Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Yu Fei has now beaten James for the 28th time since 2003, the game itself was another uneventful match. Apart from the Supersonics' championship ceremony, there was not much to talk about. However, George Karl could not forget the preferential treatment James received during the game. As the saying goes, if it's on your mind, there must be a reason. When Karl said after the game, "LeBron travels every other drive," a dark cloud of controversy began to form around James. In Yu Fei's previous life, this season was James' first MVP season, and the first year he was closely scrutinized through a magnifying glass. But now, James wasn't the focus of the league, and he wouldn't have attracted much attention ordinarily. Yet the moment they tried to taint the reputation of the league's number one, it was inevitable that they would not be ignored. Currently, Nike and James' camp are avoiding the topic of Yu Fei, because there is a huge gap in their honors, and forcing a comparison would only bring shame upon themselves. But Yu Fei's camp wouldn't let a completely disadvantaged James off the hook. Karl fired the first shot, and the ensuing media pressure came swiftly. A few days later, James descended upon Milwaukee like a deity, furiously scoring 48 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and leading his team to victory over the Bucks. However, his footwork during layups raised questions among the viewers. "I might understand basketball, but I might not really understand it, and that's how LeBron's game makes me feel," the ESPN commentator Jeff Van Gundy said with a tinge of sarcasm. The Bucks' sixth man, Louis Williams, was more direct, "From what I understand, you are supposed to take two steps after catching the ball for a layup. That's why we have a hard time defending LeBron; our habits from playing basketball all our lives make us think defensively as soon as we see him take two steps - no one expects a third step to come." Paul Gasol began to question his understanding of basketball rules after watching James' game. He wasn't sure if the NBA and FIBA were following the same rules. So his answer was not confident, "It should be... three or two steps maybe." As an early victim of the four-step layup, the Washington media took the opportunity to fire shots. "Anyone who argues about the number of steps in a layup doesn't understand basketball," said the sports column of The Washington Post. "That's LeBron's specialty, he calls it the crab dribble. If you want to use that move, you'd better pay him royalty fees." Very few people could withstand scrutiny under a magnifying glass. James' team was not just sitting back and waiting. Although James was no longer Nike's primary contender, the continual smearing of James would affect the entire Nike brand. They had to respond. From a basketball perspective, unless the league changes the definition of traveling violation, it's hard to defend the blatant superstar privilege of a four-step layup. Nike couldn't say outright, "Because it's LeBron, he can take four steps on a layup, and if you have a problem with that, go talk to Stern." If they did, the criticism would naturally shift to the league, but James would also be blacklisted forever and never receive special treatment again. Therefore, Nike chose the time-honored tactic of expanding the issue. Again, no one can withstand the scrutiny of a magnifying glass. Even Yu Fei, you could find clips from his games where he appeared to travel without being called by the referees. In the following period, stars began to come under strict scrutiny, and traveling violations became a serious offense; anyone who committed it was regarded as a LeBron-style clown. The league reacted quickly, attempting to stem this negative trend with strict calls. They aimed to make fans believe in the fairness and integrity of the referees, but what they did not anticipate was that the fans' scrutiny of traveling would only intensify as a result. These changes were both familiar and strange to Yu Fei. Strange because the league's reaction to this matter was intense. Familiar because, a decade or so later on the internet, the topic of traveling was all too common. Any good play that didn't end in a score the moment the ball was caught would have someone crying "travel!" For someone like James, who naturally traveled, it was claimed that nearly every non-jumpshot score was a travel. Back then, calling traveling wasn't just criticism; it had become part of the entertainment. But for the present, the league's strict enforcement of layup steps did not affect Yu Fei. He would travel too, but his travels were like a right-handed person suddenly using the left hand to wield chopsticks, a mistake. These mistakes felt awkward because they broke from habits formed over many years. While the outside world was virulently debating the number of steps for layups, the Supersonics quietly initiated a wind of change. Their redefinition of basketball positions was subtly influencing other teams. As the defending champions, the Supersonics continued to grow stronger, given that their core roster was young. They were like the Celtics during last season's regular play. Other teams were still finding their synergy, some even considering trades to strengthen their lineup, but no evident weaknesses needed to be bolstered within the Supersonics team. If there was any cause for concern, it was Shawn Marion's mentality. Marion wanted to stay in Seattle, considering himself a champion who was eager to get a top salary retirement contract. If it were a mediocre management, they might really give in and offer a major contract to the championship hero. But Sam Presti was clear-headed. This season, Marion's averages had dropped across the board, scoring only 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game, with his symbolic energetic stealing numbers falling from an average of 2 per game last season to just 1.1. This was very much in line with Presti's judgment. Players like Marion, who were short, sturdy, and had long arms playing on the wing, fed off their youth. He was about to turn 31, and every year hereafter would be a decline; they couldn't expect Marion, who was regressing each year, to help Yu Fei build an empire. In November, the Supersonics restarted negotiations with Marion. Presti was only willing to give Marion a 4-year 35 million US dollar contract extension, but Marion was aiming for a 5-year 70 million US dollar deal. A gap of 35 million US dollars wasn't something you could simply bargain down. In late November, Marion made a declaration of negotiations breaking down in true NBA style. "I will test the free agent market next summer." Anyone could read the subtext of this declaration. He could no longer negotiate with the Supersonics. He was definitely leaving after next season. But Marion promised that he would still fight for the championship, meaning he was not seeking a trade. This kind of professional ethic was admirable, and some Seattle media started to criticize Presti. The Seattle Times believed that Presti had botched Marion's renewal. "I'll never be an NBA GM, but I will never understand Sam Presti's choices. How do you fill the void left by Shawn Marion? Who can you find to do what he does? How many people in the League are as suited to festival basketball as he is? We live in the era of Frye, but if we want this era to last into the 2010s, we've got to do the right thing. For now, I don't see how this decision benefits the Supersonics. How can you treat a meritous player like this and expect anyone else to give their all for you?" It was the day after Marion's negotiation breakdown that the Supersonics suffered a narrow loss to the New Orleans Hornets away from home. Their twelve-game winning streak at the start of the season had come to an end. Marion, who had promised to fight for back-to-back championships in Seattle, had not managed his emotions well. In this game, Marion made 1 out of 5 shots, scored only 3 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and committed 6 fouls. This led the reporters to ask Yu Fei, "Did Shawn Marion's contract renewal issue have a negative impact on tonight's game?" Yu Fei wouldn't dwell on the issue. Because if he answered directly, he would be asked about his view on Marion's contract renewal. If he supported Marion's renewal, Presti would be put on the hot seat, and if he didn't, it would ruin Marion's morale. "Your question isn't fair to Shawn," Yu Fei said. "Are you suggesting that we lost tonight's game because of Shawn's renewal issue? No, I can't agree with that. We lost the game as a team. It's a failure for all of us, not something you can blame on one person." Since the Supersonics were set to play two back-to-back games against the Hornets—one on the road and one at home— Back at home, Yu Fei delivered the performance of the season by scoring 55 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists on 22 out of 23 shots, with a shooting accuracy of 95.65%, completely dispelling the gloom of the end of the winning streak. All of a sudden, the public's focus shifted away from Marion. They might feel injustice for Marion, feel sorry for him, even criticize the Supersonics management on his behalf, but ultimately, they all knew who they really cared about. Sam Presti was present that night at the venue. He felt that Yu Fei was radiating a light, having become a different level of existence, a person who could sway the emotions of an entire stadium. That's why he would never doubt his choices. Did those people really care about Marion? No, the essence of their concern was that they feared without Marion, Yu Fei wouldn't have a better aide-de-camp. If out of some so-called moral constraint of honoring a veteran with a generous contract, everyone might be happy now, but what about when Marion had aged and was no longer capable? Believe me, those people would wish Marion would just vanish into thin air. They loved Marion because he could help Yu Fei. One day, they would hate Marion for the same reason. And then, the blame would come back to Presti. Sam Presti, why did you give Marion such a big renewal contract? Presti stood up and turned to walk backstage. Yu Fei's rescue of the Supersonics meant the entire city had to serve him, treat him as a god, and Presti was the one who could most determine the god's future. He had made the right choice. He was certain of it.