When pride still matters

Chapter 113 Smart groin, activated!

After Jordan was reimbursed for the season, the Wizards did not take on a new look as Yu Fei thought.

This is mainly reflected in several aspects.

One is the opponent's targeting during the game.

When Jordan is around, opponents will focus on marking Jordan, even if his shooting percentage is usually less than 40%.Now that Jordan is gone, the leaders of the Wizards have become Yu Fei and Hamilton. To defeat the Wizards, they must be restricted first.

Hamilton is a relatively pure attacker, proficient in running without the ball, likes to catch and shoot, and can occasionally attack with the ball. His problem is that he is too thin, which has been pointed out by Jordan and Collins more than once.

"Did Rip go to the gym today?" is Hamilton's most annoying question.

Hamilton hated the gym, believing he didn't need to gain weight or strengthen himself because it would affect his mobility, flexibility and coordination.

Then there is Yu Fei. After playing most of the season, Yu Fei averaged 17.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. He can be said to be the most versatile rookie since Grant Hill, but his current offensive ability is okay as a secondary attacker. If you want to be the main attacker, you need to look at the shooting feel that night.

Once he fails to find his shooting touch, opponents will decisively use zone defense to limit his breakthrough.

At this time, he needs the firepower support of his teammates, especially the strong support of Hamilton, a pitcher who averages 20 points per game.

And Hamilton seems to have an idea of ​​his own.

This was most evident in the Wizards' road loss to the Clippers.

When the outside line could not be opened and the inside line was completely blocked by Elton Brand, Yu Fei chose to force a breakthrough with the ball to create shooting space for Hamilton.

But Hamilton did not punish the Clippers' zone defense with shots after receiving the ball.

This scene is sensitive in the eyes of some media people.

For example, "Washington Times" team reporter Thomas Flynn.

Is there any reason for Hamilton to give up his usual way of playing, is it to make this game more difficult?

Flynn looked at the Wizards' statistics.

Except for the inaccurate three-pointer tonight, Yu Fei was fine in other aspects, with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. He played a lot of counterattacks to make the Clippers exhausted. If he can break the opponent's zone defense, this game should be winnable. .

But what if Hamilton doesn't cooperate?
Why did Hamilton do this?

Flynn didn't find the answer right away.

Then, at the press conference that night, when Yu Fei entered the media interview room as the most watched player on the team, Flynn, who was also in the interview room, discovered the key to the problem.

When Jordan ended the season early due to injury, there was a vacuum in the Wizards' top position, but without competition at all, everyone assumed that Yu Fei would take the top spot.

Whether inside or outside the team, everyone sees it this way.

How can Hamilton, who entered the league a few years earlier than Yu Fei and was still the second-in-command under Jordan, accept this?
"Fry, why do you think we lost tonight?"

"Looking at the score, we scored 15 points less than our opponents, well, that's why."

“Who do you think deserves these points?”

"Next time I'm in this situation, I'm going to go for those points."

"Do you think losing MJ has a big impact on you guys?"

"Before Michael was injured, we had a wave of 11 losses and 2 wins. We were 1 win and 2 losses (after losing Jordan). I don't think it's time to draw conclusions yet."

When Yu Fei finished the interview, he met Hamilton in the passage.

"Why don't you take action when there's space?"

Yu Fei asked directly.

Hamilton didn't expect that Yu Fei would question him without any preparation.

"Not a good opportunity."

"Not a good opportunity? They didn't guard our outside shots at all. I've used breakthroughs to attract the defense for you. You were open at the time. If that's not a good opportunity, what is a good opportunity?" Yu Fei asked sarcastically, "You want to Do they let you in for a layup?"

Hamilton had experienced this aggressive arrogance from Jordan.

This suffocating feeling appeared in his body when Jordan said he was not good at defense, when Jordan said he needed to throw himself into the weight room, when Collins temporarily put him on the bench at the instruction of Jordan's will. .

But Jordan is Jordan, so why should Yu Fei?He's just a rookie!
"I entered the league earlier than you, and I know the game better. You can't tell me what is a good opportunity and what is not a good opportunity!" Hamilton argued angrily.

I’m more XX than you, you can’t tell me XX when Dog Te Ominous Syndrome in Old Age will become contagious?

"Are you dissatisfied with the current situation, Rip?" Yu Fei suddenly smiled, "Do you have any objections to me?"

In Hamilton's eyes, Yu Fei is no longer his little brother.

In other words, since Yu Fei entered the starting lineup, the mutual support relationship between them no longer exists.

Because Yu Fei dared to do what he didn't dare to do - he opposed Jordan in a team dominated by Jordan.

Hamilton didn't dare.

What was Hamilton's boldest dream?He told the media the day before yesterday that in five years, Jordan will no longer be here, but they will still be here.

He is the future of the team, and this is his wildest dream.

Yu Fei is a player who openly confronted Jordan and was not completely suppressed. Instead, he relied on his irreplaceable strength to make his status higher and higher.

On the eve of Jordan's surgery, Yu Fei's last words to Jordan shattered all Hamilton's illusions.

That means that even if Jordan retires, the Wizards are still not his team.

"Impossible!" Hamilton did not dare to face his heart, nor did he dare to confess to Fei, "I have always supported you, Frye."

The next day, Yu Fei came to the Verizon Center early as usual.

"Yo, Tim, are you there?" Anthony Lawson spotted Tim Grover.

This is the white guy Yu Fei always asks him to please. Every time he sees Grover, Lawson greets him like a kind nephew.

Grover saw Yu Fei who was ready to start training.

He has heard rumors that Yu Fei is diligent in training, but has never confirmed it in person. Until today, Jordan plans to return to the Verizon Center to declare his presence and use the message "If you enter the playoffs, I may return." Boost the team's morale.This chance made Grover discover that Yu Fei is such a diligent player.

He thought of Lawson's flattery towards him and the other man's constant mention that "Fry is always looking for the best trainer."

"If you are here, I assume the boss is also here?" Yu Feixiao asked.

"Of course," Grover said. "Michael never abandons his team."

Yeah?What about the 1993 Bulls? What about the 1998 Bulls?
Well, his father died and he was kicked off the team, these are all reasonable reasons.

But the name Jordan arouses Yu Fei's rebellious mentality.Then, Yu Fei met Jordan on the sidelines, walking with a cane.

"I watched yesterday's game." Jordan took the initiative to say to Fei, "If it was my pass, do you think Rip would miss those open shooting opportunities?"

"I don't think so," Yu Fei mocked, "because he doesn't want to be asked after the game why he didn't do something on the court to help his teammates."

Jordan said proudly: "You want to replace me, you want to lead them into the playoffs, that's what you said, right? If you can't get Rip to cooperate with you, why do you think you can do the things you said? "

"This has nothing to do with you anymore, right? Besides, who do we need to fight for playoff qualification now? Who would rather play with injuries than shoot 30 shots with a shooting rate of less than 25%? More than the ball? Who has obviously lost the ability to maintain high-quality offense and defense for a long time but plays more than 38 minutes in every game? Who is leading the team to 2 wins and 11 losses, which directly caused our playoff prospects to become bleak? Did you leave like a hero when you were there?" Yu Fei looked at Jordan as if he were looking at a piece of shit that no one had cleaned up. "I won't say this to the media. You should be grateful. You just proved that there is no Scotty this year. Pippen, you are doomed to achieve nothing. As for whether I can lead them to the playoffs and wipe your shit clean, that is my business. I don't care about you, an old and useless cripple."

! #￥! @￥! @#
Jordan was furious. He picked up his cane and wanted to have a PK with Yu Fei in the Imperial City. However, the surrounding staff swarmed around him. They were not afraid of a fight between the two, but were afraid that Yu Fei would actually attack Jordan.

Whether it was Jordan angrily hitting Yu Fei with a cane, or Yu Fei using force on Jordan, who had limited mobility, either of these two things would make the Wizards rush to the media headlines, and be accompanied by endless negative effects.

Although the staff stopped the conflict between Yu Fei and Jordan, the impact of this incident indirectly caused Richard Hamilton to have a difficult day.

In the training session that day, Yu Fei chose a substitute team to fight against the starting team led by Hamilton in the intra-team competition.

From the very beginning, when Yu Fei chased Hamilton, the smell of gunpowder appeared.

"Rip, does this also require a breakthrough? What about your shooting? Does the groin injury still affect your shooting?"

In the next round, when Hamilton took a shot, Yu Fei laughed again: "So you can shoot?"

If he made the shot.

"Why didn't you vote last night?"

If he misses.

Yu Fei would point at Jordan who was watching the game on the sidelines and say: "You can't miss this kind of ball even if you let that lame guy come over."

Finally, Hamilton couldn't bear it anymore and responded angrily: "Why don't you make the shot? If you can make the shot, why put your hope on me?"

Hamilton really left Yu Fei no choice.

If there is no one around him that he can count on, then he can only believe in himself.

His shooting is just inconsistent, not impossible.

Especially now, when he is angry, he will be extremely focused. At this time, his touch is always particularly good.

That's the difference between Yu Fei and Hamilton.

It is also the biggest gap between ordinary star players and those extraordinary talents with great potential.

Yu Fei dribbled the ball, called the second position pick-and-roll to force Hamilton to switch defense, and then made a pull-out shot in front of him.

"Shh!"

"Is this defense, Rip? Did you see that cripple on the sidelines? He would be better than you if you let him defend you!"

Jordan growled: "You s*** better keep your mouth clean!"

Does Mr. Qiao know that attacking the other party's flaws is a kind of "dirty mouth" behavior?
Klaus cried to death, Boggs cried to death.

"Please respect my freedom of speech." Yu Fei mocked.

Jordan left with a livid face.

Because if you continue to stay, you will only be humiliated by Yu Fei continuously.

As for Hamilton, it's going to be a long day for him.

Everyone else in the starting team saw that Yu Fei wanted to take advantage of Hamilton today, so they didn't work hard and just beat him casually.

The substitute team did not dare to fail to contribute, because the main reason why Yu Fei treated Hamilton like this today was because he did not play well in last night's game.

As a result, the bench team was unable to defeat the starting team.

After the game, Yu Fei did not speak to Hamilton again.

Only Kwame Brown felt that Yu Fei seemed to have changed a little: "Fu Lai, do you have any problems with Rip?"

"If he doesn't shoot, we have a problem."

"What if he voted?"

"Then I want to see if there are any other problems."

One day later, the Wizards traveled to Seattle to challenge the Sonics.

This is the first time Yu Fei has returned to Washington State as an NBA player.

Even though he knew he was from Kent, he did feel a little different when Seattleites welcomed him home as one of their own.

Then, Gary Payton's words doubled his fighting spirit: "Are you the kid who participated in the regional invitational tournament?"

"Do you remember me?"

"Of course, I remember, just to confirm. Uncle, I hate high school brats like you who don't go to college the most. I have to teach you a lesson tonight!"

Payton did what he said, scoring 29 points and 7 assists in a single game, but Yu Fei, who seemed to have some buffs when he returned to his "home court", bravely scored 35 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists, leading his team to defeat the SuperSonics.

At the end of the game, even though they lost at home, the Seattle people were not sad at all.

The cheers at the scene made Yu Fei feel like he was playing at MCI.

Richard Hamilton scored 21 points and he finally started shooting.

Because Yu Fei changed the way he treated him.

If Hamilton didn't take an open shot, Yu Fei would berate him as viciously as Jordan.

It's not good to put pressure on others, but if pressure is the only way for Hamilton to play well, then Yu Fei will do it without hesitation.

He doesn't care what Hamilton thinks, he just wants to get the Wizards out of the mire.

Hamilton then refused to attend the post-race press conference.

reason?

I have a strained groin and am going to the hospital for a checkup now.

When Yu Fei learned about this, he had a hunch - BYD wouldn't just "smart groin, start it!" right?

The next day, the Wizards officially announced: Richard Hamilton will miss the game indefinitely due to a recurring groin injury.

(End of this chapter)