When pride still matters

Chapter 499: The following offenses are committed, but not on my territory (Unity)

The season continues.

With the signing of Larry Hughes, the Sonics' backcourt depth has been greatly enhanced, and the upcoming game will be against the Indiana Pacers at home.

Since the disintegration of the Pacers team of Ou and Artest, the Pacers have been rebuilding like other teams that have naturally fallen.

What troubles general manager Larry Bird is that they have repeatedly failed in the draft and have difficulty recruiting strong star players through the free market.

The starting point of these difficulties can be traced back to the 2005 draft.

The Bucks drafted Danny Granger at a high pick, but the Pacers failed to pick up a low pick like they had historically done. The fate of a team in the next few years was thus doomed.

This year is a year of complete failure for the Pacers, because John Wall, the top pick in 2010, is known as a combination of Derrick Rose and Ricky Rubio. He has Rose's physical fitness and Rubio's vision, and is definitely the best choice for the No. pick.

Now the Pacers are ranked third from the bottom in the Eastern Conference. They are worse than Jordan's Bobcats and the self-destructive 76ers, but this is enough. After all, you still need a little luck to get the No. pick. It's not about ranking higher. Lower is better.

A team that deliberately messes up is no threat to the Sonics.

Sonics harvested the Pacers like melons and vegetables, like Indiana farmers harvesting corn during peak season.

It's just that when O'Brien takes the field wearing a SuperSonics jersey, many people feel as if they are in another world.

"It seems like yesterday when Jermaine O'Neal led the Pacers to defeat the Bucks in 2005." ESPN commentator Kevin Harlan said with emotion.

This reminded Xiao Ao.

Five years later, he's the only one to beat Too Fly in the playoffs over the past eight years.

This made O'Brien excited. He excitedly continued to attack on the court, as if he had returned to his youth. Not only could he attack and shoot, but he also passed several good balls to rookie Alonzo Key.

"We all have to move on, don't we?"

After the game, O'Brien talked about his mood against the Pacers.

SuperSonics coach Tyronn Lue let out a sigh of relief at the end of the game. It was an easy victory, but for him, it was like he had lived another day.

He is like a writer who has no manuscripts but must complete updates every day. He does not know what difficulties he will encounter tomorrow, but after one day passes, he will feel lucky.

Ah, it’s great to be alive again.

Since he lost to the Rockets last time, both professionals and unprofessionals have seen it.

Regardless of who is better, the Sonics or the Lakers, his coaching staff is undoubtedly the Sonics' biggest disadvantage.

SuperSonics fans have a hard time imagining how Lue, as a head coach, would struggle in the dugout with the veteran Phil Jackson.

He is a pure novice who can't even understand how to call a timeout!

Lu's appearance of surviving a disaster made Tim Grgurich, the old assistant coach next to him, feel strange: "Tailon, we won smoothly, why are you nervous?"

"It's just because we won so smoothly that I was nervous." Lu said worriedly. "Actually, I think I need more intense games to accumulate experience."

Gegulic said jokingly: "The playoffs are coming soon, and you will have plenty of opportunities then."

Lu said with a grimace: "I don't want to use the playoffs to pay tuition."

"Actually, you don't need to be nervous." Gegulic said, "The person who really should be nervous is Frye."

Lu nodded in agreement: "Indeed, I let him bear too many responsibilities."

"No, that's not what I'm talking about." Gegulich explained, "If we fail, who do you think the outside world will criticize?"

Lu didn't dare think about that.

If they fail, one thing is for sure, his coaching career could be doomed in its infancy.

"I will take all responsibility," Lu said.

Gegulich’s answer was poignant: “You can’t afford it.”

Lu was speechless.

"Because everyone knows that it was not the management that selected you, but Frye." Gegulic said, "The reason is simple. The players like you, so you are the most suitable to take over George's job. However, the outside world will not see it that way. , they will feel that this is Frye taking further control of the team. Therefore, if we fail, you will be the one who is obviously responsible, but the person who is really blamed will be Frye."

Gegulic's enlightenment did not have any effect, but made Lu even more stressed.

If he fails due to his lack of ability and ends up taking the blame, will he still have a place in the team?
A distraught Lou went to visit George Carle.

Karl asked: "Taylan, what are you worried about?"

"I'm worried about screwing up everything," Lu said bluntly.

"Why should you worry about this?" Karl asked. "Fry recommended you as a coach, which shows that he believes in your talents. As a coach, you should not be afraid of failure. On the contrary, you must have the courage to screw up everything. "

Lu smiled and accepted Carl's Chicken Soup for the Soul.

He didn't have time to think about it, because that night, they had back-to-back games against the Minnesota Timberwolves at home.

This is their last regular-season matchup this season.

The Timberwolves are an interesting team. They sent Garnett to the Celtics in 2007 in exchange for Greg Oden, who seemed to be a facade. However, the talent that made Oden shine was ultimately preserved intact in the scouting report.

He was reimbursed in his rookie season, had a mixed season in his sophomore season, and was reimbursed again at the beginning of his junior season.

For the Timberwolves, this was tantamount to a disaster. They sacrificed the first player in team history for Oden, but what is surprising is that Russell Westbrook, who was originally selected to assist Oden, was replaced by the veteran With the help of McGrady, he has grown rapidly and has become a new force that cannot be underestimated in the Western Conference.

"You know, Lu, we lost to the Timberwolves before." Yu Fei said before the game started, "At that time, George was still the coach."

Lou asked, "If we win tonight, can we shut some people up?"

"No."

If keyboard warriors were so easy to gag, the Internet wouldn't be so abstract.

Yu Fei said: "But you can use this as an example to tell others that the game is unpredictable. If you lose the game, George may also lose."

The Timberwolves basically have only one way to win.

Let Westbrook rush up, drag the opponent into chaos, and then use experience to defeat the opponent.

Moreover, the Timberwolves still have Tracy McGrady as a guarantee. When Westbrook's brain recharges too much and loses his golf IQ in the chaos, McGrady can stabilize the situation. This is the reason why they maintain a high winning rate in the chaos.

The Sonics have already suffered the same loss.

At the beginning of tonight, the SuperSonics asked Hughes to start against Westbrook instead of Anthony Morrow.

Hughes' speed can't keep up, but his defensive anticipation is far better than Moreau's.

Westbrook's shooting is inaccurate, and he can defeat all defenders in the league with one breakthrough. However, when faced with a well-balanced defense like the Supersonics, as long as he is targeted, he will be unable to shoot, break through and hit the wall, and pass the ball to his teammates but not the receiver. The embarrassing state of being stuck.

"What are you doing, Lars?"

"Is this all you have?"

"A real man will fight to the end."

"Look at me, have you learned it?"

Yu Fei likes to tease Westbrook.

Although Westbrook looks like the male protagonist from a Japanese manga, in fact, he believes that his game is very rigorous, and he also believes that the game should be rigorous. As an obsessive-compulsive person who has high standards and requirements both inside and outside the game. Patients, he has a set of philosophy that he always pursues.

Therefore, as long as he doesn't play well, he will fall into an uncontrollable chaos.

Therefore, when Yu Fei pointed out his mistakes, questioned his strength, resorted to aggressive tactics, and continued to tease, Westbrook naturally entered a state of blood rage.

His CPU has burned out.

At this time, McGrady tried to control the temperature, but couldn't.

"Russ?" McGrady asked for the ball, but Westbrook rushed in and suddenly hit the top edge of the backboard with a zombie jumper.

"Nice throw!"

Yu Fei grabbed the defensive rebound and rushed to the frontcourt. Westbrook fell into a cognitive trap. He thought he could just stand outside the three-point line and wait for Yu Fei, but Yu Fei closed two meters outside the three-point line. The ball was released, and he hit a long-range three-pointer.

Westbrook was stunned.

"In terms of technical content, it is much more difficult to hit the basket than me." The Timberwolves had already called a timeout, but Yu Fei's trash talk followed, "I need to learn a lot from you."

Westbrook had a scowl on his face.

This scene is a portrayal of this game.

Westbrook was brave enough to be a reckless man, but Yu Fei was toying with him the whole time. The Timberwolves wanted McGrady to take over, but Westbrook wanted to fight Yu Fei to the end.

Therefore, the suspension is in vain.

The coaching staff made a decision, but it was not implemented and could not help Westbrook control the temperature. McGrady could only play on the side. This situation made him miss the man who once made all the difference in Orlando.

At that time, he never imagined that one day he would have to give up his self-esteem as a superstar to assist an emotionally unstable young man.

But who is to blame?
He had the opportunity to leave the Timberwolves before, but the Timberwolves offered him a big contract that other teams refused to offer, and he stayed.

Since he stays, he must become the player the team wants him to be.

Westbrook ruined the game. After four quarters, the Sonics, who fought back-to-back, defeated their opponents by 24 points and achieved revenge.

于飞的数据极其华丽，以44分12篮板11助攻的全面表现压制了17分7篮板7助攻的威斯布鲁克。

Westbrook only beat Yu Fei in the number of turnovers.

He had 6 turnovers tonight, while Yu Fei only had 2 turnovers.

"Come on and improve your ranking." Yu Fei said to Westbrook, "Maybe we can meet in the playoffs."

Westbrook expressed his dislike for flying in one sentence: "I would rather play the Lakers in the playoffs!"

Yu Fei smiled: "I just assume you think the Lakers are easier to beat than us."

Westbrook really feels that way.

Although their record against the Lakers this season is a total defeat, the Lakers' Kejan will not have the same mentality as Yu Fei, and they will lose quickly.

Although Westbrook was ridiculed a lot on the court, Yu Fei was generous with his praise in front of reporters.

"He has the potential to be an iconic player of his generation."

Yu Fei said so.

His tone was like that of a wise man appraising a young junior.

But in terms of age, he is only 6 years older than Westbrook.

According to the "generation" scale, they belong to the same generation.

However, no one thought there was anything wrong with what Yu Fei said.

Westbrook also admitted in front of the media that he still has many shortcomings compared with Yu Fei.

The post-game atmosphere between both sides was friendly.

Back in the locker room, Yu Fei saw Lu studying statistics.

The above data is rigorous enough to cover what everyone did and the mistakes they made each round.

"Are you working so hard?"

Yu Fei asked with a smile.

"There are a million people who want me out, and I have to get ahead of them," Lue said.

"Not that many." Yu Fei said, "Moreover, most of the fans are just outsiders. I'm not saying that they are not determined, but their support for most people depends on the current situation. If we win, they I will support you, and the opposite will happen when you lose.”

Lu asked: "What if most of the losses are due to my lack of coaching ability?" "When we make mistakes at critical moments and lose the game, there are always people who say that the game has been lost long ago, and key mistakes are just the epitome of failure. "Yu Fei asked, "Why do you think the game was lost because of you? Do some people call you the son of the United States? Or do some people think you are the master of the empire? Tai Lun, you should know that the coaching staff has an impact on the game. It can be huge or very limited, depending on the coach's style."

"Phil Jackson is famous for not intervening in games, and Doug Collins is famous for being picky about details. When the Bulls and Lakers succeed, who does the glory belong to?" Yu Fei asked again, "When No. 23 is in DC When it fails, who is to blame?”

"Obviously, the honor and shame are on the players," Lue said.

Yu Fei smiled and said, "So what are you worried about?"

"I suddenly realized that I have nothing to worry about." Lu said with relief, "You are right, Frye."

"I have one more question."

Yu Fei looked at him.

Lou asked, "Why me?"

This is the question that really bothers Lu. After experiencing the initial excitement, the joy of winning and the frustration of losing, Lu calmed down completely and wanted to know the reason why Yu Fei selected him.

"Ask yourself." Yu Fei can't tell him that I am a time traveler, so I know you can do it. Lu needs to find the answer to this question himself. "And the question should be - why not me?"

Lu has been suffering from insomnia recently. The regular season has entered its final stage and the playoffs are approaching. As a head coach, there is only fog in front of him.

Because he couldn't sleep, Lu could only review tonight's game alone.

He found that this was the game where he did a better job of calling timeouts.

He called for all the timeouts that should be called, and the rest was to see Yu Fei's performance.

The longer he coaches, the more Lu understands that Yu Fei's control over the game has gone beyond common perception.

If you don’t know how the game is played, just give him the ball.

This can cover up his shortcomings to the greatest extent, and all he has to do is call timeouts, make substitutions as accurately as possible, and make adjustments and arrangements on the offseason.

For these things, he needs the help of a teaching assistant.

It seems that things are not that difficult.

What he did, anyone could do.

So, why can't it be me?

That night, Lu figured out one thing. Some games were destined to be lost. Even if it was a man-made disaster, he had to convince himself that it was a must-lose game.

Instead of blaming yourself, blame others.

If you want to live a decent life, you must learn to blame others and put pressure on others.

He couldn't put pressure on Yu Fei, but was there anyone other than Yu Fei that he couldn't offend?

Even KD could use a gentle scolding.

Since then, Lu has had no sleepless nights.

The SuperSonics' game is increasingly centered around Yu Fei.

After Roy was reimbursed, Karl also gave the ball to Yu Fei.

But the difference is that Karl will not let Yu Fei play the ball-holding core like before, because Yu Fei's style has changed after his transformation, and he can arrange a variety of playing styles.

But Lu couldn't do those difficult operations, and he liked simple and crude ones.

Under this arrangement, Yu Fei's data began to match that of the Bucks, and the SuperSonics' immediate combat effectiveness became stable. Bosh became the beneficiary. The pick-and-roll between him and Yu Fei changed from the SuperSonics' regular starting style to Killing move.

Durant passively became the strategic sacrifice point under this change.

Karl can design tactics to allow Yu Fei to control the situation without delaying Durant's replacement of Roy's role. The sub-core under the big core is often the most overlooked strategic protrusion.

However, Karl can make Durant shine.

Lu has no time to take care of Durant.

Things didn't turn out the way Durant thought at all.

At the beginning, Durant thought Lue's rise would bring him more opportunities.

Because a rookie coach with little business ability usually won't arrange any tactics on the offensive end and will let the players play more freely. Then, he will focus on the defensive end.

Unexpectedly, Lu was completely the other way around.

The defensive arrangements were completely left to the old assistant coach Tim Grgulic, and then he developed a "flying the ball" on the offensive end that Karl had not used for a long time.

It just so happens that such a low-tech arrangement is very effective.

After Yu Fei returned to the core position, he averaged 34 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists per game, completely turning the SuperSonics into a one-man team.

"One Empire" went from gimmick to real-world.

Bosh gladly accepted it because his performance and data were not affected, but Durant's average shots per game slowly dropped from 18 per game.

In these games coached by Lu, Durant averaged only 17 shots per game.

This is not much different from the previous 18 shots per game, but the downward trend will not change.

Durant was accumulating resentment of dissatisfaction. As the Sonics ended the February schedule with a winning streak, in March, Yu Fei's statistics became more and more exaggerated.

After scoring triple-doubles in seven consecutive games and scoring 20 points and 20 assists in two consecutive games, by the end of March, Yu Fei's average per game had risen to 30 points, 9.8 rebounds and 12 assists.

Durant's average data dropped slowly from 23 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists per game.

He is now averaging 22 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists per game.

It's hard for Durant to imagine how ugly his data would be if Lu had been the coach from the beginning?
Durant's resentment completely erupted in the game against the Celtics on the night of March 3.

There are two teams that have become unstoppable after the trade deadline. One is the Lakers in the West and the other is the Celtics in the East.

The addition of Antawn Jamison made the Lakers an unsolvable offensive team, while the Celtics, who were going against the times, became a rare meat grinder defensive team in the modern era after Prince joined.

The logic of small ball's three-pointers, speed and space is that if the three-point shot is accurate, there will be space, and space will create countless offensive options for players, and they can accelerate at will.

The Celtics strangled the Sonics' three-point shooting tonight and forced them into a meat grinder battle.

Yu Fei used mid-range shots and back-up shots to make it difficult for the Celtics to resist.

Durant is eager to join it. He has strong hard power like Yu Fei.

However, he thinks his singles ability is not on the same level as Yu Fei's, especially when the opponent's defense works.

Prince's long arms make him one of the few players who can significantly interfere with Durant's shooting.

"KD, pass the ball!"

Anthony Morrow shouted when he was open.

Durant ignored it.

"Kevin, I'm here!"

Bosh had a chance in the pick-and-roll, but Durant didn't see it.

"KD?"

Brown had a chance under the basket, but Durant didn't want to pass the ball at all.

His shooting percentage is not high, but the reason for not passing the ball is also valid, that is, the shooting percentage of others is not high either.

But when Yu Fei gave him a pick-and-roll and asked for the ball from outside the three-point line, Durant had a wild thought deep in his heart - if you can do it, then I can do it too, if I do Here we go, then.
Durant forced a shot and was blocked by Garnett.

"FUCK!!!" Tyronn Lue was furious, called a timeout, and was furious at Durant off the court, "KD, you can't fucking play like this! This is not one-on-one, young man, you are fucking destroying Lose all our efforts throughout the night!”

For three years, Durant has accepted double standards all the time.

Yu Fei is one thing, and he is another.

He couldn't stand it anymore.

"Shut up!" Durant yelled, "I don't want to hear this nonsense from you! You will never say these things to Frye, because he is Frye! He is your master! I don't give a fuck about this ,I"

The appearance of Yu Fei made Durant lose the courage to vent all his dissatisfaction.

The pressure that hit him made him tremble.

And Yu Fei just said: "Tailun really won't talk to me like this. Do you know why, Kevin?"

There are two forces at work here.

One is the powerful power of the powerful, and the other is the unyielding young power.

Nine years ago, Tyronn Lue saw the conflict between these two forces in DC.

The power of youth ultimately wins because the one in power has grown old.

But today, Kevin Durant, who represents the young force, has no chance of winning.

Yu Fei pointed at Durant and said to Lu, "I don't need him tonight."

The master spoke.

So Lu replaced Durant.

In the last three minutes, the SuperSonics trailed the Celtics by 6 points.

Yu Fei blocked Rajon Rondo and hit a chasing three-pointer to reduce the score by 3 points. The Celtics pressed for 24 seconds and Garnett scored under the basket, but Yu Fei came back and scored again. Score three points, bringing the score difference to 2 points.

This saw-saw came to the last minute, and the Celtics, who were leading by 2 points, wanted to play for 24 seconds.

They pressed down the clock, but Pierce missed a single.

Yu Fei grabbed the defensive rebound, without pausing, and made a fast break and dunked forward. It was a 2+1.

The extra penalty hit and the SuperSonics took the lead.

With half a minute left in the game, the Celtics were still patiently looking for opportunities. This patience is valuable. Rondo's pass allowed Prince to find an opportunity to penetrate the Sonics' defense, but Bosh's help forced the Celtics to pass the ball again.

On the outside, Rondo was left empty.

Patience is no longer a good word as their shot clock is running out and Rondo must attempt a 3-pointer.

The person who least should have hit a three-pointer blocked his throat at the critical moment and used a priceless three-pointer to give the Celtics the lead 5 seconds before the end of the game.

Tyronn Lue wanted to call a timeout, but Yu Fei told him to stop.

The Celtics pressed hard throughout the game, but Yu Fei never intended to let the second person touch the ball from beginning to end. He had already scored all the points in the last three minutes of the SuperSonics' fourth quarter. In fact, in these three minutes, no one scored. The second Sonics player touches the ball on offense.

This is why the Celtics sent two men to double-team him in the frontcourt.

However, Yu Fei violently broke through the encirclement from the middle and rushed to the LOGO position. Time was about to run out.

Yu Fei collected the ball, jumped up like an ancient marksman with a bow and arrow, and shot a three-pointer from the distance with a horse-riding archery shot in the LOGO position.

“Beep!!!!!”

The referee blew the final whistle, and everyone looked at the ball. The suffocating moment lasted only a second, but it felt like a whole night had passed.

It hit the backboard and bounced into the rim like it was meant to be.

"!@!#￥%#@%"

At that moment, Yu Fei ignored his desperate opponent, turned to his own bench, and roared at the traitor who tried to commit the following: "This is my fucking house!!!!!!"

(End of this chapter)