When pride still matters

Chapter 584: Coach Gap, Really?
In terms of competitiveness, this is a less suspenseful playoff.

Although this is the first playoffs in the Adam Silver era, the disparity in competitiveness left the new president helpless.

Silver tried to control the refereeing standards to increase the suspense of the playoffs, but teams like the defending champion Heat and the first-placed Spurs in the Western Conference all showed overwhelming strength.

It can be said that this is the power structure that has emerged from the various turbulences that occurred after the end of the shutdown.

The only way to end this situation is to wait for them to flow to the end on their own.

The Clippers met the Houston Rockets in the first round.

In the Rockets, Harden alone guarantees the team's lower limit, but their upper limit is not high.

In two consecutive home games for the Clippers, the Rockets did not put any pressure on the Clippers.

Harden's playing style is very interesting, and his sense of rhythm in dribbling between the legs is the strongest among all the players Yu Fei has ever seen.

Relying on that wonderful sense of rhythm, Harden's step-back jump shot has begun to show signs of improvement.

However, his current step-back jump shot is not the double step-back three-point jump shot of the Mahayana period, but a more orthodox mid-range step-back jump shot.

There are many players who can do this now, but it takes talent to do it as skillfully as Harden.

However, Harden's talent was not enough for them to beat the Clippers.

They didn't even qualify to defend their honor in the first round of the series.

After four games, the Clippers swept the Rockets out of the series like a skilled cleaner.

"A lot of people are saying we're the weakest 60-win team ever, and now I want to hear what they have to say."

After sweeping the Rockets, Rivers breathed a sigh of relief.

He ostentatiously searched for images for himself, hoping to get an explanation from those media people who were not optimistic about the Clippers.

This is the pre-match rhythm.

Some media people believe that due to the aging of the 96 golden generation, most of the middle-aged talents have fallen, and the league is actually in a period of transition and the overall competitiveness is seriously insufficient, so the GOAT can lead the Clippers from 34 wins last season to 62 wins today.

This is certainly a reflection of the GOAT's influence, but it is also thanks to the fact that the overall environment is not competitive enough.

The Clippers are the 60-win team most likely to crash in the playoffs because they lack "hard power" and their coaching staff has a criminal record. Even with the GOAT, there is still a great risk.

These remarks seem to belittle Yu Fei's leadership quality, but in fact they are implying that there are problems with the Clippers' coaching staff.

As a widely acclaimed head coach, Rivers was very annoyed by this, but he could only bear it and settle the score with them after the first round of games.

Yu Fei "understands" these things.

Moreover, he basically agrees that the current league is not competitive enough.

You know, it's no accident that the Spurs in the main timeline and the Warriors who were supposed to win 73 games a few years later could play that kind of dominance in the regular season.

A record-breaking environment always requires an overall environment with weak competitiveness, whether it is the 96 Bulls or the 16 Warriors.

However, in this life, due to the appearance of Yu Fei, the timeline was disrupted. Within a decade, many dominant super teams emerged, and records were broken repeatedly.

Most of those record-breaking years were average in competitiveness.

It was only from this year onwards that the overall competitiveness of the league was at a historic low.

Yu Fei certainly knows that the Clippers' 62 wins are related to the overall environment, and he also knows whether the media's concerns about Rivers are justified.

Therefore, he didn't give Rivers any chance to get sick at all.

In the game where they were leading, they basically beat their opponents to death, keeping the suspense from the beginning to the end, and during the break times they also reminded the Pighead Coach what to pay attention to.

Therefore, the Rockets did not activate Rivers' "King of Reversal BUFF".

As soon as the first round ended, another popular topic came to an end.

Regarding the winners of the major regular season awards.

Yu Fei was selected to the All-NBA First Team for eleven consecutive seasons.

Moreover, he was also the first in the MVP voting.

Although he has the serious DEBUFF of "aesthetic fatigue", it is also difficult for the media. If the MVP is not given to GOAT, the pressure will be too great, and there is no one who can compete with GOAT.

Wade won it last year. This year, the Heat only won 65 games in the regular season, which is worse than last year. This is definitely a deduction for winning the MVP award consecutively.

Although the Spurs took first place in the league with 66 wins, the team's statistics were too evenly distributed and there were no particularly outstanding players.

If the MVP does not come from these two championship favorites, we can only look for candidates among the next tier of teams.

The Nets collapsed this season. They had constant internal strife at the beginning of the season and finally barely made the playoffs with 50 wins. Naturally, the core players of the team missed the MVP.

The Bucks, who rose again a few years ago, encountered a wave of injuries and were eliminated in the first round. No one had a chance to compete for MVP.

From this perspective, the main competitor for GOAT is the star player of the second-placed Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference - LeBron James, who declared that he would "never leave Cleveland again."

James is indeed qualified to compete for MVP.

骑士队今年取得了56胜28负的战绩，詹姆斯场均贡献28分、9个篮板和8次助攻。可以说，这是他进入联盟十年来最接近MVP的一个赛季。

If Yu Fei's Clippers had only won 50 games instead of 62, the media might still vote for James.

Sadly, the Clippers won 62 games.

This team, which only had 34 wins last season, saw its win count surge by 28 games after Yu Fei joined the team.

The last player who brought such a big improvement to his team but failed to win the MVP was Larry Bird in his rookie season.

It is an unspoken rule of the league that newcomers give way to veterans.

James is not a rookie, but his performance this season is not enough to surpass Yu Fei and reach the level that makes the media abandon the GOAT.

Yu Fei not only improved the Clippers' 28 wins, but also turned the Clippers from a team that was considered "cursed" into the most popular team. Coupled with his years of accumulated media relations, James' best performance in a decade became the "best runner-up".

Yu Fei won the sixth MVP trophy of his career, tying Kareem Jabbar as the player with the most MVPs in NBA history.

"I don't like to be on the same level as others. For me, winning a small award like MVP five times is enough," Yu Fei boasted proudly on Twitter. "You know, winning this kind of niche honor too many times will actually depreciate its value."

In contrast, James' mentality in Cleveland has been affected.

"I don't think I'll ever put the same energy into this @! # again!" James said. "I was at the top of the list in terms of contributions in every area, and look what I got in the end? Nothing!"

James has every right to complain.

Losing the MVP to Yu Fei is understandable, but failing to be selected for the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) is extremely disappointing.

This season, James has put a lot of effort into defense, and it can be said that this is his most focused year on defense. The media also recognized his defensive performance and selected him to the first team of the best defensive team.

But the media made a big fuss about the DPOY voting.

They acknowledged James' defense, but that was just an acknowledgement. Player of the Year? Not even close.

So, they voted James the second in the Defensive Player of the Year race, with the first place going to Marc Gasol, who was named second team in the All-Defensive Team.

James, who was on the first defense, lost the DPOY vote to Gasol, who was on the second defense. This is a sad story.

James fans went berserk and wanted to find out those media people who played tricks on the vote.

Kwame Brown, who has always been a sucker for traffic, saw this and not only had no sympathy, but also rubbed salt into the wounds of James' camp: "If Frye had Chris Bosh and Kevin Garnett by his side, he would definitely win DPOY."

A big James fan was furious and asked directly on Twitter: "Are you trying to say that Frye can only compete for DPOY by relying on strong defenders?"

"Basketball is a five-person sport, do you understand?" Brown quickly replied, "You may not believe it, but I was once the league's top center. During that time, I helped Frye be selected to the All-Defensive Team several times."

However, the award controversy does not end there.

Another controversy comes from Blake Griffin. Judging from the team record and personal data, Griffin is the league's top power forward.

But he didn't make the first team.

Because of the outrageous classification of the best lineup, there are only guards, forwards and centers.

If the positions are allocated in this way, there will be two shooting guards occupying the guard spots for one team, two small forwards occupying the forward spots, and then one forward will sign up for the center spot for one team.

This year, Yu Fei registered as a forward.

So Yu Fei must take up a forward position.

As someone who has been selected to the first team for eleven consecutive seasons, he has become a fixture on the best team. Which position he registers for will have a great impact on the final roster.

Yu Fei's registration as a small forward complicated the situation.

This means that one of Durant and James will be relegated to the second team.

In the end, James, who had more comprehensive statistics and better team record, squeezed out Durant.

The two guard spots went to Wade and Kobe, while the center spot was once again occupied by Yao Ming.

The second team roster is gorgeous: Curry, Harden, Durant, Griffin, and Howard, all of whom are heroes of the league.

But Griffin may be the one who got wronged because his forward spot was taken by two people who could not challenge him. This incident caused the media to reflect on the division of the best lineup positions.

However, although it is thought-provoking, they are just reflections.

After all, registering for the best team is a task that requires thinking.

Those who are extremely strong in terms of strength, data and records can of course sign up at will, but for someone like Griffin, if he had the audacity to sign up for the center position, he might have made it.

Award controversies often reach a climax on the day they are announced and then become a topic of conversation among fans.

Because this is mostly the result of media manipulation. The most illusory thing about the fourth power is that they think they can defend all the justice in the world, but when they encounter the same problem, don't expect them to stand up and defeat themselves.

Moreover, the playoffs will continue. Although the fourth power does not have the power to purify itself, it has great energy to divert public attention by taking advantage of the false reputation of the playoffs.

Yu Fei's goal before the start of the season was to lead the team to the Western Conference Finals.

To achieve this goal, their biggest obstacle is the Golden State Warriors, who are third in the Western Conference.

They are strong in military strength and full of youthful energy.

This young team showed the world their upper limits with their passion in the first game of the semi-finals.

The Clippers learned a lesson tonight - don't let them run.

They couldn't afford the cost of letting the Young Guards run.

Relying on a thunderous and chaotic battle, the Warriors defeated the Clippers 121-102 on the road and won their first victory in the series.

The Clippers' home-court advantage is gone.

In the second game of the semifinals, Yu Fei took the lead and took the initiative to face Leonard, then assisted in defense and interfered with Lillard. Through double-team defense, he forced the Warriors to use three-pointers in half-open space and star singles to solve the problem.

Giannis Antetokounmpo showed the ultimate in what a Spider-Man can do on the defensive end tonight.

He can defend a pick-and-roll on the perimeter and then get back to the basket to protect it in less than a second.

The combination of terrifying static talent and outstanding dynamic talent makes for a comprehensive sweeper who can see the future.

Klay Thompson wilts under his shadow.

The Warriors' singles efficiency plummeted, and Yu Fei was just like what ESPN commentator Chris Webber said on the scene: "Frye plays like a GOAT!"

Yu Fei scored 46 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists against the Warriors, handing the opponent a 24-point defeat at home.

"For us, the series doesn't really start until we win in Golden State."

After the game, Yu Fei said without any joy or sadness.

But tonight, Yu Fei did find that the Warriors had big problems in the interior.

Although there is nothing wrong with Leonard as a small ball power forward, David Lee can only attack as a small ball power forward.

Draymond Green only plays a dozen minutes per game under Mark Jackson.

Jackson didn't believe Green.

This is the Clippers' chance.

The next day, Yu Fei found Rivers and offered to play center in the third game.

The pig-headed coach looked confused: "Are you sure?"

Yu Fei said indifferently: “Not only am I sure, I will also tear David Lee to pieces.”

Since Yu Fei took the initiative to propose this, Rivers couldn't refuse. Moreover, he didn't think David Lee could compete with the GOAT at the five position.

The Warriors are a very young team.

Young people will rely too much on their own talents unless there is someone behind them to show them the way.

That person could have been Jerry West, but their head coach Mark Jackson eliminated that possibility.

Jackson is a man who loves to show off and is overly arrogant. This is not obvious when he is partnering with Van Gundy in commentary, but once he changes his identity to a coach, his character of only seeing his own achievements and ignoring his own mistakes will tear the team apart.

This phenomenon was fully exposed in the third game of the semi-finals.

The Clippers' change of formation was unexpected by the Warriors. When Yu Fei and Griffin grabbed the Warriors' rebounds and constantly destroyed their restricted area with secondary offense, Jackson's chief assistant coach Mike Malone said: "Our current configuration is not enough to compete with their strength!"

"This is our unanimous decision before the game!" Mark Jackson defined the starting lineup he decided on his own as "a unanimous decision made by the coaching staff before the game" at this moment, and he would stick to it. "Since we decided to do this, we must trust them!"

Malone can understand Jackson's approach and maintain the current approach. Even if he fails miserably in the end, the fault will be attributed to the entire coaching staff, and he can even blame the players. If a bigger mistake occurs due to temporary adjustments, then it cannot be explained.

But Malone knew that if he didn't do something now, he would be able to do nothing tonight.

The Warriors are like a well-prepared young boxer who is knocked out by his opponent as soon as he steps onto the stage.

Doc Rivers' adjustment of Yu Fei playing center was called a "masterstroke."

In the end, this crucial away game for the Clippers ended with a big victory for the Clippers.

2 is better than 1
They regained the home-court advantage, and using a formulaic plot that often appears in Japanese dramas - because you are incompetent to a certain extent, you don't know that your wife can learn so much knowledge - Yu Fei and Griffin almost abused the Warriors' inside line.

In this game, Yu Fei scored 32 points and 15 rebounds, Griffin scored 25 points and 14 rebounds, and among their 29 rebounds, 13 were offensive rebounds.

"We had no toughness, no energy, and no courage!" Mark Jackson was very skilled in shifting the blame. "You can't win the game when you lose so many offensive rebounds!"

What followed was a chain reaction of a series of internal problems for the Warriors.

The next day, WOJ broke the news: "Mark Jackson flew into a rage at the team meeting and questioned why management didn't push for a trade for Blake Griffin."

There was a rumor: "Klay Thompson left the game in anger. He became the scapegoat for the loss."

In the age of social media, the ubiquitous gossip spies mean that teams at the center of public opinion no longer have any secrets.

The Warriors entered Game 4 amid internal and external troubles, and they have yet to recover from the shadow of their Game 3 loss.

Rivers continued to let Yu Fei play center, but did the Warriors make any adjustments? None at all.

Mark Jackson insists the problem lies with the people rather than the tactics.

So when Yu Fei and Griffin once again dominated the rebounding, the commentator joked, "Are we watching a replay of Game 3?"

Yu Fei didn't want to say explicitly that Rivers completely suppressed Jackson in the semifinals, but that was the fact.

The tactical arrangement of letting Yu Fei play at the five position completely disrupted the Warriors' formation.

Two consecutive defeats are enough to destroy the confidence of a young team.

What's more, Yu Fei's data performance is as amazing as that of an ancient superstar.

In the fourth game, Yu Fei scored 34 points, 22 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 blocks. He put the Golden State Warriors into a desperate situation with a performance that would be recorded in the history of great centers.

3:1.

At this point in the series, the Warriors' chances of winning are slim.

"Some media reported that the Warriors' top management regretted not pushing for the trade of Blake Griffin." This rumor, whose source could not be found, further undermined the Warriors' morale.

Game 5 of the semifinals moved to Los Angeles.

At the same time, the Lakers, who are ranked eighth in the Western Conference, have been eliminated by the Spurs, who are ranked first in the Western Conference, and the Clippers have become Los Angeles' last hope.

Seeing that they are expected to advance to the Western Conference Finals to challenge the Spurs, support for the Clippers in Los Angeles has increased significantly.

In the following G5, Yu Fei returned to the third position to face the Warriors whose morale was already low. They no longer needed any surprise tactics, but only needed to play steadily and steadily to easily win the victory.

The Warriors, who were in a slump, had lost their ability to resist. Except for Lillard, almost no one showed the will to win. The Clippers turned the game into an exhibition match, as if they were playing against a weak team in the regular season, taking turns to perform wonderful dunks in the opponent's penalty area.

Yu Fei targeted Leonard throughout the game. The young man who was selected to the first team of the All-Defensive Team for two consecutive years is the cornerstone of the Warriors, but his influence was limited in this series. However, this cannot be entirely blamed on him. The chaos within the team cannot be solved by a cornerstone that is not yet fully mature.

His only problem was that he was hit 9 times by Yu Fei tonight, and his defensive success rate was 0.

The last singles happened in the fourth quarter. Yu Fei passed Leonard's defense like a beast, rushed into the penalty area, jumped up with a force that David Lee could not resist, and completed a slam dunk over the opponent's head that made the Staples Center boil.

“!#@￥!#￥”

“GOAT!!!!”

“GOAT!!!!”

“GOAT!!!!”

After Yu Fei landed, he looked back at Leonard and said calmly, "Come back next year."

Score: 132 to 98
Series total score: Clippers beat Warriors 4-1.

The reporter handed the microphone to Yu Fei and asked him what he felt about breaking the Clippers' best record in their first season with the team.

But Yu Fei felt that the reporter should interview Mark Jackson. They really needed to ask how Jackson managed to resolve a series that Yu Fei expected to be completed in at least six games, but only took five games, and almost all of the four losses were disastrous.

how did you do that?
There are not many people in this world who can be coached by Rivers. He hopes to see him coach the Warriors next year.

(End of this chapter)