Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

By the end of January, the All-Star voting results were in. Yu Fei, with 4.8 million votes, led by a landslide over "America's greatest hope for a center," Dwight Howard, to be crowned the vote king. In addition, Roy and Durant both made their All-Star debut as reserves for the first time in their careers. However, the voting for the Western center position generated some controversy. Center was once the NBA's greatest position, but it is now the weakest. In the Eastern Conference, Howard held the fort, followed only by Shaquille O'Neal, who had nothing but his reputation left. The Western Conference was even more dismal; aside from Yao Ming, the other centers were scrutinized and did not seem to fit the All-Star mold. Kwame Brown received 500,000 votes, ranking third in the West in the last week of voting. Just when Brown thought he was finally about to make his debut as the league's number one big man in the All-Star game, the Lakers' rookie Marc Gasol killed off his chances in the last few days. Seattle's media strongly questioned the fairness of the voting, as it seemed improbable for Little Gasol, a Spanish rookie who has just arrived in the United States, to have such high popularity. If there was any manipulation behind the scenes, it would only mean that the league didn't want to see a big man with averages of 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block in the All-Star game. With rule changes and the prevalence of carnival basketball, the league no longer has the soil for traditional centers to thrive. The problem is that from the AAU youth training in the United States to Europe's entire training system, they are still accustomed to nurturing traditional centers who play standing up. The change in youth training concepts and talent selection often takes even longer. In the foreseeable next five years, the weakness of the center position will only intensify. That's why NBA fans will see DeAndre Jordan briefly become the league's number one center. "Big Fei, it looks like I will never get to play in the All-Star game in my lifetime." After missing out on selection, Brown appeared somewhat dejected. This man, who proclaimed himself the number one big man, suddenly faced reality. "It's not your loss," Yu Fei said, "it's the loss of All-Star Weekend." The last battle before All-Star Weekend was the Supersonics' home rematch against the Lakers. In last year's Christmas Game, Kobe scored 50 points but lost narrowly; after the game, he told Yu Fei that he wanted to score 60 points in their next encounter. But 60 points isn't that easy to come by. Especially not when George Karl wouldn't allow Kobe to do whatever he wanted. That night, the Supersonics tightened their restrictions on Kobe, forcing him to pass the opportunity to his teammates. Artest played with the force of a bulldozer, one after another. However, the Lakers' lineup problems were exposed in their second meeting with the Supersonics. Without Little O, the twin towers of Bynum and Little Gasol had issues with both mobility and sweeping capabilities. Facing the Supersonics' pick-and-roll offense, the Lakers' twin towers were often reduced to directing traffic inside the free-throw line. This vulnerability became the Lakers' death knell. The pick-and-roll cooperation between Yu Fei, Roy, and Durant was like a relentless tide of fierce firepower. Kobe's outburst in the Christmas Game masked the Lakers' problems, but tonight, nothing could be hidden. The Supersonics clung to the Lakers' weakness and ran with it, eventually blowing out their Western Conference rival 125 to 101. After this game, the league was set to welcome All-Star Weekend. Supersonics boasted a record of 44 wins and 6 losses. This brilliant and eye-catching record would stir up comparisons to the 96 Bulls over and over again. "The 1996 Chicago Bulls had a record of 42 wins and 5 losses before All-Star Weekend. Due to differences in schedule, the Supersonics played more games than the Bulls at the same point, making it hard to argue which team was better during this period," Hubie Brown said intriguingly, "However, if Frye wants to surpass the 1996 Michael, he and the Supersonics can only afford to lose 4 games in the remaining 31." The comparison between the 09 Supersonics and the 96 Bulls essentially extends the "44 or 23" debate. Kobe thought that with his health back, he could regroup and have a real showdown with Yu Fei. But he thought too much. The Lakers might be 10% stronger than last season, but compared to last season, the Supersonics had reached another level. It's hard to say whether Yu Fei's transformation was too successful or if the progress of Roy and Durant was too rapid. Perhaps it was both. Because of Yu Fei's transformation, Roy could play his role comfortably, and with two stars in front of him drawing firepower, Durant was only facing the third defensive pressure in every game—a growing environment too ideal for a rapidly rising superstar. The only downside was that he didn't have a lot of chances to hone his skills, but one must sacrifice to gain. Rather than growing with unlimited shooting rights on a poor team, being pushed alongside Yu Fei and quickly adapting to the winner's identity through a healthy environment might just be a far better path to the heavens. What infuriated Kobe was that Yu Fei had Roy and Durant by his side, and they were just sophomores and juniors. Who did he have? ``` Pau Gasol wasn't bad, but Bynum was clearly a lost cause, and Jason Kidd? He was still decent, but unfortunately, this was no longer the era of Kidd. Yu Fei brought the popularity of small-ball forward by 15 years. Kidd was one of the best passers in the League, and few players could match his ability to lead a fast break. This season, he averaged 10 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds per game, which on paper, still made him one of the top playmakers in the League. The Lakers' approach to the game still tended towards the traditional, but their overall offensive efficiency didn't even rank in the League's top ten. Kidd could pass the ball for a comfortable Kobe isolation play, find the teammate cutting to the basket, and spot opportunities a second early, but he couldn't disrupt the opponent's defense. The revolution in game philosophy triggered by Yu Fei had raised the demand for ball handlers to an unprecedented height. As a point guard, running the offense was expected, and moreover, ball handlers needed to do more than just finding open teammates; they also had to create opportunities through individual offense. "Just like Frye," someone said. That was the basic requirement for a core guard. However, if you were to choose a team where "assists outnumber the opportunities created by oneself," Kidd would definitely be the starting point guard. This was why the Lakers were increasingly powerless against the Supersonics. The era of the pure point guard was over. The version of the answer had become point guards with the capacity to initiate offense as the main core. This was why Stephen Curry, who might have struggled to be drafted in the lottery ten years ago, was now qualified to shake Blake Griffin's status as the top pick at this year's draft. Kobe understood where the problem lay, but he wouldn't say it aloud. He didn't want to blame his teammates in this situation, especially since he hadn't played well tonight either. Moreover, could he even ask the Lakers Team to do more? Apart from nurturing Bynum as if he were Shaquille O'Neal, the Lakers management had done their best in operations over the years. But no matter how hard you try, in the end, you might not compare to those destined for greatness. The move of Yu Fei from the Bucks to the Supersonics should have severely impacted his historical status. Transferring from a peak back-to-back championship team to the second-last team in the Western Conference would seem like madness to anyone concerned with their legacy. But who would have thought? Roy turned out to be outstanding, and Durant was the real deal, as Yu Fei led the Supersonics to the greatest turnaround in NBA history—from the bottom to champions. With this fairy-tale-like legendary move, Yu Fei raised his GOAT reputation to unprecedented heights, fundamentally changing the ecosystem and public narrative of the basketball world. The media were no longer interested in comparing Yu Fei with active players. That would be a demotion for him. In historical context, there was only one person left who could be compared with Yu Fei. If you want to compare, compare with the strongest. "Kobe, what do you have to say tonight?" Yu Fei had arrived. He had a good memory for certain things. Last time, Kobe said that he would score 60 points the next time they met and told the media he hadn't lost. A preoccupied Kobe glanced at Yu Fei. He could never have dreamed that the boy who asked him a question at the ABCD Camp eight years ago would have grown so much in such a short time. "You know," Kobe said, "I didn't lose; the game just ended." Yu Fei smiled slightly, suppressing the impulse to deliver an impromptu "Kiss my ass, Kobe" Felstyle. "See you in Phoenix." With that, Yu Fei walked away. This year's All-Star Weekend was held in Phoenix. Before leaving, Yu Fei did a lot of preparation. Besides attending the All-Star Weekend, he also had to hold preliminary talks with Reebok regarding contract renewal. Therefore, his agent, Arne Trem, would accompany him. Trem knew the stakes were high, so he prepared extensively. The renewal of Yu Fei's contract with Reebok was not going to be settled in one day. Over the past six years, even though Yu Fei had the largest endorsement contract in basketball, the benefits he generated for Reebok were dozens of times greater than the contract's worth. Six years ago, Yu Fei was a wonderkid who rose from obscurity to cause Michael Jordan's downfall. Now, he was the only god active in basketball. After Jordan's retirement, Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal competed for dominance, and it seemed the era of a single god in basketball had been disrupted. But now, Yu Fei restored the structure created by Michael Jordan with a record of six championships in five years. This negotiation was not just about Reebok's future; it would also determine the future of sports products in the basketball world. For Yu Fei, what he wanted was not just the numbers; it was much more. ```