When pride still matters

Chapter 135 Prying open Ray Allen’s mouth

The happy moments of the Bucks winning their first game didn't last long.

Entering November, the Bucks ushered in their first home game, against the unlucky Orlando Magic.

Yu Fei has a special feeling for the Magic, because his opponent in the Wizards' first battle was the Magic.

He still remembers that Grant Hill, the Magic's second-in-command, was injured in that game and was reimbursed for the season again, leaving McGrady to carry the team alone, which was considered the most talented team in the Eastern Conference last year. In the end, just like the Wizards, they just made a turn in the first round.

Now, Yu Fei is no longer playing in DC, and the Magic have also entered a period of rapid decline from the peak of their momentum.

Hill's inability to stay healthy and the irreversible injury risks caused by his natural curvature of the spine began to affect McGrady.

However, magic's demise is not tonight.

Tonight, McGrady is still the well-deserved best player in the Eastern Conference. He single-handedly broke through the defenses of Yu Fei, (Ray) Allen and Sprewell. He made 29 of 16 shots from the field, scored 47 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, and led the team. win.

Yu Fei, who only scored 25 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, could not compete on the same level as McGrady.

But Yu Fei doesn't think this gap is entirely due to strength.

McGrady is the core of the Magic's offense. Apart from him, only two other Magic players scored in double figures, and none of them scored more than 15 points. It can be said that McGrady, who is outstanding, won this game for the Magic.

Yu Fei wants the support of the team. The roll-call tactics he is so comfortable with in the Wizards have no corresponding tactical support in the Bucks. It is clear that the Bucks have more sharp shooters.

During the game, Yu Fei suggested that Karl let Laettner play, but Karl expressed contempt for the latter, "Unless he is willing to work hard on the defensive end, I will not let him play!"

Then, the game was lost.

Carr began to criticize the team's defense to the media: "We allowed T-MAC to score 47 points. When we show this kind of performance on the defensive end, isn't it natural to lose? I want to see them work hard on defense, but I didn’t see that even one of our starters left the field with six fouls, which means nothing, no one is willing to take responsibility!”

Ray Allen was the one who showed clear distaste for Carr.

"George can say whatever he wants to say. This is his freedom." Ray Allen said, "But I don't think the fact that no starting player left the game proves that we are unwilling to take responsibility."

Sprewell continued to complain that he couldn't find the feel for George Karl's system.

Anthony Mason complained about having too little ball.

Christian Laettner complained about his lack of playing time.

Michael Reed complained about his status on the team.

Suddenly, the Bucks don't deserve their team name. They should change their name to the "Grudges."

Everyone is complaining, even Yu Fei is dissatisfied with the status quo.

But Yu Fei was different from this group of people, and he did not say it publicly.

This actually shows that his style of doing things is "out of touch" with the team.

The Bucks in the George Karl era have always been the representatives of "speaking out" in the league.

What is “the courage to express”?That is to say, they never hide their problems in their hearts. They will speak out whether they are dissatisfied with their teammates, the media, or the content of the game.

The person who started this trend was coach Karl.

In Karl's understanding, he feels the need to use the power of the fourth power to urge his players to become better. Therefore, if he wants to be dissatisfied with a player, the first person to feel it is not the player himself, but the media. .

So, anyone who comes here to play will complain to the media like Karl did.

Yu Fei didn't do this because he knew very well that this group of so-called fourth powers could not solve any problems except dancing and writing to follow the rhythm.

When he was with the Wizards, if any problem really came to the media, it often meant that the matter was irreversible.

But this "last resort" is a starting point for the Bucks.
Is this normal?This is obviously not normal.

The source of this problem comes from George Karl himself.

He is the originator of this culture in the team, so if Yu Fei wants to oppose this culture, he must start with Karl.

On the night of losing to the Magic, Yu Fei started his own radio show under the arrangement of the team.

Yu Fei's radio station is called "Dialogue with the Chosen One".

That night, Yu Fei's radio station received constant calls.Yu Fei, who had no live broadcast experience, was in a hurry, and the questions asked by the callers were all kinds of strange, ranging from current social affairs to pop culture to NBA insiders.

The only question that cheered up Yu Fei came from "Matthew" from St. Francis City. He asked: "Fry, can you shut up that bastard George Karl? He should stop talking that nonsense! When will he Stop talking this crap and the Bucks will get better!"

After listening, Yu Fei smiled and said, "I have no objection to what you said, but I will defend to the death your right to speak. Thank you for your call."

Obviously, Yu Fei is not the only one who realizes that there is a problem with Karl's display of embarrassment to the outside world.

The next day, Yu Fei called Lawson early in the morning and went to the St. Francis Training Center for training.

"Da Fei, did you read yesterday's news?" Lawson said angrily, "That fat pig actually said that you guys have no sense of responsibility. It's such nonsense. Why didn't he go on the field and play against T-MAC? minute?"

Yu Fei snorted lightly and refused to comment.

St. Francis Training Center

Yu Fei met Ray Allen here again.

Yu Fei rarely admits that someone trains harder than him, but Ray Allen is definitely one.

When equipment manager Zach Edu passed by, Yu Fei approached him and asked, "Does Lei train like this every day?"

"No, of course not," Edu said. "He only comes here in the morning to shoot after a bad game."

This is much more normal.

Even Yu Fei can't practice from morning to night every day during the season.

Last night's game against the Magic was a bad one for Ray Allen.

Not only was he completely outplayed by Tracy McGrady, he also made 14 of 3 shots and only scored 10 points.

Karl said after the game that the players' lack of responsibility was largely directed at him, because he neither restricted McGrady on the defensive end, nor was he good on the offensive end.

Ray Allen strikes again.

It was a perfect shot.

It should have fallen into the pocket, but a basketball from the other corner just flew in, destroying its perfect arc.

"Bang!" After the basketball was smashed away unexpectedly, Ray Allen looked at the person who affected his training with an unkind expression, "There are empty fields all around, what are you doing here?"

"Training with you." Yu Fei said calmly, "I just happened to have a bad game too. I need to practice shooting more like you."

There are many people in the Bucks who need to practice shooting, but if we take last night's game as an example, Yu Fei is the only one who does not need additional practice.

He made 17 of 10 shots and scored a team-high 25 points.

Although he didn't take many shots from the outside, his performance was 3 of 1, which is neither good nor bad.

This is different from Ray Allen's completely inaccurate shot.

Such a person says that he also needs to practice shooting more. What is this if not disgusting?
"I say it again, you can go to other open courts and shoot!"

He was obviously very serious and angry, but Yu Fei was not afraid at all.

Yu Fei asked: "Don't you really want to talk to me? As the top player of this team, after a defeat, don't you think you have the obligation to lead your teammates out of the quagmire?"

Listening to what the man who took over Glenn Robinson's wardrobe had to say about the No. [-] player, Ray Allen just found it ridiculous.

Since Yu Fei couldn't leave, he could only change the venue by himself.

Just as Ray Allen walked to another empty court with the ball, Yu Fei continued to say in a sarcastic tone: "Well, it seems that you are really as irresponsible as George said. , no wonder they don’t leave the ‘big dog’ wardrobe to you.”

Ray Allen stopped and turned around, "What did you say?"

"Are you sure you want me to repeat it?"

Hearing this, Ray Allen, who had accumulated a certain amount of resentment towards Fei, walked up to him angrily, "What do you know? Do you think you understand the situation here? I have played here for six more years than you. ! I know how we got here all the way. You are not qualified to judge me because you don’t understand anything. If you were really as smart as you think you are, you wouldn’t be here!”

Yes, yes, I really want you to enjoy the joy of being teammates with an old guy.

Ray Allen's reaction confirmed Yu Fei's judgment that the most senior veteran in the Bucks did have a hostility towards him.

Because Yu Fei "robbed" something that should have belonged to him - Glenn Robinson's wardrobe.

Ray Allen is not a player who feels he must be the boss. In his opinion, as long as the person in that position "deserves" that position, he has no problem with it.

Glenn Robinson was traded, Sam Cassell was also traded, and everyone in the Bucks who was more qualified to sit in that position was traded. One of the new players was Sprewell. There is a problem player like Er and a potential star like Yu Fei. That position should belong to him.

As a result, the management and George Karl gave Glenn Robinson's wardrobe to Yu Fei without even asking for his opinion.

Just like the imperial decree.

Ray Allen admitted that Yu Fei has a bright future, but he is only a sophomore, not a Tim Duncan-style sophomore, but a sophomore who has never been to college, cannot coexist with Jordan, and is "undisciplined".

How can such a person become the boss of the team?

This is why Ray Allen hates Yu Fei.

But the difference between Allen and Yu Fei is that he directly identified Yu Fei, while Yu Fei has been observing him.

From the training camp to now, Allen has given Yu Fei the feeling that the second child is more than enough, but the elder brother is not full.

His strength is definitely overflowing when he is the second boss, but he is seriously unqualified to be the boss, especially in terms of character and leadership.

Take the prodigy Dan who Yu Fei dislikes the most. Although the old guy has a bad temper, doesn't know how to behave, and is not strong enough, he always takes the lead on the field, doesn't resist dirty work, and always fights for the first place. If there is a problem with his teammates, he will yell at them with a thunderous voice.

Ray Allen doesn't have this mentality, or willingness.

He is willing to defend and attack, and he is willing to work hard on both ends of the court, but he will not yell or gather everyone's strength in one place and work hard in the same direction.

This kind of person cannot be the boss.

Although Yu Fei, who has just arrived, has the idea of ​​becoming the boss, he also knows that he must calm down now, because the Bucks have problems up and down. He needs to unite the forces around him first, win the support of his teammates, and then talk about transforming the team. .

To do this, he first needs the support of Ray Allen.

Or, at least, get him out of his way.

"Rey-ray, I really don't understand this place."

"Don't call me that!"

"That's not the point," Yu Fei said. "Since you understand this place, since you know the problems here, why don't you stand up and lead us to solve the problem, instead of sulking here alone?"

Ray Allen said matter-of-factly: "I'm not the one who inherits Wardrobe No. 13 (the big dog's number), so why should I solve the problem here?"

"If you really think you know this place better, why do you care who inherits wardrobe No. 13?" Yu Fei responded with logic, "If you can solve the problem, it really matters who inherits wardrobe No. 13." ? The wardrobe is dead, and those who can solve problems are the real leaders."

Yu Fei convinced him with Ray Allen's logic.

Allen was stunned for a long time, "This matter is not as easy as you think!"

Great, after all the slobbering guys, we finally made some progress. Let’s first get rid of that fat pig named George Karl!

"What's the difficulty?" Yu Fei asked.

"George Karl!" Allen's answer did not surprise anyone, "He is the root of all problems!"

Damn it!Why him!Isn't he our dear coach?How could he be the source of the problem?Should I act surprised?

"Jesus Christ!" Yu, a non-believer, said in surprise, "What's wrong with George?"

Ray Allen, who seemed to have finally found someone to talk to, poured out the bitterness that had been hidden in his heart for some time.

As early as February 2001, before Yu Fei entered the NBA, he and someone were preparing for the ABCD training camp that year, and the Bucks were entering the peak years of the "Three Musketeers" era. At that time, "Sports Illustrated" published a feature article on Ray Allen.

As Allen's beloved coach, George Karl of course had to be interviewed by the Illustrated reporter to provide some article material.

I don’t know if Carl has a unique perspective on “providing article material”. He said to people: “I call Ray ‘Barbie’ because he likes to dress himself up. He is a great person. player, but he always cares too much about appearance, being photogenic and looking cool. These things have nothing to do with basketball. Good appearance will not help him in the game. This is a difficult and competitive sport. What we need is to work hard to win. As a player, you have to be fierce and have a Jordan-like killer mentality, but that's not Ray."

Obviously, this is the prejudice of a rough man who doesn't pay attention to his image against a refined man who pays attention to his appearance.

But Yu Fei had to agree with part of Karl's point of view. It is wrong to ask Ray Allen to have a killer mentality like Jordan Kobe, because that would not be him.

"I must admit," he said, quite rightly, "that George is a bit much."

Ray Allen said: "This is our life, you have to play every game well, otherwise our coach will spare no effort to criticize you in front of the media, and when he led the US team to a complete defeat in the World Championships, Have you ever heard him criticize the way he coaches? This is our coach, the source of all the problems for the Milwaukee Bucks, a complete asshole, an irresponsible critic, and a man with terrible dress sense. Fat man, a racist scumbag!”

Which sports reporter said that if every black player was as elegant and easy-going as Ray Allen, racial discrimination against black people would disappear?Listen to this, isn't it the same thing when you scold someone?
PS: There will be an update with the cute protagonist tomorrow. Don’t worry, I can’t afford to add [-] chapters. Can’t I still add two chapters? (tactical fallback)

(End of this chapter)