When pride still matters

Chapter 324 Heartbreak Club

2006年6月2日，东部决赛第五场，比分：105比88。密尔沃基雄鹿队大比分4比1淘汰掉潜在的竞争对手迈阿密热火队，四年来第三次迈向总决赛。

For Fei's followers, seeing him excel is a habit.

But his performance so far remains incredible.

So far in the playoffs, he has averaged 36 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists per game. His unstoppable offense, versatility in both offense and defense, and the appropriate help from his teammates have allowed him to tie the Eastern Conference once again.

As for his opponents, it was like a funeral.

Shaquille O'Neal doesn't know what else he can do.

He gave up his tactical status, gave up the ball, gave up the dignity of a superstar, and concentrated on serving his teammates. In the end, the only thing he got was a win against the Bucks in the series? Is this what he wants? Who cares that he won a game in a best-of-seven series?

The most critical thing is that O'Neal's performance against the Bucks has dropped off a cliff compared to the first two rounds.

In the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, O'Neal averaged 20+10 per game, and the Heat ended in disastrous defeats. In the last three games of the Eastern Conference Finals, O'Neal did not score more than 15 points in a single game, and even scored 8 points in a single game. The entire series averaged With only 13 points and 10 rebounds, how much better are these numbers than Kwame Brown, who claims to be the second center in the Eastern Conference? (Brown’s Eastern Conference Finals data is 8+8)

On the other side, Wade wiped the sweat from his face. The frenetic atmosphere at Bradley Center made him understand that he missed an opportunity to be far ahead of James and Anthony and put himself in the same position as Da Fei.

Wade doesn't think the gap between him and Yu Fei is as big as the data shows.

他在2003年夏天拒绝于飞的招募毅然决然加入湖人组成豪华的F4，然后在2004年总决赛上打出丑陋的表现，被雄鹿4比0送走。

Payton, on the other hand, firmly denied the news that he might retire.

"Maybe we can start taking a hard look at this question, why is Frye becoming Shaq's nemesis?"

There is only one explanation for the huge difference in data. Yu Fei plays under a more advanced system.

No one on the Heat was more embarrassed than Payton.

The 2004-05 season was wasted.

What reporters want to ask but dare not ask is, who do you want to rely on to win the championship?

Wharton went directly from questioning the "nemesis theory" to the "understanding" stage, and was about to start "verifying" it.

"I won't leave until I win the championship."

In the five games against the Bucks, he averaged 34 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game, basically doing everything he could do.

It's just that Yu Fei is a bit more abnormal. Not only does he score higher than himself, but he also has double figures in assists and rebounds.

Faced with the question of whether to retire, Mourning did not give an answer.

In terms of personal performance, he can say that he did not lose even if the Heat lost.

In his opinion, the difference between him and Yu Fei is only 95 points and 100 points.

Then, Mourning, Payton and other veterans whose championship dreams were shattered officially entered the Heartbreak Club.

This overwhelming data coverage leaves one speechless.

If you can't beat it, then join.

"Shaq fell in front of Frye again." Bill Walton seemed fair, but in fact he was digging into O'Neal's heart. "I never believe that some people say that Frye is Shaq's nemesis, but even if Shaq At their best, they also lost to Frye in the regular season who lacked the help of MJ and Rip. Several years have passed since that game. They played two rounds of series, and Frye won 8-1. A negative record and an overwhelming lead.”

Wade believes that this is what he needs to focus on learning in the future.

And then continued to believe in O'Neal this season.

When he came to Miami, he showed more humility than when he was with the Lakers. Even a young man like Wade could reprimand him for making mistakes in the playoffs (in the first round against the Bulls).

He endured it again and again, until now, although it was no longer necessary to endure it, he found that he still could not achieve his goal.

When Payton heard O'Neal say that he had done enough, that the people around him did not help, that he had had enough of failure, there was a voice in his heart.

It’s important to follow the right people.

The self-proclaimed "most dominant man in history" was the right choice only a few years ago. Now he is just a Luther who refuses to accept defeat.

But, does he still have a chance to choose the "right person"?

He rejected the opponent's recruitment in 2003. Now that he thinks about it, his failures in the past few years may be God's punishment for him.

Those who reject God's good intentions will not end well.

"Gary, will you be back here next season?" the media from Miami asked.

Now that he's on this boat, Payton has no choice.

Although O'Neal is unreliable, Wade proved that he is a superstar who can compete with Yu Fei.

Although Payton knows that Wade may not be a good choice, does he still have a choice? "If they need me, I'll be back," Payton said.

If Mourning and Payton are new members of the Heartbreak Club, Riley is its president.

Since leaving Los Angeles, Riley has earned himself a reputation as a tactical innovator. It was he who introduced muscle basketball and laid the foundation for the dark basketball at the beginning of the century. However, as a coach who has influenced the NBA for many years, he won the championship after leaving the Lakers. is 0.

Many people say that Riley will only return to the coaching position if he believes that the team can win the championship.

Last June, when the Heat lost in the playoffs, Riley publicly stated that he might become more actively involved in team affairs.

This sparked wild speculation.

Riley began to pave the way for his comeback by letting Stan Van Gundy's favorite Eddie Jones, sharpshooter Damon Jones, Kenyon Dooling and Russell Butler leave Miami. Replaced by Payton, Williams, Walker and James Posey. The Heat, who traded in new guns for old guns, entered "win now" mode.

Moreover, the Heat only let Van Gundy leave the coaching position and did not cancel his contract.

Van Gundy's contract does not end until the summer of 2008, which allows the Heat to limit his words and actions after leaving the team-as a staff member who is still under the contract, he cannot say bad things about the Heat under Riley's leadership.

After doing all this deliberately, Riley finally took the team to the Eastern Conference Finals, but what awaited him here was another nightmare.

The Heat are out tonight, and as the game ends, Riley thinks about that night a few years ago.

At that time, the "He said he wanted to trade me" incident broke out in the Wizards, and Jordan was put on the shelves, which triggered a frantic rush by many teams.

Riley was willing to offer the entire Heat team in exchange for Yu Fei.

But Eddie Jones, the Heat's only player with trade value at the time, was both at the No. 2 position like Richard Hamilton and could not free Jordan from the No. 3 position. Jordan turned him down and almost made a deal with the Suns, and then for unknown reasons the deal didn't happen—or was delayed for months.

Riley just felt disappointed at the time. He knew that Yu Fei had the potential to be a superstar.

That loss was like a seed falling into his heart. Now, as the heat was wiped out by Yu Fei, the seed sprouted.

He knew what he was missing.

That night, after Riley finished the interview, he met Yu Fei while walking through the locker room.

The young god is dressed in fashionable clothes, and he doesn't look like the killer who just destroyed a city's basketball dream.

Instead, he looks like a trendy guy getting ready for a party.

Riley suddenly remembered something he had done before. When his Knicks lost to the Bulls for the first time in the playoffs, he had someone hand Jordan a note that read, "Congratulations on winning." But in the future we will @￥#￥" and the like.

Now that seems funny.

His Knicks were hindered from then on and never broke through, not to mention Jordan. Even if they were lucky enough to wait until Jordan had a baseball vacation, they defeated the Bulls without Jordan, but unfortunately they met Hakeem O's in the finals. Rajuwan.

"Congratulations." Riley said this at the end of the game. "You performed very well."

Da Fei off the field is not as arrogant as on the field.

"Dwayne is also good." Yu Fei said, "If it were me, I would establish him as the core of the team from next season. In addition, I would also trade that pig to the Clippers. This is The punishment for him, can you believe he only averaged 13 points per game against us?"

Riley was also disappointed with O'Neal's performance, and he knew O'Neal was no longer the same person.

Yu Fei was right, they needed to get rid of the pig as soon as possible, but they couldn't make it too obvious.

On the other hand, Riley was extremely concerned about Fei's current situation and future.

"We will establish Dwyane as the core, but thanks to you, Dwyane's future in Miami is uncertain."

Yu Fei asked: "What does this have to do with me?"

"Same as you," Riley said calmly, "Dwayne is also inclined to sign a 2+1 contract extension with us."

As the initiator of the second contract extension, Yu Fei expressed gratification: "Oh, I'm very happy that he made a responsible decision for his future."

In fact, the intention of top players signing short-term contracts is very clear, which is to threaten the team: If you can't be responsible for my career in the next two years, then don't expect me to be responsible for you.

The relationship between labor and management is inherently cooperative, and there is no superior or subordinate. If you can't think about me, then why should I be loyal to the team?

Yu Fei's renewal has brought another way of thinking to all players.

Its aftermath is quickly spreading across the league.

When he retires, it will be part of shaping his place in history.

"Really? What will your future be like?" Riley asked. "If you win another championship, will you leave Milwaukee next year?"

⑴I have always had a raging theory. Not only will the "decision" not become a black mark after Lao Zhang retires, but it will become a boast after everyone follows suit. It is the cornerstone of his quest to be among the top three in history. However, it has basically developed to this level now. Do you think they can form a team at their peak? No, it’s called “player empowerment.”

(End of this chapter)