When pride still matters

Chapter 574 Deja Vu
"Is there something wrong?" someone asked Pierce.

"If 'Ubuntu' means this, then everything is wrong!" Pierce began to explain to everyone the origin of "Ubuntu".

When the Celtics formed the Big Three, Rivers was worried that the three superstars could not work together, so during a team building trip abroad, he heard the word "Ubuntu". Rivers had an idea and told the players that the word meant "together" in the local language.

Since then, this has become the Green Army's slogan. No matter where you go, you can always see Garnett standing in the middle shouting "one, two, three" and others shouting "Ubuntu" in unison.

As Rajon Rondo grows up, his sharp personality can no longer be hidden. In order to tame this "stubborn donkey", Rivers gave a second interpretation of "Ubuntu". Another meaning of "together" is "I am great because of others".

Rivers hopes to make Rondo understand that it is not he himself who is great, but the team he plays for and his teammates around him.

And now, on the opening day of the Clippers' training camp, Rivers not only deconstructed "Ubuntu" for the third time, but this deconstruction, like postmodern abstract art, completely changed the meaning of "Ubuntu".

He changed "I am great because of others" to "We are great because of others."

Moreover, Rivers clearly pointed out that the "others" here refer to Yu Fei.

This has completely deviated from the original flavor.

Pierce knew that this was just a trick of Rivers, and he couldn't help but sigh.

"I was a big believer in it," Pierce said. "I was a big believer in Ubuntu."

After listening to Pierce's explanation, Yu Fei couldn't help but look at Rivers with admiration.

If this pig-headed coach can be so flexible in his coaching abilities, he will definitely become a historical-level coach, right?

Just imagine, a person with high emotional intelligence, good interpersonal relationships, and high respect in the league is also a master of the spot who can adapt to changes. Such a configuration is simply invincible.

Unfortunately, Rivers basically possesses all the qualities that a famous coach should have, but the problem is that his on-the-spot performance may be the worst in the entire league.

This reminded Yu Fei of a Chinese player who many people have wondered “what if” about - Li Muhao.

With a height of 220 cm and the athletic ability to play in space, it is difficult for him to get double digit rebounds in a single game in the CBA.

Of course, Rivers is relatively better as a coach than Li Muhao is as a player.

But that's the truth, some people have all the talents to succeed, but they can't become the best because they are missing a key link.

As for Rivers' several deconstructions of "Ubuntu", even tearing it down and rebuilding it in the Clippers, it's like the gunshot wound on Yuan Lang's arm in "Soldier Assault".

The source of his gunshot wound will lead to various versions depending on the needs of the team members, and no one knows the truth.

The same is true of Rivers' "Ubuntu".

It doesn’t matter what “Ubuntu” actually means, what matters is what it means at the moment.

Rivers said that the meaning of "Ubuntu" is that the Clippers will be great because of the GOAT, and that's what it means.

However, Blake Griffin was not satisfied with the result.

If the Clippers are really going to be great, then the first person to make the team great is him.

Why does the guy from Seattle have all of this without playing a single game?

Griffin was upset.

Rivers noticed this.

Although today is the first day of camp, according to his experience, the tone of the season for many teams is set on the first day of preseason training camp.

Since Griffin is going to lose his status as a franchise player, the GOAT who seizes the power must put in a convincing performance.

This performance must come from the present, rather than pointing eight fingers at Griffin - the resume of eight championships is indeed dazzling, but this is Los Angeles and he is on the Clippers.

What are the Clippers?
The hell of basketball, the cursed team, the past honors of GOAT mean nothing to them.

Only the present moment has meaning.

Therefore, Rivers decided to arrange an intra-squad competition.

Yu Fei is on the white team and Griffin is on the black team.

When selecting players, Yu Fei first chose Kwame Brown, then Giannis Antetokounmpo, and then picked Matt Barnes and Willie Green from a group of less familiar fringe players.

Rivers was a little confused: "Frye, if you choose this, who will play point guard?"

Suddenly, Rivers realized something. Wasn't Dafei a point guard? Obviously, he was going to kick Griffin's ass with all his strength!

However, Rivers was wrong. Yu Fei did want to defeat Griffin, but not as a point guard. If he could not defeat the opponent in a head-on confrontation, the opponent would probably be dissatisfied.

Hearing Rivers' question, Yu Fei smiled and said, "Just wait and see, Doug."

Rivers thought, is there any need to wait? He clearly knew how strong the GOAT was at the point guard position! Although the GOAT was obviously letting the players down when selecting them, he obviously didn't intend to let the players down in the game.

Griffin looked at his black team's lineup - Billups, Pierce, Pachulia and third-year guard Cory Joseph. His lineup was obviously stronger than his opponent. In terms of five-on-five confrontation, their advantage was very obvious.

What is certain is that the GOAT clearly made the mistake of pride when selecting players. The attitude he wanted to express was that even if he picked a few random people, he could beat Griffin. This person has been blinded by past achievements.

A talented player like Griffin, who is trapped in the Clippers, tends not to allow himself to take too much responsibility for failure.

Because the people around them always say: "You tried your best, it's the team's fault that the results are so bad, what else can you do?"

This way of excusing oneself is not entirely wrong. Sometimes, it is completely correct, because basketball is ultimately a five-person sport, and no matter how strong one person is, he can only guarantee the team's bottom line.

However, Griffin's lower limit is to lead the team into the lottery twice, so even if it is a lower limit, this is still a pretty ugly lower limit. And what is Yu Fei's lower limit since his rookie season? It is the conference finals. From the perspective of results, the conference finals means the top four of the season. This lower limit is already the best team performance of many well-known stars.

But Griffin didn't understand. He was too young. His rookie season was ruined, and he encountered a lockout in his second season. He peaked in his third year, and he still had luxurious statistics in his fourth year. He achieved personal success, but he couldn't make the team achieve the same success.

When the situation and people's hearts are in trouble, losers who are unwilling to admit their own incompetence can only blame the environment. Griffin, who thinks he has the ability but is dragged down by the team, can only think that Yu Fei's past success is due to the strong team lineup. If the two positions are swapped, the result will be the same.

So when Griffin saw that GOAT arrogantly selected a terrible lineup, he knew his chance had come. If he could defeat GOAT on the first day of training camp, he would be able to regain some of the team status that was forcibly taken away from him. Therefore, Griffin treated this intra-team competition completely in a practical manner.

He thought his opponent was the Greek rookie, but he didn't expect that the white team would let the seven-foot-tall Giannis Antetokounmpo play as the point guard, while the GOAT played the power forward position, facing Griffin together with Brown.

"Is this a joke, Big Fly?" Griffin found the Greek and Billups' matchup funny for some reason.

"Maybe, it's better to be a joke." Yu Fei said close to Griffin, "But if you can't make Giannis a joke today, I will suggest Doug to make him our starting point guard in the new season." When this was said, the most shocked person was Billups. He decided to stay because Rivers promised to give him enough playing time. If the Greek became the starting point guard, how many minutes would he still play?

In just a few words, Billups had found a reason not to lose.

In the subsequent jump ball, Brown defeated Pachulia and the white team took the lead in attacking.

Griffin didn't take the GOAT who took the initiative to play against him at the 4th position seriously, because the GOAT often played at the 4th position when he was in Seattle, and the two had played against each other. He felt that the GOAT at the 4th position did not perform particularly well.

But today... the other members of the Clippers suddenly discovered something terrifying - as a power forward, Yu Fei might be a little taller than Griffin, and his wingspan is even better than Griffin's. Griffin's advantage was originally his strength and confrontational habits as a pure power forward, but this so-called advantage could not be brought into play at all.

At this moment, Yu Fei in front of Griffin showed the results of his special training in the summer. Previously in Seattle, when Yu Fei played the power forward position, if the opponent was a talented power forward, he could still establish a clear advantage. If the opponent's power forward position was a star player, then the game would be difficult to play, because in the inner line wrestling, strength determines everything.

As a power forward, Yu Fei lacked strength the most. This summer, he strengthened his strength through training. Now, facing Griffin, who is known for his strength but has a weak lower body, he relied on his core strength to prevent the opponent from getting a favorable position.

Billups forced the ball to Griffin in a non-sweet spot, but Griffin had no chance at all. Yu Fei pushed Griffin outside the left paint area and made him unable to move. Griffin turned around to face the basket, but the ball was exposed to the threat. Yu Fei suddenly shot and knocked the ball away.

Instantly, Antetokounmpo took a step forward with legs longer than Durant's, running at full speed. Yu Fei picked up the ball and threw it forward. Outside the three-point line, the Greek monster took a step, collected the ball, and after two steps, flew up like an alien creature.

He is seven feet tall and can still run fast with the ball. Is he still a human being?
All the professionals present had similar questions.

The Greek then slammed the ball home.

"OMG!!!" Brown exclaimed, "Such a dunk?!"

Yu Fei smiled. It was obvious that Giannis was not confident enough in his talent. With his stride, he could easily receive the ball from outside the three-point line.

However, building up self-confidence takes time, something he has in abundance.

Griffin was shocked but soon calmed down. However, the GOAT evaluation made him feel emotional again.

"Give him five years, and he will completely surpass you." Yu Fei said, "Have you ever thought that one day in the future, you will not even be able to maintain your current position?"

Griffin's face darkened and he replied firmly: "That will never happen!"

"Never?" Yu Fei's smile gradually disappeared, and there was a hint of coldness in his tone. "Are you really qualified to say that?"

From this moment on, Yu Fei stopped talking trash to Griffin. He began to suppress Griffin with extraordinary defense, making it impossible for him to use any of his favorite offensive methods, and even unable to get an ideal offensive position.

Yu Fei mercilessly exposed Griffin's biggest weakness to the whole team. Although he has strong physical fitness, he seems to be unable to cope with the confrontation; his low-post turn and face-to-basket skills become powerless in front of Yu Fei's strong core strength; his dribbling ability is outstanding among the four positions, but in front of an opponent like Yu Fei, he seems to be useless.

Griffin's offense became extremely awkward. He found that he could not score in front of Yu Fei with his personal ability. It was obviously a mismatch advantage, but he just couldn't play it. The power gap was so big that he couldn't believe it.

After another unsuccessful attack, Griffin quickly retreated. The Greeks failed to push the fast break and stopped to wait for their teammates to get into position.

Yu Fei ran to the front court and took the ball from Antetokounmpo. Since Yu Fei decided to play the fourth position in this game, the black team naturally arranged Griffin to defend him.

The characteristic of the intra-team competition is that you will not avoid disadvantageous matchups. The more disadvantaged you are, the more you need to hone yourself through the competition. Originally everyone thought that Griffin would have some advantages, but now the situation is completely the opposite.

Yu Fei even gave up the attack of facing the basket with the ball, and directly used his body to play from a high position. There were no fancy skills, only strength.

Griffin's core strength is weak, and his lower limb strength is even worse. Under Yu Fei's bulldozer-like attack, he could only retreat again and again.

In the paint area, Yu Fei suddenly turned around and made a fake move, causing Griffin, who was no longer able to make effective judgments, to lose his balance, allowing him to easily score a layup.

Griffin's consciousness began to blur.

When a player cannot attack or defend on the court, the immediate sense of frustration will continue to undermine his confidence. Star players are often conceited, but if they are completely defeated by their opponents in an area where they think they have an advantage, the sense of frustration is unimaginable.

Griffin's first goal was a mid-range shot. He finally gave up scoring by his personal ability, and the problem was solved. This is the way he is best at scoring, and the ball-handling offense is just the icing on the cake for him. He hopes to prove his progress by holding the ball a lot, but the reality is not the case.

Yu Fei's attack was not over yet, and his energy seemed to be getting stronger as the game progressed. Despite Griffin's full defense, Yu Fei still knocked him away effortlessly, then turned around and made a fadeaway jumper.

"Did you think before today that I would never be able to beat you at the fourth position?" Yu Fei asked.

"Forever?" he repeated the word sarcastically.

Forever is sometimes a unit of time, and sometimes the result of an event. If someone uses "forever" to assert something, he must make sure that he has made unsurpassed efforts.

Yu Fei wants Griffin to realize this and remember it "forever".

The more commercialized a league is, the easier it is to create monsters with inflated egos. Those who can become stars of a team are almost all conceited lunatics. Griffin is no exception. Before he joined the Clippers, the team was like a joke in Los Angeles, and he changed this situation in a few years. Although fans criticized him for not leading the team to the playoffs, this was just a manifestation of human greed.

Now, it's time to defend his personal dignity. The GOAT suppressed him at the 4th position. If he can't respond to the opponent's challenge, then he may really lose the chance to come back forever.

So, Griffin gave up the more reliable off-ball offense and turned to face Yu Fei fearlessly. He once again demonstrated his dribbling skills, which is enough to make 95% of power forwards envious. But his wingspan limited his control of the ball, and it was not easy for big men to protect the ball in front of defense, especially when facing an opponent like Yu Fei who knew the ball-holding route very well and was selected to the best defensive team many times.

Griffin knew that he couldn't shake off Yu Fei's defense with his dribbling skills, so he tried to break through with his body. However, this was destined to be a dead end, because unless the referee whistled, Yu Fei, who was stronger, would not be easily knocked away.

At the moment when Griffin pushed forward, Yu Fei stretched out his long arms and cut the basketball cleanly in front of him. Griffin was stunned. He had clearly protected the ball in what he thought was a safe area, but he didn't know that for a defender like Yu Fei who had a quick reaction and a wingspan 10 cm longer than him, that was not a safe area at all.

"Snapped!"

Yu Fei quickly intercepted Griffin's ball, and the offense and defense changed in an instant. In anger and humiliation, Griffin yelled: "Da Fei!!!"

He chased after them, but two tall players with top athletic ability had already reached the frontcourt. Yu Fei received the ball outside the paint area and leaped up with only one step. Griffin tried to block the shot, but his hands could not reach the ball at all. Yu Fei jumped high and dunked with unstoppable force, and Griffin was embarrassed because he lost his balance.

"BOOMMMM!!!"

Various voices came one after another on the field, and in the end only Yu Fei's cold voice remained.

He looked down at Griffin and said with unquestionable authority: "From today on, don't let me hear the word 'forever' from your mouth again, you conceited fool!"

Before today, GOAT suppressed his opponents with his momentum, but after today, he has completely overwhelmed Griffin with his strength.

If the Clippers can only have one voice, it is the voice of the GOAT. Rivers has already set the tone for this:

“We are great because of others.”

Kwame Brown was so shocked by the scene that he was speechless. The memory of the death suddenly came to his mind and hit him hard.

"What's wrong, Kwame?" Yu Fei ran past him and asked casually.

"Nothing." In Brown's eyes, Yu Fei's image began to overlap with someone else's. "I just felt that this scene was familiar."

(End of this chapter)