When pride still matters

Chapter 503 Perfect Core
On the night of the first game of the Western Conference semifinals, KeyArena was packed with spectators as usual.

The Sonics' basketball market is the envy of many teams. Since Yu Fei came, the city's passion for basketball has been ignited.

Tonight's guests don't expect to just scratch their itch and leave like the Sonics' first-round opponent, the Timberwolves.

"Winning is the top priority," Spurs starting forward Andre Iguodala told the media.

Since Iguodala came to the Holy City, the Spurs have a player who can easily deal with the media.

Iguodala's media attributes did not match those of other Spurs players, but the consistent basketball philosophy allowed him to integrate into the team in just half a season.

This is something Caron Butler has spent several years trying to do.

However, there is one thing that Iguodala doesn't quite understand, and that is that his coach and teammates all have a sense of mission of "if we can drag the Supersonics down, we will win the championship even if we don't win it."

Seven years later, Duncan still remembers what happened in the 2003 Finals.

That was the year he felt was his best. He single-handedly defeated the OK Lakers. At that time, everyone thought that the young Bucks would become his victims, but unexpectedly, that was the beginning of Yu Fei's legend.

After that, Yu Fei's rise was unstoppable until they encountered the chaos at the Palace of Auburn Hills in 2005, which stopped their winning streak. The Spurs also successfully seized the opportunity to win the championship.

They had no idea that from then on, until the end of the 2000s, Yu Fei's team would never let the championship slip away again.

Although Duncan established his reputation as the greatest power forward in history with the 2005 championship, he could never forget the failure in 2003, which was much more painful than the failure in 2007.

Popovich said in the video analysis room: "The key to the series is not to limit Frye, but to make Frye fight alone! He doesn't have Brandon Roy now, that is, he is the only driver in Seattle. If we can do it"

Iguodala listened for a long time and finally distilled Popovich's words - everyone thought I was going to deal with Frye, but the person I really wanted to deal with was KD?

Since Bruce Bowen retired, Caron Butler has been the Spurs' No. 3 lock, but Butler is not as willing to work hard on the defensive end as Bowen. The arrival of Iguodala has given the Spurs a luxurious version of Bowen.

In addition to providing corresponding defense, he can also ensure a comprehensive output of 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game.

Iguodala nodded, then asked a question: "Who's going to handle Frye?"

Popovich said grimly: "Manu."

The Argentine was amused, pointing at himself as if he had heard a great king order him to kill Sun Wukong's demon: "I deal with Frye?"

Duncan gloated: "Perfect."

"Perfect?" Ginobili realized the seriousness of the problem. "Are you serious?"

That's the way it is.

Popovich's defensive focus is on players other than Yu Fei, and he is willing to sacrifice Ginobili for this.

He is not worried about defensive failure because the Spurs have long since transformed and are no longer a traditional team that engages in slow-paced positional warfare around a dominant center like Duncan.

The new trend of small ball has changed the NBA. Popovich was the first coach to come out and criticize it. At the same time, he may also be the earliest coach to make the transition.

Today's Spurs are a team that focuses on passing and cutting from the wings + three-pointers, which fully activates Duncan's supporting ability and Iguodala and Ginobili's organizational ability.

Perhaps it was Yu Fei’s victory over the Spurs, or perhaps it was because the Supersonics never regarded the Spurs as their opponents.

The second-place team in the Western Conference, playing at home, did not prepare as seriously as the Spurs.

Coach Lu believes that as long as they play at their own pace, it will be easy to defeat the Spurs.

Yu Fei was selected into the first team again, and he will be interviewed by many media.

After Bosh was unexpectedly selected to the third team, he began to realize that his time in the Supersonics was not as difficult as he had imagined. Although he was willing to sacrifice, it now seems that the team is very dependent on his performance. His sacrifice is mainly reflected in the fact that he is no longer the team's top star.

But the question is, can he, who was selected into the third team, be considered the second core of the Supersonics?

If he is, then Kevin Durant is the third?

So, the question actually refers to "Who is the Scottie Pippen of the Supersonics?" and "Who is the Horace Grant of the Supersonics?"

"Does being selected to the All-NBA team prove that fitting in with the Sonics isn't as hard as you thought?"

At the beginning of the season, when the Sonics had a complete lineup, Bosh's stats looked like an ordinary inside player, not at all at the All-Star level.

Now, he’s on the third team.

The changes here are so great that it is really touching.

At the time, Bosh was emphasizing the difficulty of integration.

Now, he can breathe a sigh of relief: "I have to thank Fry for all the help he provided me. It is also because of Fry's existence that my integration was so easy."

"Does this clarify your position with the Sonics?"

This is a question that has the potential to be misunderstood.

Bosh's answer sounded okay: "Of course, the Supersonics is Frye's team. We all know that Frye is the first level, and the others are ranked behind. I am fortunate to be ranked second."

The Sonics' per capita traffic is enough to make the Spurs players envious.

Although Yu Fei did not have any high-profile interviews on the spot, the level of interviews received by other players was already worthy of being big stars.

ESPN did a special pre-game interview for Durant titled "Kevin Durant Talks About Responsibility."

Because of the interview, Durant did not return to the team to warm up until 15 minutes before the start of the game.

However, this doesn't seem to have any effect.

Because Yu Fei is here.

When Yu Fei entered the field, there were screams and cheers. He threw a ball casually and the audience made intoxicated noises.

Afterwards, the core players of both sides met in the midfield.

The Supersonics have Yu Fei and Bosh, while the Spurs have Duncan and Iguodala.

“Wouldn’t it be better to let KD come?”

Bosh thought Durant was more suitable to follow Yu Feilai and say hello to Duncan and others.

"If it wasn't for politeness, I wouldn't even bother making this trip," Yu Fei said. "It's not that important."

Bosh asked. "It might be important to him."

Hearing this, Yu Fei looked at Bosh.

As a secondary star, perhaps Bosh can sense Durant's changes in mentality better than others.

"If you feel sorry, just give your shot to KD tonight," Yu Fei said. "He will definitely accept it."

Before the game started, Lu told his players: "Let's beat them to a pulp!"

Yu Fei joked: "I don't have that much hatred towards the Spurs."

The start was normal, Yu Fei faced Ginobili, which was not difficult for him.

Yu Fei scored in two consecutive singles rounds, while the Spurs used passing and cutting to score two points first and then three points.

The first break for the Supersonics was Anthony Morrow's missed first shot from the outside, followed by Durant's singles.

The Supersonics had a tactical arrangement for Durant to play one-on-one.

However, if the opponent lets Durant face off against a strong point like Iguodala, the team will usually arrange for him to make a feint attack. After all, with his current physique, he has more than enough skills but lacks confrontation. He will stagger when the opponent puts a little pressure on him, and it will be difficult for him to play a stable output in the playoffs.

Moreover, a defender like Iguodala, who has strong upper limbs, powerful lower limbs and a special preference for putting pressure on the ball, happens to be the defensive target that Durant hates the most right now.

It's like a younger Artest without the dirty work.

Durant missed his first single shot and the Spurs fought back.

No one blamed him because it looked like an impromptu attempt.

The Spurs let Iguodala face off against Durant, which was clearly meant to limit him.

If Durant can break through Iguodala's defense, the game will be much easier.

Although Durant failed, it was only a one-round failure.

However, the Sonics gradually discovered that once the ball passed through Durant's hands, it could not come out.

The play will stop working in Durant's hands.

He would start a formulaic singles.

The first shot missed, the second shot still missed, and the third shot finally made it, but the efficiency of one out of three was not what the team needed.

Yu Fei took a look and found something was wrong.

But Durant playing one-on-one like this with the ball seems familiar.

Durant is hailed as the ultimate offensive machine, and singles is his most confident way of playing. Whenever he encounters difficulties, for example, joining a 73-win team - not to mention that this team just reversed him 1-3 in the playoffs - after winning the championship, he was not whitewashed as he thought. Those who despised him still despised him, and there was an endless stream of haters on his social media. His teammate Curry, who captured him personally, signed a sky-high contract at the time, while he was still holding a quasi-maximum salary contract with a slightly reduced salary, and was considered not to be the Warriors' number one player.

Then he will do something to prove himself.

Unlimited singles are his basic choice on the court.

This form of Durant has appeared countless times in Yu Fei's previous life, and has appeared several times in this life as well.

But in the Western Conference semifinals, he showed up.

There was no foreshadowing before. Yu Fei wanted to know if Durant was serious, so he didn't play the tactic and passed the ball to him after half court.

Durant decisively played a one-on-one game. He had previously made 3 of 1 shots. If he made this shot, it would be 4 of 2, and his hit rate would return to 50%.

However, just before he shot, Iguodala seemed to see through his thoughts and quickly cut the ball. If Yu Fei had not been right behind him and picked up the ball, the Spurs would have counterattacked again.

There is no time left, Yu Fei just throws a ball at random.

It was a buzzer-beating three-pointer, and with luck, it hit the bank.

Coach Lu, who was off the court, breathed a sigh of relief. He thought to himself, I can’t pass the ball to KD anymore. This young man has a problem with his thinking.

He looked at Alonzo Gee, who was ready to fight, and said, "Get ready to replace KD."

Soon, Yu Fei assisted in the defense and blocked Duncan's shot.

Duncan felt helpless about the block. Yu Fei came too quickly. Although his teammates reminded him, even for a player like him, his brain was overloaded at the moment he decided to shoot, and it was difficult for him to make the right judgment.

Yu Fei was not happy about being the leader in blocked shots in history. His mind was already on Durant.

Just when Coach Lu thought Yu Fei was going to shoot, he actually passed the ball to Durant again.

Durant got the ball continuously.

The others moved away under Yu Fei's command.

The ball suddenly gathered in Durant's hands like energy from the universe, and it was difficult for him to adapt.

A moment of hesitation allowed Iguodala to press forward, and he could no longer put the ball on the ground.

At this time, Durant realized that all his teammates were looking at him.

Because he was blocked by Iguodala, Durant passed the ball back to Yu Fei, but there was not much time left for the attack.

This kind of pass-the-blame style of passing is undoubtedly frustrating.

How could someone have Kobe's disease but not be seriously ill?
Can this ball be passed?
If you really are infected with the Kobe virus, wouldn't you be willing to force a shot even if it meant smashing the buzzer with the ball?

However, Durant's pass made Yu Fei realize that this person was not terminally ill.

Although it is not known what caused the spread of Kobe virus in Durant, Yu Fei does not intend to use a playoff game to make an impromptu program about science.

As for the opponent, the Spurs, if it were the Timberwolves, they could still give it a try. After getting Iguodala, the Spurs don't have much advantage against the Supersonics, but at least they have a 30-70 chance.

If you actively show your opponent your weakness, you will be forcing a 70:30 advantage to become a 50:50 advantage.

Therefore, after testing Durant, Yu Fei first played pick-and-roll with Bosh to complete the offense of that round, and then did a good job of defense, making it difficult for Ginobili to perform his magic.

The Argentine's organizational abilities were blocked tonight.

However, this problem mainly lies with Ginobili himself.

He is really too nervous, switching between super god and super ghost at a very fast frequency.

Durant suddenly went from being a natural ball-attracting magnet to an orphan on the court.

Yu Fei fully demonstrated his dominance as a core player with the ball.

As soon as he crossed half court, he would direct Durant to stand in the corner and not move.

In this way, Durant was naturally separated from the tactical system. He went from being a finishing point in the Sonics' offensive system to a fringe shooter on the same level as Anthony Morrow.

The Spurs' strategy of letting Iguodala play against Durant in order to limit him was both successful and unsuccessful.

The successful side is that they really sealed Durant.

Although this was done independently at supersonic speed, the strategic goal has been achieved.

The failure is that the strategic success of sealing Durant cannot radiate the strategic value to other positions on the court.

By this calculation, it is equivalent to a one-for-one trade between Durant and Iguodala.

The Supersonics are willing to make such a trade, but the Spurs will have a headache.

Because Iguodala's value is not limited to one-on-one defense, now being pulled to the corner by Durant and squatting together is very disadvantageous for the Spurs.

Yu Fei began to concentrate his strength on defeating Ginobili.

Ginobili, who is both a god and a ghost, was in poor form and was crushed by his opponent. Every side of him showed was a ghost, but the ghost faces were different. He had a ghost who was blocked when he dribbled the ball on the offensive end, a ghost who boldly passed the ball out of bounds after being defended, and finally a ghost who was treated as a wealth code by Yu Fei and was withdrawn at will and was fouled three times in a single quarter.

During this process, Coach Lu suddenly realized that he didn't need to call a timeout to make adjustments.

Because Yu Fei had already made all the adjustments on the court.

Although it is a bit of a waste of talent to move Durant to the baseline to smoke, it is an excellent way to minimize the harm of the Kobe virus.

On the contrary, the Spurs are in trouble.

Popovich called a timeout and asked Ginobili to go to the corner to defend Durant, thus freeing Iguodala.

But the Supersonics replaced Durant at this time.

Enter the high-energy rookie Alonzo Key.

Coach Lu called Durant to his side and began to teach him: "Kevin, wake up, this is not how you play basketball"

The Spurs intended to turn the situation around when Durant left the court.

Iguodala came in front of Yu Fei.

"Am I easier to defend or is KD easier to defend?"

Yu Fei asked before launching the attack.

“You’re so defensive,” Iguodala said.

Yu Fei took a sudden step, tore through Iguodala's defense, dribbled the ball heavily to the ground, then jumped into the basket and jumped up to dunk directly in front of Duncan.

"Who is easier to defend?" Yu Fei said, "Think carefully before answering."

Popovich had no plan to defend Yu Fei.

Because Yu Fei has no blind spots on the offensive end.

He can hit 39 three-pointers per game with a hit rate of 4%. His mid-range and long-range shots are all in the red with no obvious cold spots, and his finishing in the restricted area is comparable to that in the interior. His free throw shooting rate is as high as 86%. In terms of organization, he is regarded as the best point guard in history - if he is considered a point guard, he will be greater than Magic.

In the past two years, he has also developed off-ball offense at the three-position, which has enabled him to better understand the positioning of shooters and inside players after he returns to being the ball-handling core.

Requiring an individual to limit himself to flying on the court is an impossible task, but if a double-team is used, his passing will cause the opponent to fall into another abyss.

Therefore, there is no solution for this person.

To defeat him, you have to start with his teammates.

Seal his teammates first, then leave them open to double-team him.

Of course, it’s another matter for teams like the Lakers that can use James and Kobe to match up. Anyway, Popovich has never dreamed of fighting such a rich battle.

But tonight, the Supersonics first acted like a plague, letting Durant play one-on-one all the time, putting them at a disadvantage, and then realized that this was not working - who would think this was okay? - So Yu Fei sealed Durant and asked him to stay in the bottom corner, and then proved to the Spurs that even if we didn't use Durant first, you still couldn't be my opponent.

Because Bosh and Brown were not restricted, and Morrow quickly found his touch after a sluggish start. Although new substitute Alonzo Gee was mediocre, Yu Fei's ability to improve the lower limit of this single-function engineer-type player as the ball-holding core was too strong.

Once the Supersonics get into the game, everything goes smoothly.

The Spurs' plan was successful, but after the first quarter, they were trailing by 11 points.

Yu Fei played the entire first quarter, and his dominance across the entire court reminded the people of San Antonio of the hot summer of 2003.

They remember that, back then, that wasn’t how No. 44 played.

Even this guy didn't play like this in the summer of 2007.

Three years have passed, and the player is still the same, but his game has evolved from an all-consuming ball-handling core to a more advanced existence.

That might be the perfect form of a ball-handling core.

But is this the ultimate Fry Yu?

Yu Fei left the court, and Coach Lue prepared to let Durant lead the second team to play the transition period - he accidentally found Karl's secret temperature control method (Durant limited edition).

Before Durant came on the court, Yu Fei hugged Durant like an older brother and said, "When I'm not here, you can play however you want. You can be Kobe or AI."

Yu Fei only said this.

Durant understood.

He knew that Yu Fei hadn't said anything more.

If I come back, you have to play my way, otherwise go to the corner!

Is this the way a master should lead a team?
Durant thought.

He wanted it too.

Maybe he should ask, who wouldn't want that?

(End of this chapter)