Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 526 - 366: How Could You Take A Dream Seriously?

Chapter 526: Chapter 366: How Could You Take A Dream Seriously?

After Yu Fei moved to the Western Conference, his matchups with James dropped from at least four games during the Bucks season to a minimum of two games per season.

If rarity is valued, then the big game hype would also be amplified by the reduction in these competitive encounters.

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James had never beaten Yu Fei in his career to date.

The 24 consecutive defeats were part of the humiliation etched onto him by his rival.

But the biggest problem was that Yu Fei had heaped too much shame on James.

The 24 losses weren’t even the most humiliating part.

...

Starting with scoring 49 points over him in their first professional game, Yu Fei always found various ways to set records against him. Therefore, every time the two met again, past failures would be repeatedly mentioned.

Now, with the rift between the two, the outside world became more sensitive to these matters.

Before the game started, the TNT Crew spent 20 minutes discussing why the strong King James had never won a single game against Yu Fei in his career.

Doug Collins, ESPN commentator and former NBA head coach, said before the game started, “LeBron might be the most talented basketball player on the planet, but Wilt Chamberlain told us the same lesson forty years ago, that being the most talented doesn’t mean you can win. Frye is the contemporary Bill Russell, but the problem is, this Russell is as versatile as The Big O, possesses the killer instinct like Jerry West, and he also has a Jordan-style mentality.”

Hubie Brown of ABC, who had recently stepped down from coaching, was very sensitive to any comparison with James.

“I admit that LeBron is improving every year, his greatest improvement this year is his three-point shooting percentage, which has increased from 32% to 36%⑴, but that’s still not enough because Frye’s three-point shooting percentage is as high as 42%. This might be the smallest gap between them.”

⑴This is roughly the level of the actual 2011-12 season.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on 𝑛𝘰𝘃𝕘𝗼.co

James’ entourage watched as he moved from being a competitor who could be listed as a ‘duo’ with Yu Fei, to a chaser falling far behind.

Randy Mims was firmly opposed to pairing James and Yu Fei because no matter how well James performed, Yu Fei would also benefit.

If it was a duo, and the younger one is so powerful, surely the one two years older must be even better, right?

Now, Mims got his wish, no one compared James with Yu Fei anymore.

Because making such comparisons under these circumstances would be a severe affront to Yu Fei.

Ever since the SuperSonics came to town, everything in James’ camp has been related to Yu Fei.

Especially after Yu Fei made his explosive remark outside the airport that “LeBron might leave Cleveland,” the fans of the city erupted like someone had poked them in their heart.

They said it was impossible, that Frye was talking out of his ass, but everyone knew it could really happen.

If James truly believed he would play in Cleveland forever, he wouldn’t have signed a short 2+1 contract.

The severely provoked fans could only attack the SuperSonics to cover their own panic, which indirectly sparked discussions in Cleveland about whether James would leave the team in the summer of 2009.

James ignored the external agitation and focused on practicing, shot after shot.

Ron Artest, moved by the Emperor’s diligence said, “Don’t worry, LeBron, I will definitely contain Frye tonight.”

Though Artest was known as the ‘treasure’ against Yu Fei, James couldn’t dare to bet it all on him.

“It’s the whole team’s job,” James showed a sense of responsibility that couldn’t be overlooked, showing none of the signs of a person who would abandon a game in the Eastern Conference Finals for the sake of his own face. “I won’t let you face him alone.”

Artest thought the world was still in 2005, when he had that Pacers team which was most adept at containing Yu Fei.

Of course, maybe that’s just human nature.

Most people tend to overestimate their own value and influence. Artest thought he alone was responsible for containing Yu Fei with the Pacers, so he believed he could take the Emperor’s place and quell the rebellion.

James understood the difficulty of containing Yu Fei far better than Artest did.

Perhaps Artest had been a problem for Yu Fei during his time with the Pacers, but with the new rules restricting play and the Pacers’ disintegration, Artest, thrown out of the city like trash by Larry Bird, was no longer the defender that once gave Yu Fei headaches.

Nevertheless, Artest insisted, “I’m enough by myself. You take care of the others. We must win this game.”

Evening, Quicken Loans Arena

Daytime incidents at the airport made the SuperSonics the most unwelcome team in Cleveland.

When Yu Fei entered the arena, the boos and curses from the crowd peaked.

“Why is there no love here?” Roy asked knowingly, “What did you do to them?”

Yu Fei replied, “I just predicted something they don’t want to admit.”

“Do you really think LeBron is going to leave?” Roy couldn’t imagine James abandoning his hometown team for anything. “Where could he go?”

“New York, Miami, Los Angeles…”

Yu Fei said indifferently, “Anywhere would do, as long as it’s a big market and can increase the odds of defeating me.”

“Then going to Los Angeles would be interesting.” Roy said sarcastically, “The combination of the player who likes passing the least in the league and the player who likes it the most, it must be fascinating.”

Yu Fei knew why Roy was taking shots at Kobe.

Because at the ABCD Camp, Roy asked Kobe for an autograph without success.

Sigh. Sometimes he didn’t understand why he, who had been a Kobe fan for fourteen days, had a hardcore friend with at least six years of experience disliking Kobe.

No matter how unwelcome the fans made Yu Fei feel, it wouldn’t affect the progression of the game.

Before the game started, as was customary, the leaders of both sides would greet each other at half-court.

Playing at home, LeBron, accompanied by Artest, came to the center circle, intending to shake hands with Fei and be done with it.

Unexpectedly, Fei displayed an arrogant attitude, showing no intention of returning the gesture.

It was actually Roy who extended his hand, but his words were even more unacceptable, “Sorry LeBron, Frye thinks you’re not worthy of shaking his hand, but if you don’t mind, I’d be willing to shake yours.”

Before LeBron could react, Artest was already calling out, “Big Fei, don’t get too cocky, this is Cleveland, not Seattle!”

“How many days have you been in Cleveland, and you’re already eager to be someone’s dog,” Fei mocked. “Ron, I suggest you don’t trust this guy too much. The moment things change, he’ll be the first to abandon you.”

“All that crap talk is useless!” Artest confidently fist-bumped Fei, “We’ll see the real deal on the court!”

LeBron said, “Let’s go.”

“Ah, what a pity, the hero who once fractured a balding man’s ribs with an elbow has now become LeBron’s lapdog,” Fei said to Roy. “Tonight, I plan to increase the frequency of my one-on-ones.”

Roy became alert, “You want to be like Kobe?”

“What’s wrong with that, I’m a fan of Kobe.”

“No, I always thought you were just pretending.”

To think that someone was still questioning his status as a Kobe fan?

Fei was determined to prove that very night that he was a worthy fan fit to carry on Kobe’s mantle.

After warming up, both starting lineups took the court.

Tonight marked the return of Rashad Lewis, whose comeback provided the SuperSonics with a reliable long-range artilleryman capable of endless pick-and-popping.

At tip-off, Kwame Brown surprisingly tipped the ball from Big Z to Roy.

Roy brought the ball up, passing it to Fei.

Before Artest could step up to pressure him, Fei lobbed the ball to Brown.

Focusing on the inside game from the start was already the most fixed part of Fei’s formulaic gaming concept.

Brown had no physical advantage over Big Z, but he could win with speed and agility.

Fooled by Brown’s fake, Big Z bit on the feint, allowing Brown to slip past and score with a layup.

“Big Fei, how was my footwork?”

Brown asked loudly.

“Not bad!” Fei answered sincerely, “You looked just like Hakeem Olajuwon.”

The negative impact of the devastating loss in Las Vegas still haunted LeBron, but he was ready for another face-off with Fei.

On the NBA court, Fei couldn’t ignore the defender’s hand checks like he did back in Las Vegas.

The constraints of the rules completely disrupted the offensive-defensive balance on the NBA hardwood.

For the likes of LeBron, as long as the drive is determined, it is indeed incredibly hard for a single person to guard against his drives.

LeBron charged forward at full speed, violently breaking through Fei’s defense and storming to the basket, drawing a foul from Brown.

Luckily for the SuperSonics, LeBron’s free throws were steady but he only made one.

1 to 2

It was the SuperSonics’ turn to attack.

As Fei crossed half-court, Karl asked if he wanted someone else to switch onto LeBron.

Defending against LeBron and attacking Artest was a bit too taxing for Fei.

If the team had someone like Raja Bell, Fei might have considered letting a teammate wear down LeBron, but at present, apart from himself, the only other strong individual defender on the SuperSonics’ wing was James Posey, who was not on the court.

Therefore, Fei felt that it was better for him to personally handle LeBron.

Moreover, he never said he would defend LeBron one-on-one; if necessary, double-teaming or zone defense were viable strategies.

“It looks like even you can’t guard LeBron,” Artest said, seemingly aware that his reputation in the league was terrible and eager to do something to make people think otherwise. “As long as I hold you down, you guys are done for!”

But if he targeted the wrong person, it would be impossible to recover.

At the high post on the left wing, Fei received the ball, and Artest continued to exhibit a fierce defensive stance, ready to devour him.

Only, he still didn’t get it.

The Fei that he could limit lived two years in the past.

Right in front of Artest, Fei made a wide crossover move followed by a step-back, abruptly creating a one-and-a-half body separation, and released a jump shot.

“Swish!”

1 to 4

“Guard me?” Fei taunted as he backpedaled, “How could you mistake what happens in your dreams for reality?”