When pride still matters

Chapter 553 It’s Not the End Yet

Returning to Seattle from Orlando, several star players of the Supersonics tried their best to avoid being affected by external events, but it was difficult to do so.

As soon as they got off the plane, Supersonic Samsung was surrounded by reporters.

They were all asked to respond to Iverson's remarks.

"I don't know, I haven't seen Nike." Roy was clever. "You know, it's hard to find people wearing Nike in Seattle."

However, this trick was not well executed. Roy wanted to express that he seldom saw people wearing Nike equipment, so he could not comment, but his teammate Durant was wearing Nike all the time.

In comparison, Yu Fei's response was more sharp.

"I won't tell anyone which brand is better. That's your business. If you like Reebok, wear Reebok. If you like Nike, wear Nike," Yu Fei said. "If Nike is really outdated as AI says, that's Nike's business. They should find ways to improve their products."

The person who had the hardest time was Durant.

He suppressed his anger and restrained his desire not to say bad things about Iverson, and just repeated what he should say according to his character.

“I don’t see it that way. There are still a lot of people using Nike products. It’s still a popular brand.”

All kinds of rhetoric cannot cover up the media storm that has already occurred.

Iverson's criticism of Durant and his attack on Nike will be interpreted in various ways.

One thing is very clear: the offensive and defensive positions have shifted between Reebok and Nike.

But the Seattle SuperSonics, where Durant plays, is Reebok's "headquarters".

The face of Reebok is the owner of the team, and Roy is one of Reebok's stars.

Influenced by Yu Fei and Roy, Reebok has become a monopoly on sports goods in Seattle.

Some Seattle residents may not watch the Supersonics games, but they will buy Reebok products because when they choose to buy sports goods, they will think of the glory that Yu Fei and Roy brought to the city.

This is exactly what Nike cannot accept.

Durant is clearly the team's second star, currently averaging 25 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists per game. Without him, can the Supersonics still be as competitive as they are today? This is so obvious, but few people take it seriously.

It seems that Durant is also a Reebok person.

This is very obvious both in the public opinion field and in the city of Seattle.

Durant should have been a favored child of destiny who was highly praised, but there was Yu Fei, the chosen one, above him and Roy, the one with a registered permanent residence, below him. Even if Durant was a promising player and was selected by the team in the draft, his status in Seattle was just like that of James Worthy of the Showtime Lakers.

However, Durant is stronger than Worthy, and he is not a typical second or third in command like Worthy.

Iverson's off-court attack was the last straw for Nike.

They were unable to end Yu Fei's rule. Even if they gathered their elite troops, they could only watch the Chosen One advance to the GOAT. OK, they admitted defeat, but that doesn't mean they will watch Durant continue to be a part of defending the glory of the empire.

On the surface, the relationship between players and sports shoe companies is that of sponsor and sponsored, but beneath this clear relationship, there are many unexpected connections.

For ordinary players, sports shoe companies are indeed just sponsors. They sign and are signed for various reasons, which does not bring much profit to the company itself. It is more of a signing for the sake of signing, just like those teams that like to collect second-round picks.

The second-round pick is not important. If the second-round pick becomes Jokic one day, that would be different.

But the actions and choices of sports shoe companies are based on business needs, so they have a more realistic behavioral logic.

That is, they will focus their resources on players who deserve it.

And this is the class above the players, the stars.

A person who is not followed by anyone cannot become a star, a person who is not welcomed by the media is not a real star, and a person who has no commercial value cannot become a star favored by sponsors. Once they have these, they will give you a blueprint.

In the name of the flying man, you can break free from the constraints of gravity and give mankind a dream; in the name of the Black Mamba, unpopular villains can also launch deadly attacks like poisonous snakes; in the name of the king, a poor and precarious Akron boy can also become the king of the basketball court, telling every American the most authentic American dream.

They pay stars tens of millions of dollars in endorsement fees every year, portray them as extraordinary people, use cool labels and outstanding advertisements to make people believe that the person on the court is the person in the media narrative, and then make more than ten times the money from these people's pockets.

The mutual achievement in this kind of interest bundling has gone beyond the ordinary relationship of sponsorship and sponsored.

Players often have closer relationships with the shoe companies they endorse than with the teams they play for.

Nike now only wants to do one thing, use all means to make Durant hate Seattle and decide to leave.

Iverson's comments gave them an opportunity.

Reebok wants to weaken the impact of Durant's election as AMVP. In Nike's eyes, what can an AMVP change? They can take this opportunity to guide public opinion to Durant and let this young man know the other side of the world.

Then, they had to let Durant know that it was all Reebok's fault and that Fry Yu might have played a dishonorable role behind the scenes.

Although Durant doesn't think the GOAT would do such a thing, who knows?

Just like how the GOAT knows what an evil heart is hidden under his appearance? He says nice things to the public every day, and then says bad things about everyone on the Internet with his anonymous account.

After returning to the team, everyone took the initiative to avoid the topic of Iverson.

So things may seem the same, but some changes are happening quietly.

After the All-Star Weekend, the SuperSonics won four consecutive games.

Everyone has found their own role, the team is at peace, and it seems that they are united in their pursuit of four consecutive championships.

Then, Yu Fei, who had been as strong as an iron man for many years, stepped on Durant's foot while rushing for a rebound in the game against the Timberwolves. After the game, he was diagnosed with a second-degree sprain and needed 4-6 weeks of rest.

Yu Fei himself believes that it was just bad luck, but people in his camp believe that the coaching staff has an unshirkable responsibility.

Because Yu Fei plays at the power forward position this season, the energy consumption is much greater than before. In the past, Yu Fei only needed to grab the rebounds that his teammates passed to him after they had positioned themselves, but now he has to position himself to grab the rebounds. The invisible increase in variables will naturally increase the probability of injury.

However, such remarks were suppressed by Yu Fei.

Everyone gets injured. It's just asking for trouble to blame the coaching staff for this unavoidable accidental injury. Besides, it was his own idea to play the power forward position.

Moreover, he really didn't think that this had anything to do with the fact that he played the power forward position; it was just pure bad luck.

This unexpected injury earned Yu Fei sick leave during the season, but it was also this injury that caused the ghosts of the dynasty that had been suppressed by Yu Fei's personal prestige to reappear.

First, Anthony Morrow, who felt disrespected during the contract renewal process, formally requested a trade from the team.

The second is DeAndre Jordan. When Yu Fei was able to play, he was willing to play as a substitute. Now that Yu Fei is injured, no one can replace the power forward position. What are you waiting for if not to move up?

Jordan Jr. asked to return to the starting lineup and let Bosh play the power forward position. Bosh had played enough of that position anyway.

Jordan also hinted that in this situation, he must step up, and if the coaching staff does not give him this opportunity, it means disrespecting him, and he may make the same choice as Morrow.

Tyronn Lue was at his wits' end and didn't know what to do, so he just dragged it out. As a result, Bosh, who had been unlucky for half a season, had to play the five position again when the team was split. That night, they played against their arch-rivals, the Lakers.

Bosh fought bravely and got 15 points and 10 rebounds in the first half. It seemed that he was going to play his masterpiece of the season. Then in the second half, while fighting for a rebound, Yu Fei stepped on his teammate's foot. When Bosh was rushing for an offensive rebound, Kobe who rushed in to protect the rebound hit him in the face with an elbow, and blood splattered on the spot.

The morale of the Supersonics was greatly reduced. Not only did they lose the game, but they also received the news they least wanted to hear.

After examination, it was found that Bosh had two fractures on his face, one in the jaw and the other in the nose. He will be sidelined like Yu Fei.

After the game, the always humble Durant fired at Coach Lu: "We didn't change ourselves with the times. Chris took on too much. With Frye injured, we needed to reduce his pressure, but we didn't do it."

“Do you think it’s going to get better with DeAndre in the starting lineup?”

"That's what I want to see, but I don't get to decide," Durant said.

"No one wants to see this happen." Coach Lu suddenly felt like he was surrounded by enemies. "We just hope to get through the current difficulties, and then we see new difficulties. But I believe this has nothing to do with whether DJ starts or not. No matter who is on the court, that scene will happen."

The Supersonics suffered two consecutive losses.

This was the first time they suffered consecutive defeats under Yu Fei.

What they didn't expect was that this wasn't the worst moment. After that, the SuperSonics set off to play away games in the East.

The first game was against the strong opponent Bucks. Jordan got what he wanted and entered the starting lineup, but he was beaten by the Bucks' inside group right from the start.

Deron Williams defeated Roy in the matchup, and Durant significantly increased his number of shots, but in the end he only tied with Danny Granger.

The Supersonics lost three games in a row.

This is a new record.

Since Yu Fei left DC, his team has never experienced three consecutive losses.

In the history of the NBA, only the 90s Bulls can be compared with it.

Now, the record has come to an end, and even though Yu Fei was not on the team, it happened.

During this period, Yu Fei has been staying at home and rarely going out.

what is he doing?

the study.

He was wondering why the Supersonics suddenly became the center of the storm and why the public opinion environment around Durant became so sharp.

Although his company Reebok also caused the current situation through Iverson's mouth, can this situation really be caused by a few words from a retired star?

Yu Fei studied it for a few days and found that an important camp was missing in the public opinion field.

What about Nike's media power? Why is it gone?

There is no other sneaker company in the world that is better at marketing and packaging players than Nike. This is the result of decades of accumulation of experience, which cannot be compared with a company like Reebok that is relying on its own strength to rise to the sky.

They should know that these negative public opinions will make all their years of packaging and marketing around Durant go down the drain, and will also put great pressure on Durant, which will cause Durant to do many things that the "American Son" would not do.

Yu Fei didn't understand this move, so he contacted his friend outside the circle, Marvel's president Kevin Feige, to inquire about this matter.

Fitch knew only a little about basketball, but he used a very simple example to help Yu Fei clear up the confusion.

In the 90s, Marvel took a fancy to the movie market and lent its famous superhero characters to major companies for filming, and received some dividends for itself. By 1996, Marvel itself was on the verge of bankruptcy. In order to revitalize the situation, Marvel sold the film rights of the super popular Spider-Man to Columbia Pictures (a subsidiary of Sony).

After many years, the copyright of Spider-Man is still in the hands of other companies, while Marvel's own telephone industry has entered a period of growth.

"You know, we can no longer tolerate Peter Parker who is not made by Marvel." Feige said, "This brings us back a little meager dividends, and there is no benefit. My Christmas wish last year was to make The Amazing Spider-Man crash at the box office."

It's a very simple and direct truth. In Nike's eyes, Durant is in Cao's camp but his heart is in Han. What's the harm in sacrificing Durant's personal reputation for the company's collective interests? Moreover, this matter is most likely carried out without Durant's knowledge.

After confirming where the problem lies, Yu Fei began to search for evidence that Nike was able to divert public opinion away from themselves and toward Durant.

However, supersonic incidents are becoming more and more frequent, to the point where everyone is afraid of danger.

The Supersonics finally ended their embarrassing losing streak against a weak team and waited for the trade deadline.

Sam Presti traded Anthony Morrow, who had become a locker room bomb, on the deadline day.

Morrow was sent to DC in exchange for Nick Young, a fifth-year player who excels in singles scoring.

However, this young man who likes to play one-on-one, although he said with a smile that the Supersonics are a dynasty team and he is honored to join them, he would never have thought that what is waiting for him is a storm.

Another thing happened on the deadline day. The Golden State Warriors sent Chinese-American player Jeremy Lin to the New York Knicks in exchange for two second-round picks.

After the trade was completed, the Knicks bought out Jason Kidd's contract, and the latter immediately joined the San Antonio Spurs on a minimum salary.

In the first game after the trade deadline, the SuperSonics played against the Knicks at home.

The Knicks are a bad team, and the SuperSonics are a championship contender. A big win is what the fans expect. Even though the recent momentum is not good, no SuperSonics fan thinks they will lose to the Knicks.

As a result, during the game, Durant had an argument with Roy over ball possession. It was halfway through the third quarter when the Supersonics had a 10-point lead.

Then, Jeremy Lin stepped onto the chosen stage and launched a powerful fight against his already bleak NBA future.

The people of Seattle watched helplessly as this unknown player led the Knicks to a major comeback in the fourth quarter. The entire stadium booed. The fans' appetites had been spoiled by Yu Fei, and they could not accept such a defeat.

Durant's quarrel with Roy over shooting rights brought his image to the lowest point.

And this was not the final blow.

Durant walked to the sidelines, and a fan who looked underage yelled at him: "KD, why are you so selfish? Is it hard for you to pass the ball one more time? Why can't you be like Frye?"

The image of the American Son has been burned, and Durant responded sarcastically: "You don't know anything, shut your fucking mouth, FUCK YOU!"

This isn't the end either.

In the end, Durant refused to be interviewed after the game, which caused strong dissatisfaction among the media. He returned home and logged into his own account to start a fierce battle with the anti-fans on the Internet.

After replying to hundreds of tweets attacking him, Durant switched back to his main account and prepared to go to bed, but saw the latest tweet from Brandon Roy.

"Stop blaming KD or anyone else, blame me, I didn't do what I should have done."

Is Roy really being yelled at? Is he trending on Twitter? Is the media going ballistic for not being on the air? Are fans insulting him on the sidelines? No, no, what are you yelling about?
The past emotions have become bubbles, and people who have lost their rationality will not think in reverse. The reason why those who play with small accounts like this is that an anonymous account that speaks without responsibility can really vent all the darkness in emotions.

"Shut up, you hypocrite, I don't want to hear any more shit from you!"

Then, he saw someone insulting his trumpet again, and he sneered and replied: "Keep howling, you still have to receive relief tomorrow, and I will still do what I should do."

Both replies were posted by Durant himself, one directly attacking Roy, and the other replying to the attacker on behalf of his secondary account. Although Durant quickly realized his mistake, the outside world reacted faster than him.

Durant's tweet attacking Roy quickly became the number one trending search.

And the fact that Durant used an anonymous account to act as a "troll" on the Internet quickly became the second most searched topic.

Overnight, those who used small accounts to freely express their opinions had to pay for it with their reputation and fame.

Those fans who once loved him so much suddenly discovered that the person they loved was such a vulgar, mean and despicable bastard.

At the end of March, Yu Fei returned to the entertainment industry.

During his absence, the Supersonics' winning rate was less than 40%, and their ranking has dropped from first in the league to fifth in the league and third in the Western Conference.

Durant was disgraced in an unprecedented way. He neither explained to his teammates nor refused to answer media questions about the trumpet.

The Supersonics' explanation for this incident was that Durant's account was hacked.

Although this statement is common, no one believes it.

Yu Fei returned to the team, but this was no longer the team he was familiar with.

After the training that afternoon, Yu Fei challenged Durant to a bullfight, and the two sides fought fiercely. Because Yu Fei had just returned and his condition was not so good, Durant had a chance of winning.

But in the last round, Yu Fei blocked Durant's layup and came back with a slam dunk to win the game.

Durant stood there, as if he could hear the laughter in his teammates' hearts.

Yu Fei picked up the ball on the ground and gently turned it with his fingers: "Kevin."

Durant looked up at him with complicated eyes.

"Thank you for making this so embarrassing."

He paused, his eyes firm: "But."

Yu Fei threw the ball forward with all his strength and shouted, "It's not the end yet, you bastards, it's not the end yet!"

(End of this chapter)