When pride still matters

Chapter 566 The Final Suspense
After the All-Star break, the news of Jerry Buss' death dominated NBA headlines.

Then there was Kobe's promise at Buss' memorial service that he would lead the Lakers into the playoffs.

However, this promise will not be as touching as the promise in the main timeline, because although the Lakers are not a championship-contending team now, they will have no problem securing a playoff spot.

Then there are the expectations of various experts for the upcoming trade deadline.

There are three main suspense: whether the Supersonics will trade Amar'e Stoudemire, whether the Celtics will trade Rajon Rondo, and whether the Cavaliers will trade John Wall.

These three transactions that have attracted much attention from the outside world can serve as a barometer for the future of these three teams.

Stoudemire was part of the Durant trade. When the trade happened, people generally believed that Stoudemire was more important than the No. 2 pick that selected Irving, because the Supersonics were a championship team, and Stoudemire had to fill the gaps left by Bosh and Jordan.

However, so far this season, Stoudemire's recovery speed has been far below expectations. He was then troubled by a back injury and his performance has not improved at all since his comeback.

The Sonics gave up on him.

A star player, if he is just in the recovery period, will at least play one or two games that make people believe that as long as he finds his form, he can return to his peak form. This phenomenon has never happened to Stoudemire.

He didn't look like a star at the beginning of the season, and that was even more true after he returned from a back injury.

The Sonics' bet was half lost.

Now the conflict between Yu Fei and Clay Bennett has become public. If they don't find a way to enhance the team's competitiveness to win back the GOAT's favor, they will most likely lose the man who single-handedly rewrote the history of Seattle professional basketball this summer.

This is the reason why the outside world believes that Stoudemire will be traded by the Supersonics.

However, the entire analysis is completely out of touch with the actual situation of the Supersonics.

This is simply the opposite proof that those involved are confused while those who are not involved can see things more clearly.

From the beginning, the Sonics pinned their hopes on Irving. They had foreseen today's situation as early as last summer.

Stoudemire's decline from the top ten players in the league to an average starter may be an accident, but it does not make them panic, because the main purpose of trading him was to find a reasonable excuse to let Bosh go.

This is almost a satire on Stoudemire - his greatest impact was played before his first game for the Supersonics, and his performance after that was irrelevant to the team.

At least Clay Bennett was extremely satisfied with the deal. Not only did they get rid of Bosh, they also got an outstanding young player like Irving.

There is speculation that the Sonics may actively trade Stoudemire, and another reason is that Yu Fei has semi-publicly stated that he will test the free market. In order to keep him, the Sonics may do whatever it takes, even using multiple future draft picks to tie up Stoudemire in exchange for an All-Star at his peak to win back the heart of the GOAT.

Facts aside, this speculation is not without reason.

But the prerequisite is that Yu Fei promises to stay and renew his contract with the Supersonics, otherwise Bennett would not have given up the team's future for an illusory hope.

The situation of the SuperSonics put them in a dilemma. They were anxious and nervous because if they did nothing, they would not be able to improve their relationship with Yu Fei; but if they wanted to improve the relationship, they would have to pay a heavy price.

Smart people like Presti have already made the worst plan - if Yu Fei leaves the team after the end of this season, they can still use Roy and Irving as the core. Stoudemire will usher in the contract year next season. Although he is not worth renewing, his maximum salary level contract is still quite attractive to those teams hungry for salary space.

As long as we wait until next year, the value of this "bad stock" of Stoudemire will rise to a level worth selling.

Ultimately, they decided to sit tight.

The reason why the Cavaliers traded Wall is very simple: the combination of him and James is like the love story between Huang Bo and any beautiful actress, full of illogical incongruity.

Wall cannot play without the ball, and although James can play without the ball, his threat with the ball is too great, and almost no coach will let James in his prime play without the ball.

Wall was forced to play without the ball, but he had no shooting ability. After losing his tactical position, he could only stand on the outside with his hands on his hips and watch the wind. He could not open up space and also hindered James' breakthrough. How could the Kings tolerate such a combination?
After a period of adjustment, James began to use his media resources to create trade publicity, while taking an ambiguous attitude on the topic of Wall's trade.

James never talks specifically about trades in public, but he puts pressure on management in abstract ways.

For example, when the Cavaliers suffered a losing streak before the All-Star Weekend, James said: "I am patient, but if I lose my patience, you will see a completely different me."

Under such pressure, the Cavaliers had to reluctantly put Wall on the trading list in order to enhance their competitiveness.

Some people couldn't help but joke that James had been away from Cleveland for three years, but it took him less than half a year to convert all the assets accumulated by the Cavaliers in the past three years into "cash".

Some radical liberal media even sarcastically said: "This may be the most important skill LeBron has learned from his father whom he has never met - to squeeze everything out of the other party just to please himself. Once the other party loses the value of being squeezed and asks him for responsibility in turn, he will run away like he did in 2009."

However, it was no surprise that this journalist was criticized by people who advocated justice.

Because there is currently no evidence that James led the deal, they cited news reports and game details in which James publicly supported Wall, and criticized the media person's professional ethics, accusing him of using LeBron's miserable childhood to make a fuss, which directly aroused public anger.

James, who has gradually regained his popularity in the name of "going home", is worthy of being a top star. As soon as he makes a little effort, people can see his energy.

The situation of the Celtics, another focus team before the deadline, is much simpler.

The rebuilding began the day they sent Garnett to the Cavaliers.

After sending Garnett away, Ainge started to get rid of Rondo.

Once Rondo is dealt with, it will be Pierce's turn.

The Celtics are the most trade-oriented of the three core teams. They are going to rebuild anyway, so there is no point in keeping these people.

Rondo is the core guard the Knicks have always dreamed of.

Since the All-Star Weekend, the two sides have negotiated many times, but Ainge's opening was too high and they were unable to make any further progress.

Now that the Cavaliers have made it clear that they want to trade Wall, the Knicks, who are in desperate need of an organizer, have one more option.

Being at the center of public opinion, Stoudemire maintains a good mood every day.

The hardest thing for a star player is to admit that he is no longer special.

But after his comeback, Stoudemire fully accepted his class decline.

From a historical perspective, this is inevitable.

A great man like George Mikan would still be mediocre if the league changed the rules a little bit. Chamberlain, who averaged 50 points per game in his prime, was beaten up by Willis Reed, who was half a head shorter than him, in his old age. How did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 42, feel when he led the injured Lakers to face the peak Bad Boys in 1989? And Jordan...

Stadlal still remembers his rookie season and how Yu Fei returned to DC for the last time to hold a retirement ceremony for Jordan.

That has to be the most embarrassing curtain call a superstar in any sport could have.

Now, the only thing that matters to Stadler is contentment.

He can still play, earning a maximum salary that will end until next summer, averaging 12 points and 6 rebounds per game, which is far from his peak, but if he can maintain this performance, he will be able to get a good retirement contract even after this contract ends.

On the training ground, Yu Fei suddenly called for a pick-and-roll with Stoudemire.

Stadler has been playing pick-and-roll for many years, so he naturally knows how good the opportunity to cut in at this moment is.

Yu Fei used his body to shield his hands behind him and threw the ball into the air.

Stoudemire excitedly dunked the ball into the basket.

The power, angle and timing of this shot were impeccable, comparable to Steve Nash's.

Thinking of Nash...

Stoudemire hopes he can still play in the NBA when he is Nash's age.

"Nice dunk, Amare!"

Yu Fei yelled.

Stoudemire nodded vigorously and couldn't help but wonder what would be the ending for Frye?
Given Yu Fei's current status, there are only two possible outcomes for him.

It could end in glory like Jordan in 1998, or end in disgrace like Jordan in 2003.

But Yu Fei had already drawn the finish line for himself.

At the age of 30, he is at the peak of his physical, technical, experience and mental aspects. This is also the peak period for every athlete. From now on, they will face a decline, either fast or slow.

So, this is not the end.

But it is certainly the beginning of the end.

The Sonics faded from trade deadline discussions because Presti had no interest in moving Stoudemire.

Many teams have tried and failed.

The closest Danny Ainge came was when he tried to trade Pierce for Stoudemire, but required the Sonics to send an additional draft pick.

Presti considered it for just a few minutes before turning him down.

Pierce, who is five years younger, can still be considered, but now the old Pierce, except for the ability to score a few points and play key balls, can no longer meet the needs of a championship team's starting number three position.

At the end of February, the Heat from the Eastern Conference became the focus of the outside world.

They started winning in mid-January and continued to win until the All-Star Weekend. The holiday did not weaken their form. As their winning streak exceeded 20 games, they began to make history, and every game thereafter received national live broadcast treatment from major TV stations.

Entering March, the Heat's winning streak began to have a wide impact, and even the various gossips on the trade deadline could not divert the attention of the outside world. On March 3, the Heat, who had won 7 consecutive games, faced the Spurs, who were first in the Western Conference.

This game is called a preview of the finals.

The Spurs' switching and pressure defense successfully limited the Heat's scoring, and the two sides were tied 76-76 with five minutes left.

The atmosphere at the game was very tense, with Spurs fans constantly chanting "Big Stupid Yao," a play on "Yao the Shady," which may be the least creative taunt in modern league history.

Most importantly, this taunt triggered a series of subsequent events.

Yao Ming made a three-pointer, then made another three-pointer after a pick-and-roll, blocked Paul George, and then made another three-pointer.

Duncan opened his eyes wide, confused by everything that happened tonight.

Since entering the league in 1997, he has experienced the Jordan era, the OK combination era, and the Yu Fei era which is still ongoing.

Basketball was becoming a sport he no longer enjoyed.

The physical fights and high-pressure defenses of the past are disappearing, replaced by more and more shots, especially longer and longer shots. Not only are outside players shooting three-pointers, but inside players are also forced to shoot three-pointers.

Duncan certainly understands that basketball is a sport that requires space. Since ancient times, every team has been seeking the maximum offensive space. However, even so, he still cannot accept what happened today. Even someone like him who should blow up opponents in the low post needs to take the responsibility of opening up space.

Duncan has not yet developed the habit of shooting three-pointers, while Yao Ming, the center with the greatest low-post threat since O'Neal and the last pride of traditional centers, has become a heretic among traditional centers.

Yao Ming's three-point shooting, like his free throw percentage, is incompatible with his identity as an inside player, and even few outside players can match him.

The giant, who was 229 cm tall when wearing shoes, ended the suspense of the game with a three-pointer.

Even after Yao Ming's "scythe" fell, Duncan still didn't like this kind of game.

"Damn Frye Yu!" the greatest power forward in history complained in a low voice.

"He turned the game into this mess!"

Not far away, Stephen Curry smiled, revealing his white front teeth. The obvious gap between his teeth seemed to be mocking people in certain situations: "Don't say that. Frye didn't expect it to turn out like this."

"Young man, I know how it happened."

Duncan rarely put on airs, then turned and left.

Curry's baby face, which seemed to have no sense of age, pouted: "I know how it happened..." He imitated Duncan's tone, "He doesn't know!"

Curry thinks he knows the truth, but there are still many things in this world that he doesn't know.

The Heat won 27 consecutive games.

Suddenly, they saw the NBA winning streak beckoning.

"I didn't really care about it until someone said we were getting close to the record," Yao Ming said. "I thought, since we're close, let's catch up with it!"

On the eve of the trade deadline, the unstoppable Heat met their 28th opponent on their way to history.

They are the defending champions from Seattle.

Due to a series of unexpected events, the SuperSonics, who have won four consecutive championships, are still aiming for a fifth consecutive championship, but the outside world is no longer optimistic about them.

In the West, they are clearly inferior to the Spurs, and are not even on the same level as the Heat.

Tonight, the outside world expects that the Supersonics will become the 28th body to fall at the feet of the Heat.

"Sorry, your record ends here."

Yu Fei said this casually when he met Yao Ming.

Yao Ming raised his eyebrows, not yet realizing the seriousness of the problem.

As soon as the game started, the Supersonics made clear the direction of the game.

The inside line is given up, but the opponent of Yao Ming must go forward at all costs. If he gets the ball in the low post, he must be double-teamed immediately.

This usually doesn't work because Yao Ming has Love next to him and the Heat don't play much inside.

However, if the obvious flaws are used properly, they can also change the opponent's strategy.

Coach Spoelstra may have been too afraid of the Sonics' reputation and tried to use his inside advantage to drive the outside. However, this fell right into the opponent's trap.

Tonight is a tough night for Yao Ming.

He faces several obvious problems. First, he seems to be very struggling when encountering pick-and-roll offense, because he can't defend quickly, and even if he goes out with all his strength, it is difficult to quickly return to defense. Second, his ability to pass the ball after getting the ball in the low post is not outstanding. Although there are occasional strokes of genius, it is like Zhou Qi's scene in a few games of the Rockets where he once grabbed the backcourt rebound and passed the ball to Harden for a score - that is the player's aura.

The so-called aura often means that they are just a flash of inspiration and cannot mobilize the entire team like Jokic, Divac and Sabonis.

The Supersonics' targeted arrangements for Yao Ming tonight were very effective.

Yao Ming got into trouble at the beginning, and then the game went worse and worse. The Heat, who were in a strong momentum, were left behind by the Supersonics by double digits at the start.

However, this super team, known as the off-season team, would never collapse just because of a bad start. They adjusted very quickly, and the offensive led by Wade and Curry in the second quarter helped the Heat overtake the score before the end of the first half.

This is a typical Heat game script.

They may be caught off guard at the beginning, but after adjustments, they can easily make up the score difference.

However, the Supersonics still firmly believed that the goddess of victory was beckoning them.

"Because Frye wants to win this game," Tyronn Lue said in an interview at halftime. "A lot of people forget that we are also a championship contender. If we can interrupt Miami's winning streak, the outside world will redefine our competitiveness."

In the second half, the Supersonics used an extreme five-small lineup.

The lineup consists of Irving, Green, Yu Fei, Parsons and Jae Crowder.

This lineup has four space points, completely abandoning the inside advantage and betting on outside firepower.

In positional warfare, they often use extreme four-way tactics, with the ball handler playing one-on-one. Every time Yu Fei waved his hand, no matter if it was Yao Ming, Curry or Love, there would always be a Heat player who would suffer.

Miami is reliving the nightmare of last year's Finals.

They are so close to their dreams, yet they seem so far away.

Even if they break the NBA's winning streak, history will remember them differently if they fail to win the final championship.

That was the lesson they learned tonight.

The Sonics' crazy five-small lineup extinguished the flames of Miami with its strong outside shooting.

The Heat's winning streak stopped at 27 games.

The final score was 115 to 108.

Yu Fei scored a season-high 58 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists.

"Anyone who thinks Miami is in the bag, I would tell him to watch the tape of tonight's game," ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy said. "The Heat are not invincible, and they have major concerns on the defensive end."

The defending champions, who have become the national focus for their firefighting, did not make any declarations of "no one should underestimate us."

After the game, Yu Fei said with a smile: "My child came to the scene today. Although he is still young, I will never lose this game because this is the first time he has seen me play."

Fatherly love is as heavy as a mountain. No one would have thought that the motivation for GOAT to defeat the Heat came from this.

The win swept through professional basketball traffic, even taking the upcoming trade deadline off the radar.

One day later, the trade deadline arrived.

Of the three teams that were thought to be likely to make a big move on the day, only the Celtics made any move.

The Supersonics refused to trade Stoudemire, the Cavaliers decided to keep Wall because they did not receive a suitable offer, and the Celtics, after several days of tug-of-war, finally sent Rajon Rondo to New York in exchange for a junk contract and first-round draft picks in 2013 and 2015.

Other than that, nothing major happened on the deadline day.

Although there were some transactions, they were all minor ones that did not cause any waves and had no impact on the league's structure.

Once the trade deadline passed, the season entered a fast-paced stage as there was almost no suspense in the regular season.

The Heat's record is far ahead, the Spurs are in second place, and the competition for third place in the league is fierce. Apart from that, the remaining teams are not worth mentioning.

However, the defending champion SuperSonics, who are striving for the top three, still have one wish.

That is Brandon Roy's return at the end of the season. Can this man bring good luck to Seattle like he did in 2010?

(End of this chapter)