When pride still matters

Chapter 470 Master of the Empire (Unity)

Bill Simmons' purpose in interviewing Durant was not simple. Considering what happened this past summer, he believed that the Sonics were a potential breaking point in the NBA.

On the surface, the only thing that can stop the Sonics from winning three consecutive championships is the Lakers.

But Simmons believes that the Sonics' biggest enemy is themselves.

This is exactly the topic Simmons will focus on in his new book, "The Book of Basketball," to be released in November this year: Why are some players and teams more important than others?
In Simmons' book, he also has a pyramid list, with Jordan ranking first, Bill Russell ranking second, and Yu Fei ranking third.

This ranking is not based on personal grudges, at least that's how he sees it. He tried hard to remain objective in the book, otherwise he wouldn't have ranked Magic ahead of Larry's legend.

Not long ago, Simmons read Jack McCallum's book for the 08 Sonics.

Despite the grand setting and epic ending, Simmons didn't see what he wanted to see. In his words in the book - "Frye did not withstand the ultimate test like MJ or Russell in 1998 and 1969."

Now, Simmons believes Yu Fei's "test" is coming.

When people around Yu Fei proposed a "one-man empire" in order to transcend the concept of dynasty, dangerous seeds were sown within Supersonic.

It's not just that Yu Fei didn't have any respect for the highly respected Jordan in DC, but it's also that this person has been breaking the rules since his debut.

Simmons laughed and asked: "Do you really think he is the greatest player?"

Ironically, Yu Fei's camp, which knew that Yu Fei needed to continue to win in order to surpass Jordan, used this flattering method to bring Yu Fei to a height above the gods.

It's a completely different time now.

Simmons doesn't believe it, or rather, his view of basketball formed year after year following Larry Bird's game as a teenager doesn't support his approval of such a thing happening.

⑴According to Simmons' theory: winning five championships in ten years is considered a dynasty.

He has twisted the world of basketball and is now trying to crush the greatest concept in professional basketball: the dynasty.

They started by looking back at some interesting moments from Durant's first two years.

Russell has a dynasty and Jordan has a dynasty, so they are the first and second in Simmons' heart.

One person can be superior to the group, but if the same group wants to win continuously, it needs to build a collective sense of honor.

Simmons actually likes Durant's tweet. In his opinion, the crazy Yu Fei Duwei under that tweet are trolls.

Why is Chris Bosh willing to give up his status as the King of Toronto to become a dog in Seattle? Why did Michael Finley give up tens of millions of dollars in income just to get a ring at the end of his career? Why is a young star like Kevin Durant being hailed as America's son? Because they won two consecutive championships with a great team.

Simmons nodded, and sure enough, Durant was also paying attention to this matter.

Durant asked: "You mean SoleImperium?"

In team sports, putting the individual over the collective is the most dangerous thing, but professional basketball has been repeating this story since ancient times.

But that is also a manifestation of Yu Fei's influence. Although he himself has never paid attention to this matter, his supporters are enough to torment Durant.

The No. 2 in the world and the No. 3 in the world openly joined forces, and the No. 3 in the world had the audacity to live broadcast his cowardly act nationwide, openly backstabbed his hometown folks, and then happily fell into the arms of Los Angeles.

But this young man is so kind. He actually wants to apologize for such a thing?
Then Simmons' topic crept closer to the core.

Either there will be complete destruction, shattering the Sonics' fairy tale, or Frye Yu will surpass Jordan at the cost of destroying everything.

That's something Simmons has personally experienced. He certainly knows the controversy surrounding O'Neal's selection into the top 50. That's evidence that the NBA treats itself like a show. They want gimmicks, and no gimmick is more likely to spark discussion than making O'Neal, a young superstar with a promising future, one of the top 50 players.

Therefore, Simmons adopted a shallow to deep approach in his interview with Durant.

"Have you noticed in the past few months, the outside world has defined the Sonics' two consecutive championships?" Simmons said, "In fact, they merged the Sonics' two consecutive championships and the Bucks' two consecutive championships into one."

When Yu Fei's camp promoted the concept of "Sole Imperium", Simmons realized that there was a reason why he and Yu Fei had not dealt with each other over the years.

Simmons decided something unusual was going to happen in Seattle.

However, even Michael Jordan was the first to thank Scottie Pippen in his Hall of Fame speech. He knew that without Pippen, there would be no two three consecutive championships.

“You were trending on Twitter for a tweet a few months ago, what’s going on now?”

At this time, Durant smartly asked: "Is Shaq in 1997 considered one of the top superstars in NBA history?"

Durant said helplessly: "Actually, I was just sharing my views on what happened that day, but that day caused a misunderstanding. I apologized. Fortunately, it did not affect more people."

He subverted the Bill Russell-Black and White duo-Jordan era in which the super giant was responsible for the final blow, but the best basketball always comes from the best team.

To this day, Yu Fei has basically destroyed the NBA that Simmons has known since the 80s.

Suddenly, the highest honor they were proud of became like this in people's mouths.

In his five years with the Bucks, Yu Fei won four championships with an astonishing possession of the ball, making the three-point shot popular and completely changing the basketball game into another model. He also forced the team to sign a short-term contract with him, creating the 2+1 era and greatly shortening the window period for teams in the league to build lineups for new stars.

Yu Fei won six championships in seven years. In theory, he also has a dynasty, but because he did not complete it with the same team, it cannot be regarded as a dynasty.

Then, Simmons suddenly changed the subject and asked, "How do you and Frye get along?"

"Not bad." Durant said perfunctorily. "It's an honor to be teammates with the greatest player."

Many things flashed through Durant's mind, but none of them were good.

Looking at it now, Simmons doesn't think Durant made any mistakes.

The championship is a matter for Frye alone, and others are just taking advantage of it.

Durant used O'Neal as an example to tell Simmons that maybe Yu Fei is not the best now, but in time, he will definitely be.

And what about the first person in the world? He is also a arrogant fanatic.

However, from another perspective, it is also a recognition of O'Neal's potential. Facts have proved that O'Neal is well-deserved as the top 50, and he eventually became one of the twelve greatest people in NBA history.

In order to control the definition of the dynasty, they boldly defined Yu Fei's brilliant achievements as "one man's empire."

Once this understanding becomes a consensus, Yu Fei's status as the best in history will be unquestionable.

Why? Because Russell needs a lot of helpers to build a dynasty, and someone as strong as Jordan also needs Pippen, but Yu Fei is a one-man dynasty. He is the chosen one and the only one.

This is also what makes Simmons convinced that the Sonics will have problems.

If even someone like him with a fan mentality can't stand the arrogance of Yu Fei's camp, how can an American son like Durant, who has a sky-high heart, endure it?
"Yes, SoleImperium." Simmons repeated the word with nausea.

Sole? Fry Yu, are you serious?

"I don't like this concept." Durant said bluntly, "And I don't know who would like this concept. I don't get pride from this concept. If you say we are the Sonics Empire. I Would be happy to accept that because I'm a member of the Sonics? Whoever that 'one' refers to is disrespectful to the rest of us who are part of the championship. The championship has worked hard and we deserve the same honor.”

Durant's answer seemed completely correct to Simmons. This is what he wanted to hear from Durant.

At this point in the interview, Simmons' purpose has been completed, and he does not need to ask other sensitive questions.

As long as Durant expresses his attitude towards "SoleImperium", the rest will be left to time.

Finally, Simmons asked, "How sure are you of winning three consecutive championships?"

"This is my ultimate goal," Durant said. "I've seen the Bulls complete three consecutive championships and I've seen the Lakers complete three consecutive championships. I hope I can be another player who helps the team accomplish this feat. "

"What happens after you're done?"

"I will spend a summer telling everyone that there is no one empire, there is only the Supersonic Empire."

On the fifth day of training camp, Simmons was planning to condense Durant's interview into his own column.

Just when he decided to leave, he met Yu Fei, whom he had longed for but could not see, in the hotel.

He looked like he had just returned from a business trip.

"Why are you here?" Yu Fei didn't think the team would invite Simmons to the training camp.

"KD and I have an interview to do," Simmons explained.

"Oh, that's right." Yu Fei didn't care about the personal relationship between Durant and Simmons. He was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something, so he stopped and turned around, "I'm sorry about Michael Reed. ”

Simmons' heart tightened.

Reed has had conflicts with the team since the 2008 Finals. Ainge wanted to trade him, but there was no worthy target in the offseason that year. In the new season, Reed was injured before Garnett. . Then he was injured twice during the season until he was reimbursed.

Now, even if the Celtics want to trade him, they have to wait for Reid to come back and show his worth before making a move.

"However, I think you are used to it." Yu Fei said sadly, "Isn't tragedy the main theme of Boston sports?"

Simmons was furious, and Yu Fei's words really hurt people's hearts.

It was last century that Boston sports were linked to tragedy. Since the new century, their sports momentum has been good, except for...his beloved Celtics.

"You want to know what tragedy is?" Simmons responded. "The tragedy is that sooner or later a pretentious fool like you will die in his own story!"

Hearing Simmons' curse, Yu Fei smiled happily: "I won't smoke alone on draft night, let alone play with a heart disease, and I haven't been stabbed eleven times in a nightclub, and I'm still in the past Won six championships in seven years. I will live longer than all of you. As for whether you will be able to witness your beloved basketball team win a championship again while you are alive, I think it is difficult because you represent it. Bostonians have never learned any lessons from past failures."

One of the biggest lessons for Simmons today is that when he has a flaw, don't quarrel with someone who claims to have no morals. But the incident gave Simmons even more motivation to finish the column.

With great anger, he spent only two hours completing the season preview that must be written before the start of every NBA season. However, the Sonics' season preview is based on Durant's interviews as the main material, supplemented by his own insights and judgments. The result is a season preview article that is much larger than a single team. Therefore, he decided to publish this article separately.

That night, Yu Fei was doing some activities in the hotel gym. Kevin Lin suddenly came over and said, "That Boston bastard wrote an article."

"You scolded me?" Yu Fei asked.

Lin Kaiwen replied: "To be precise, he scolded us."

Later, Lin Kaiwen opened his portable notebook and showed Yu Fei Simmons' column published on ESPN's second page website.

Simmons turned to the Sonics' season prospects with Durant's comments about "the only empire" and vigorously attacked the concept of "empire" promoted by the Flying Camp as if it was the most evil thing in the world.

"Do you think what he said will come true?"

Yu Fei asked with a smile.

"He's talking bullshit." Kevin Lin cursed.

"The concept of a one-man empire is indeed inappropriate." Yu Fei said, "But now that the matter is over, I don't need to pretend that I don't know anything."

When Mark Stein mentioned the concept of "SoleImperium" in his column last season, he did not expect that things would evolve so quickly.

This was originally an idea he proposed in his column, an impromptu idea, but after Yu Fei won the sixth championship, this idea became the "truth" of the Chosen Empire.

People around Yu Fei and the sponsors he represents are promoting this concept.

It only took one summer, and it was completely hooked up with Yu Fei.

Yu Fei is not the creator of this concept, but he is the source of creativity himself, and his work ends on the court. The moment the empire was born, he, the master of the empire, did not know it. Only when the world turns against him does he realize that he has an empire behind him.

But what can he do? That this is not what I want? Am I a team player like you?
This is not how a master of an empire should behave.

Now that he has become a god, he should show his sense of responsibility.

"That's what it says, but KD" Kevin Lin was not satisfied with what Durant said in the interview, "He shouldn't have said these things."

Yu Fei asked back: "You have made him the lucky one who has benefited from the empire, so what if you let him complain a few times?"

"Just forget it?"

"There is nothing to pursue." Yu Fei said, "Contact Mark and ask him to read Simmons' article. I will see a response within a day."

On the sixth day of the training camp, Yu Fei officially reported for duty.

According to the plan, Yu Fei would only take four days off.

But after finishing the activities outside, Yu Fei felt that he needed to adjust, so he took extra days off.

Carr said it was business as usual in training camp.

Yu Fei's understanding of this sentence is that nothing special happened in the past five days.

Before Yu Fei's arrival, the structure of the Sonics training camp was dominated by Durant.

Whichever team he is on will win the match.

Although he is only a third-year player, Durant's immediate combat ability has clearly surpassed Roy.

New aid Chris Bosh's performance was tepid, but he took special training on three-pointers in the summer, and now in training camp he can stably hit outside three-pointers after pick-and-rolls.

Although Bosh's defense is one level worse than Marion's, his rebound protection and offensive versatility as the fourth position are one level better than Marion's.

The relationship between Kwame Brown and Jermaine O'Neal is the team's biggest joy.

The two men's feud goes back several years.

Yu Fei and Brown were both in the Bucks at the time, but after winning the championship, Brown suddenly drifted away and claimed to be the second center in the Eastern Conference - second only to O'Neal, who was still at the end of his prime at the time.

When Xiao Ao saw how rampant this thigh-hugging parallel importer was, he naturally exploded every time he saw it.

But Brown has never lost a team.

He lost the matchup, but he won the game.

What's more important than winning the game?

Now, times have changed.

O'Brien is no longer the top insider in the league, and Brown is still the player whose verbal ability is far better than his immediate combat ability. However, O'Brien who chooses to join the SuperSonics must play as a substitute, and Brown's starting position will not be guaranteed as long as Yu Fei is around. shake.

Therefore, Ou, who used to be able to look down on Brown, is now lower than the former in terms of status and rank in the Sonics.

When a reporter asked Brown what he thought of O'Brien joining.

Brown responded: "He was an All-Star but didn't win a championship. That's why he's here. I can teach him how to win a championship."

When Xiao Ao heard this, he was so angry that he responded without any sign of weakness: "The only thing he can teach me is how to become a loyal Rottweiler in Fry's empire!"

Although it was a hurtful argument, Xiao Ao's speech had two meanings. One is that he will not be at the mercy of Brown, and the other is that he accepts the concept of empire. Like Brown, he is willing to contribute to the empire without taking away the glory of the empire's master.

Moreover, why do you have to steal the limelight from Da Fei?

Brown has proven himself what works best.

What should you do if others ignore your contributions? You can brag.

Is Kwame Brown the No. 1 center in the league? Then he is the number one center in the universe - of course, that is after winning the championship.

On the first day of Yu Fei's arrival, Karl decisively divided him and Durant into two groups to play in the match.

People on the team also want to know how many moves the third-year Durant can make in front of Yu Fei.

Last season, Durant could be regarded as a model wing shooter, whether it was outside shooting or various cut-and-run catch-and-shoot situations.

Some people say that Durant in his second year has already reached the height of Danny Granger.

But if Durant stops there, he's just Porter before Michael Porter. The most important issue for a great wing modeled after Yu Fei is how to dribble inside.

That's where Yu Fei excels.

To get into the paint, you need ball-holding skills. Once you have ball-holding skills, it means that he can dribble to create shooting space. In this way, his height and wingspan combined with shooting will make him an unsolvable offensive machine.

This past summer, Durant seemed to have figured out that he might never be able to trick everyone with the ball like Yu Fei did. He has the ability to control movement, but his bare-foot height is 2 centimeters higher than Yu Fei's. Moreover, he does not have as terrifying a sense of the ball as Yu Fei. Various reasons determine that he will mainly attack the basket when holding the ball. .

Then, Durant noticed that he had a pair of ostrich legs. Once his dribbling combined with his astonishingly long strides, he would become a nightmare for all flank opponents.

This matchup began with Durant showing off his progress in all aspects.

He made 4 of his first 3 shots and seemed to be on par with Yu Fei.

It wasn't until Yu Fei dribbled through his defense and rushed to the basket for a dunk that the impact that hit people's hearts awakened some consciousness.

The master's game is over.

To transform from a wing shooter to a comprehensive offensive machine, Durant must develop ball-handling, but the most critical factor in holding the ball is not control of movement, but confrontation.

Yu Fei no longer allowed Durant to show off his pace and took the initiative to give him physical contact.

The defensive intensity in intra-team competitions can be greater than in actual combat. Under the pressure of Yu Fei, Durant's offensive ability with the ball plummeted when he saw who was beating whom.

The situation reversed instantly.

Yu Fei forced Durant's mistakes in two consecutive rounds, then rushed to the frontcourt and dunked.

It was a standard "your uncle is still your uncle" moment.

After the game, Yu Fei's red team handed Durant his first defeat in six days with a 16-point advantage, allowing everyone to once again confirm the SuperSonics' internal level.

"If this is the result of your special training, I will be worried about the future of the Supersonic Empire." Yu Fei said, "How long do you want me to take to improve your confrontation ability?"

"I won't keep you waiting long."

Durant responded in a low voice.

"I've been waiting for two years!" Yu Fei asked coldly, "You disappoint me, Kevin, why are you still so fragile?"

The scene was not only silent, but also surrounded by a suffocating pressure.

The master of the empire can still overwhelm everything.

(End of this chapter)