When pride still matters

Chapter 425 Always
The Celtics have no choice. They must continue the defensive strategy of the first three quarters.

For veterans, a war of attrition is detrimental, but if the intensity drops, the SuperSonics playing at home will inevitably find their touch faster than them.

Therefore, even if this is a dead end, they must live towards death.

The Sonics undoubtedly feel their opponents' determination.

In the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, the Sonics were unable to break down the Celtics' defense, and the Celtics began to suffer backlash. When they tried their best to increase their defensive intensity, their opponents had no way out.

In this case, all offense is in vain, and defense is the key to support.

In order to survive, the Sonics will increase their defensive intensity to a level sufficient to match the Celtics.

Two minutes passed and no one could score.

Surprisingly, the Sonics, who were fully committed to defense, actually performed stronger than their opponents in these two minutes.

Kwame Brown made no mistakes at all. He defended alone, assisted in defense, and blocked positions. He looked like the top blue-collar player in the league.

Celtic retreated quickly.

Subsequently, Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics' most determined insider, guarded the penalty area like a goalkeeper, but how could the goalkeeper resist the coming of God?

Yu Fei penetrated the defense like an arrow from a string and reached the paint area in one stride.

"PJ, it's up to you!" Rivers said sincerely, "I stand with you, brother, and New England stands with you!"

Old Brown does not regret his choice. He has been in the professional basketball world for sixteen years and failed again and again. He knows how difficult it is to win a championship. Therefore, he has decided to leave professional basketball and return to the game with the support of his family. He needs to ensure that You can win the championship yourself.

The Celtics have a strong inside group, but tonight, Rivers, who emphasizes defense, only has three inside players available.

"Fry Yu murdered Kendrick Perkins!" Mike Breen shouted in disbelief, "And One!!! And extra penalties! Incredible dunk!!!"

Another offensive round by the Celtics was interrupted by Durant's defense.

If one side breaks the scoring drought and the other side cannot follow up quickly, the suspense of the game will disappear.

He has no regrets.

He really didn't expect that the SuperSonics could reach the finals and have a fierce battle with the Celtics.

Jeff Van Gundy added: "That's Kendrick Perkins' sixth foul."

He once thought the Celtics were a direct line to the championship, which was the reason why he let them go at the trade deadline.

After Yu Fei received the pass from his teammate, he moved forward slowly.

Brown Sr. should be excited to have so many people by his side.

"If you don't have any other tricks, then it will be my turn." Yu Fei sarcastically said, "Go back to New England with the shame of losing all away games!"

When Yu Fei helped block Garnett twice within two minutes, Jeff Van Gundy said: "In terms of talent, there is no way that Frye is not an excellent defender. Many people say that he is defensive "The end has been exaggerated. Now look at this. His ability to protect the basket is as good as any center who is famous for blocking shots!"

This is also the reason why Perkins accumulated fouls quickly. Now, Perkins has fouled out and left the field. Rivers has to pin his hope of defending the penalty area on veteran PJ Brown.

But, no, he didn't feel that way.

目前为止，于飞拿到25分10篮板13助攻4盖帽4抢断，可谓攻防全覆盖。

"Da Fei, don't be too arrogant!" Pierce stood up, "The game is not over yet!"

Yu Fei raised his hand outside the three-point line at the top of the arc, asking his teammates to stabilize, and then directed Brown to pick and roll.

Now he also understands that even if he can't make a difference on the offensive end, he can still do something on the defensive end.

"BOOM!!!!!"

Yu Fei jumped up like a tiger and leopard, bumping Perkins' body head-on. The referee's whistle sounded vaguely, but it could not affect him.

Just wait quietly for him to get into position, and then score the extra penalty.

Yu Fei has always been considered to be the most unworthy of the All-Defensive Team, because his defensive data is very good, averaging 2 steals and 1 shot per game all year round, but his actual defensive effect is not among the top five in the league. How can he be selected continuously? First defense?
Tonight, Yu Fei gave the doubters the answer.

He roared, slamming the ball into the basket as Perkins stung his eyes.

This kind of defense is a huge drain on both sides, but the Sonics, which has more young people than physical strength, will never lose.

But now
于飞完成2+1，74比71，超音速领先3分。

Tonight is definitely Durant's bad day. He is currently 11 of 2 from the field. It can be said that he is useless on the offensive end. However, on the defensive end, although his confrontation ability is insufficient, his physical condition is there and he is of great defensive value.

Two and a half minutes have passed, and the score is still fixed at 71-71.

This means that the Celtics' interior group sweeping the Eastern Conference will lose a barrier.

Marion is everywhere, like a smaller version of Garnett.

The Celtics' choice is that Garnett goes to the high post and Perkins guards the penalty area.

The league's number one player has no unnecessary words.

At that time, Celtic was the best choice.

Pierce and Garnett thought of many possibilities. There was only a slight gap in his defense, right in the middle. Yu Fei regarded that gap as an opportunity. At the moment when the double-team was formed, he sprinted forward with all his strength. It seemed that there was nowhere to hide. The ball actually avoided the threat of four hands from under the crotch and successfully passed through the double team.

David Lee is good at offense, but under such defensive intensity, his offense is useless, and he was completely replaced by Perkins in the second half.

When Old Brown came on the field, Yu Fei glanced at him.

Garnett, Perkins and P.J. Brown.

Pierce knows this.

As the veteran of the Celtics among the Big Three and the player with the strongest independent offensive ability in the team, he must take responsibility.

There's little beauty to be found in Pierce's offense.

He picked up the ball at the top of the arc, first leaned against Yu Fei, then dribbled to the right and stopped suddenly, leaning back a little in mid-air, and took action before the shot was blocked.

"Shh!"

His offense looks difficult, but he always scores.

Pierce roared, his confidence soaring as he scored the important response goal.

However, when it comes to the defensive end, he still has to face Fei.

In the past four games, Yu Fei averaged close to 40 points. This is ironclad evidence of Pierce's defensive failure.

Facing Fei's attack, he could feel his heartbeat speeding up. Unlike him, Yu Fei's offensive was fast and fierce.

Yu Fei singled out Pierce, changed direction from left to right, quickly came to the right side, and stopped suddenly to take action.

76 is better than 73
For the next five minutes, the game was purely one-on-one.

Both sides no longer double-team, and even if a pick-and-roll is called, the defense will be switched immediately.

Pierce stood up just as Bostonians expected when the resurgent Celtics honor was most likely to turn into Celtic humiliation due to their record of losing all away games.

The Celtics attacked the inside, and Pierce got open on the outside.

Garnett passes the ball.

Pierce hit a three-pointer.

"How?!" Pierce roared loudly at Yu Fei.

There are many people in this league who have this dream: to one day defeat Frye Yu, achieve complete success, and stand above everyone else.

James failed, Kobe's dream was shattered, and Duncan, O'Neal, and Nowitzki all became footnotes to the legend.

Now the challenger is Paul Pierce, a star who has never been on the radar.

Yu Fei's success changed all narratives surrounding him.

When sportswriters want to discover the secret of his success, they start at the beginning. They discovered factors that proved why Yu Fei was so special.

He never received any systematic basketball training before his senior year of high school. He went from a layman to the top high school student in the country in just one summer. In less than two years, he entered the league as a lottery pick. His story is better than that of Hakeem Ola. Zhuwang is even more magical.

Then, the writers discovered that when Yu Fei was selected in the draft, he read out the players who were ranked in front of him in the draft. It's like a thread, and the character that sportswriters believe made Yu Fei great was present before he even entered the league.

However, they didn't know that before Yu Fei, the first person to tell the media about a player whose draft pick was higher than his because his draft pick was not as good as expected was Pierce.

Few people know this story because Pierce was so transparent before this year.

Nothing about his career is as famous as the eleven times he was stabbed.

Now, he's going to make those who ignored him pay.

However, Yu Fei will not allow Pierce to be the only one in Seattle.

After Pierce equalized the score, within half a minute, the two sides went back and forth quickly without scoring. Then, Yu Fei called for a pick-and-roll from the outside, and while the Celtics were switching defense, he suddenly retreated and responded with a three-pointer.

"This guy is unstoppable!"

Bill Simmons was furious.

Every time the Celtics want to gain momentum, Yu Fei starts to exert his strength.

From the beginning of the second quarter, the Celtics had countless opportunities to open up the score, but they were all blocked by Yu Fei.

It's a terrible pressure.

It makes people doubt themselves.

Can I defeat this person?

Simmons, who stands completely on the Celtics' side, is already sweating profusely, but what about Pierce who is in the midst of it? He had never felt such pressure, the pressure made him want to vomit,

The offense is so difficult, and the Sonics' defense, led by Yu Fei, is impeccable.

The Celtics were in vain within 24 seconds, but Yu Fei dribbled to the frontcourt alone. With only one encounter, Pierce's defense failed.

Yu Fei cut through Pierce's defense like a sword, stepped into the paint, and scored with a throw.

"If that's all you have," Yu Fei glanced at Pierce coldly, "Just go to hell."

Pierce lives in a world where the oxygen seems to have disappeared.

For a moment, he felt like he was suffocating.

"I died once!!!" Pierce yelled with a trembling face, "No one is qualified to say this to me!"

81 is better than 76
"Since the beginning of the fourth quarter, Frye has scored all the Sonics' points!" Mike Breen said, "It looks like it's not over yet!"

The pressure to fly is real, and these invisible and intangible existences will not disappear because of Pierce's courage.

Under heavy pressure, Pierce missed the shot.

PJ Brown grabbed the offensive rebound and threw it to the outside, and Michael Reed hit a three-pointer.

Instantly, Pierce yelled.

It feels good to have helpers around me, and it feels good to be alive.

Nine years!
He waited lonely for nine years and finally had the opportunity to defend the glory of the Green Army like the ancestors of the Celtics. He never wanted to fall here.

This feeling of relief lasted only a few seconds.

When Yu Fei came to the frontcourt, not only Pierce, but every Celtic player on and off the court felt as if they were being pressed down by a mountain.

"Double-team!" Rivers couldn't bear it anymore, "Double-team! Don't let this bastard finish us off by himself!"

Change direction, accelerate, stop suddenly, change direction and start again.

Pierce's center of gravity was lured by the flying ball and he bumped into Garnett who came to double-team him. Feeling guilty for his defensive failure, Pierce felt something in his body was about to explode at that moment, and the terrible feeling of vomiting came again, causing abdominal discomfort.

With a bang, Yu Fei dunked on PJ Brown.

Pierce also fell to the ground with Garnett.

"What a cruel Da Fei"

Roy just stood aside and watched with excitement. Then he looked to the side and saw that Garnett had turned over, but Pierce was still squirming.

The Celtics' away jersey is the standard dark green, but Pierce's hips oozed brown. "FUCK!" Roy shouted, "Da Fei, you beat the shit out of this guy!"

The Celtics stopped the game.

Pierce rushed back to the locker room.

Rivers looked at the score. SuperSonics No. 44 in the distance was not the tallest person in the game, but here, at this moment, he was a giant.

With less than four minutes left in the game, 84 to 79, the SuperSonics led by 5 points.

This arduous and fierce holy war, involving the supreme honor of the two cities, is about to enter its final moments.

On the big screen, the most embarrassing moments in Pierce's life were replayed repeatedly.

The people of Seattle laughed wildly at this as if they were getting revenge.

Only some professionals know that things are not simple.

How much pressure would it take for Pierce to become incontinent?

What kind of aggression is this?
"Frye has surpassed Michael Jordan from 1991 to 1993 and has become the most terrifying player in the history of professional basketball." Jeff Van Gundy said, "Let us take our hats off to Paul Pierce. I promise you, He looks far more dignified than LeBron in Vegas."

After the timeout, the Celtics were stimulated by Yu Fei's attack.

The fourth quarter lasted more than eight minutes, and all 13 points scored by the Sonics were scored by Yu Fei.

This kind of situation where one person takes charge of the entire team's offense is not unheard of, but it is very rare.

Rivers and Thibodeau have had enough. They cannot allow the Celtics' hopes of winning on the road to be destroyed by the superstar's personal abilities.

"Paul has already sacrificed a lot for us, and from now on, we have to fight for him!"

Pierce doesn't know when he will return, and Rivers must make others realize that he is also the protagonist of the court.

Chicken soup is not a cure-all.

Rivers knows this. If his chicken soup was really that effective, his team would have won the road game long ago.

Whether chicken soup works or not depends on the player.

The Celtics' desire to fight for Pierce is extremely strong, because for most of the night, he blocked Yu Fei.

Rivers' chicken soup just reminded them that Pierce is no longer on the court and there is not much game time left. Can he come back before the end of the game?

no one knows.

But the Celtics are still Celtics.

Steve Jarvie is still alive in this world, calling games in his own style.

This is the game the Celtics love.

Matt Barnes replaced Pierce, and all he could bring to the table was defense and spot-up three-point shooting.

Garnett played selflessly, treating himself as a blue-collar player and dedicating everything to his teammates.

Michael Reid recalled the humiliation he had suffered in New York.

When the game entered the final three minutes, Reed hit a three-pointer from the outside.

Yu Fei encountered reckless double-teaming on the outside.

Barnes, Rondo and Garnett, they surrounded Yu Fei in an instant.

Is this enough?
The use of three-person double-teaming meant that two SuperSonics players were open. Yu Fei instantly passed the ball to Roy on the left.

This is a clear signal.

In the fourth quarter, Yu Fei, who was so brave and invincible, had driven his opponents crazy, and they did not hesitate to use three-person double-teams to restrict him. This is the greatest respect for a superstar, just like Xiangbei used a four-man double team to prevent Amu. As long as you are strong enough, you deserve it. As a teammate, all Roy can do is live up to the opportunities created by Yu Fei.

It's time for people to know that the Sonics are dual-core, not single-core.

Roy's blood was absolutely ice cold at that moment.

He held his breath and took a jumper.

At the moment of the hit, KeyArena announcer Bob Black said excitedly: "Brandon Roy, he is the star of the fourth quarter!"

86 is better than 79
Celtic were in despair.

They seemed to have no tomorrow and defended desperately, but in exchange for Roy's easy break.

In the subsequent attack, Reed was blocked and Rondo was left open. The only one with a chance was Barnes, who was selectively released.

The shot clock was winding down and Rondo had no choice but to trust him.

But Barnes did nothing after coming on the court. He only focused on defense, positioning, confrontation, and physical combat. How can he maintain his touch under such circumstances?

His 3-pointers pop up frustratingly.

Garnett rose up to tip the ball in, preserving the Celtics' last hope.

86 is better than 81
With a 5-point gap, less than two and a half minutes, Yu Fei Arc took control of the field.

Roy's shot just now made the Celtics dare not step forward easily to double-team, but let Yu Fei go one-on-one?

What Pierce couldn't do, Barnes couldn't do either.

Under Yu Fei's two fierce impacts, Barnes' body almost fell.

In just an instant, Yu Fei turned to face the basket and came to the basket with great agility. Garnett and Old Brown were in the air at the same time, but Yu Fei crossed the ball back and forth and changed hands. In the end, he passed the ball under Old Brown's armpit with his left hand. Put the ball on the backboard.

Impossible angles, impossible ways of shooting.

"Ugh!!!!"

Simmons held his head in his hands: "NOOOOOOOO~~~!!!!!"

This is a disappointing goal.

Yu Fei turned around, ignored the stunned Garnett, and just gave PJ Brown a meaningful look.

What Yu Fei once said to him echoed in Old Brown's heart.

88 is better than 81
"Frye has scored 17 of Seattle's last 15 points, and now, his personal score has reached 40 points." Mike Breen said, "Who else can stop him?"

The obsession to defeat Yu Fei drove Reed crazy.

At this moment when every ball is related to the result, Reid used practical actions to prove why he is inferior to Ray Allen.

When it comes to shooting skills alone, it is difficult for you to use an absolute tone to demonstrate the level of shooting between these two people. Judging from age alone, this year's Reed is stronger than Ray Allen in terms of physical condition and competitive status. However, compared to the latter, he lacked one crucial thing.

Respect for discipline, understanding of the game and emphasis on the team, these three points are summed up as a reflection of personal belief. His game philosophy is completely different from Ray Allen's. The latter can completely become a wing in the "Big Three", but Reed, a second-round pick who entered the league, has never had such awareness and belief. Everything he has is achieved through hard work. When Frye's existence denied him, he wanted to use his own power to change the outside world's perception of him.

So people can see that when the tactic failed, he still asked Rondo to pass the ball to him, and then at the moment of receiving the ball, he directly pulled up and shot a three-pointer regardless.

"boom!!!"

After a three-pointer, Reid watched the dazzling SuperSonics No. 44 grab the rebound and launched a counterattack on the spot.

"I won't let you succeed!!!"

Reed roared and ran after him.

His whole body was attached to Yu Fei's body, causing the audience to boo. This was definitely a foul.

But the boo only lasted a few seconds, because outside the three-point line in the frontcourt, Yu Fei suddenly stopped at full speed. Reed was about to stop, but was pressured by Yu Fei's body and fell backward uncontrollably. .

At this moment, Reed was heartbroken.

He saw Yu Fei jumping up and shooting a three-pointer with almost perfect posture. That hateful face was full of confidence, as if he was the most valuable human being in the world. Why was it so disgusting? Why is it this person?
In the blink of an eye, the moment of judgment arrives.

Yu Fei's chasing three-point shot penetrated the net, causing the Key Arena to boil. The noise from all directions prevented Reed from hearing the sound of the technical table. Rivers desperately requested a timeout.

There were less than 100 seconds left in the game, 91 to 81.

This goal was tantamount to a death sentence for the Celtics.

Between a hero and a sinner, Reed chose the latter. His desperate three-pointers turned into adventurism, and his efforts to improve his image by actively integrating into the team with his stable performance throughout the season suddenly lost their meaning.

Whether he has changed himself, whether he has sacrificed for the team, or the significance of his existence to the Celtics is no longer important. The basketball world will remember this round and use it to erase all his past contributions. His sacrifice is meaningless, his transformation is hypocritical, and his past honors are only because he was a teammate with Yu Fei. He is a loser. , always.

"Michael, what I said is absolutely right." Yu Fei smiled, as if he was telling his old friend about a huge happy event. "The key to my five championships in six years is indeed yours!"

In that moment, something died in Michael Reed.

They disappear without a trace, never to return.

The man who took him away left those words that caused Reid to break down and turned to walk off the court.

The Celtics ultimately lost the game without waiting for Paul Pierce to return.

There is no truth here.

In the final 90 seconds, Pierce came back.

But the outcome is already decided.

The final resistance didn't seem to have any strength.

At the end, 93 to 83, the SuperSonics defeated the Celtics at home, leading 3 to 2, and made their opponent the only Finals team in history to lose all away games.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"I'm proud of my players. Each of them became the best version of themselves tonight. The finals are not over yet, let's see." - Doc Rivers told reporters.

"If you hear someone say, 'It's not whether you win or lose, it's about the process,' that person probably lost. I'd love to talk about the game, but I don't think you want to know, you just want to know what happened in the fourth quarter. What. Let's put it this way, our tactic in the fourth quarter is to let others go away and let Frye solve all the problems alone!" - George Karl added, "You have to admit that this trick works every time. "

"How did you know that Frye and I scored 22 points together in the fourth quarter?" - Brandon Roy was proud of his performance in the fourth quarter.

"I didn't get coverage, I didn't get enough support, I don't regret the choice I made, and I would have done it again if I had another chance." - Michael Reed responded to the controversial shot in the fourth quarter.

"Don't ask what your teammates can do for you, ask yourself what you can do for your teammates." - Shawn Marion added, "I'm proud of Frye, and I think he'd be proud of me, too. ”

“To be successful you need to find something that supports you, something that motivates you, something that inspires you.” – Kevin Durant spent 20 minutes with Nike talking about how he shot 11-for-2 Performance helps the team win.

全场比赛，于飞斩获了45分14篮板14助攻5盖帽5抢断的数据，他是总决赛历史上唯一一个单场拿下45+10+10+5+5的球员。

When he came to the media access room, nearly a hundred media from all over the world gathered here.

"You had predicted Celtic would lose all away from home, how did it feel to come true?"

"This is not a prediction, because they have never won in the Eastern Conference, and naturally they will not win in the finals. So, I just said something that will definitely happen."

"You scored 22 of the team's 20 points in the fourth quarter. How did that happen?"

"Ask Brandon, we scored 22 points together and I just made a small contribution."

"Paul Pierce was incontinent during the game. Do you think it had anything to do with you?"

"If you must think so, all I can tell you is that I'll be careful with his ass next time."

"Bill Simmons claims that the Sonics have won three straight games because of home-court advantage. What do you think?"

"All I can say is, basketball is like baseball, the more people play it, the less people know about it."

The last question came from Sports Illustrated writer Jack McCallum, who had been following the Sonics for one season: "How sure are you of winning the championship in Boston?"

"100%."

"why?"

"Because no one can beat me four times in a row."

McCallum got a satisfactory answer, but couldn't help but give this superstar who seemed to have grown to the limitless size a reminder: "Do you remember 2005?"

"You know, Jack." Yu Fei stood up and was about to leave, with an extremely sincere smile on his face, "I didn't lose, it's just that the game time is over."

PS: You know, there’s definitely only one chapter today.

(End of this chapter)