When pride still matters

Chapter 170 The Chosen One Needs No Guidance
Allen Iverson's style of play doesn't look to have changed at all.

Literally, it's been like this for as long as he's been playing basketball.That's why when Brown left for Philadelphia, people were generally not optimistic about this pairing.

How could an inefficient point-scoring king with a flashy playing style and countless shots come together, and a bad-tempered coach who puts discipline first and treats all players like dogs?

Incredibly, it was Brown who finally obeyed Iverson.

The 76ers, who were the runner-up in the championship, reached the finals by relying on the ultimate simple offensive and defensive system of Iverson attacking the other four players.However, as the lineup aged and Iverson's offensive instability became apparent, Brown traded for Van Horn from the Nets as if asking for help.

The 76ers' regular season performance has indeed improved, but Iverson still plays the same style, it just changed from playing alone to playing with others together with him.

Brown has acted nothing like himself, especially since his induction into the Hall of Fame - Iverson, troubled by the attack, did not attend - and it seemed like the incident would affect their relationship, but so far this season, Brown has been talking about a trade. Iverson plays far less often than in the past.

Optimists will say they are finally getting used to each other, while pessimists, especially those who know Brown well, know what Brown does when he has completely lost hope in something.

Iverson still takes a lot of shots like a superhero.

In the second quarter against the Bucks, Iverson took 10 shots in a single quarter and only hit 3 goals.

Larry Brown ignored Iverson's XJBD like a demon, scolded others with a terrifying expression, and asked them why they couldn't bring more help to AI.

Derek Coleman looked left and right, and there was something he didn't know whether to say or not.

He felt that Iverson took too many shots.

Not just him, most of his teammates think so.

In the past, Larry Brown would not have indulged Iverson like this.As long as Iverson takes too many shots, he will start to persuade.

But I don’t know when Brown gave up on transforming Iverson.This left Iverson's teammates helpless. They did not dare to face the shortest man in the game and tell him that he should pass the ball more.

Because this man nearly killed his wife last summer.

What can't a man who can hunt down his wife with a gun do?
The 76ers stayed the same.

Iverson came up and completed a breakthrough, and his speed was still very fast.

"Come on, Frye!" Iverson clapped his hands and shouted.

The morale of Reebok's top basketball star remains high.

Yu Fei believes that many Reebok executives are watching this game, which is the reason why Iverson keeps playing singles.

He wants to prove that he can still take on the world alone and that he is still the indomitable fighter.

"Damn it, don't tell me you don't want to call me back!" Mason looked more anxious than Yu Fei, "You must fucking call me back!"

If I don't call back, will your salary be deducted or what?
Yu Fei said: "Play a pick-and-roll."

Mason served and offered advice: "Stop playing pick-and-rolls. Cowards only play pick-and-rolls all day long. Real men are one-on-one like Michael!"

"Fuck you!" Yu Fei said, "Don't mention that person in front of me!"

"okok...are you going to pick and roll?"

As soon as Mason finished speaking, Yu Fei accelerated forward and threw him behind him. The 76ers no longer let Monty Williams defend him.

Although Larry Brown greeted Monty's grandmother, he had to admit that asking Monty to guard against Yu Fei was like asking the Huns to reject Daxi.

Very unrealistic.

There are few people in the league who can meet the requirements of defending Yu Fei in terms of height, speed and physical fitness.

Brown chose a player who was slightly undersized for Flying - Aaron McGee.

McGee can be regarded as the knife-carrying guard next to Iverson, and one of the main promoters who indirectly helped Kobe Bryant "pay back his hometown" in the 01 Finals.

However, McGee's current defense cannot be compared with that of back then.

Facing Feifei, McGee did not suffer any loss when he moved laterally, but suffered a feint from a change of direction. Although he reacted later, he was still crushed by the opponent's body.

Yu Fei simply and rudely broke through McGee's defense, rushed into the paint area alone, and grabbed the ball with his right hand, like the mythical fire thief, handling it lightly, and no one in the 76ers could catch it.

"Shh!"

"Okay, okay!" Mason, who had not done anything to help him, exclaimed happily, "What a single! Come with a few more, I like to watch!"

Usually when Yu Fei plays too many solos, Mason is the one who is most anxious. What he did today was something no one expected.

Yu Fei ignored him and just looked at Iverson. Although he was speechless, there was no need to say more about the provocation in his eyes.

Iverson believes that Yu Fei has a bright future, but he is only 28 years old. It is delusional to want him to hand over his "kingdom" now.

In the next few minutes, Iverson took over most of the 76ers' offense. Although the efficiency was not as high as that of Flying, his "QTMD! I will take care of all the shots today" selfishness was really eye-catching.

Yu Fei also plays solo, but he is by no means doing everything by himself.

He would only be so willful when playing against the Wizards.

But for Iverson, this is one of his privileges.

Larry Brown didn't have an opinion, so his teammates didn't dare to either.

What kind of era is this?
Yu Fei felt unreasonable.

The management of the 76ers must know that it is almost impossible to win the championship if the team is built according to this model.

Support a leading scorer who averages over 40% of his field goals per game and is only 183 centimeters tall as the core, giving him unlimited fire power, while others do their best to provide all help except stand-up singles.

The ending in 2001 was the highest peak this style of play could reach.

Now they still play like this. In front of the Bucks, Iverson's personal offense is not enough to influence the overall battle situation.

Although his offense is fierce, it is not efficient.

Yu Fei showed a different style.

Timely singles are more about using singles as a guise to help teammates.

结果，艾弗森半场28分3篮板，于飞半场18分6篮板7助攻。

At the end of the first half, the Bucks led the 76ers by 17 points.

Yu Fei asked George Karl: "Who do you think is better, me or AI?"

"What are you talking about? We are ahead by 17 points, of course you played well!"

Karl did not convince Yu Fei.

Yu Fei fell into the vicious cycle of "how to use Kobe's spear to penetrate James' shield" that was talked about at the end of the first decade of the new century.

Except for the championship numbers, James probably beat Kobe in all basic and advanced statistics, but Kobe's supporters never admitted it.

This is not just a conflict of basketball aesthetics, but also a difference in basketball philosophy.

Yu Fei walked into the locker room with doubts and saw Mason yelling, so he asked him: "Why do you want me to continue playing singles?"

"Is this difficult to understand?" Mason blinked, "Since he wants to turn the game into a one-on-one game, you should take over."

Indeed, Yu Fei felt that he caught it pretty well.

"Do you think I caught it?" Yu Fei asked.

"So-so, but that is AI after all, not a 40-year-old man..." "You want to die, don't you? I told you not to mention that person!"

Mason said carelessly: "Anyway, you continue to take over in the second half. We can play whatever he wants!"

Mason didn't let Yu Fei understand the reason behind it.

The reason is very simple.

Tonight, Iverson is the first superstar besides O'Neal and Kidd who has the ability to defeat Yu Fei, but yet takes him very seriously as a competitor.

Yu Fei didn't mind the Reebok Derby gimmick, but Iverson regarded it as the highest honor, just like the crown that James had to wear.

At the beginning of the second half, it was Iverson again. He misplaced the ball and found Yu Fei, muttering "Kang is busy! Kang is busy!"

", then changed direction significantly, shook off Yu Fei's defense, and then made a sudden stop for a jump shot.

He scored his 30th point tonight.

According to this trend, he may score 50 points.

If Iverson gets 40+ in a single game and Yu Fei gets a triple-double or near-triple-double of 30+, then it will be a close contest.

It would be another matter if Iverson scored 50 points in a single game in the playoffs.

Yu Fei won't let this happen.

From this round on, Yu Fei truly devoted himself to the matchup with Iverson.

Based on Iverson's game characteristics, George Karl used zone defense while allowing everyone defending Iverson half a meter of space.

Because Iverson's three-point shooting percentage is not only top-notch among guards, but can at least be considered inferior among superstars-as a small man who scores points, his three-point shooting percentage this season is only 27%.

The Bucks' defense changed from its lax state in the first half. In addition to maintaining excellent offensive end, the defensive end also began to weaken Iverson's offense.

Iverson's strong burst will be limited by the zone defense, which will cause him to pass the ball.

If he wants Bucks players to defend in close quarters, he needs to prove that he is a three-point threat.

Unfortunately, Iverson was a one-step shooter tonight.

Within the three-point line, his jump shot accuracy is okay.

From beyond the three-point line, his shots are basically for nothing.

On the other hand, Yu Fei on the opposite side doesn't look like a [-]-foot-[-] forward at all in terms of style and style of play.

Yu Fei's first goal in the second half was a chasing three-pointer while the 76ers were not gaining a firm footing on defense.

Then there was an emergency stop for two points while dribbling.

After fully demonstrating his shooting threat, Yu Fei began to dribble inside.

The 76ers' inside line was helpless against his throws.

Larry Brown cursed everyone standing in the paint.But when Yu Fei's throw was replayed on the big screen, Brown realized that this throw was unsolvable.

The only solution is to prevent Yu Fei from throwing as he pleases.

Therefore, the 76ers began to increase the frequency of double-teaming.

However, Yu Fei's pass activated Ray Allen.

On the other hand, Iverson also encountered a shrinking defense and was unable to play hard. His passing did not receive feedback from his teammates.

Because Iverson played in isolation for too long, his teammates had already exhausted their game state and shooting touch in the return runs and physical confrontations.

This situation can only make them shoot more, and slowly, the feel will naturally return.

But the 76ers ran out of time.

At the end of the third quarter, the Bucks entered the fourth quarter with a 26-point advantage.

For a team that averages less than 26 points per game, [-] points is higher than their average points per quarter. This is an irreparable gap.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Brown wanted to replace Iverson, who had not rested since the start of the game.

As a result, Iverson strongly refused: "Coach, I can't rest. For me, the game is not over yet! I want to continue playing!"

Brown said: "I know, but you didn't rest for a minute tonight, and I can't let you continue playing."

"I've had a rest," Iverson emphasized. "The halftime break is enough!"

"That doesn't count."

"Coach, I really can't leave the game!" How can two strong and stubborn people fight for a result?Brown worked hard for six years, but Iverson will always be Iverson.

Brown heard that someone called Yu Fei the Chosen One, and there was even a related tattoo on Yu Fei's back.

However, Allen Iverson is the real chosen one.

Iverson himself, and everyone who believes in Iverson, sees him this way.

Iverson's mother, Ann Iverson, was pregnant when she was 15 years old. When the doctor told his grandmother the news, the old woman felt like she was struck by lightning. What was even more unbelievable was the doctor's second sentence: "She is still perfect." body."

When Ann Iverson was pregnant with Allen Iverson, she was still perfect⑴.

Therefore, Iverson’s family believes: “There must be a special reason why God brought him to earth.”

Larry Brown is not interested in the one-in-a-million probability story. He just wants to lead Iverson in the right direction.

Clearly he has failed.

It’s not just tonight that’s failed, it’s been the past six years.

Watching Iverson's defiant offense, taking irrational shots as if he were God, these dazzling scenes were so terrifying to Brown, but he would never scream to let Iverson pass the ball again.

So be it.

Iverson's shortcomings in outside shooting prevented him from punishing the Bucks' defense, and the restrictions of zone defense made his breakthrough ineffective. He couldn't pass the ball to his teammates, and they couldn't make a shot.

In the end, Iverson could only pin his hopes on himself.

He forced a gap out of the double-team defense, hoping to complete a very difficult shot when the situation was over.

Suddenly, a figure far taller than him appeared in front of Iverson.

"Frye Yu blocked Allen Iverson!!!!!"

Yu Fei caught up with the ball that no longer belonged to Iverson, like a strong wind blowing, like lightning flashing across. Within a few seconds, his defensive counterattack brought the score difference to 30 points.

Larry Brown stared at the young man who was not yet 21 years old.

The legendary arrogant man who could not be disciplined by Michael Jordan, whom Shaquille O'Neal hated so much, and who Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin would gnash their teeth talking about, yet in this Iverson, he exuded "charm of personality" crazily. Resisting the urge to dance with it that night, he did what a core player should do.

He understands things that AI will never understand in his lifetime.

At this moment, Larry Brown was in a daze and his limbs were weak. He suddenly realized that the person who was truly chosen by God did not need guidance.

He will take the right path.

⑴According to Iverson’s mother’s narration: She and AI’s father made an appointment to do something special on his 15th birthday. However, at the critical moment, Iverson’s grandmother came home and his father was just outside OB and did not do anything. last step. (I don’t understand, is this really possible?)
(End of this chapter)