When pride still matters

Chapter 149 Undercurrent
The subsequent impact of the Bucks-Wizards game was gradual.

Jordan's absence from the post-game press conference attracted more media attention.

The next day, Jordan's agent David Falk came forward to clarify the rumor that "Jordan felt ashamed to face reporters": "Many people don't know what Michael is going through. He is almost 40 years old and his body is overwhelmed. Last night's game After it was over, he felt unwell, so we went to the hospital and the doctors drained the fluid out of his knee."

This explanation was not recognized and understood by the media.

They still want to hear Jordan's thoughts on the game.

Then Falk conveyed his thoughts on last night's game for Jordan: "Everyone played badly. There is no excuse. Michael said this is the most vulnerable team he has ever been on."

Some things are better left unsaid, but once they are said, they can easily cause a chain reaction.

The most vulnerable team?
So who made the Wizards the most vulnerable team?The answer is of course Yu Fei who scored 56 points.

The question is, who traded Yu Fei to the Bucks to give him such motivation to score 56 points when he met the Wizards?
Sooner or later this account will have to be settled, and now is just the beginning.

First, third-party media that seemed to have nothing to do with this directly pointed the finger at Jordan.

"Seattle Times": "I was ineffective, I was incompetent, I sent the best rookie player in Wizards history to Milwaukee and got busted. What's the conclusion? This team is fragile. This is Michael Jordan The way to lead?"

The Los Angeles Times was obviously more insightful, and they captured one of the most special scenes last night: “Nearly all of Frye Yu’s former teammates congratulated him after the game, which shows that he is very popular in DC. OK. Which brings us to the question, why did Frye Yu take the Wizards, who lost MJ and Rip, into the playoffs, while being quickly shipped to Milwaukee with the support of his teammates? Who wouldn't want that? Is he staying in DC?”

Naturally, the local media in Milwaukee have the most firepower.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote in the next day's newspaper: "Frye Yu scored 56 points against the Wizards and claimed that he was motivated by his hatred of DC. And, he made it clear that his The hate comes from the guy who can’t even attend the post-match press conference.”

The most comical effect was when the Washington Post brought up last night's game with a "Welcome Home to Frye" article.It's as exciting as Yu Fei's return and Gandalf, the divine soldier who descended from the sky in "The Lord of the Rings".

However, even Wizards fans who lack the ability to think will ask this question: Why did Gandalf run to the other side?
The only one who went against the wind was Bill Simmons, a well-known writer at ESPN.

After the 2002 draft, Simmons published his draft diary and disparaged Yao Quan. After Yu Fei stood up and spoke out, the two had several arguments and had a falling out.

Faced with the best night of Fei's career, Simmons was able to find a spot.

His highlight was that Yu Fei missed the opportunity to score 60 or even 70 points.

Because Yu Fei refused to continue playing during garbage time.

What are the "positive examples" he cited?

Larry Bird's 60-point night.Simmons said that on Bird's 60-point night, the most selfless superstar in history was anything but selfless, and that his teammates strongly supported Bird's selfishness, even his opponent (Hawks) ) also celebrated after Bird hit a 35-foot three-pointer, as if he had seen a miracle.

"If you score 70 points last night, 50 years from now, no one will care that you played in garbage time, people will only remember that you scored 70 points. Sports are not just about winning and losing, but also about the journey along the way. Challenge. Once you miss this opportunity, you miss it forever. It turns out that Michael Jordan was right, Frye Yu is destined to be an 'could have been, but...' type of character, and what he did last night It proves everything!”

As the most popular writer in today's professional basketball world, Simmons' article has a siphon effect, and the history of his grudges with Yu Fei will also amplify the influence of this article.

There will really be reporters who will come to Yu Fei and ask questions with Simmons's point of view.

Moreover, they will sternly state before asking questions that the views in the article do not represent their personal opinions.

This scene happened outside the airport when the Bucks returned home.

Yu Fei, who originally had no intention of responding, decided to "be honest".

"Every writer tries to make themselves look like a smart guy, but I have to be honest. The author of this article doesn't understand sports as well as he thinks he does. On both the 'forever' and '50 year' scales, no." How many sports events can withstand consideration." If Yu Fei only said this, his rebuttal would sound formal but not strong enough, "When I first entered the NBA, the league spent three days giving us lessons and letting us Knowing what kind of trouble you should avoid getting yourself into. I learned about a guy named Len Bias who died after taking a drug in the draft. I also learned about a guy named Reggie Lewis who was training against medical advice. Sudden death on the field, and I also know that Larry Bird's career ended prematurely because he didn't take care of his body."

Yu Fei looked at the reporter. In his eyes, the reporter was no longer the questioner, but the fly Bill Simmons: "You know, this is the best case of 'It could have been, but...'. If this If the author of this article can't even give basic examples, then I still say that his thoughts are worthy of all the suffering the Boston Celtics have suffered since 1986."

During the draft, the Celtics broke news that was unfavorable to themselves during his fight with Eddie Griffin in order to lower the draft pick.This made Yu Fei not have a good impression of the Celtics himself, and then he saw Bill Simmons' "draft diary" full of prejudice against Yao Huang after the 2002 draft.

Boy, this is a Boston guy too.

The disgust was immediately doubled.

Since he took the initiative to show his face, Yu Fei naturally didn't mind giving him the slap he deserved.

After Yu Fei's remarks were exposed, Bill Simmons did not react, and the New England region (including several states within the state where Boston is located) exploded.

For Fei, this is nothing more than adding a bunch of black fans in Boston, but he has little influence and commercial value there.

Even if the scope is enlarged to the entire New England, the only people Yu Fei really offended were Celtic fans.

Most importantly, Bill Simmons was silent.

It can be seen that these remarks did hit the point of pain.After that, everyone still has to return to life. The aftermath of the Bucks-Wizards game is still settling. This is not the last time the two teams will meet this season.

People need new hot spots before they run into each other again.

And this hot spot is still with the Wizards.

Two days later, the Wizards waited at home for the Detroit Pistons, Richard Hamilton's new team.From the beginning of the season, Jordan was saying things that upset Hamilton.He said the Wizards now finally have a tough guy who can stand up to Kobe during games.This person is, of course, Jerry Stackhouse.

In the game, Hamilton not only won the matchup, but also won the game.He scored 22 points and Jordan scored 17 points.

Doug Collins expressed disappointment: "We were drowned by Detroit's defense. When they played like that, we couldn't respond."

Compared to Yu Fei two days ago, Hamilton was extremely excited, as if he had won the tiebreaker of the playoffs. He rushed into the locker room and cheered, and then was interviewed outside the locker room: "Oh, I feel happy. You know, super happy, it's not revenge, I'm just happy for the victory."

He said this was not revenge, but when reporters asked him how he still felt about the Wizards, his revenge was fully reflected in his face: "Well, I know they must be heartbroken, I was in that locker room I've been there, but I'm happy to be in the dressing room I'm in now."

First it was Yu Fei, then Hamilton.

Why are these promising young people leaving Washington like this?
Who excluded them?
The answer to this question is clear.

The Bucks started a winning streak.

As one of the teams with the easiest schedule early in the season, they are determined to win every game they have to win.

Yu Fei's 56 points against the Wizards were quickly forgotten by them.

For Fei, the only change brought about by 56 points was that his scoring average increased from 25 points to 26 points per game, and then slowly dropped back to 25 points in subsequent games.

Although Yu Fei has the highest number of shots in the Bucks, in a team with Ray Allen, Latrell Sprewell, and Michael Redd, he must control his number of shots.

Otherwise, these teammates who also need the right to take action will not be able to bring enough help.Negative emotions then arise, leading to internal strife.

Yu Fei doesn't want something like Kobe Bryant's fight for the right to take the shot to the point of outrage happening to him.

However, although the Bucks are firmly ranked first in the Eastern Conference and have won consecutive games recently, there is still an undercurrent surging within the team.

12 April

The Bucks' winning streak ended at the hands of the Pacers.

Jermaine O'Neal dominated the Bucks' penalty area with 35 points and 13 rebounds, leading the team to victory.

Yu Fei scored 26 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, but it was to no avail because Sprewell retired due to injury. Ray Allen made 21 of 8 shots and scored a team-high 28 points, but the inefficient offense hurt the team. .

After the game, George Karl said angrily: "If Ray can't behave like a leader, then he is not a leader. I suggested that he sit off the court for a while, but he refused. This is the result. He should be responsible for the loss!" "

"Responsible?" Ray Allen dismissed the reporter's report. "We lost a game. This happens often because we can't win all the games. If you want me to be responsible, how can I be responsible?"

He asked sarcastically: "Trade me?"

Yu Fei really feels that if the Bucks play in an area with developed media, they will become the focus of the media like the OK Lakers.

A coach like George Karl who likes to go to the media to criticize his players is too easy to set the pace.

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"Fry, you should shut up George, just like you did in DC." - Taylor, from Brookfield (a small town in Milwaukee).

"Sorry, Taylor, I'm new here and I'm still learning the situation."

"You're such a fucking asshole. I've always liked you so much, why did you say something like that? BS is an idiot, and you're an even worse idiot! I don't like you anymore!" - Phoenix, from Boston .

"I really don't know why you reacted so violently. Len Bias and Reggie Lewis didn't say anything."

"Fry, I've always been a fan of yours, but I recently discovered that I kind of like Michael Jordan. His mustache is so handsome. Do you think that's okay?" - Fredo, from Kent.

"Oh, no problem, it's your freedom, and by the way, your next crush might be Adolf Hitler, he also has a mustache."

——Yu Fei's exclusive radio program: "Conversations with the Chosen One"

(End of this chapter)