When pride still matters

Chapter 622 I Hope

There is a sense of tension in the Clippers' training camp, mainly coming from two young men who seem to have endless energy.

There is a direct rivalry between Antetokounmpo and Jokic.

Since the Greek entered the team a year earlier than the Serbian, he naturally had an East Asian-style sense of superiority based on seniority. However, the Serbian showed a clear attitude from the beginning that he had no intention of participating in the so-called competition.

The Greeks didn't believe this. In their opinion, as long as you play in the NBA, there will be competition, whether it is within the team or outside the team. Jokic is a rising star that the GOAT has high hopes for, and even Yao Ming is willing to give up his starting position to help him get promoted. With such treatment, how can the Greeks not suspect that he is also secretly striving for a higher position?
As a result, the competition between the two sides is often initiated by Antetokounmpo, and Jokic counterattacks. This summer, after the offseason training, Antetokounmpo looks like a young lion who has built up absolute confidence in a long wandering, and can't wait to invade the old lion's territory and declare his dominance.

In contrast, Jokic does not have the "only one" mentality of dominance. But like all top competitors, he has an unstoppable desire to win. As long as Antetokounmpo challenges him, he will definitely fight back with all his strength, and the battle on the court is fierce.

Yao Ming always watched the competition between these young people with great interest as a bystander.

"If I had such an opponent when I was young, my achievements would definitely be higher than they are now," Yao Ming sighed.

Yu Fei jokingly asked: "Is it that Lao Wang didn't abuse you harshly enough, or that the Bayi team didn't win enough games against you?"

Yao Ming said angrily: "Come on! I came to the United States only after I led my team to beat them and won the championship!"

Yu Fei reminded: "Just a reminder, the team you beat was the Bayi team that let Lao Wang play in the NBA, not the complete team."

I remember that one of the conditions for the Shanghai team to release Yao Ming was to let him lead the team to win the championship. Fortunately, Wang Zhizhi left after 2001. If he had stayed, the Shanghai team would definitely not have won the 2002 CBA championship.

At that time, Yao Ming will have no choice but to play the "I will retire if you don't let me go" card.

It’s embarrassing just thinking about it.

"The Bayi team was really strong during those years."

"now what?"

"Surviving tenaciously in the CBA."

Yu Fei asked again: "Is Lao Wang still fighting?"

"I'm basically retired, all that's left is the official announcement."

Then they dropped the subject.

The confrontation on the field was finally won by Jokic's white team.

After the game, Antetokounmpo kicked the ball hard against the distant wall, full of anger. "If you guys don't want to play, don't play!" He severely reprimanded Siakam, who made frequent mistakes in training, "If you keep playing like this, you might as well go back to Africa!"

In fact, Antetokounmpo wins most of the practice matches with Jokic because his teammates are usually better, while Jokic is casual about choosing teammates. He doesn't care about winning or losing the practice matches, but pays more attention to the direct confrontation with Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo is completely different. His desire to win is almost obsessive - whether it is a formal game or training, he must win. Losing will make him extremely annoyed, especially losing to a competitor like Jokic.

"Giannis, that's not what a leader should say," veteran Richard Jefferson interjected.

Although Antetokounmpo has a strong sense of his status, he has always respected the veterans.

"What should I say?" Antetokounmpo asked.

"You should examine your own problems first," Jefferson said calmly. "If we lose, Frye will never put the blame on the person with the worst performance. As a leader, you must be responsible for everything."

Antetokounmpo turned and looked at GOAT, hoping to get more guidance from him.

Yu Fei said calmly: "Maybe you can try to be an irresponsible but still successful leader. Maybe that will make you the most unique person in history."

阿德托昆博没有回应。他转身去查看比赛数据：他在这场训练赛中拿下了18分、8个篮板和4次助攻，而西亚卡姆仅7投2中，得到6分、3次助攻和1次盖帽。

Why should the best performers be held accountable for the worst performers?
He wanted to raise questions, but ultimately chose to apologize to Siakam.

As for Jokic, as soon as the training game ended, he stepped aside and drank Coke by himself. Rivers was furious when he saw it and severely reprimanded this player who could never follow the dietary rules.

"If I don't even have the right to drink Coke to celebrate after defeating Giannis, then what's the meaning of life!" Jokic protested loudly.

Antetokounmpo was furious when he heard this: "You didn't even beat me!"

"45 to 40!" Jokic immediately reported the score of the training game.

Yao Ming was laughing so hard that he almost couldn't breathe.

"You should play for a few more years," Yao Ming said to Fei with a smile, "Without you, these two will definitely fight among themselves!"

Yu Fei asked seriously: "Do you know why the OK Band finally split up?"

"Just because of our incompatibility of personalities." Yao Ming answered casually.

"It's because O'Neal is not only unprofessional, but also relies on his seniority and even has racist tendencies, which is really disgusting." Yu Fei explained with a ulterior motive.

Yao Ming complained: "Racism is certainly wrong, but their falling out should not have much to do with this, right?"

"If Kobe was the older one in OK, this problem wouldn't exist." Yu Fei continued, "Don't you think the current situation is very similar to these two people?"

Hearing this, Yao Ming turned around and looked carefully at Antetokounmpo and Jokic. Antetokounmpo does have a strong sense of ownership. From an early stage, he set his ambition to become a leader like Frye. Therefore, he regarded Jokic as a serious threat.

However, Jokic does not have so many ambitions. He just inadvertently showed unique skills and basketball IQ, plus a pair of hands that can accomplish anything on the court-plus a natural desire to win, so that he can always put pressure on Antetokounmpo on the court.

These two people seem to be incompatible, but in fact their relationship is one of healthy competition.

"So, you really plan to retire after this season?" Yao Ming suddenly asked.

"I didn't say that." Yu Fei replied.

This was the first time since the training camp started that someone directly asked Yu Fei whether he would retire after the end of this season, and he gave an uncertain answer.

But Yao Ming will never be the last person to ask this question. Before a definite answer comes out, the media will continue to ask.

At the media day shortly afterwards, the question "Is this your last season?" was repeated no less than ten times.

When Yu Fei finally lost his patience, he responded coldly: "Why, do you want to arrange a retirement tour for me?"

No matter how the media asked, they could not get a definite answer, because even Yu Fei himself did not know the answer yet.

Rivers saw Yu Fei's dissatisfaction and smoothed things over before the reporter could further anger him: "Frye is not TD (Duncan)." Rivers said, "I believe he will give us a chance to say goodbye properly."

What Rivers didn't know was that Duncan's way of retirement was the most ideal way of retirement in Yu Fei's mind.

In the last year of your career, the team is still very competitive. The media speculates that you will retire, but they don’t care much whether you will really retire. Only when you announce your retirement decision will they express regret.

This low-key attitude continued throughout Duncan's career.

However, players like Yu Fei are destined not to leave peacefully.

The NBA has always had a tradition of holding farewell ceremonies for players who define an era.

Havlicek in 1978, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1989, and Jordan in 2003 are no different.

Soon after, the training camp ended.

The Clippers travel to Las Vegas for a preseason game.

During the preseason, Derrick Rose, the former son of the Windy City, finally decided to join the New York Knicks on a minimum salary after much hesitation.

This is undoubtedly a disillusioning decision.

In the early 2010s, Rose was the most promising new star in the league. But now, while his peers such as Westbrook and Love are in their prime, Rose has withered.

Because he has suffered three ACL injuries in the past six years.

If it weren't for the advancement of modern sports medicine, his sports career would have ended ten years ago.

Although I can still play basketball now, I definitely can’t get back to my former self. I can only train hard and try my best to adapt to this rapidly changing era.

Coincidentally, the Knicks are the Clippers' first preseason opponent.

Durant may be the most frustrated person this summer.

He led his team to the finals with great difficulty, but was swept by the Clippers. Just when he was about to prepare for the next year, he learned that James had landed in Miami.

Now, it became a problem for him to even make it out of the East.

In the preseason game that night, Yu Fei played for 24 minutes and Durant played for 30 minutes.

Their attitude was so serious that the game didn't feel like a preseason game.

The Knicks want to let Durant vent his frustration, while also trying to get along with Rose.

The Clippers also need to get used to the new players.

In the second round, veteran draft pick Brogdon performed well as soon as he came on the court.

Siakam is still adapting to the NBA rhythm.

However, Curry's younger brother Seth Curry gave a surprise. He worked very hard on defense and inherited the family talent in shooting.

At the end of the game, Rivers, who had witnessed Rose’s peak, said in disbelief: “I wouldn’t trade Seth for Derek.”

"Did I actually say that?" Rivers said to his assistant coaches.

The assistant coaches said: "It's normal. Seth is in the best condition, and Derek is just trying to get back to his old feeling."

"He's gone forever," Rivers said. "He's gone."

After the game, when the reporter asked Yu Fei again whether the new season would be his last, GOAT said: "Wait until January next year, ask me this question again, then I may have an answer."

Except for the preseason game against the Knicks, the Clippers were in pure training mode in the other games.

The playing time of the main players is controlled at 24 minutes, and Rivers gives enough opportunities to the new players.

Brogdon was the best player among them.

As a rookie born in 1992, he is already 24 years old. If he does not have immediate combat effectiveness at this age, it will be impossible for him to survive in the NBA.

Fortunately, his combat effectiveness is very strong.

Siakam was a little overwhelmed by the Clippers' luxurious inside group.

There are two people in the starting lineup who he can never compete with, and there is also Yao Ming on the bench.

Then there's the all-around swingman Brandan Wright.

Rivers can give Siakam more than 15 minutes to show himself in the preseason, but in the regular season, it would be good to give him five minutes.

Since the preseason games were not about winning or losing, the Clippers even lost a game, which gave those long-time "ship haters" an opportunity to vent, questioning whether the Clippers' dominance would decline in the new season.

These discussions continued until October 10, the day of the opening game of the new season.

The league deliberately arranged the Trail Blazers as the Clippers' first opponent.

This arrangement is both thoughtful and clever - it will not disturb the Clippers' championship celebration, nor will it cause dissatisfaction among opponents because of the Clippers' championship.

Even better, there’s a story behind this.

The Trail Blazers are currently in a rebuilding period, and the most well-known player on the team is Brandon Roy, who was signed during the offseason.

Roy's departure from Seattle has become a hot topic during the offseason, even though the former All-Star has been plagued by injuries and the attention he has received is no longer as high as his peak period.

Roy originally wanted to sign a one-year, $1 million contract with the SuperSonics to see if he could continue playing, but team owner Clay Bennett refused to be a "sucker" again.

The SuperSonics were only willing to offer a three-year, $3 million contract with a team option and asked Roy to make a decision within one day.

Faced with such terms, Roy did not hesitate to switch to the Trail Blazers and signed a three-year, $3 million contract.

Roy's departure symbolizes the end of an era - under the leadership of Clay Bennett, even the son of Seattle could not have a good ending with the SuperSonics.

Roy's departure marked the complete departure of the players of the former Supersonics dynasty, and Seattle has since become Irving's territory alone.

Yu Fei had never seen Roy play basketball in his previous life, so he naturally couldn't imagine what he would look like in a Trail Blazers jersey. However, when Roy stood in front of him, he felt that the jersey was surprisingly suitable.

"Are you sure you can still fight?" Yu Fei asked with a smile.

"I didn't want to fight at first," Roy replied, "but when I saw that your annual salary broke the record of No. 23, I decided to fight until the doctor gave me a certificate of disability."

It was indeed a blessing to see Roy on the court during the 2016-17 season.

Then, the Clippers' honor ceremony began. Adam Silver personally presented them with championship rings, and the second championship banner belonging to the Clippers was raised at the Staples Center. The fans at the scene sang the "Clippers Song" loudly.

When Xiao Hua walked up to Yu Fei, he asked softly, "Are you really willing to give up all this and go home to hug your child?"

He obviously asked the wrong person. If Yu Fei was the kind of "one man, one city" player, perhaps the support of the home fans would be crucial. However, the Clippers are his fourth team. The support of the fans is certainly valuable, but it is not the most important thing.

Those players who have been around for many years understand that the love of fans is short-lived and only continuous outstanding performance can win lasting love.

No matter which team you are in, as long as you perform well, the local fans will love you.

"For the fans" is just empty talk for these wandering players.

They can fight for money and honor, but never just for the fans, even though the commercial value brought by the fans is the key to their success.

"I really would rather go home and hug my child." Yu Fei responded to the president jokingly.

Professional basketball is on the rise, and Silver knows Yu Fei's value. He hopes that he can play until he is 42 years old like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did.

How can anyone be content not to squeeze out all the value of a sports giant of this level? ;

Why did Stern's league stagnate after 1998? Because he failed to squeeze out all the value of Jordan! Jordan walked away after becoming a god, not only causing trouble during the lockout, but also doing many things that were not conducive to unity as the best player in history (GOAT).

Jordan's premature departure led directly to the NBA's slump in the early 2000s, and his comeback in 2002 was like a dark comedy - as if he felt that his image was too perfect and had to destroy it with his own hands.

Now, Yu Fei stands in front of Adam Silver, and Silver seems to finally understand Stern's helplessness when facing Jordan's retirement.

During the game that night, Brandon Roy kept recalling his glorious past in Seattle to his teammates, but every time he finished speaking, Yu Fei would always score over him.

Roy tried to regain his former form, but unfortunately, injuries had ruthlessly destroyed his competitive ability.

Roy is now a player in name only.

The Trail Blazers gave him a $6000 million contract, but at least $5500 million was for his fame and experience. However, Roy was unwilling to admit that he was no longer as good as before, so he struggled hard on the court, played 38 minutes, shot 26 times, and eventually sprained his ankle.

At this time, the Trail Blazers were already trailing by 24 points.

Yu Fei scored 36 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists in this game. He supported Roy and waited for the Blazers' team doctor to come forward.

"You are in such good shape, don't retire too early." Roy said as he was carried on a stretcher, "Play until you are 40."

He hopes Yu Fei can continue to fight until he is 36 years old.

"Then why did you want to come back?" Yu Fei asked, "If basketball hurt me like this, I would have retired long ago."

Roy didn't answer and was carried away quietly.

The outcome of the game was no longer in doubt.

Post-match interview
As Roy has been plagued by injuries in recent years, Yu Fei has played against him only a few times. This time they met again, Roy was no longer a player of the SuperSonics.

So the reporter asked, "Will it be weird to see Brandon wearing another team's jersey?"

"No," Yu Fei said, "I'm glad he left that team."

"Brandon has been affected by injuries in recent years, and the outside world is skeptical about whether he can support the intensity of NBA games. What do you think of his health problems? Do you think he can adapt?"

"I'm not a doctor, so I can't answer that question." That's all Yu Fei could answer. "I just know he's one of the best basketball players I've ever seen. I hope he can come back. I hope he doesn't come back again."

(End of this chapter)