Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Karl tried different lineup combinations to partner with Yu Fei.

For instance, during the closing stage of the second quarter, it would be expected that the Bucks would play their main lineup, as the Timberwolves were fielding their full-strength roster.

However, on the Bucks side, only Yu Fei and Sprewell were absolute starters, while the other three were Quentin Richardson, Christian Laettner, and Robert Horry.

Laettner and Sprewell both knew Yu Fei's disposition, but the other two were new signings that still needed to gel with the team.

As a result, one of them impressed while the other brought shocks.

Horry was the impressive one.

Theoretically, a stretch four like Horry was the ideal player to pair with Yu Fei.

Up to this point in his career, Horry had never encountered a situation where he needed to set a pick and then spread out for a three-pointer; his value was mainly demonstrated beside Olajuwon and Shaquille O'Neal, providing them with spacing support.

This was his first time working with a ball-dominant big man.

Horry quickly adapted, and his pick-and-rolls with Yu Fei were effective every time.

Quentin Richardson's performance was, on the other hand, somewhat puzzling.

Richardson, nicknamed Big Q, was clearly a "smart" guy. Tonight, making his official debut for the Bucks, Big Q showcased all his traits, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

His defense was aggressive, but his awareness fell short. He was decent at securing rebounds, but his passing vision was weak. He had a strong offensive desire and was willing to attempt threes, yet his overall shooting percentage was below 40%.

Karl hoped he would bring energy to the bench, and well, he certainly did that.

Teacher Q made his mark on the team right from the start.

The shock came when Big Q decided to go solo, not even considering Yu Fei.

There was one play where after surveying the opponents' formation, Big Q firmly believed he had a chance to go one-on-one. Once he got that idea, he wouldn't pass the ball.

Yu Fei and the others were forced to watch as he bullishly drove into the paint, only to get blocked by Garnett.

"What are you doing?" Yu Fei couldn't help but ask.

Big Q replied, "I'm going for a mismatch, Big Fei. You have to admit, that was a good opportunity, right?"

"The opportunity was there, but did you seize it?"

Big Q just laughed it off, "I seized it, just missed the shot..."

Idiot… Yu Fei cursed inwardly.

The erratic Big Q was indeed a headache, but, having acted up only a few times tonight, his wild defense proved to be a good match for a player like Yu Fei that liked to leave his defender and roam high.

Ray Allen continued to be neglected.

After being subbed out in the first quarter, he sat on the bench for a full 13 minutes before getting back in during the second quarter.

When he was eventually subbed in, Yu Fei was out.

On the court were the Bucks' offseason signee journeyman guard Damon Jones, the self-centered Big Q, Mason who was loyal to no one but Yu Fei, and Haslem, who didn't seem all that bright.

No one passed the ball to Ray Allen.

It wasn't an isolated incident; it was as if everyone was reluctant to pass to him.

Ray Allen had to bring the ball up from the backcourt himself, then call for a pick and roll and rely on individual skill to finish the play.

In his own fantasy world, Ray Allen still believed he was the team leader, but the behavior of his teammates proved otherwise. If Yu Fei wouldn't pass to him, then no one else would either.

They wouldn't do anything that Yu Fei didn't want to see.

In this regard, the Bucks had become Yu Fei's team.

The issues that troubled Ray Allen were non-existent in the eyes of his teammates. He thought the Bucks lacked a leader, even if Yu Fei had played a sophomore season that could rival Lou Alcindor's in 1971, he still wasn't the leader.

If Yu Fei was Alcindor, then he himself was The Big O.

That was Ray Allen's thought.

Based on this belief, he complained to the media that Yu Fei was receiving too much praise. His team's echoing response pulled Ray Allen from his illusions into reality.

The reality was, unless he apologized to Yu Fei, not only would he be isolated, but he would also lose his standing on the team.

At halftime, Ray Allen had only taken 5 shots, scoring 7 points.

The Bucks didn't seem to need him to shoot more; the others had contributed 52 points, with the Bucks leading the Timberwolves 59 to 45 by 14 points at the half.

Yu Fei walked towards the players' tunnel only to find Ray Allen waiting for him on the way back to the locker room.

"Let's talk."

Ray Allen knew that if he didn't clarify things, he would have no place in the team.

Yu Fei asked nonchalantly, "What do you want to talk about?"

Since his arrival in Milwaukee in 1996, Ray Allen believed he had seen all sorts of people.

Glenn Robinson, Vin Baker, Terrell Brandon, Dell Curry, Sam Cassell... they were all gone.

Yet he was still there.

As the player with the deepest roots in the "home team", he believed he had privileges, he had the right to speak, so even with Yu Fei's arrival last year, he expected some due respect.

The situation has changed.

Yu Fei was no longer the person who once claimed he would assist him.

Ray Allen knew that there had been a subversive change in their status.

"How long do I have to be punished for those words I said that didn't hurt anyone?"

Ray Allen felt weak as if he were on trial, but in this matter, he had indeed violated the team's unspoken agreement.

"Fart in front of me", the clause was key to the Bucks' championship, something Yu Fei had fought for to prevent Karl's big mouth from affecting him.

However, he had broken this agreement himself, despite repeatedly saying that his words would not trouble Yu Fei, but what one does and its impact are never determined by the person involved.

"That's a good question, good in that it makes me doubt the education you received," Yu Fei said with a smile. "I heard you come from a strict family, so why didn't those who educated you teach you to apologize when you do something wrong?"

Ray Allen's face turned red with the additional pressure brought on by anger and frustration.

He didn't know why he had ended up in this situation.

It seemed Yu Fei hadn't done anything wrong; he was just praised as the best player on the team by outsiders, and then he complained about it to the media.

Now, Yu Fei felt "deeply hurt" and demanded an apology.

Could he not apologize?

Ray Allen had tried the possibility of not apologizing, and Yu Fei's response was to isolate him from the entire team.

Most importantly, Yu Fei didn't ask his teammates to support him; he simply stopped passing to himself during the game, and then others began to follow suit.

This proved that most of the team members thought the same as Yu Fei, that Ray Allen shouldn't be speaking out of turn.

The reaction of his teammates breached Ray Allen's defenses, proving that not many envied the attention Yu Fei received, nor were many concerned about the praise he got. If someone did have an issue with that, it was Ray Allen himself.

It was his selfish "seeking of justice" before the media which coerced others into demanding explanations, and for that, he must apologize.

"I'm sorry." When a proud person casts aside his dignity and chooses to apologize, you know his heart is nearly dead. "I shouldn't have said those unnecessary words to the media."

This was the first time Yu Fei had forced someone to submit in his capacity as the team leader.

He couldn't say he enjoyed it, but it was definitely a different experience from overpowering others on the court with his skills.

On the court, he reveled in the feeling of dominance over those who could not resist.

Whereas now, he found pleasure in the control over Ray Allen, who wanted to but couldn't resist.

Only now did he understand why OK could never get along and why Jordan decisively flipped the table and traded him after realizing he was about to lose everything in D.C.

The control over the team was as addictive as XP.

For a player, saying "XX is my team" is undeniably stupid, because even top-salaried players are fundamentally the boss's workers. But once a player can control the thoughts of teammates, the operation of the team, and the boss's plans, then what's wrong with saying he owns a team?

Though there's a time limit, a superstar can indeed control everything about a team during their prime.

Yu Fei slightly smiled, "I accept your apology, let it not happen again."

"Let's talk about another matter now."

"Which matter?"

"About the jeopardy of your starting position," Yu Fei said. "Don't tell me you're not interested."

This was another thing Ray Allen was worried about, Red's impact as a starter was too strong.

Since Ray Allen had come to his senses, Yu Fei saw no need to keep him worried and afraid.

So, he decided to share his views on Red with Ray Allen.

Most of it was the truth, especially about why Ray Allen was the starter and Red was not.

But what Yu Fei said, especially about his view of Red, was limited to tonight's game. A single game's sample is not enough; one must play more games to determine a reliable conclusion.

Yu Fei merely shared his current view on Red, as for later, if Red truly evolved and managed to average 20 points while keeping a three-point shooting percentage above 40%, that would be another story.

The events that took place during the brief halftime interlude were unimaginable to many insiders.

A young despot tasted the pleasure of power for the first time, the unsatisfied and proud second-in-command lost his dignity, and the contender for the starting position was completely unaware that he was just a pawn for the ruler. When the one in power needed him to wreak havoc, he could do so freely, but once the situation needed to be stabilized, he would be the first to be sacrificed.

The Timberwolves also glimpsed their future for the season tonight.

Tskitishvili was a pleasant surprise.

But they didn't yet know how to digest this unexpected joy, as Garnett ended up with a hollow performance of 24 points, 21 rebounds, and 6 assists in a crushing defeat.

Interestingly, when Yu Fei and Garnett were asked about their respective feelings, their answers were like two extremes, both profound and simple.

"I don't want to say I tried my hardest tonight, buddy." Garnett said, "If a guy comes in shooting and kills you and me, we're both gonna die. You get what I'm saying?"

In fact, not a single reporter on the scene could understand Garnett's words.

As high school superstar players, the reporters preferred to interview Yu Fei.

When asked whether this victory could inspire them and whether the Bucks' prospects for defending their title were bright, Yu Fei gave an impressive answer.

"Winning is just winning, it's just one of 82 regular-season games, nothing more than that. As for defending the title, I think we have a good chance, but if you ask who is our biggest opponent on the road to defending, it's not the Timberwolves or the Lakers," Yu Fei concluded, "it's ourselves."