When pride still matters

Chapter 372 Public Enemy
Yu Fei knows about the Mariners, and it’s impossible for him not to know, because the Sonics’ desire to pursue better venues stems from this.

The Mariners in 1995 were just one step away from moving out of Seattle. They wanted a new stadium because the old dome looked like a portable toilet. It not only had a foul smell, but also could not guarantee the attendance of fans. Safety. Then, the Seattle city government approved a financing package that gave the Mariners a luxury $ million arena.

As a result, the Seahawks, who also made their home in Seattle, were jealous and wanted a new arena. If this demand is not met, they will move the team to Los Angeles.

The Seahawks even went one step further than the Mariners. They had already made plans to relocate. Just before the plan was implemented, Paul Allen bought the team from the Seahawks' owners and then funded the next election with great fanfare. The Seahawks received city financing to build a new arena.

Arguably, the Mariners and Seahawks are the origin of the problem.

Both major sports league teams are sponsored by the city government, which shows that Seattle is generous, and the NBA certainly wants the same support.

But they hit a wall.

So, hearing Lenny Wilkens mention the Mariners, Yu Fei felt like he was back to square one.

“I know they had a good year that year and they had the support of the fans and the city approved the financing package at the last minute.”

Yu Fei said generally.

Therefore, not many people feel that the Sonics deserve a brand new arena just because their ancestors won the championship.

A few years ago, the Red Sox broke the Curse of the Child and won the World Championship again after more than half a century. The Patriots, who have always been looked down upon by Bostonians, have won the Super Bowl three times in the past five years after acquiring a strong player like Tom Brady.

"However, we are different from the Mariners back then." Yu Fei said, "The SuperSonics won the championship in 1979. We not only have a longer history, but also have sufficient foundation. Why do most people in Seattle turn a blind eye to this? "

Then one of his New York readers wrote him an email: “This is the price of success, welcome to the club.”

Because the Yankees are a team with an influence that goes beyond baseball. In the circle, they are the top among the top. Their large fan base has brought a huge number of crazy fans. Coupled with the glorious team history, they have become the top team in the league. There are huge numbers of anti-fans all over the country.

Yu Fei could feel strong personal emotions from Wilkens' words, and could imagine how he was troubled by the Celtics when he was playing.

Winning the championship will be a powerful medicine to reverse the SuperSonics' local reputation, and it is also Yu Fei's main goal this season.

"What can we do to stir up an effect in the city like the Mariners did in 1995?" Yu Fei asked.

A flash of green flashed in Wilkens' mind.

The NBA's commercial influence at that time was much worse than it is today.

Wilkens has never seen clips of the 79 SuperSonics game on the popular video website YouTube. Although there are copyright restrictions, there are almost no fans who have relevant video materials. This also indirectly proves that the championship team 28 years ago Champions have limited influence.

This is related to their sports performance.

Although the Bruins last won a championship in the early 70s, ice hockey was irrelevant compared to the success of baseball and football. Now, the Celtics have also entered the championship ranks.

But Yu Fei strongly agrees with Wilkens' words. If the SuperSonics can reach the finals and defeat the Celtics in the finals, the SuperSonics' reputation in Seattle will reach a new level.

Yu Fei can probably understand why the Mariners were recognized by the city just by defeating the Yankees in the playoffs.

It can be said that the Yankees' treatment in MLB is basically "if one side is in trouble, everyone will praise it".

Because in recent years, Boston sports fans are evolving into the worst fan base in American history.

"You don't know enough," Wilkens elaborated. "Before that year, the Mariners didn't mean anything to Seattle. The locals didn't care about them. Then, they made the playoffs and won the first championship in the 19 years since they were founded. First round series. Most importantly, they beat the Yankees. Even though they didn't end up winning the World Series, it was enough to unite fans across the city."

"Maybe if they beat the Celtics in the Finals," Wilkens said. "They have as many enemies as the Yankees, and their fans are more hateful than the Yankees."

However, coincidentally, the Celtics have indeed risen this season and are currently ranking first in the league with overwhelming results.

Bill Simmons often complained about the ill will he received from out-of-towners as a Boston sports fan.

But what he worries about is whether some force majeure will happen and his efforts will be in vain.

All he can say now is that he has not seen any similar signs.

One day later, the Sonics defeated the Bobcats at home.

Then in the last game before Thanksgiving, the SuperSonics faced the challenge of the Spurs, the traditional strong team in the Western Conference.

After sending Kidd to the Lakers, although the Spurs further strengthened their wings (acquiring Caron Butler), they severely weakened their number one position.

The Spurs' current top five are Duncan, Ginobili, Butler, Luol Deng and Bowen. It looks good both offensively and defensively, but without a reliable engine because they can't find a reliable point guard in the free market.

Therefore, they can only renew Benno Udrih's contract, let this European serve as a pseudo-starter, and then let Ginobili play as the sixth man, but he will play longer than the average starter and bear more responsibilities. A player like Ginobili is famous for his duality of gods and ghosts. His upper and lower limits are unimaginable. In the game against the SuperSonics, Ginobili touched the realm of gods, playing 31 minutes and scoring 32 points. 8 assists, it can be said that Roy was beaten from the outside.

Even if Yu Fei suppressed Butler and Jordan, the consequence of Ginobili's single-point blast against Roy was that Duncan could do whatever he wanted in the paint.

The Sonics lost the game at home by 10 points.

Although it is just a regular season game, it is not ordinary for some people.

"He is the number one center in the league." Duncan praised his opponent Kwame Brown seriously, "I just play hard."

In this campaign, Duncan scored 28 points and 15 rebounds, while the league's number one center suffered from no one to feed him and almost starved himself to death, scoring only 4 points and 8 rebounds.

"Brandon, based on your performance tonight, I decided not to prepare any Thanksgiving gifts for you."

Statistics make the fact that Roy was exposed look extremely clear.

Roy spread his hands and said: "No, you should just give me a piece of shit and let me step on it. I have been so unlucky recently."

The word "shit luck" was coined by Kevin Lin in the Sonics. Roy showed his learning ability at the wrong time.

Yu Fei laughed and said: "You can produce and sell it yourself, it doesn't make any difference anyway."

"Fuck you, I'm not a dog!"

Although losing is unpleasant, in the final analysis it is just a regular season game, and all professional players have to do is get used to accepting a day's defeat.

If Roy meets the Celtics and is executed like this by Michael Redd in the Finals, then Yu Fei may have some opinions on him.

Now, just say a few words and that's it.

On the way home, Yu Fei and his party encountered an unexpected situation.

Their way is blocked.

"What's going on?" Lawson asked.

Lin Kaiwen, who was in charge of driving, took a look and said, "He's from 'MCCAIT'⑴."

⑴ MCCAIT: Make Citizens Care About Important Things.

"What are these people who are full and have nothing to do protesting about?" Lawson asked strangely.

Lin Kaiwen smiled and said: "The mayor signed an executive order some time ago, which seems to force the removal of illegal tents in the city."

"They blocked the road just because of this?" Lawson shook his head and said, "They are a bit unworthy of their name."

What Lawson didn't know was that this was just a microcosm of the influence MCCAIT had in the Emerald City.

But Yu Fei knows that MCCAIT is the main force of public opinion that openly opposes the construction of a new home stadium for the SuperSonics.

From the media to the public, more than 2/3 of the people in the city support MCCAIT.

Politicians like Nick Licata dare to publicly say that the Sonics have zero economic and cultural impact on Seattle. The big reason is that there is support from MCCAIT public opinion.

Yu Fei knows how fierce the reaction of this group of people will be when the team submits its financing plan to the city government again early next year.

"Let's take a detour."

Yu Fei said.

This is also the only way. It is a consistent routine of this group of people to occupy the road to protest against disrupting traffic order and forcing relevant government personnel to come forward. If they stay where they are and wait, there is no need to go anywhere tonight.

In the first game after Thanksgiving, the Sonics faced the Magic again, and the game was very exciting.

At the last moment, Yu Fei made Dwight Howard's sixth foul, and the Magic, which lost its inside support, collapsed at the last minute.

For the Sonics, this was a timely victory that allowed them to breathe out the bad breath of their defeat to the Spurs and prepare for the upcoming focus game.

On November 11, the SuperSonics will face the Los Angeles Lakers, currently ranked first in the Western Conference, at home.

(End of this chapter)