When pride still matters

Chapter 601 Don’t End Up Like MJ
February 2015 seemed no different from any other month for the NBA.

Even if Chris Bosh is out for the season due to blood clots, it will only be bad luck for a star player.

Every season, there are always stars who are unlucky, but Bosh's situation is particularly eye-catching. As Yu Fei's former teammate and James' core helper, he faces the risk of being out for the season or even ending his career, which has touched the hearts of more people.

At the same time, the news that Trail Blazers legend Jerome Cousy died of blood clots cast a shadow on Bosh's injury.

Cosey was a key player in the 90s. He has retired for many years and few people remember him except for the older generation of Trail Blazers fans.

The biggest impact of Cousy's death on the league is that it makes everyone pay more attention to Bosh's health.

The deaths of most NBA legends were similar - no one cared about them during their lifetime, and only an obituary was issued when they passed away.

However, Yu Fei did not expect to hear the bad news about his former teammates before retiring.

On February 2, when the Clippers were playing at the Grizzlies' home game, news suddenly came: NBA star Anthony Mason died of a heart attack.

When the news came out, Yu Fei was warming up. He felt his head buzzing and was in disbelief.

"Mason? Is that the Anthony Mason I know?" he asked doubtfully.

Lin Kevin confirmed: "It's him. The news came from Mason's family. It can't be false."

Hearing this, Yu Fei found it difficult to calm down.

He walked to the sidelines silently and sat down. Rivers asked with concern: "Frye, are you okay?"

"It's okay, just take a rest." Yu Fei responded softly.

Sitting on the sidelines, his thoughts went back to those days.

When he was first traded to Milwaukee, Mason, as the ball bully of the Bucks at the time, once wanted to set rules for him, a recognized "troublemaker", but he fought back.

That match firmly established him in Milwaukee.

Later, the conflict between Mason and Karl was resolved through a game, and then the Bucks started their road to consecutive championships.

Looking back, Mason's role in the team is exactly the same as Kwame Brown's when he first came to the SuperSonics - a person who does the dirty work.

Yu Fei remembered that after the games, they often went to some weird places to fool around, and Mason often helped him pick up girls, like his right-hand wingman.

However, after Mason retired, they almost lost contact and Mason never bothered him.

Many years have passed, and Yu Fei is no longer the young boy who was exiled to Milwaukee by the God of Basketball. And Mason - the next time he heard news about him after many years, it was the news of his death.

"Contact Mason's family." Yu Fei said to Lin Kevin before returning to the court, "See if there is anything I can do to help."

Yu Fei was absent-minded during the game that night.

However, the Clippers' strength is there, and Yu Fei does not need to take most games seriously.

Even though Yu Fei was daydreaming the whole time, the Clippers still easily defeated the Grizzlies.

After the game, Yu Fei refused to be interviewed.

A few days later, Yu Fei and his former teammates from the Bucks attended Mason's memorial service.

Yu Fei met Ray Allen, Latrell Sprewell, Dan Gazuric
Yu Fei is the only active player from the original old Bucks team.

They never expected that the reunion of the old bucks would be at Mason's memorial service.

"I still can't accept that he's gone," Ray Allen said. "After all, he was so strong."

It's like Chamberlain's teammates didn't believe that Glea would die from complications caused by a toothache.

Yu Fei thought so at first, but later he realized that death is the final destination of everyone. Mason’s early death was unfortunate, but did it have anything to do with whether he was strong or not?
"How are you doing lately?" Yu Fei asked about Ray Allen's recent situation.

"Good," Allen said. "I'm writing an autobiography about myself."

Yu Fei asked with a smile: "Will it include me?"

"You are a name that cannot be avoided."

“I hope I have a good image.”

Yu Fei looked around and found that Michael Reed was the only core member of the old Bucks who was not there.

It is understandable that Reed parted ways with the team on bad terms, and Yu Fei was not mature enough in handling the competition between him and Ray Allen. But Reed later went to New York and Boston, and also failed to handle the relationship with those two teams.

So, maybe it's really Reed himself who has the problem.

Then, Yu Fei went to talk to Sprewell again.

Sprewell was the instigator of the Auburn Hills Palace brawl, which was closely related to Ray Allen's trade. But that year, Yu Fei still went against all odds and resolutely secured a big contract for the madman.

Later, Yu Fei left the team and Sprewell was also traded.

In the end, the madman chose to retire in 2008, and it has been seven years since then.

The last time Yu Fei heard about him was a few years ago when he learned from the news that Sprewell had filed for bankruptcy.

When I see him again now, I find that he no longer has the domineering and arrogance he had in the past.

The madman has gained weight and is kind to others. Although he is bankrupt, as an NBA veteran, the subsidy he receives from the league every year is enough to support his life.

"Spree, long time no see." Yu Fei asked about the madman's recent situation and expressed his willingness to provide help.

Sprewell is a typical example of teammates who have a close relationship when they work together, but gradually lose touch after they separate.

The madman knew that Yu Fei could greatly improve his life if he just extended a little help.

But he didn't say anything because he felt he had nothing to repay.

Moreover, Yu Fei had done the greatest thing for him back then - when the whole world gave up on him, he ensured that he signed a big contract with the Bucks.

I have only myself to blame for the mess I'm in now.

"Da Fei, I don't need anything more from you," Sprewell said, "but I have a wish."

"You say." Yu Fei said.

"Don't end it like MJ," Sprewell said. "For all of us, don't end it like MJ. It's going to break a lot of people's hearts."

Yu Fei smiled and said, "I will leave the stage more beautifully than No. 1998 did in 23."

That day, several members of the Old Bucks took turns on stage to tell Mason’s story.

When Yu Fei came on stage, everyone was surprised. They thought the GOAT was just here to show up, but they didn't expect that there was a story between him and Mason.

Yu Fei told a typical Mason story: In 2003, he and Mason were having dinner at a Japanese restaurant, and he found the waitress very pretty, but he didn't know how to approach her. As a result, Mason stepped forward and helped him get her phone number.

"Anthony was like a big brother to me. He protected me on and off the court. He was the kind of person who would do anything for you," Yu Fei said. "Although many years have passed, I no longer miss life in Milwaukee, but I will always miss Anthony Mason."

Afterwards, Yu Fei returned to the team.

What happened in the past month has caused a great change in his mental state.

Since he came to Los Angeles, his idea has been to lead the Clippers to success and end his career perfectly.

Now he feels it is more important to cherish the present and seize every day as a player.

If he's going to retire at 35, he has to do everything he wants to do on the court before then.

From today on, he is not fighting to defend the GOAT title, because he is already the GOAT.

His failure will only become media traffic, not the reason for his fall from the altar.

Of course, this does not mean that victory is no longer important. Victory is still important. What has changed is Yu Fei's mental state. After Yu Fei returned to the team, his first game was against the Bulls at home.

That night, Yu Fei was in excellent form. His long-range shots, wonderful passes and offensive rebounds made Jabari Parker, a little fan of the Bulls, exclaim in admiration.

"I thought the game we played in Chicago was all about Frye's strength, but I was wrong. His strength is far more terrifying than I thought!" Parker said, "So far, I am still a long way from it!"

Parker was not only completely defeated by Yu Fei on the field, but also in terms of statistics.

Facing Yu Fei, Parker's statistics were actually pretty good, with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, but his shooting percentage was a bit low, at only 38%.

But after all, he was facing Yu Fei the whole time and he liked to play one-on-one, so it was understandable that his hit rate was low.

This is how the Bulls developed Parker.

Their main idea is that strict teachers produce excellent students. Parker will be matched against stronger opponents and learn the opponent's skills and experience by fighting with the masters.

But Yu Fei's specifications are much higher than Parker's.

Tonight, Yu Fei was in excellent form, scoring 37 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks and 3 steals, with only 2 turnovers. He showed complete dominance on both offense and defense, and can be called a monster with both offensive and defensive capabilities.

Rivers believes that this is a continuation of the GOAT's hatred for the former GOAT, Jordan. Yes, he thinks Yu Fei was so cruel to the Bulls because he hated Jordan.

However, Rivers soon realized that something was wrong. It was understandable to be ruthless to the Bulls, but could the same be true for the Bucks?
Two days later, the Bucks came to challenge the Clippers. The Bucks are now in a critical condition. Due to injuries, Deron Williams's condition has declined year by year. Now he is no longer worthy of being called the twins with Paul, and he no longer has the strength of a star guard.

As a veteran of the Yu Fei era, LaMarcus Aldridge led the Bucks with difficulty, and with all his efforts, he could only barely maintain the team in the eighth place in the Eastern Conference. This position only secured a playoff spot, and the rest was almost hopeless. This was also the initial positioning of the Bucks.

Bucks owner Herb Kerr's idea has always been simple: making the playoffs is enough. Winning four championships in five years like Yu Fei did is abnormal.

Yu Fei seemed particularly excited to return to the place where he once enjoyed glory.

The Bucks did another "stupid thing" at home. They seemed to be worried that Yu Fei was not excited enough, so they played a four-minute tribute video with great fanfare, and clearly stated: dedicated to the GOAT.

Those scenes, those past events, the 2000s that could never be returned to, instantly flooded into Yu Fei's eyes.

“Is that what Ubuntu looked like before it became Ubuntu?” Antetokounmpo asked curiously.

Brown scoffed, "You fool, Frye never believed in Ubuntu!"

"That's why you're the same age as 'others' but only make $200 million a year!" Antetokounmpo mercilessly mocked Brown.

However, why would Brown care about such sarcasm? As a "fake No. 1 pick" in the early years, his ability to withstand pressure has long been honed to be extremely tough.

Yu Fei was deeply moved after watching the video, and then he scored 55 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in the game, which was his highest score this season.

"I felt the respect and enthusiasm, and that's why I exploded." After the game, Yu Fei explained his performance.

Aldridge said bluntly: "Maybe we shouldn't play the tribute video to Frye before the game. I'm not saying we shouldn't do it. I mean, at least we can wait until after the game."

This game officially kicked off Yu Fei's "March Madness".

One day later, the Clippers challenged the Timberwolves back-to-back. Yu Fei continued his hot hand, scoring 44 points and 7 rebounds with terrifying efficiency, leading the team to easily defeat the opponent.

Rivers finally realized that Yu Fei had changed since he attended Mason's memorial service. The calmness of a middle-aged man who had seen through everything disappeared, and was replaced by a crazy desire for progress.

When Yu Fei scored 50+ points for the second time in ten days, even Yao Ming couldn't help but joked: "I stepped on a few ants today. I hope I can attend their memorial service so that I can get back to my 18-year-old mental state!"

It's a pity that he can't do it.

According to Yu Fei, Yao Ming's current mental state is like this: "Whether you tell him that 1+1 equals 100 or that dumplings stuffed with chocolate are delicious, he will nod in agreement."

This is the behavior of a 35-year-old man who is about to enter middle age - he is not heartless, but he just doesn't care that much anymore.

Yu Fei's performance in March was not only comprehensive but also incredibly efficient.

In the games where he scored 40 points, his number of shots exceeded 20 in only one game. In the games where he scored 50 points (4 games), his number of shots did not exceed 25 in any of them.

It would be fine if the offense was hot, because the general trend of space basketball is to facilitate offense.

But Yu Fei's defense is actually showing signs of returning to its peak. In March, he averaged 2 blocks and 2 steals per game. Those who didn't know him would think he was going to compete for DPOY.

At the end of March, Yu Fei scored 29 points in 40 minutes and led his team to defeat the Jazz.

Scoring 29 points in 40 minutes also allowed Yu Fei to set the record for the shortest time to score 1983 points since 40.

Regarding this result, Jazz coach Snyder said: "There is no problem with our defense, but unfortunately we met Frye in GOAT form."

At the end of March, the Clippers achieved a perfect record. Yu Fei averaged 41 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2.4 blocks and 2 steals per game in March. Both the basic and advanced data are terrifying.

In April, the Clippers only have seven games left on their schedule, two of which are against the Lakers in the same city. If they remain undefeated, they will be able to enter the playoffs with the second-best record in history of 72 wins and 10 losses.

But this is not important, because they have basically secured the best record in the league. Even if they win all the games, they cannot challenge the best record in history. Therefore, Rivers hopes that Yu Fei, who was too popular in March, can get proper rest in April.

Therefore, in the two games against the Nuggets and the Trail Blazers, Rivers arranged for Yu Fei to rest.

As a result, in the game against the Nuggets, they were defeated in a chaotic battle by the Nuggets, who have always been known for their track and field team.

This is also a negative situation that the Clippers faced after Yu Fei's overheated performance in March.

Because Yu Fei was in such good shape in March, the whole team played around him. Suddenly, he was given a rest, and they faced a team like the Nuggets that didn't play by the rules. They couldn't react in time, and Rivers' on-the-spot response was not good either, so they failed in a game where they shouldn't have failed.

Then there are two consecutive games against the Lakers.

Although both games are played at the Staples Center, this is indeed one home game and one away game.

Every time he saw Kobe, Yu Fei would ask about his scoring record.

Kobe will also answer truthfully.

This season, although Kobe is old, with D'Antoni and Anthony, the Lakers are actually quite competitive.

However, Anthony's arrival also objectively affected Kobe's scoring record.

This season, Kobe averaged 24 points per game. He surpassed Jordan at the beginning of the season and is currently ranked third in the total scoring list. He is still nearly 3000 points away from Karl Malone. Conservative estimates show that he will surpass Malone until the next season.

Today, the Lakers did not hold back just because the regular season was about to end.

They want to fight the Clippers with all their strength.

Unfortunately, they met the Clippers, whose players were in full form.

After playing for only half the game, Yu Fei realized that he didn't need to play at full speed like he did in March, so he started passing the ball and getting assists. As the game went on, he actually got a triple-double of 14 points, 11 rebounds and 20 assists.

The Lakers tried their best but still lost by 12 points.

The second game followed the same story.

The Lakers have the strength to fight hard with the Clippers, but because Kobe is old and the bench is not deep enough, they often have problems with endurance in the fourth quarter. They fail to score for several rounds and are seized by Antetokounmpo for counterattacks. That is the beginning of their collapse.

After being defeated by the Clippers consecutively, the Lakers have completely woken up.

The Clippers in the same city may be the strongest team in the league. Fortunately, they are currently ranked fifth in the Western Conference and will not meet them in the first round.

Unfortunately, if they make it to the second round, they'll face the Clippers.

But that’s not something to consider right now.

After two consecutive city derby matches, both sides entered the final sprint of the season.

After consecutive victories over the Lakers, the Clippers' overall condition got better and better, and they encountered basically no problems in the remaining few games and won them all.

4月9日，快船在主场射日，以71胜11负的战绩为2014-15赛季的常规赛收官。

(End of this chapter)