers won the game.

However, if you want to discuss the content of the game in detail, the quality of Kobe's performance is much higher. His main opponent is Richard Hamilton.Although the two are good friends, they have also been rivals since childhood.

In the 1995 and 1996 Pennsylvania State Championships, Kobe led the team to defeat Hamilton. In a regular season game, Kobe even had a heroic feat of hitting a buzzer-beater in midfield.

Tonight, Kobe single-handedly blocked Hamilton in his first game back, and then scored the third triple-double of his career: 23 points, 11 rebounds and 15 assists (a career high in assists).

Although Jordan scored 21 points, he had almost no sense of presence in the game because his scoring was concentrated in the first half, while Kobe's focus was in the second half. When the Lakers took away the Wizards in a wave, Jordan did nothing .

Then, let's hear what he had to say about the game after the game.

"I feel like everyone is expecting me to take over the game, but I can't get the ball..."

Yu Fei feels that if you trade the best passing veteran in the team for your own personal gain, then you shouldn't complain that you can't get the ball.

"I think the Lakers defense worked on Rip. They stepped up on Rip and Rip obviously didn't get any results and he just came back, which I can understand. But it's definitely a lesson for us. We're in the Lakers gave in under the pressure.”

Is it appropriate for the best player in history to do so blatantly?

"You know his (Phil Jackson's) team is going to play solid defense. It's a little tough. You can imagine what it was like for other teams to play us (in Chicago)."

Okay, Yu Fei knows what gift to give to Big Dog next Christmas. Let’s collect the video of every game of the Bulls’ last three consecutive games and give it to Jordan, so that he can continue to remember the past without having to Back to reality.

Phil Jackson was the only one who cared about Jordan: "41 minutes is too long for Michael and it's risky considering his age."

Everyone could see that Jordan was having trouble moving on the court, but Collins "couldn't tell."

Two days later, in the game against the Suns, Yu Fei continued to take a truce, while the Wizards fought with the troubled Suns until the last second. Then, Jordan suddenly woke up and scored a game-winning shot in the last ten seconds.

This is the 28th time in his career that he has hit a buzzer beater in the last 10 seconds of a game.

For an old man whose legs and feet were so handicapped that he was limping a little, this was indeed a feat.

Then, Jordan's knee problems gradually worsened and he had to miss another practice on his 39th birthday.

Before the second game against the Rockets, Jordan rarely admitted his injury and told other young players, including Yu Fei: "From now on, you have the opportunity to prove your strength."

Yu Fei returned to the daily observation list. Although he played 18 minutes, in order to protect him, Collins did not let him play too long in the first game back.

Then, Yu Fei discovered that the team's situation took a turn for the worse. Hamilton had not recovered to his pre-injury level at all. Others also behaved like headless flies after losing Chris Whitney, an experienced point guard. Jordan, My body was on the verge of collapse, but I fell into a state of madness that said, "I can't possibly fall here."

The Wizards lost to the Rockets, who were already showing off their game without any shame.

Because Jordan was like an immovable stake throughout the game, allowing his opponents to score points at will. In this case, his playing time was still as high as 36 minutes.

In order to save Jordan, Collins finally began to openly talk about his plan to rest Jordan.

But Jordan's choice was to continue to resist.

He was so unreasonably strong that he forced Collins to play more than 38 minutes a game, and then he took shots like crazy.

Starting from the loss to the Rockets, the Wizards suffered a seven-game losing streak. Even if Yu Fei made a complete comeback, it would not help because Jordan was obsessed.In the scariest game - the New Jersey Nets at home beat the Wizards 117-70 by 47 points.

The Wizards were once beaten to a humiliating 27-0 scoring deficit.

Jordan's body was reaching its limit and the Wizards' playoff prospects were in jeopardy, and people around Jordan began to persuade him to rest.Whenever someone said this, he would go crazy: "When have I ever missed a game at this juncture? Do you know my body better than me?"

To end their losing streak, the Wizards defeated the Heat by 1 point.

Yu Fei scored his fifth triple-double of the season, while Jordan scored 37 points with incredible will. He performed so well that observers wondered why people suspected that Jordan was scarred?
But scoring 37 points meant Jordan had another rough night, playing another 40 minutes.

The Wizards suffered another three-game losing streak, with Jordan playing 38 minutes, 35 minutes and 40 minutes respectively.

He just took crazy shots, as if he had some mission, but his efficiency was too poor to lead the team to victory.

On this final night, Jordan was like a child, sensitive to everything, yelling at the referees, criticizing his teammates, and saying harsh words to his opponents, but his shooting percentage was 33%.And his legs seemed to be hanging with weights, and he was completely unable to move and run like a normal person.

Six minutes before the end of the game, the Wizards were gone and Jordan left the game early.

That night, facing the media, the arrogant Jordan showed a look he had never seen this season. He said with self-pity: "I'm old," and now he had to admit that age would become a problem. "I'm already feeling the signs, it's clear that something is coming to an end"

The Wizards took a special plane back to DC overnight.

On the plane, Yu Fei saw Jordan sitting silently next to Grover and the bodyguard.

"It was like someone died suddenly." Kwame Brown described the atmosphere at the scene.

When Jordan wasn't sleeping on a flight, he was usually telling himself stories about his alma mater, North Carolina, or teasing his teammates and occasionally playing cards.

These were all ways he spent his time, but tonight, he did nothing.

The next day, Jordan's team announced a big news through ESPN's David Aldridge: "MJ has torn the lateral meniscus in his right knee and he will undergo surgery tomorrow."

It's already March, and the recovery period for this surgery is two months.

In other words, Jordan is basically certain to be reimbursed for the season.

The night before surgery, Jordan decided to go back to the Verizon Center in person to pick up his belongings.

"I will return."

Jordan said about Fly, Laettner and Hamilton.

No one responded.

The atmosphere in the locker room was as solemn as a morgue.

"I'll be back," Jordan repeated.

"Okay." Hamilton responded first and offered the diplomatic rhetoric he had prepared. "I know you will come back and I hope you recover soon."

Leitner said nothing because he didn't know what to say.

Then, Jordan looked at Yu Fei and said again: "I will be back."

Say important things three times?

"You don't seem to want me to come back?" Jordan had an uncomfortable confidence on his face, "I will come back."

Fourth time.

Even though he is no different from a cripple now, he is still the leader of the team.

Jordan seems to be proving that whether he is here or not, there can only be one ruler here.

"Hey Michael."

Yu Fei's words calmed Jordan down.

In Jordan's memory, this was the first time Yu Fei called his name in person.

Yu Fei was so kind, but Jordan didn't believe that he was holding back any kind words.

Yu Fei turned sideways and pointed at the locker room with his finger, "Before you leave, this team is still yours."

"But after you left, it was no longer the case." Every word and every note Yu Fei said was like the metallic sound of a silver needle falling to the ground, so loud and so harsh. "Go with peace of mind. I will complete your unfinished business. After all, not everyone is as lucky as me to wipe the GOAT's butt."

Yu Fei changed his tone: "I will lead them to the playoffs."

Then, Yu Fei walked past Jordan, and when he rubbed Jordan's shoulder to leave, he left the last words:

"At that point, this team no longer belongs to you."

(End of this chapter)