When pride still matters

Chapter 399 The essence of the world is double standards
Chapter 399 The essence of the world is double standards

In the second game of the first round, the Rockets still lost to the SuperSonics.

The Sonics took a 2-0 lead and then moved to Houston.

On the day of the third game, Yu Fei visited Yao Huang who was recovering from his injury.

Yao Huang was injured during the Rockets' magnificent 22-game winning streak, but what he was thinking about before entering the operating room was not the future of the Rockets, but whether he could catch up with the Beijing Olympics.

"What's wrong, are you in a bad mood?" Yu Fei joked after seeing Yao Huang, "You look thinner."

Yao Huang was surprised: "You can even see it? I just said I lost weight."

In fact, this was just a casual remark made by Yu Fei when he had nothing to say. Seeing Yao Quan's reaction, one knew that he was particularly sensitive to his physical condition now.

"Do you really want to come back in the Olympics?" Yu Fei heard that if the current plan is followed, Yao Huang may have to come back several months in advance so that he can catch up with the Chinese team's last few warm-up matches.

However, Yao Huang is not an individual.

It is not his own will to compete in the Olympics.

On a smaller scale, this is his only chance as a Chinese to compete in the Olympics on his own land. On a larger scale, the brand he represents and its sponsors need him to perform at the Beijing Olympics. Countless nationals The expectations are also a heavy burden. The most important thing is that he has to show up. Therefore, as long as there is a chance, he will not give up.

That night, the SuperSonics played against the Rockets away from home.

"Do you understand how tiring it is to carry the expectations of 1.3 billion people on your shoulders?" Yao Shuan said with a smile, "If I don't play, guess how the fans will scold me?"

In the fourth game, the civilian Rockets, who lacked their core, were easily defeated by the SuperSonics.

McGrady's performance was the key to the Rockets dragging the game to the end, but their addiction to three-pointers and low shooting rate were also the keys to the Rockets' loss.

Who doesn’t know the name “Yao Dasha”?
Since Yu Fei and Yao Huang have been in two circles since he entered the industry, although they have contact, his actual influence on the other party is extremely limited.

Therefore, there was nothing he could do to watch Yao Huang follow the same trajectory.

In the Western Conference, the Spurs, Lakers and Hornets all advanced to the second round.

After the game, McGrady received a lot of criticism. The main criticism was that he was not tough enough, relied on shooting, and did not like to hit the basket.

SuperSonics counterattack scored.

In fact, no matter whether he fights or not, a group of people are scolding him.

The score difference suddenly came to 4 points. The Rockets tried another three-pointer, but failed, and the game time ran out.

4-0, SuperSonics advanced to the second round.

McGrady had his best performance since the start of the season at home, with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. However, he took too many three-pointers.

30 seconds before the end, McGrady missed a three-pointer on the fly.

Later, McGrady hit another three-pointer, but still missed. Yu Fei grabbed the long rebound, moved to the frontcourt and shot a chasing three-pointer.

McGrady chose to ignore these accusations, and the Rockets announced before the fourth game that McGrady would be absent due to injury.

There is nothing wrong with shooting three-pointers, but if you insist on shooting with a shooting rate of just over 20%, there will be a problem.

Since the Rockets were 0 to 3 behind and the situation was over, the story of Tracy McGrady choosing to close the game and force the game did not happen.

Just like the Sonics, no other upper-division team failed in the first round.

The same goes for the Eastern Conference, with the Celtics, Bucks, Magic and Cavaliers all entering the second round.

The Sonics still had an ideal opponent in the semifinals.

The Hornets are another upstart in the Western Conference who have emerged this season. If Yu Fei's SuperSonics hadn't been too dazzling, the person competing with Kobe for MVP would have been Chris Paul.

The young Paul was dubbed the "Point Guard God" by ESPN experts because of his unparalleled leadership.

However, although the Hornets are brave, this is still the best opponent the Sonics can face in the semifinals.

Because the Spurs, who are second in the Western Conference, and the Lakers, who are third in the Western Conference, both have inside advantages over the Sonics, while the Hornets are a team that relies heavily on Paul.

They have good players like David West and Tyson Chandler inside, but they are still not as good as the Spurs, who have no dead ends except for the No. 1 position, and the Lakers, who are strong inside and outside.

Compared with the SuperSonics, the Lakers and Spurs are destined to fight to the death in the semifinals.

In the East, the showdown between the Bucks and Cavaliers also attracted attention. Before the first game of the semifinals, the league announced the voting results for the regular season MVP. Just as predicted before the game, Yu Fei was elected as this season's MVP with a clear advantage, while the second and third MVP votes were Kobe and Paul respectively.

"Why can't I be MVP?" Paul said after learning the result. "This is a kind of identity discrimination. Because I am a newcomer and there will be many opportunities in the future, so they have to give priority to the elderly. Man, how can they use this Denying me the opportunity for illogical reasons?”

In late April, the Hornets arrived in Seattle.

Also on this day, SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett formally proposed a three-year plan at the league meeting.

The Sonics will have a year to improve their operations and make them profitable — what Bennett didn't say is that they are already profitable — so they can qualify for Seattle's bid for government financing to build a new arena. .

Then, the Sonics will seek social financing in 2009 and continue to raise funds to prepare for the construction of the new arena.

By 2010, assuming that the Sonics have raised all the funds and achieved profitability for three consecutive years, they will formally propose a financing plan to the city government.

The summer of 2010 happens to be the last year of the contract between the Sonics and Key Arena. If the Sonics do everything they can do but still can't get a new arena, then they will move the team.

After the meeting, Bennett was interviewed by ESPN's Mark Stein and answered many insider questions.

"Fry and I have the same goals," Bennett said. "Like I said, if we do all the things and still don't get the support of the team, then we're OK with that, but we're going to Make your own choice.”

Stein asked: "Would Frye support this choice?"

"He would be my number one supporter," Stein replied.

A video of the interview is playing on the streets of Seattle.

Many Sonics fans cheered.

Since last year, rumors about the Sonics' imminent relocation have been hovering over the Emerald City.

Fans are terrified.

Even if Yu Fei comes back, as long as this matter is not confirmed by Bennett for a day, fans will be worried about the relocation.

Now, Bennett personally confirmed that the team will stay in Seattle until the summer of 2010. Although it is not the final result, the Sonics stay.

This situation is incredible. The power of one person changed an inevitable situation.

The basketball atmosphere in the Emerald City is at an all-time high, and guests can feel the excitement of the fans.

"The Sonics may move away in 2010. I don't know what they are excited about!" Tyson Chandler, the main center of the Hornets, felt unwilling for Paul. "Why do they act as if Frye has saved the team? Chris is obviously the first person to do this!”

Substitute forward Bunchy Wells said: "You're right, but this is the Frye effect. Everything he does will be magnified tenfold and a hundredfold!"

The teammates were discussing Yu Fei one by one. They seemed very dissatisfied with the attention and praise that the other party received.

To be honest, Paul didn't understand either.

When Yu Fei returned to Seattle in the name of salvation, this was an act of abandoning Milwaukee in a real sense.

But no one cares about the feelings of Milwaukeeans. Everyone is shouting "Fry is great, no need to say more." But the problem is that he, Chris Paul, saved basketball in a region earlier than Yu Fei, but When selecting MVP, the judges felt that he was too young and not as interesting as Yu Fei and Kobe Bryant.

What kind of double standard is this?
Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the Hornets were without a home for more than a year and a half, and the owner wanted to move the team. Who changed all that?
It's Paul.

It was he who single-handedly pulled the Hornets out of the mire they had been in since the Larry Johnson-Alonzo Mourning civil war, made them a contender again, and won the love of the fans, so the team left behind.

But, sorry, no one cares.

The same thing means different things when done by different people. The world is so unfair.

Looking at these excited fans, watching them celebrate as if they had won a major victory, watching them revere and worship the god on Yu Fei's poster, Paul just felt sick.

Paul's brother CJ said: "I hope the Sonics move away, and then we can watch these bastards cry!"

Paul didn't have such thoughts, but his inner aversion to Seattle, the SuperSonics, and everything else related to Yu Fei was real.

Oddly enough, last year in Las Vegas, he had no such aversion to flying.

He didn't realize what he had lost until Yu Fei actually took away his reputation, honor and prestige.

"We can just make them cry tonight."

Paul said to the crowd.

(End of this chapter)