When pride still matters

Chapter 545 Anyone who scolds me is no longer my brother
There was no change in Yu Fei's life.

Losing to the Spurs was just a one-night defeat for him, and he could just win it back next time.

Some changes beyond his sight are beyond his control.

However, he reviewed the game against the Spurs after returning home, which made Elizabeth Olsen very confused.

"Why do you want to rewatch the lost game?" Olsen didn't know why Yu Fei found this fun. "You didn't do anything wrong, did you?"

Yu Fei said: "Just want to clarify some things."

"Fry, I have to go back to school tomorrow." Elizabeth's eyes had a hint of pouting, "This is the last night, do you want to accompany me or this damn game?"

Yu Fei closed his laptop. He didn't have to answer any multiple-choice questions.

More than half an hour later, Yu Fei patted Elizabeth's breasts, which were red from the wonderful physical contact, and whispered, "We are going to New York for an away game next week, so this is not the last night."

"You still can't let go of that damn video?" Elizabeth wanted to savor the tenderness with Yu Fei afterwards, but the man just didn't understand romance. "I really don't understand why you can't get away from basketball."

"I'll be back soon."

Yu Fei rewatched the game at double speed.

He mainly looks at how the Spurs' inside line spreads its advantage to the outside line.

Then he found a problem. Roy had more personal offense tonight, so Durant and Bosh had less ball rights. Therefore, their inside line was in a passive state all night.

Bosh's form is terrible, needless to say, but Durant's touch is actually very good.

Yu Fei's opinion is that Bosh and Durant are one and the same in Roy's eyes, both are inside players. Bosh's poor performance will make Roy think that their inside players are completely defeated, and thus ignore Durant.

Moreover, Roy himself is a player who needs the ball to get into shape.

This is actually not a good thing.

If you have a rigid demand for ball possession, it will be easy for your style to be stereotyped and you can only play in one way from then on.

However, if the status quo is maintained, with Durant playing mainly at the power forward position and Yu Fei occasionally playing as a power forward, Roy will not be aware of this problem because Durant's tactical position is below his.

Yu Fei suddenly had an idea that maybe he could swap positions with Durant.

He plays the power forward position, and Durant occasionally plays there.

This idea is based on several considerations. One is that space basketball is currently popular, but there are not many power forwards on the market that meet the demand. Therefore, it can be said that it is a general trend for the former small forward to swing to the power forward position.

Therefore, Yu Fei will not be killed at the power forward position by those strong men who have trained their muscles into their brains like he did in the early 2000s.

One is to get Roy out of his comfort zone. Yu Fei can certainly give the other party privileges because of their relationship, but in the long run, a ball-holding core who can play without the ball can better adapt to changes in the system.

Then the most crucial point is that Durant has "grown up".

It would be a complete waste of his talent to treat him as Michael Porter Jr. now. His physical strength has reached the top ten level in the league. In this case, it would be a shameful waste to squeeze him into the power forward position to fight in close combat.

Tyronn Lue didn't know Durant's level, but Yu Fei knew it very well.

it's time.

Yu Fei closed his computer and sent a text message to Lu.

Soon, Lu replied.

"Are you serious, Fry?"

Yu Fei said: "You know, I am a fickle man."

Then he returned to the room and found Elizabeth already asleep.

The next day, Tyronn Lue announced the team's latest adjustments to the entire team.

Durant moved from the regular starting power forward position to the power forward position, while Yu Fei moved from the regular starting power forward position to the power forward position.

In this way, Coach Lu's position-ambiguous revolution to balance the ball possession status can be said to have taken care of (disgusting) everyone equally, and even Yu Fei was not spared.

Bosh, who was originally somewhat resentful, now has nothing to say.

Durant couldn't figure out what the coaching staff was up to.

Roy asked, "Do we need to redesign our tactics?"

"Of course, no matter where Frye plays, Frye is always Frye," Lu said. "Brandon, you have to adapt to this change. In fact, you are the one I am most worried about."

This change is not insignificant.

The starting power forward position went from being a third-place player with an average of 15-16 shots per game to a big-time player with an average of 22 shots per game. Such a change is enough to change the organizer's game habits.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Roy asked Yu Fei.

Yu Fei said bitterly, "Why not? I'm not like you. I want to try all kinds of playing styles. You can just stick to your old style and play until you die."

"What do you mean?"

"Brandon, you played like this in high school." Yu Fei laughed, "You're like the kind of man who spends his whole life in the missionary position. Although you get the same thing as those perverts who play rope art, don't you think it's too boring?"

Roy yelled in dissatisfaction: "You are boring, I just insist on doing the right thing. If change is right, then I will do it!"

"So, are you ready to change to accommodate me, who plays the 4th position?"

Roy's main question is: "Everyone can talk about change, the question is how to do it?"

"We can study it slowly."

There is no rush about this matter, the important thing is to have this awareness.

It is beneficial to the team because he flies out and takes the initiative to take on the dirty work of the swing four position.

Even Yu Fei accepted it, so no one else could complain.

Durant didn't know Yu Fei's intention, he just felt that the team's plan was confusing.

Sometimes he wants to do this, sometimes he wants to do that. Who knows how long he will play at the three position?
But this arrangement did make him feel much more relaxed on the court.

A day later, the Supersonics played against the Trail Blazers again. Durant made 21 of 13 shots, scoring 31 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

于飞在场上对位太空易，丝毫没有手软，把对方防得14中3，自己20投14中砍下35分13篮板9助攻。

This is the first day that Roy officially starts playing in a new style.

Yu Fei frequently took the ball in the high position on the court, and then used himself as a cover, allowing Roy and others to continue to cut through, while he made decisions in a split second.

Due to Yu Fei's strong threat with the ball, the Trail Blazers prevented him from receiving the ball at all costs, which enabled him to attract more defensive attention when setting screens for Roy.

Roy has therefore become accustomed to frequent and complex cooperation with the inside players.

Sometimes, Yu Fei is his screen, responsible for attracting defense; sometimes, he is Yu Fei's screen, only responsible for running and pulling defense.

Durant gained freedom at the three position.

Isn't this the most ideal arrangement for him?

No matter how the coaching staff makes the decision, Durant has to give a thumbs up to the decision maker. It is a great arrangement and he likes this change.

So, from the beginning of November to the end of the month, the Supersonics won victory after victory.

On Thanksgiving Eve, the Supersonics faced the Bobcats.

The records of the two teams look really dazzling.

The SuperSonics are 13-1, while the Bobcats are 1-13.

Perhaps the gap between the two sides was too great, which led to the fact that the feud between Yu Fei and Jordan did not attract the attention of the outside world.

What is so remarkable? It is that Jordan's former teammate Scottie Pippen, who had just emerged from the shadow of the financial crisis, suddenly said on the TNT program: "I do think that Frye has become the greatest player in history. And this is not only because he has more championships than Michael, but because Michael has two unavoidable failures in the basketball business." Pippen convincingly pointed out these two failures.

One is the pillar of shame that Jordan has not escaped to this day - trading Yu Fei from Washington to Milwaukee in 2002.

Yu Fei has stated through various channels over the years that Jordan used his power to trade him because he could not compete with him within the team, which deepened the shame of the transaction.

Then came the complete failure as a boss.

This is Jordan's second year as the majority owner of the Bobcats, but no team in the history of the league has looked so desperate. One month into the season, the Bobcats have only won one game. It seems likely that they will surpass the 1973 76ers (9 wins and 73 losses) and become the worst team in NBA history.

Their poor performance was historic, and it happened under Jordan.

This was Pippen's argument, that if Jordan was the GOAT, he shouldn't be so bad at anything basketball-related. Yet, that's the case, with the Bobcats ranking last in the league in offensive efficiency and second-worst in defensive efficiency, leading ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy to declare that Charlotte coach Paul Silas should win Coach of the Year for miraculously winning a game in November.

"Look at Frye," Pippen said with a twinkle in his eyes. "He succeeded in every aspect of basketball. You rarely hear about him failing on the court, and no one questions his achievements. You don't see yourself making more than the total salary of the team, and then watching your biggest helper take the minimum salary. This kind of thing will not happen to Frye."

Suddenly, the long-delayed reckoning with the former GOAT began again.

This time it was triggered by Pippen.

Just an hour before the game between the Supersonics and the Bobcats began, Jordan's close friend Charles Barkley inevitably had to face this wave of traffic.

As we all know, Barkley is a Jordan fan, and he still thinks Jordan is the GOAT.

But when several members of the TNT team talked about Jordan's performance as a boss and his vision for talent, Barkley was still Barkley. He didn't beat around the bush, but pointed out the problem bluntly.

After Jordan took over the Bobcats' operations in 2005, he hired former Bulls teammate Rod Higgins as general manager, just like he did in DC. However, Higgins's series of performances proved that he was not up to the task.

Before the 2006 draft, Jordan was inclined to select Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison with the third pick. This was strongly recommended by Higgins, and Jordan was saddened by Morrison's loss in March Madness. But he also had his eyes on Brandon Roy from the University of Washington.

Jordan was undecided and asked Barkley for his opinion. Barkley was not optimistic about Morrison and suggested that Jordan choose Roy. The rest is history.

Morrison has now faded out of the league, and Roy helped Yu Fei replace Jordan's GOAT status. Isn't this a great irony?

Barkley's point is that the question isn't whether Jordan did the right thing, but how he made those decisions.

"I think the biggest problem is, I don't know if he has hired enough people around him, and does he listen to their opinions? I know Michael, and I know the people around him. If the people around you are all around you, they dare not oppose you because they are paid from your pocket and fly on your private jet, so they dare not have any different opinions from you. That's the problem. I don't think there is a second voice around Michael that is contrary to it."

If Barkley had stopped there and only criticized the people around Jordan for not fulfilling their responsibilities, and hinted that Jordan was too strong and his subordinates did not dare to make suggestions, then his next words would have been enough to completely shatter Jordan's self-esteem and even end their decades-long friendship.

"I love Michael, but he's not doing well," Barkley said. "Even though he's one of my best friends, I can't come here and tell you he's doing well. Obviously, he's not doing well."

During the show, Barkley received a call from Jordan.

Jordan cursed him over and over, using all kinds of degrading words, and then hung up the phone angrily.

That was the last time Barkley and Jordan spoke. Because of a TV show and a point of view of "telling the truth", Jordan pushed Barkley, who was once as close as a brother, away.

Barkley didn't know the consequences of this incident at the time, but even if he knew, he would not regret it.

Yu Fei likes this atmosphere where everyone is ready to judge Jordan as soon as they find an opportunity.

This is his true revenge.

Taking away Jordan's GOAT title was just the beginning of revenge. For the rest of Jordan's life, his infamy would be linked to Yu Fei's fame.

There is nothing more disgraceful than this end.

As a former GOAT, he will appear countless times in future narratives at the beginning of the current GOAT legend, and in the image of a tyrannical clown.

However, although Yu Fei hated Jordan, there was one thing about Jordan that was worth affirming.

For example, he never tried to get his youngest son, Marcus Jordan, into the NBA. Although Marcus may have a talent for attracting older women far more than he has for basketball, Jordan's most talented son is a leading scorer on a college team that made it to March Madness.

Although the most famous thing about this kid right now is posting photos of his middle brother on the Internet, he does have the ability to test the waters in the NBA.

Yu Fei played only 24 minutes that night, but his score was far beyond the timeline.

He scored 24 points, 40 rebounds and 5 assists in 5 minutes.

Then, he didn't play a single second in the entire fourth quarter.

His teammates were like vultures feeding on the Bobcats' wreckage, and everyone got stats.

Durant dared to fight in garbage time, but his shooting percentage was not high tonight and he only scored 30 points. Roy indulged himself for once and got a triple-double of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

Even though the three superstars had excellent stats, the Supersonics still had six players scoring in double digits, and the team scored 142 points in regular time, beating their opponents by 69 points.

Jordan accepted the interview with a grim face and refused to talk about any topics related to Yu Fei, Barkley and Pippen. He just briefly commented on Durant.

"He is already one of the best offensive players in the league, but he needs to become more comprehensive." Jordan said sharply, "Scoring is certainly the most important thing in the game, but rebounding and assists are necessary to expand the influence, and he does too little in this regard."

Durant was surprised and a little flattered by Jordan's evaluation.

Nike is currently facing a sluggish market, and its best-selling brand is still the independent Air Jordan.

As the totem of the company, Durant has always admired the other party.

"I do have a lot of shortcomings, and Michael's advice is very important to me." Durant said excitedly, "This is my path and direction forward."

The friendly exchanges between Durant and Jordan seem out of place against the backdrop of Jordan's feud.

Yu Fei did not miss this good day to settle accounts with Jordan.

"I like to tell the truth like Charles Barkley," said Yu Fei, commenting on the Bobcats who lost by 69 points. "I think a team that lost by 48 points and conceded 142 points in 69 minutes should be disbanded immediately and should not continue to exist in the NBA."

"Of course." Yu Fei did not condemn the Bobcats players. "I believe Charlotte has some good players, they are just forced to play under an incompetent boss, so it would be great if we could introduce a policy to force such incompetent bosses to step down."

The reporters felt that if they continued to pester Yu Fei to comment on tonight's game, they would not hear a more "explosive" answer than this.

So they told Yu Fei what Barkley said about Jordan on the show.

Yu Fei smiled and said, "Then Charles will get the best Thanksgiving gift - starting from tonight, he is no longer a friend of No. 23."

"Do you think Charles' comments will cause Michael to break up with him?"

"It's not a thought," Yu Fei asserted, "but this matter will definitely develop in this way. I have been in DC, and I know what kind of person he is."

It's simple. To be a member of Jordan's team or to be his friend, you have to submit to him and endure his insulting jokes without any sense of boundaries. Those who cling to Jordan will not have independent personalities. Unfortunately, Barkley has a distinct personality and a strong self-esteem.

His brother could tease him over and over again about not winning. When he thought it was too dangerous because his brother liked to race on a motorcycle, his brother sarcastically said that he thought so because he had never won and didn't want to challenge his limits.

Barkley wasn't sure if that was true, but one thing was true, he hadn't won. So on the topic of winners, he could never win.

Now, the tide has turned. When that winner also faced an indefensible loss, Barkley pointed out the problem again. Then, he lost this brother.

Barkley doesn't understand now, and he won't understand in the future. He only knows that he won't apologize, just like his brother is too proud to listen to criticism. He is also proud, and what he is most proud of is that he will never apologize for angering others by saying the right thing and doing the right thing.

That night, Yu Fei revisited the episode of "Oprah" that Jordan and Barkley participated in at the end of 2005 with a bit of bad taste. Oprah asked Jordan a question on the show: "Isn't it great to have someone around you who tells you the truth?"

Jordan smiled and glanced at Barkley. There was a close relationship between them that was visible to the naked eye. "Chuck always told me the truth," Jordan smiled, "and his truth."

Then Oprah asked, "Why do you love him?"

Jordan laughed: "Look at him. How can you not love him?" Then he reached out and touched Barkley's already fat belly in public on the show, causing laughter from the audience.

Yu Fei happily turned off the video. What could be more fun than watching the ugly face of a lifelong enemy?

Yu Fei believes that the biggest difference between him and Jordan is that he does not need his friends or teammates to be servile in front of him. In fact, within a reasonable range, he will try his best to take care of them.

He took care of Brown, reminded Jordan, let Roy try a new style, and played the 4 position for Durant. When the journey is over, he can say in his Hall of Fame speech that he did not let anyone down.

But sometimes, the world is just so strange, and even if you take everything into consideration, things don’t go exactly as you want them to.

Yu Fei can't see the future, but he really likes the drama of Barkley and Jordan's breakup. This is a perfect variety show, a great Thanksgiving gift, and it's always new.

(End of this chapter)