When pride still matters

Chapter 520 The End of Good Times
Clay Bennett looked at the financial report of the latest game with burning eyes.

He checked again and again and found that he was not mistaken.

The third game, which just ended, brought him a net profit of $30 million from ticket revenue, peripheral products, temporary sponsors, and publicity costs for upcoming movies such as "Twilight" that are seeking exposure.

You know, in the era of Payton and Kemp, which the older generation of Seattle fans miss, the SuperSonics never made a net profit of 30 million US dollars in a single season.

And it's just one game.

Moreover, the upcoming second one is also expected to rake in tens of millions of dollars in profits.

Experts have always said that the birth of NBA economics stems from ordinary people's unremitting pursuit of greatness. Bennett originally sneered at these economists who only knew how to chant scriptures, but now he has tasted the sweetness.

Especially when the SuperSonics, as the symbol of the only empire, started a decisive battle with the Lakers, a villain team known as the evil empire, the resulting public opinion network and a large amount of publicity made the Western Conference Finals more and more like the century showdown under the traditional sports concept.

The more money the Sonics made, the more Bennett wanted a new arena.

He believes the new arena could double current revenue.

However, the more money they make, the greater the resistance to building new arenas.

Bennett thought this would be a big problem, but after the third game, those long-lost fans took advantage of the current hot market and once again shouted the slogan that successfully called back the Chosen One: "Save our Supersonics!"

Such fans can be seen everywhere, from the city center to the suburbs.

The SuperSonics' urban influence in Seattle is no longer the same as it used to be.

Even the Mariners and Seahawks had to give in.

This is the people's war and the people's wish. Human rights fighters who plead for the people cannot ignore the wishes of hundreds of thousands of citizens and forcibly say "let the citizens focus on more important things."

Fry Yu was ultimately correct.

For some, keeping professional basketball in Seattle is the most important thing in life.

The night before, Yu Fei told the media that he would fight for them.

Now, it's their turn to fight for Yu Fei.

After a while, General Manager Sam Presti walked in and said, "Boss, we just received a new movie promotion..."

Bennett asked, "Which movie?"

“Iron Man 2,” Presti said. “That movie that Frye is in. They want to show a teaser trailer during the game tomorrow night. Robert Downey Jr. will be there, too. He’s a friend of Frye’s.”

All Bennett cared about was income.

KeyArena is now an excellent promotional venue. Hollywood needs to use the popularity of their home stadium for publicity, and they can gain extra income from it.

"I heard Reebok is going to sell commemorative T-shirts based on Fry's 50-cent night?" Bennett asked suddenly.

"It seems to be the case," Presti said.

“If we also sell similar products, will there be copyright issues?”

"will not."

"So what are we waiting for?" Bennett said, like a money-eating beast. "Tomorrow night is the second day of 50 Cent Night. We should sell merchandise based on this theme."

"But...it takes time to design these products..."

Presti is still a kind person, but Bennett took it for granted: "What design? No need! Do you think fans care about our design? Fans care about emotional value, instant effect, and the self-satisfaction of 'Yes, I was there at the scene'. We just need to bundle those products with 50-point night, and fans will pay for it."

"We sell dreams and they realize their dreams. It's a win-win situation!"

Presti looked at Bennett. Sometimes, he often wanted to ask him a question.

How much money is enough?

In recent years, the SuperSonics have created countless projects using Fei's name and image.

The profits are gratifying.

But Presti believes that money will not fall into Bennett's pocket for free.

Does the big man from Oklahoma City realize that his attitude in front of Frye is getting lower and lower every day?
Labor and management will renegotiate this summer. Given the current situation, a breakdown in the negotiations is very likely. As a representative of a big city, Bennett has become a target of the players' union.

While other bosses complained about losses year after year, Bennett had earned hundreds of millions of dollars in profits for two consecutive years. Moreover, the players' union knew very well that all of this was brought to Bennett by Yu Fei. As a boss, he actually advocated reducing the income of players?
How can you cling to the most profitable players while reducing their income?
"I heard that Brandon has recovered well recently?" Bennett suddenly mentioned.

Presti said: "Yes, he is preparing to resume training. If the doctor allows, we want to start with the most basic rehabilitation training."

"If Brandon can play, the Lakers can't be our opponent!" Bennett said, "They can't do anything except yelling outside the court!"

Since the start of the series, the issue of penalties has rarely been discussed.

Because it doesn't seem to be a big problem.

This is actually a typical case of "You are not me, how do you know how difficult it is?" The Lakers are very sensitive to penalties.

At home, they had fewer free throws than the SuperSonics, and on the road, they were forced into a hand-to-hand game like at the beginning of the century due to the tough refereeing style.

That’s not all. It’s obviously easier for Sonics stars like Yu Fei and Durant to commit fouls than Kobe Bryant.

So they sent the controversial penalty clip to the league the day after the game.

The Lakers believe that the referees have double standards in treating shooting fouls on both sides.

After the incident broke, the Lakers became even more passive in public opinion.

"That obviously doesn't make any sense." Bill Simmons, a Celtics fan who hates the Lakers, directly sided with the SuperSonics. "Although both teams like to shoot three-pointers, the Lakers are on another level. They average 10 more shots per game than the SuperSonics. In this case, how can you expect that you can get more free throws than the opponent on the road?"

This is a classic argument: where do the free throws come from for the shooting team?
It was just the beginning that media people like Simmons stood on the side of the Supersonics, followed by regional media who did not like the Lakers.

As a victim of a historical single-game black whistle, the local media in Sacramento wrote after the incident: "We support the right of all competitive sports to pursue fair enforcement, but this does not include the Los Angeles Lakers. They are the spokespersons for the dark side of NBA history, and you can't find a team that benefits more from enforcement than them in this level of competition. The Supersonics should be thankful that they have the big market of Seattle behind them, and the whole of Washington State is watching them. This is why the Lakers can't succeed in Seattle like they did in 2002."

The bigger the war between markets, the more intense the off-market disputes will be.

Public opinion first overwhelmingly overwhelmed the Lakers, and then the California media began to rebound from the bottom.

"Kevin Durant can wrap his hands around Kobe and draw a foul, but LeBron James can't get any calls despite being punched and kicked by multiple players from the Supersonics. Are you telling me it's because the Lakers shot too many shots?" Adam Carolla, a producer who was born in Philadelphia but lives in Los Angeles, sounded the clarion call for the Lakers' counterattack on Twitter.

The Los Angeles Times even used text to reproduce the rounds in which the Lakers were criticized, just like a basketball commentator.

"The ghost of Tim Donaghy haunts the court. That's the reality of KeyArena."

The Los Angeles Daily News used sharp words to describe how unfair the penalty in Game 3 was.

Later, Yu Fei's assistant Lin Kevin quoted the news on Twitter.

"So far in the series, we have 6 more free throws per game than the Lakers, but 11 fewer outside shots per game than them," Lin wrote. "I won't deny the existence of home-court advantage. I don't think this kind of thing is worth making a fuss about. Why do Lakers supporters like to complain about referees? I think this is the psychology brought about by long-term 'favorable treatment'. In the first round and semifinals, the Lakers shot 14 more three-pointers per game than their opponents but still got 9 more free throws per game. Maybe this is the scale you are used to. You need this advantage, so keep complaining. The world does not revolve around you!"

Ever since Kevin Lin took over from Anthony Lawson as Yu Fei's full-time assistant a few years ago, he has been seen by outsiders as Yu Fei's incarnation.

Anything that requires Yu Fei's personal opinion must go through him first.

His comments on social media are often considered to be Yu Fei's thoughts.

This war without gunpowder has escalated.

From the Internet to real life, there is a clear-cut opposition between those who support the Supersonics and those who support the Lakers.

On the day of Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, Supersonics fans and Lakers fans had an offline conflict in Seattle.

The cause was that the fans of the Supersonics took the initiative to provoke fans wearing Lakers jerseys, but the other side also had a hot temper. The two sides exchanged a few words, and the verbal battle evolved into a physical conflict.

This atmosphere of mutual hatred began to affect the players.

To the Lakers, the SuperSonics are like another Celtics.

Coincidentally, the Sonics' jerseys also use green as the main color.

They are all green team, there seems to be no difference.

Moreover, Yu Fei himself is a victim of the Lakers.

Whether it was leading another Bucks team with green as the main jersey color to defeat the divided Lakers F2004 in the finals in 4, or sending the Lakers home in the playoffs every year after transferring to the SuperSonics.

Kobe wants to revive the Lakers and prove that he can succeed without O'Neal, but the obstacle is Yu Fei.

Fortunately, O'Neal's attempt to pursue a fourth championship after leaving Kobe was also crushed by Yu Fei.

In people's eyes, the once invincible OK is like the Napoleon and Talleyrand of the NBA. No matter where Yu Fei is, he always wears a green jersey and fights for the green team.

This greatly aroused the Lakers fans' inherited Green Team PTSD.

This year, the narrative of the Only Empire vs. the Evil Empire has brought the antagonism between the two factions to a critical point.

A series of incidents after the third game catalyzed the hostility between the two sides.

The game between the Supersonics and the Lakers was still scheduled for that afternoon.

When the Lakers bus arrived at the scene, countless fans shouted insulting slogans outside the stadium.

These emotions of hatred aroused Kobe's fighting spirit.

As a child, Kobe wanted to be Magic Johnson the most because his grandfather always sent him Showtime Lakers game videos.

At that time, Kobe had a dream like this: he was playing for the Lakers at the Great Western Forum. There were only a few seconds left in the game. He was counting down in his mind, three, two, one, and he made the buzzer-beater, bathed in the cheers of the crowd.

The opponent in that fantasy game has to be the Celtics.

The Lakers-Celtics rivalry was the theme of the NBA in the 80s.

Now, he still hasn't had the chance to play against the Celtics in the finals, and he has yet to taste the flavor of that kind of feud.

However, the away game in Seattle made him find the feeling he had back then.

There was still more than half an hour before the game started, but his desire for battle had already grown beyond measure.

"Let's go!" Kobe was the first to get off the bus, "Let's go kill them!"

A man who had never been good at inspiring his teammates with words and actions off the court suddenly used his energy to influence everyone.

This is definitely a special moment.

The only non-combustible thing on the bus was LeBron James.

He got out of the car calmly, not affected by the atmosphere at all. The only thing that affected his heart rate was the "Big Flying Contempt View" that has become popular all over the world in recent days.

The main feature of the social media era is the speed at which information spreads.

This is something that neither traditional news nor television media can match.

The moment when Yu Fei despised James was captured just right. It was first spread by Yu Fei's fans, and then it was turned into a meme by netizens.

This photo was made into a poster and can be seen everywhere inside and outside the KeyArena.

James, who had been calm and composed, was enraged.

He thought of the defeat in the third game and the insults he had received from the outside world in the past two days.

All of this is brought about by the protagonist on the poster.

They have to win tonight no matter what, they can't go back home with a big score of 3-1.

External stimulation helped James make up his mind.

Inside the KeyArena, various celebrities took the stage to perform.

The big screen in the arena continuously plays trailers for upcoming movies.

Yu Fei noticed that many fans at the scene were not wearing the usual uniform-colored cheering T-shirts distributed on site, but commemorative T-shirts with the number "50" printed on them.

Obviously, these T-shirts cost money.

He inquired about it and found out that it was the "Frye 50 Points Night Commemorative Edition T-shirt" that the team went on sale today.

Moreover, the official guarantees that the sales deadline is the end of the Western Conference Finals. The book will be taken off the shelves after the deadline and will be out of print.

As for the T-shirt itself, there is nothing unique about it other than the "50" stamp, so a T-shirt that cost no more than $30 is selling for $155.

If there is a layer of golden magma in hell that is specifically used to punish those who were too greedy in their lifetime, Yu Fei believes that it is prepared for people like Clay Bennett.

Yu Fei decided not to care about these damn shits. It was normal for the team to make money in his name. If anyone was to be held accountable, perhaps they should first ask why in this era the idol economy has developed to such a morbid level.

As a beneficiary of this system, is he qualified to blame anyone?

That's hypocritical.

Yu Fei began to focus his attention on Re.

And his teammates were more or less attracted by the star power in the front row.

There are more celebrities coming to watch the game tonight than last time.

The ticket prices for the first three rows have also been hyped to an exaggerated level.

Robert Downey Jr., who only confirmed his attendance at the game two days ago, spent nearly $5 to buy two second-row tickets for himself and his friends.

This is a number that any team owner would envy.

But KeyArena is a perverted arena. Although a sucker like Downey bought front-row tickets, he cannot enjoy the same high-quality service as the Staples Center.

This is a short-term crazy hype that is divorced from actual market demand, just like a stock that skyrocketed overnight.

What gives them value is the faces of the two major sports business empires, Nike and Reebok.

Tonight, No. 24 broke the hostility from the previous two games and came to the midfield at a time when both sides were already filled with hatred, just to avenge the defeat in the previous game.

"We're going to go back to Los Angeles with a 2-2 record," Kobe said. "We're going to win this series."

"Did you talk like that at the Eagle County Sheriff's Department?" Yu Fei tried to imitate Kobe's tone, "I didn't force that woman. I just accidentally put my dick into her body?"

Kobe was furious: "Go to hell!"

Yu Fei laughed and said something that made Kobe even more angry: "This is O'Neal's reaction after he found out that you betrayed him in the police station."

The two sides broke up unhappy.

This is the second pre-game greeting between the core players of the two teams in the series.

This is expected to be their last pregame interaction before the series ends.

The referee tonight is Dick Bavetta, a veteran referee with nearly 30 years of experience. What is disturbing is that the original referee scheduled was Ted Bernhardt. After the Lakers complained, Bernhardt fell ill and missed tonight. The league urgently called in the experienced Bavetta to save the day.

Most old fans know Bavetta. The Hall of Fame MVP winner who was involved in the shocking black whistle in the 2002 Western Conference Finals once again served as the referee in the Lakers' Western Conference Finals.

Does this indicate the league has caved in to the Lakers' pressure?
Before the game started, Yu Fei greeted Bavetta: "Dick, this is our home court, be nice to us."

Bavetta was as fussy as an old man: "Stop talking nonsense, Fry."

Yu Fei still believes that the league's wish is to make the SuperSonics the "protagonist in the positive camp" this season and let the Lakers, who were born in evil, die in shame.

But they hope it will be a tight series.

Therefore, necessary balancing measures are inevitable.

Bavetta is the one responsible for calming the Lakers' emotions.

It seems that the advantages that the team gained from the referee in the previous three games may be paid back in one go tonight.

Yu Fei was mentally prepared, but his teammates obviously didn't come to their senses.

At the beginning of the game, Jordan Jr. once again won the jump ball for the team.

After Yu Fei dribbled across half court, he was double-teamed by the Lakers, so he passed the ball to Durant.

Durant felt that the opponent's defensive center of gravity was on the lower back of his back. This was a good opportunity for him to perform a big loop. He turned around suddenly, held the ball and entangled the opponent's arm in an attempt to outsmart his opponent.

As a result, the heartwarming whistle did not sound as expected. Instead, Durant was troubled by this and the ball was knocked away, and the Lakers immediately counterattacked.

"Why?" Durant asked Bavetta, "They fouled!"

Bavetta said coldly: "From now on, I don't want to hear any complaints!"

Just like that, the good times when Durant could even use a big loop to draw a foul from Kobe ended.

(End of this chapter)