When pride still matters

Chapter 603 The Chosen One
The Clippers waited for four days and finally got the result.

The Lakers eliminated the Rockets with Harden and Howard with a big score of 4-2 and advanced to the Western Conference semifinals.

Yu Fei and Kobe faced off again in the playoffs.

Ever since Yu Fei traveled west in the summer of 2007, he seemed to face Kobe in every playoffs, but every time, he was the winner.

Although this season's Lakers are the best in the past few years, they played two consecutive games with the Clippers before the end of the regular season and neither team won. Now that they meet in the playoffs, even the most fanatical Lakers fans know that they are in trouble.

An episode before the start of the semi-finals, or the inside story that caused widespread controversy, was that Durant defeated Yu Fei by a narrow margin in the voting for the regular season's Most Valuable Player and won the first MVP trophy of his career.

"Aesthetic fatigue" is a phenomenon that cannot be ignored in the award judging process in the NBA, just like "you are too young".

Even though Yu Fei seems to be more qualified than Durant, because he has won the MVP six times before, the media wants to vote for someone who has never voted before.

In order to avoid excessive pressure from public opinion, they put Yu Fei on the shelf in advance - letting Yu Fei be elected DPOY.

As a result, the media were first cyber-bullied by Yu Fei's haters, and now they are being cyber-bullied by Yu Fei's fans for not voting for Yu Fei as MVP.

But cyberbullying has no impact on media professionals. Black traffic is also traffic, and it doesn’t matter as long as it doesn’t threaten their own safety.

Yu Fei's camp hated this result.

After all, Yu Fei currently has the same number of MVPs as Kareem Jabbar. If he can win this year's MVP, he will become the player with the most MVPs in history.

Now, this historic moment has to be postponed.

Moreover, who knows what kind of people will pop up next year, and the media may relapse into its old ways and play the "aesthetic fatigue" card.

Yu Fei's ideas are obviously different from those of his team members.

He does like DPOY.

After all, he has won all the awards before. MVP? So many that a cabinet can't hold them all. What do you need so many for? Any more will overflow. DPOY is still fresh.

What a man over 30 needs most is freshness.

So, Yu Fei congratulated Durant on Twitter on the day he won the award, and then attached a photo of his DPOY trophy, saying, "Obviously we all got what we wanted."

Just such a simple tweet caused Yu Fei to be subject to a lot of speculation from the outside world.

Haters see this as evidence that Reebok and Nike manipulated the awards.

The media believed that GOAT was very satisfied with the result.

But Durant, who benefited from the "aesthetic fatigue" of the GOAT, did not thank the media at all. He still said to the media who asked stupid questions: "I hope you think about your questions carefully before you speak."

This kind of contempt for the fourth estate may not show any effect in the short term, but in the long run it will have an impact on one's personal reputation.

Then, the semifinals hit.

Los Angeles fans are happy because both the Clippers and Lakers semifinals will be held at the Staples Center.

Ever since the Clippers started to gain momentum, a fun game has emerged in the Los Angeles derby, which is to count the number of fans from both teams at the Staples Center on game night.

In Yu Fei's first year with the Clippers, Lakers fans clearly had the upper hand.

But the number of Clippers fans has been increasing as the season progressed. Until this season, the number of Clippers fans has gradually reached the same level as the Lakers. In the last two games of the regular season, the number of Clippers fans present exceeded that of Lakers fans.

Tonight, the ratio of Clippers fans to Lakers fans at the scene is 6:4.

The changes in the fan base can show the difference in the two teams' upward momentum.

"If Lakers fans want to see your total points surpass Karl Malone next season, you have to trade Melo," Yu Fei "kindly" reminded.

Kobe Bryant sarcastically asked back: "The game hasn't even started yet, and you're already thinking about next season? Don't you have confidence in yourself?"

"No." Yu Fei replied with a smile, "For you, the sooner you consider next season, the better. It's good for you to prepare for the offseason in advance."

Kobe snorted coldly and casually said the classic line: "Don't think you are safe!"

However, this time he said this not in the promotional video for the 2019 Men's Basketball World Cup, so it felt a little off.

After that, without much chit-chat, the two sides quickly squared off and had a high-scoring showdown at the Staples Center.

The Lakers' game plan was actually correct. Their defensive resources were really limited, and Anthony's defensive performance was like a blind draw, changing every day. Gasol's defense had obvious limitations of the times, which was exposed by Yu Fei in the Imperial Battle that year. As for Kobe, at the age of 37, he can no longer go all out on both offense and defense like he did when he was young. Now Kobe can either focus on offense or "direct traffic" on defense.

The Lakers' only defensive spearhead is Tony Allen. As a short defensive expert at the No. 2 position, he can have an impact on individual players, but he cannot support the entire team's defensive system like an inside defensive core.

Therefore, scoring became the only option for the Lakers, but the biggest problem with this plan was that they had far fewer scoring points than the Clippers. So when Kobe and Anthony's physical fitness began to decline, the suspense of the game disappeared.

In the third quarter, the Clippers only led by 6 points, but Kobe and Anthony missed shots and the Lakers made another pass error. The Clippers seized the opportunity, made two chasing three-pointers and a defensive counterattack dunk, instantly widening the gap to 14 points.

From then on, the Lakers' momentum gradually dissipated. In the end, the Clippers easily won their first victory.

"The Lakers are still a team that deserves our attention," Yu Fei said meaningfully. "Kobe is the most dangerous veteran I have ever seen. Few people can maintain such a top level at his age."

The media naturally would not let go of this topic and immediately asked: "So, who has lost their top level at this age?"

"A lot of people." Yu Fei did not answer directly, "A lot of people."

Although Yu Fei did not name anyone, the public naturally pointed the finger at Jordan.

Jordan was not idle either, and soon found a way to make Yu Fei "unhappy". Of course, this could just be a coincidence.

In 1997, current league commissioner Adam Silver, who was in charge of the NBA's entertainment department at the time, sent a film crew to follow the Bulls throughout the 1997-98 season, using the most advanced photographic equipment at the time, aiming to provide high-quality material for the future documentary about that great team.

Later, "X-Force Jordan" used some of the content, but according to the NBA Entertainment Department, the total length of the material reached 2 hours.

A few years ago, to be exact, the year when Yu Fei won his seventh championship, officially surpassed Jordan in honors and was crowned GOAT, the NBA announced that it would launch a 1998-episode documentary about the 10 Bulls team called "The Last Dance."

Now, NBA Entertainment has announced that the documentary will premiere this summer, and the trailer for the documentary will premiere globally before the second game between the Clippers and the Lakers.

Today, Jordan's status as the "vice GOAT" is as solid as Yu Fei's status as the "real GOAT", and there is basically no dispute.

This situation cannot be changed by a documentary. Jordan's basketball achievements have been settled, but Yu Fei is still accumulating new honors, and the foundation of GOAT will only become more and more solid.

The only significance of this documentary is probably that it once again sparked a wave of GOAT debate on the Internet and made Yu Fei feel a little unhappy.

But what Jordan didn't know was that Yu Fei had already watched too many documentaries like this before he became who he is now, and he was not worried at all that it would have any substantial impact on his status.

If nothing unexpected happens, Jordan will eventually turn this documentary into a classic like "The Long and Stuffy Version of Extreme Jordan" or "I'll Tell You All About Jordan's Life from Childhood to Adulthood in Ten Episodes". By the way, because the documentary says that Pippen was selfish and broke down Pippen's defense, Pippen's autobiography may be published ahead of schedule.

Of course, this is all Yu Fei’s way of looking at the documentary from the perspective of his personal feud with Jordan.

For the sports world and those who lived through the Jordan era, "The Last Dance" still has something to offer.

Before the second game between the Clippers and the Lakers, Kobe's attention was always on the big screen at the scene.

"You're not really interested in this, are you?" Yu Fei looked at him in surprise.

Kobe said, "Why not? You, the Generation Y, will never understand what MJ meant to my generation."

"I think even he himself doesn't understand what he means to your generation." Yu Fei said with a faint smile.

Just like Yu Fei himself doesn’t know what his rule over the past decade means to Generation Z (people born between 1995 and 2010).

Then, the documentary began, a standard documentary show about European and American celebrities.

From NBA legends to media celebrities to political giants.

Probably dozens of heavyweights were interviewed.

When Kobe appeared in the video, cheers broke out at the scene.

The documentary specifically released Kobe's key words about Jordan's influence on him.

"A lot of people talk about who's the better player, me or Mike, and they really don't understand anything. Without Mike, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Then, Yu Fei remembered this matter that he had long forgotten.

Although Phil Jackson, the charlatan, spread many rumors out of thin air, saying that Kobe rudely asked for a one-on-one match with Jordan when he first met him, Kobe insisted that it was Jackson's artistic creation. However, it is easy to spread rumors but difficult to dispel them.

Out of 100 people who heard this story, less than 10 knew that Kobe had refuted the rumor.

Even fewer people know that Kobe has denied the rumors and believe him.

However, thinking about Kobe's praise for Jordan in the documentary, it is not difficult to imagine how much he respects Jordan in private.

"I can't believe you said that." Yu Fei said, "Just for what you said, we have to win by 20 points tonight!"

Kobe scoffed, "You do look a bit like him."

"For what you said, you will lose 40 points!"

Of course, this is just a pre-match boast.

The Lakers are not a weak team, and the Clippers are not strong enough to easily beat a semifinal-level team.

But this series of preparations and the influence on the sidelines did make Yu Fei full of energy in the game. On the contrary, Kobe, who watched the trailer, failed to find his touch tonight.

This is the inevitable fate of veterans.

The 37-year-old veterans on the court are like white-haired old men in real life. Sometimes they can burst out with strong energy, and sometimes they are extremely weak.

Without their athleticism, over-reliance on technique can lead to their performance being determined entirely by their shooting touch that night.

So, they're going to have some good games and they're going to have some bad games.

Tonight just happened to be Kobe's bad night.

Yu Fei, on the other hand, was like a killing god. He beat Kobe, defended Anthony, and then continued to hurt the Lakers' inside players in the low post.

Gasol, the weakest player among the Lakers' Big Three, suddenly became the team's patron saint.

But this guardian angel itself has flaws. Once the Clippers start making three-pointers, the Lakers' defeat is inevitable.

Then, the Clippers will go on the "away" to challenge the Lakers.

This is an "away game" that can be reached without taking a plane.

In the third game of the derby, the Lakers finally showed the strength that fans wanted to see.

Especially Kobe, who scored 8 points in the first quarter and 19 points in the first half, and the Clippers tied with the Lakers.

At the beginning of the third quarter, star players from both sides performed well one after another.

Yao Ming's three-pointer and back-to-the-basket, Thompson's consecutive three-pointers, Antetokounmpo's strong take-off and slam dunk from outside the three-point line, and Anthony's dominant 20 points in a single quarter.

When Anthony broke out, Yu Fei responded with 11 points in a row.

The two sides were evenly matched and the score remained tied until the end of the third quarter.

The more intense the game between the Clippers and the Lakers, the more heated the atmosphere.

The hostility between the fans began to erupt.

Although they are teams from the same city, Lakers fans have a deep-rooted contempt for the Clippers, and Clippers fans have long resented this feeling of being discriminated against.

This game provided an outlet for venting, with fans of both teams frequently verbally abusing each other at the scene. If it weren't for proper security, something more intense would have happened.

When the fourth quarter came, Kobe seemed to have recovered.

He went straight to the low post and asked for the ball continuously to attack, as if he was back to the age of 27. He made a turnaround jump shot, a step-back jump shot, a fake layup after a slam dunk, and a fake move to dribble and layup. This was a live demonstration of a shooting guard's low-post offensive kaleidoscope.

Yu Fei withstood Anthony's outburst in the third quarter and also took on Kobe's attack in the fourth quarter.

Kobe scored a goal in the low post, and Yu Fei returned a goal in the high post.

In the last minute of the game, Yu Fei made an incredible fake shot one meter outside the three-point line, then changed direction and stepped back to shoot a long three-pointer that hit the backboard.

The Clippers fans at the scene have gone crazy.

However, 10 seconds later, Kobe received the ball in the corner, turned around and made a fatal three-pointer, and Antetokounmpo's block almost reached his face.

The hearts of Lakers fans hung in the air with that ball, and the process seemed to take ten thousand years - and then, the ball went in.

Kobe's tense expression finally relaxed. He let out a long sigh and said to Fei, "Tonight, the goddess of victory is on my side."

The Lakers took the lead at the last minute.

Only 1.4 seconds left.

But is it true that the goddess of victory is on your side?

The Clippers requested the final timeout. Rivers stared at the tactical board with a confused look. When he was about to call Yu Fei's name, Yu Fei had already taken the tactical board and decisively drew the tactics: "That's it, give me the ball, I'll send them home!"

"Kobe, do you know how much can happen in 1.4 seconds?"

Those were the last words Yu Fei said to Kobe before the game ended.

Then, there was Yao Ming's screen, Antetokounmpo's screen, and then Thompson passed the ball.

Yu Fei jumped up at the top of the arc to catch the ball. He did not adjust at all after landing. Obviously, Anthony had rushed in front of him, but he still forced himself to jump up and shot the ball with a high arc directly in the opponent's face!
1.4 seconds can do a lot on the court.

But it only takes a moment.

Moment.

It was like a nuclear bomb exploded.

“Swish!!!!!!!”

"BENG! BENG!!! Fry Yu scored the buzzer beater against the Lakers in the last 1.4 seconds! The Clippers took a 3-0 lead in the series!!!"

Mike Breen's voice could not penetrate the noisy crowd.

Yu Fei turned around as usual, but his teammates rushed towards him like crazy.

Clippers fans worshipped what is arguably the greatest shot in team history with the fervor of a religious belief.

"!@#￥!￥"

One party’s revelry is another party’s extreme pain.

The Lakers stared at the court in a daze, almost unable to believe what they were seeing.

Kobe didn't know whether he was extremely angry or furious, but the emotion that had brewed to the extreme made him laugh.

Anthony's eyes widened in dissatisfaction.

Kobe just shook his head.

If the other side wins with this kind of performance, you just have to accept the result.

This is what Kobe wants his teammates to understand, but it's not that easy.

It's really not easy.

Not only Kobe, but also Anthony, their generation is under the shadow of Fei.

This shadow is so big that he would be extremely happy if he could win against Yu Fei.

Tonight they were only one step away from victory, but like a soldier who fell on the eve of victory, they were knocked down by a stray bullet from the enemy and could never stand up again.

At the scene, Greg Sager, a well-known media person who was seriously ill but still insisted on working, came to Yu Fei and asked, "What were you thinking at the moment of the buzzer beater?"

"I don't think about anything. I've been through this too many times." Yu Fei tried not to sound too conceited, but it was still hard to avoid being interpreted as arrogance. "This is my life."

What kind of person can have such an eventful life?
Sager recalled the draft night 14 years ago when he also interviewed Yu Fei. At that time, he seemed just as calm.

Seeing that Sager was momentarily distracted, Yu Fei asked with a smile: "Greg, are you okay?"

"It's OK." Sage replied, "Thank you for your concern."

Yu Fei said: "I hope to see you in the finals this year."

Sager has been an NBA reporter for 30 years, but he has never personally reported on the Finals, which is a regret in his heart.

Yu Fei's words made him feel helpless.

“I hope you can make it to the finals, too.”

"Yes." Yu Fei said confidently, "No one can stop me. If you have faith, no one can stop you either."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Fei prepared to leave.

At this moment, a fan suddenly shouted at him: "Frye, please, give me an autograph!"

Yu Fei looked over and found it was a boy.

So he took off his jersey and handed it to the boy personally, "This may be more meaningful than an autograph."

The boy was so excited that he almost fainted, and Yu Fei then walked through the crowd and left.

From a distance, Sager witnessed this scene.

He often wondered what kind of person the greatest athlete of our time was.

Is he the cold-blooded "bastard" who crushed his opponents' dreams countless times on the field, or the kind-hearted friend who just cared about him? Or is he the perfect idol who cares about the fans?

Sag's vision was a little blurry, but he noticed the legendary tattoo on Yu Fei's back.

The Chosen One
He is not who you think he is, he is just the chosen one.

(End of this chapter)