When pride still matters

Chapter 554 Vitality
It’s not the end yet. The teammates understood this sentence as the season is not over yet.

But can they still compete for a championship as a united group?

After Yu Fei's comeback, can he really use his personal prestige to force the derailed team back on track?

If it weren't for the Durant incident, Jeremy Lin's outbreak in New York would have been the hottest sports story of the moment.

Unlike superstars like Yu Fei who have reached the top, Jeremy Lin was originally selected by the Warriors only because the Warriors wanted to use him to attract local Chinese.

As for the development of Jeremy Lin, as a team that has been in chaos for a long time, they did a terrible job.

It wasn't until Jeremy Lin was traded to New York that the Knicks bought out Kidd while playing poorly. However, the point guards on the team later suffered injuries, which gave him the opportunity to start and the story of "Linsanity" began in the game against the Supersonics.

However, just as this story was about to reach its climax, the self-explosion of the Supersonics captured the media's attention in an even more violent way.

Until now, Jeremy Lin's "madness" has gradually calmed down, while the outside world's discussion and research on the Supersonics has become more in-depth.

One wonders how this team got here.

Although there were some discordant things before Yu Fei was injured, it was by no means like a volcanic eruption.

Did Iverson's remarks really have an effect?

However, this does not explain why Durant has been using a fake account to troll since 2010.

Strangely enough, Nike's response during this period was rather muted.

Like the SuperSonics, their external explanation was that Durant's account was hacked.

Then, there was no news.

This incident was a devastating blow to Durant's image. A kind person, a humble person, a good person who works hard and can accept criticism, was just pretending?

People are willing to believe that the remarks made by the trumpet are Durant's real thoughts, which shows that he has been disguising himself all along.

By now, the media has determined that Durant has torn the Sonics apart and that he would have been traded if the trade deadline had not passed.

That night
The Supersonics faced Yu Fei's first opponent after his comeback.

This is a strong opponent, and one they had defeated before - the New Jersey Nets.

The Nets have lost their absolute dominance since losing the Christmas game, and they have not maintained their winning percentage like the Supersonics.

If the collapse of the Supersonics began with Yu Fei's accidental injury, the collapse of the Nets started even earlier.

Although the Big Three do not compete with each other for position, there are conflicts in their playing styles. In addition, the substitutes are not strong enough. Once the Big Three play poorly, there is a possibility of a crash. Now, they have been overtaken by the Heat and ranked second in the Eastern Conference.

Before the game, the stars greeted each other, with the Sonics represented by Yu Fei and Roy.

Durant would come over before.

But now, Durant has isolated himself from everyone.

Even Jordan, who was closest to him, kept his distance from him.

"Is KD so rude?" Anthony started to make a joke, "I'm going to use an anonymous account to scold him!"

Yu Fei said, “This is not funny, Mello.”

"Frye, he said bad things about everybody," Anthony said. "Including you."

Roy laughed. "Frye says bad things about everybody, too."

Anthony really didn't believe that Roy could still speak for Durant. You know, the reason why this matter became so big was that Durant's trumpet was discovered, and the other was that Durant mistook his big trumpet for his small one and called Roy a hypocrite.

“This is different,” Anthony said.

The two sides discussed the issue for a few words and then walked away.

Yu Fei couldn't help but ask Roy: "Have you forgiven KD?"

"How is that possible?" Roy said unhappily, "Do you know how many bad things he said about me using an anonymous account?"

Yu Fei said with a grin, "I only know the most famous bad thing he said to you."

This made Roy so mad that he ran to shoot, but because he was too angry, he couldn't even shoot accurately during his warm-up.

He will probably never understand why Durant suddenly turned into such a sarcastic person.

However, Durant's "transformation" was what Yu Fei had been waiting for for a long time.

However, he did not expect Durant's true face to be revealed in this way.

Now that things have happened, there must be an explanation. Yu Fei will not isolate Durant just because of his friendship with Roy.

He is the master of the empire, and he must consider this matter from the perspective of the empire.

Then, the game begins.

Yu Fei does not need to recover like most people who return from injury.

He felt right from the start.

Just like in last year's Christmas game, he beat Odom in the low post.

Then, he went to the high position, using himself as a wall of protection, with the ball in his hands, and passed the ball to his teammates like a magic trick.

Roy got a layup, Hill made a three-pointer in the bottom corner, and then Durant. He thought his tactical position had degenerated to the initial low point, but Yu Fei still let him hold the ball on the weak side.

When he picked up the ball, the Nets' home court immediately erupted in loud boos.

Facing the tough Metta World Peace, he gave Durant a strong confrontation.

Durant is no longer the skinny guy whose movements become distorted when faced with a little intensity. He is no longer afraid of Metta World Peace, but his movements have become distorted under the opponent's defense.

He didn't prepare himself mentally.

This situation happened again and again afterwards.

Metta World Peace became more and more proud. Many people in the league believed that Durant was not strong, and it was only because he had Yu Fei to share the pressure with him that he could become a historically efficient scorer.

During Yu Fei's injury, the Supersonics' winning rate was only 40%, which further confirmed those people's speculation.

They believe that Durant has not played a leading role at all. Although he has increased his shots, he cannot maintain his efficiency, let alone improve his rebounding and assists data. He is not a comprehensive player.

After Yu Fei's comeback, he gave a perfect performance.

Some people thought that Yu Fei would not continue to play the power forward position after his comeback, because people around him had made it clear that such an arrangement would be disadvantageous to him.

Under that circumstance, the outside world naturally believed that it was Yu Fei who instructed them to convey this news to the outside world.

He doesn't want to play the four position anymore.

But after his comeback, he still played the power forward position and performed better than before his injury.

Tonight, no Nets power forward could get an offensive rebound in front of him.

Only Howard can suppress him on the rebounds.

But so what? When Yu Fei challenged Howard in the high post, the league's top center was also at a loss.

This is undoubtedly the third stage of his career. Compared with the ball-holding core in the first stage and the traditional all-around ace small forward in the second stage, the core power forward in the third stage impressed the commentators more.

Among them, Jeff Van Gundy of ESPM gave the highest evaluation.

"When Frye won his seventh championship, we knew he had surpassed Michael Jordan. At that moment, he surpassed Jordan in honors as a basketball player, but was he a better player than Jordan?" Van Gundy said. "Now, we have the answer. Michael Jordan could never be as dominant as Frye across three positions. I like Frye at the No. 1 position, I like Frye at the No. 3 position, but I love Frye at the No. 4 position. He has stood at the pinnacle of basketball history, and there is only one person there."

At the end of the first half, Yu Fei scored 21 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists, which did not look like a player who had just returned from injury.

Even when facing its biggest competitor, Barclays Center gave Yu Fei enough respect.

As Yu Fei walked through the aisle, countless people shouted, "GOAT, can you give me an autograph?"

"Next time." Yu Fei responded with a smile.

Fans know there won't be a next time, but it's exciting to hear the GOAT's answer.

This was probably more important than the autograph because the GOAT spoke to them.

The stagnant Supersonics actually began to come alive in the first half after Yu Fei's comeback.

"GOAT, can't you sign a few more autographs?" Roy joked to Yu Fei.

How does vitality come about?

"No." Yu Fei said, "I won't waste my time on this kind of thing."

Back in the locker room, Yu Fei teased Jordan: "DJ, if you want to get a big contract after the season, you can't be suppressed by Dwight like this."

Is there hope here?

Jordan stated on the spot: "I will never lose to him."

Tyronn Lue came over. "We played well in the first half!" Coach Lue said with relief, "If we keep playing like this, it won't be a problem to beat them!"

"When did beating the Nets become a problem, coach? Is it because we've lost too many games recently and have lost confidence in ourselves?" Yu Fei said with full energy, "We are the SuperSonics. Our goal is not to beat New Jersey, but to win four consecutive championships. It's only natural to beat them. Whoever has doubts should stay with KD."

"And pray that he doesn't curse you from an anonymous account just because he's mad at you."

There was some laughter in the locker room. It was the first time in many days that someone had mentioned Durant's anonymous account.

Did Fry really care about that?
For many years, Yu Fei's "small-mindedness" has been a consensus in the alliance.

The evidence is that he can still pursue O'Neal and Jordan after winning all the games.

Would such a person tolerate the young people he has painstakingly cultivated saying bad things about him behind his back using anonymous accounts?

Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but remind themselves to distance themselves further from Durant.

They believe that Durant will be traded after the season.

He no longer has a place in Seattle.

Durant looked at everything that happened around him with a cold face. He had already accepted the fact that he was alienated from the team. Even when he was ridiculed in public by Yu Fei, he didn't feel anything. He even felt that his situation was much better than what James experienced in Las Vegas.

The second half begins.

Yu Fei's voice became louder and louder, and his on-the-spot instructions to his teammates and his instant comments on their performance became more frequent.

This was something he had rarely done before.

There are countless leadership templates in NBA history, but almost none of them can fit Yu Fei.

He is not a tyrant like Jordan, nor a listener like Duncan, nor a sunny boy like Magic who makes everyone play happily together.

Because no matter how these people change, their playing style remains the same.

But it’s different from flying.

He has experienced the changing times.

As the core player who opened the era of space basketball, his leadership style is arbitrary, that is, I don’t care whether you play comfortably or not, the important thing is to make me comfortable. Only when I am comfortable can you be comfortable. This is absolute tyranny and dictatorship, with no room for maneuver.

After returning to Seattle and becoming a full-time small forward, he learned to share the ball with Roy. He increased his off-ball play, strengthened his low-post offense, and learned to sacrifice and share. This may be the period when he was most in line with the aesthetics of academic basketball.

Now that he has become a core power forward, Yu Fei is thinking, who can he learn from? The power forward position is the least talented position in NBA history. You can say Duncan, but Duncan is a center who is treated as a power forward. You can also say Garnett, but Garnett's achievements are limited, and there is not much for people to learn from.

Going further back, there are Karl Malone and Charles Barkley.

Unfortunately, the GOAT doesn't learn from losers.

Going further back, we may have to trace back to Bob Pettit, a white power forward who might not necessarily become an NBA player in this day and age. What can Yu Fei learn from him?

So, Yu Fei has to find his own way.

His choice is to control the situation in the way he is good at, but in the past, he controlled the game by holding the ball indefinitely, but now, he can make his own voice on the court while holding the ball.

He wants everyone to feel his presence, to feel that they are being watched by the GOAT, and that they must be careful and play seriously. If you make a mistake, like Durant did.
Durant had both good and bad performances in the second half. The good thing was that his touch returned, but the bad thing was that the Nets targeted him a little too much.

Paul called on him, Anthony backed him up, Metta World Peace defended him alone, and even one of the three blocks Howard has made was directed at him.

The worst thing was that Anthony kept laughing at him.

Metta World Peace's words were full of insults and provocations.

When he hit two shots over Durant and then missed one, Metta World Peace would say, "I thought you were the smartest guy in the league because you were willing to be Frye's dog. Now I think you're stupid because you, a dog, dared to bite your master!"

This sentence almost made Durant lose his mind.

Durant attacked with the ball and almost passed Metta World Peace in one step, but at the moment of jumping, he was hit hard in the chest by the opponent's elbow, losing his balance and falling heavily.

The Sonics' dynamism had nothing to do with him.

No one will help him.

As long as he is on the court, his teammates would rather play four against five, while he can only play one against five.

This is his retribution, can he still complain?

Durant fell to the ground and stood up with difficulty. He could no longer control the anger in his chest. Even if there was only one person, he would fight back.

Then he saw someone rushing in front of him.

The GOAT wearing No. 44 pushed Metta World Peace away and said in a cold tone: "Whether you want to fight or play basketball, I will accompany you to the end!"

Metta World Peace was a troublemaker, but he didn't have the courage to bear the consequences.

When he saw Yu Fei rushing up to him with murderous intent on his face and pushing him away, he couldn't help but step back, but was still pushed away.

Teammates from both teams came over. Anthony tried to ease the situation, but Yu Fei didn't give him any face: "If you have time to be a peacemaker, why don't you get that bastard to clean his hands first!"

Vitality does not appear for no reason.

Some people's existence is destined to be different.

The referee gave Metta World Peace a technical foul, and the Nets replaced Metta World Peace in order to control the situation.

Durant prepares for free throws.

Yu Fei, who stood up for him, walked away as if nothing had happened.

That long-lost feeling appeared.

Guilty.

Durant had the same feeling when the trumpet incident was first exposed, but it was more of shame and fear after his dark side was exposed. He never thought about the impact of this incident from the perspective of the team.

Now, when he realized that even he himself didn't believe that there was anyone in this team who would stand up for him, Yu Fei stood up.

Yu Fei still treated him as one of his own, and it was he who put himself against the team.

The more he thought about it, the more guilty he felt.

After that, the momentum completely turned to the Supersonics. The Nets were suppressed until the end of the game and there was no hope of turning defeat into victory.

114 is better than 102
It was a much-needed win for the Sonics.

They need to beat a strong team after Yu Fei returns to prove that they are still competitive, but the significance of the game itself has been overshadowed by things outside the game.

After the game, Yu Fei called Durant to attend the press conference together.

Durant didn't refuse.

This was the first time he was interviewed with his teammates after many days.

In the media interview room, Durant was as awkward as when he was interviewed for the first time. He didn't know where to put his hands and feet, nor did he know what to say.

The media naturally would not miss this opportunity. After asking a few questions during the game, they directly moved on to the "small trumpet incident."

"Frye, what do you think of KD using an anonymous account to post a lot of negative comments?"

"I can understand that," Yu Fei said slowly. "Once you play in the NBA, you will become a public figure. Being selected as an All-Star will bring you the same attention as a Hollywood star. But after we leave basketball, we are just ordinary people. We need a normal life. But you know, some tabloid media that lack professional ethics will take our words out of context. So, this will lead to a phenomenon. Each of us has freedom of speech, but NBA players cannot freely say what they want to say."

"For example, if I say publicly, 'Brandon is a fake guy, but I've known him for many years and I know he's a good guy.'" Yu Fei smiled, "then tomorrow I'll see a headline like 'Frye thinks Brandon Roy is fake.'"

"That's part of the job of the media, you need to get attention, but we need to live our lives. So, having an anonymous account allows us to be ourselves without worrying about being over-interpreted. At the end of the day, we just want to live a normal life like a normal human being."

Then, a Seattle-based media outlet asked, “Frye, do you have an anonymous account?”

Yu Fei said with a half-smile: "Guess?"

Yu Fei did not maintain a unified voice with the team, but explained the reason for the existence of the trumpet in his own way. This is his attitude towards this matter.

Once he set the tone, the Sonics had no choice but to accept that attitude.

He doesn't care, and neither do others. That's just the way it is. As for those who think Durant's character has collapsed? Then you are welcome to get to know the new version of Kevin Durant again.

After the interview, Durant followed Yu Fei. He wanted to thank him but didn't know how to start.

Just now in front of the media, Yu Fei was like his spokesperson and expressed all his views on the trumpet.

Durant was very happy that Yu Fei also saw the matter in this way.

"Frye," Durant finally said before returning to the locker room. "I'm very grateful for what happened today. Thank you."

Yu Fei interrupted him.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't like what you said with your anonymous account, but I have to do what I should do," Yu Fei said. "Moreover, instead of thanking me, you should apologize. You have to apologize to those who have been hurt by you. You know who I mean."

After saying that, Yu Fei walked forward without looking back.

Durant took a deep breath and quickened his pace to catch up with him.

(End of this chapter)