When pride still matters

Chapter 606 The Ninth Ascent

"Before the game started, I was only worried about one thing, and that was our mentality."

After winning Game 1 of the Finals, Doc Rivers said: "It turns out that I was overthinking. We are indeed a young team, but we have no less experience in the Finals than Miami."

The media then asked about Yao Ming's performance.

Because after Yao Ming had a disastrous performance in the first quarter, Rivers directly let him go to the second half.

In this regard, Rivers said: "Miami is a special place for Yao. It is difficult for him not to invest more personal emotions, but you can see that he has adjusted in the second half."

Since the start of the playoffs, Yu Fei, who has been in increasingly hot form, has attracted much attention from the media.

They wanted to know what made Yu Fei perform so well.

Yu Fei simply said: "I haven't won the championship for two years, I miss it."

The Los Angeles Times quoted Yu Fei the next day and wrote: "This is what the man who has won eight championships in the past 14 years said. I think this pure desire for a championship reflects from the side why the Clippers are so special in the Frye era. It also proves why Frye can lead every team he is on to success - oh, DC, this is not directed at you."

However, the Heat were not discouraged.

In the second game that followed, they learned from the Warriors' advanced experience, using unlimited switching and zone defense to limit Antetokounmpo's breakthroughs and Yao Ming's low-post offense to the greatest extent, forcing them to play one-on-one with the ball.

The Warriors died in the crucial battle because of Yu Fei's singles.

Why did the Heat dare to do this? It's not that they are not afraid of GOAT, but compared with other options, singles is the most fair choice for both sides. Moreover, the Heat have more singles players than the Clippers.

Curry, Wade and Butler can all play one-on-one with the ball.

Anyone who has watched the Warriors and Rockets series in the main timeline will be impressed by the scene where the two teams, after struggling in the playoffs, gave up complex tactics and let their stars score in various singles.

It's like after the nuclear powers destroy each other, the survivors return to primitive society and continue the war with sticks and stones.

The Heat did not give up hope. Curry played well in the second game, and Wade's weak-side singles also brought difficulties to the Clippers.

However, with the advantage of home court and rebounding, the Clippers completed consecutive secondary attacks at critical moments and defended their home court with a difference of 2 points.

This was undoubtedly a thrilling game.

"They did what they were supposed to do, and now it's our turn," Curry said.

Historically, the team that takes the lead 2-0 has a high probability of winning the championship, but as long as it is not 100%, it does not mean anything.

On the road, the home advantage returned to Miami.

The league does not want the finals to be one-sided, so the Heat got all the conveniences they deserve at home.

The result of these conveniences is that the Heat are more comfortable dealing with Yao Ming, more casual in compressing Antetokounmpo's space, and by exerting harsh defensive pressure, forcing the Clippers to rely on the individual abilities of their stars to solve problems.

However, the destructive power of Curry's three-pointer became more prominent after he took over.

In the third game, the Clippers kept the score close at halftime, but Curry made several three-pointers in the fourth quarter and eventually fell behind 1-2.

The fourth scene that followed had almost the same script.

Yao Ming had the advantage in the interior, but was too much of a target on the outside.

The Clippers' defensive resources can cover Yao Ming when facing most teams.

But facing the Heat, a team with many ball handlers and three-point shooters, Yao Ming's long-standing problem of defending pick-and-rolls could not be stopped.

The Clippers are obsessed with the space and positioning that Yao Ming brings, and also rely on his rim protection ability, but the benefits of these abilities have become less and less obvious in the two games in Miami.

Curry plays in a way that is enough to destroy traditional inside players.

This is no longer a question of whether Yao Ming should transform or not.

Just like he was unable to restrict Liu Yudong in his early years in the CBA, his height is there and his lateral speed is naturally limited, which is his unsolvable weakness.

In a game at the level of the finals, it always comes down to who can better exploit the opponent's relative weaknesses.

The Clippers can use the advantages of home court to solve these problems at home, but on the road, the problems will be magnified.

After losing again in Game 4, the score was tied, and calls for the Heat to win their third consecutive championship emerged.

Criticism of the Clippers from the outside world has gradually become fierce.

Bill Simmons, who had been silent for a long time, brought up his curse again.

"Frye's transformation of the Clippers is nothing short of miraculous, but in recent games we can clearly see that something is changing," Simmons said. "The Clippers' deep-rooted ominous signs have already appeared!"

The Clippers have a problem.

That is, Yao Ming is a big man who can protect the rim and shoot three-pointers, and there is no dominant power forward to take care of the rest.

In Yu Fei's vision, this is the job of peak Antetokounmpo.

Until Antetokounmpo grew up, whether it was Yu Fei or others playing with Yao Ming in the interior, there were shortcomings of one kind or another.

In the West, no team can directly target this.

But the Heat are different.

Because Stephen Curry is the son of the small ball era.

This era, which should have been started by him, was started by Yu Fei 10 years ahead of time. Although he lost the reputation he deserved, he also reduced the time for trial and error by a few years accordingly.

From the moment he entered the league, he knew he was perfect for this era.

Six years later, he has replaced Wade and firmly established himself as the leader of the Heat.

Facing his old teammate Yao Ming, his stranglehold on the pick-and-roll was brutal.

He gave the Clippers a painful issue, that is, they must admit that facing the Heat, the benefits brought by Yao Ming's effectiveness cannot offset the disadvantages on the defensive end.

This is hard to point out.

Because Yao Ming was a center who was selected to the first team for three consecutive years, Yu Fei was his good friend, and Rivers was known for his slow reaction.

But even if Rivers reacts quickly, so what? Few coaches have the courage to change the tactical position of a superstar who has been selected for three consecutive games during the finals.

Yu Fei knew where the problem lay, but he didn't think that was the biggest problem.

Of course, the situation would be easier to resolve if the problem could be addressed directly.

Just like the Sonics treated Bosh, they treated Yao Ming.

But there are also depths in the friendship between gentlemen. Yu Fei and Yao Ming have been friends for more than ten years, and he cannot ignore the other party's feelings and speak out the problem directly. Therefore, he can only start to solve this problem from other ways - this way must start with Antetokounmpo.

Yu Fei wanted to push Antetokounmpo to the four position again, just like he did against the Warriors, so that he could control the ball.

Just when Yu Fei was about to give Rivers some advice, Yao Ming couldn't help it.

“Doug, am I the problem with the team?”

When the pig-headed coach heard this, his face was full of astonishment: "Oh my God, of course not!"

"You're lying!" Yao Ming immediately looked at Yu Fei, "Tell me, am I the team's problem?!"

Yu Fei was stunned for a moment and replied: "That's ambiguous. I think you are not the team's problem in most cases, otherwise you would not be selected for the best team."

"Why are you being so shy? If there's a problem, just tell me. I can't defend Curry, I can't handle the pick-and-roll, they're chasing me now, I can't solve this problem, I'm the problem!"

Yao Ming seemed very angry, as if someone had pointed out his shortcomings to his face.

But, he said these himself.

Everyone was very surprised.

Yu Fei asked: "What do you want the coaching staff to do?"

"We should do whatever works! We can't keep going in circles!" Yao Ming shouted, "For the championship, I'm the first one to start with. I have no objection!"

Yao Ming's expression reminded Yu Fei of the defeat in the 2019 Men's Basketball World Cup. Reporters asked the chubby Chairman Yao who would take responsibility. He replied seriously: I will take responsibility!
Putting aside the media's wrong image of Yao Ming as a "good guy", and putting aside the Internet's emoticon culture's humorous deconstruction of Yao Ming, he has always been such a person.

You can trust him when the serious moments are really needed.

Just like in the national team, when a teammate refused to accept the criticism from a foreign coach and wanted to leave the video analysis room, he threatened: If you dare to leave, don't even think about returning to the national team. When teammates were lax in the local Olympic training camp, he severely reprimanded them and reminded them to think about whether they were doing the right thing for those who didn't have the opportunity to represent the national team. What if the problem was with him? When he was attacked by netizens for his poor performance, he would say: "You didn't play well, so you blame others?"

That's who he is.

"Then," Yu Fei said, "you'll be on the bench in the next game."

Yao Ming replied: "No problem."

Rivers only realized it after Yu Fei and Yao Ming had a talk.

Hearing that Yao Ming was willing to be a substitute, Rivers felt like it was a dream.

He has been in this industry for decades, so he knows that stars are vain, and starting is a symbol of status. For some people, it is better to retire than not being able to start.

At this critical moment in the finals, giving up the starting position means conveying to the world: this person is the problem of the team, and it is better for us to take him out of the starting lineup.

You know, there are many people outside who think that Yao Ming is overrated.

It would be personally detrimental to him. That's Ubuntu.

Rivers found that his coaching philosophy was proven again.

If Yao Ming is willing to be a substitute, the rest of the work will be easy.

Rivers decisively pushed Yu Fei to the center position, promoted Nine-Finger Green from the bench to the starting lineup, and let Jefferson play the power forward position.

The Heat likes super small lineups? Then let's see whose small lineup is better.

However, the Clippers' small lineup does not look small.

Antetokounmpo, who was controlling the ball, was the tallest player in the court, and Yu Fei, who was at the center position, was the second tallest player in the court.

Back at home in the decisive battle, the Clippers also responded to the Heat with unlimited switching defense.

Now, the Heat have a lot to consider.

With this change in the Clippers' lineup, there is no obvious defensive weakness on the field, and it will not be easy no matter who is targeted.

But when it was the Clippers' turn to attack, things were different.

Curry and Love are both candidates for mention.

Putting Yu Fei at the center position was actually a bit of a waste of his offensive talent, but it revitalized the entire team from the core part of the court.

The Miami Heat lost their aim under the Clippers' suffocating and unlimited switching defense and had the lowest single-game shooting percentage since the start of the Finals.

Yu Fei blew Love into a miserable state in the interior. As long as he was matched up against Love, he could show off his offensive skills. Even if the Heat let Butler match up against him, his low-post offense was still effective.

Once the Heat try to use double-teaming to limit Yu Fei, they will miss on the wing.

This is a typical small ball era matchup.

Neither side has a traditional big man.

Relying on a very small lineup and using skills to play singles in an almost harsh space.

After watching this scene, Yao Ming, who was sitting in the stands, really felt that the times were getting further and further away from him.

He had a feeling that this was the true face of the space basketball era.

Even if traditional big men adapt to the needs of the times and develop various technologies, they still require very strict personnel support.

The Clippers had a problem with their supporting system, so the Heat took advantage of this in the first two games and beat them hard. Now he just replaced Antetokounmpo and let Yu Fei play the five position, and the trend of the game completely turned to the Clippers.

The Heat, like the Clippers, began to suffer from being blown up in the paint.

A player like Love seems weak in defense when playing at the four position, let alone playing at the five position. As long as the opponent's inside line is comprehensive enough and has considerable mobility and offensive capabilities, there is no way to talk about defense in the inside line.

Tonight, Yao Ming only appeared in the transition period, played for 21 minutes, and finally got 16 points and 5 rebounds.

At first glance, the data is not much different from when he started, but the reduced playing time and the fact that the opponent did not have a full main lineup actually gave Yao Ming the opportunity to travel during peak hours, while also putting more pressure on the Heat's substitutes.

These small changes within the big changes put the Heat further into a dead end.

Until the end of the game, they didn't know how to create a breakthrough.

Curry is still the miracle boy who holds the key to the era, but calling him a miracle is precisely because he deserves praise for being able to grow to this point without outstanding physical talents.

The main problem with his lack of talent is that when his touch leaves him, he can't do much more.

Although Wade can play, he has declined a lot compared to his peak period. Butler has just started to gain momentum and has not yet grown to his best form.

This game exposed the key problem of the Heat. They need a superstar-level power forward to take on some of the firepower output.

But now, it is impossible for them to create such a person out of thin air.

Since you don’t have it, you can only lose.

114 is better than 98
The Clippers won the decisive battle and are only one step away from the first championship trophy in team history.

“How long does a miserable team have to wait before it can have a sweet ending?”

Mike Breen said as the game ended.

This sentence touched Jerry West who was present.

After losing so many finals by a hair's breadth, he finally won the 1972 championship. But was that championship sweet? He himself didn't know how to describe the feeling.

So, what about the Clippers?

Is this sweet?

West saw the excitement on the players' faces, the Greeks cheering, Yao Ming smiling as he accepted the interview, and Yu Fei said like a true leader: "It's not time to celebrate yet!"

It's not sweet, they are not the generation that experienced hardship.

The Clippers' difficulties began in the 80s. A generation has passed, and the tortured fans have already lived through a third of their lives.

But it’s not about the players.

In the NBA, where the average career is only five years, this is just an ordinary year.

However, the media will create a great narrative for the year.

Two days later

The Clippers travel to Miami.

They had suffered two consecutive defeats here before, but this time, Yu Fei said before the game that he had never played a game seven in the finals before and did not intend to play this time.

At the start of the game, both sides still fought with small lineups.

But the Clippers' small lineup is fake.

They have the 210-centimeter Antetokounmpo and the 206-centimeter Yu Fei, and, apart from these two, the other three starters are all over two meters tall.

The Heat are truly small ball.

Curry found his touch at home, but he couldn't hit the Clippers as hard as he did in the previous two home games.

Because they couldn't rebound.

This is the fatal drawback of a small lineup.

When they get going, no one can stop them and no team can keep up.

But on the other hand, if they can't grab the rebounds, they won't have enough counterattack opportunities, let alone speed up.

In the Clippers' small lineup, the big men grabbed a number of rebounds tonight that made the Heat desperate.

The Clippers led by 10 points at the end of the first half. This suffocating pressure hung over the Miami players until halfway through the fourth quarter, when Yu Fei's three-pointer widened the gap to 19 points.

The Miami players, unable to hold back, were the first to leave.

These are the legendary Heat fans. They will not give the home team a chance to give up the game, because before that moment comes, they will be the first to choose to give up.

The fans' departure undoubtedly shattered the Heat's will to resist.

In the last few minutes, the game became a one-sided harvest for the Clippers.

Rivers brought on Yao Ming, who made a major concession in the series and deserved to enjoy this moment.

When Yu Fei handed over to Yao Ming, Yao Ming found that half of the audience had left, which made his pleasure of revenge drop sharply. He suddenly realized that leaving this group of fans might be a good thing.

But seriously, he likes Miami and likes Miami's taxes even more... He won anyway, although he didn't play a key role, but this is a world where choice is greater than effort.

Soon, the final whistle sounded.

The season's scores were frozen on the electronic display screen at the American Airlines Center.

111 is better than 95
For the Clippers, this was a genesis moment.

Since Donald Sterling moved the team from San Diego to Los Angeles in the 80s, they have experienced countless heartbreaks, countless failures, countless humiliations and countless ridicules.

Yu Fei stood on the sidelines, watching his teammates celebrate, with a calm heart. He didn't know how to savor this moment.

This has happened eight times, what reason is there to celebrate the ninth time?
Fei stood on the sidelines, watching his teammates revel in the excitement, but his heart was calm. He didn't know how to savor this moment, as the shadow of eight defeats still haunted him.

"Frye, be happy, we won!" Rivers' voice sounded like a war drum, "Baby, we are the fucking world champions!"

"This is the most impossible achievement in the history of professional basketball since 1980!" he continued excitedly, "You did it!"

Yu Fei smiled.

As it should be.

This is not only Bill Walton's unfulfilled dream, but also the glory that Ron Harper and Danny Manning desire, and the peak that Elton Brand cannot reach.

After 35 years, they finally arrived here, and the glory of victory penetrated the fog of history. What could be greater and more moving than this moment?

(End of this chapter)