Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Yu Fei walked up to Fox, "Kobe told me all of you have done what he has, but how come none of you taught him how to deal with the aftermath?"

"Cut the crap, Frye, I won't be influenced by you."

Fox and Yu Fei had long been old rivals.

Ever since Yu Fei's time with the Wizards, every time they played against the Lakers, Phil Jackson would arrange the matchups this way.

Considering the comprehensive size and defensive capabilities, Fox was the Laker most suited for dealing with Yu Fei.

Yu Fei's response to Fox was just a smile, after all, the other party was also an old fox in the League for many years; it was impossible to break his defense with just a word or two of trash talk.

The starters of both teams came in front of their respective opponents, exchanged glances, and the game was ready to begin.

The Lakers won the possession.

Then, the two teams set up for the half-court battle.

Yu Fei was guided by Fox to the weak side of the court, while the Lakers' offense seemed to revolve around the strong side where Payton, Kobe, and Shaquille O'Neal were positioned.

However, Payton still couldn't accept his role within the Triangle Offense system.

No offensive system could diminish the court presence and responsibilities of a point guard more than the Triangle Offense.

Jackson only needed his point guards to defend, pass the ball, and hit open threes.

This role fit Derek Fisher, who had been benched by Payton, but was completely unsuitable for Gary Payton. Explore more adventures at empire

Payton was the type of player who needed the ball in his hands to make a mark on the offensive end.

Payton habitually raised his hand, signaling for Shaquille O'Neal to come out for a pick-and-roll.

But Shaq had already settled into his position; what he needed was the pass.

Hesitating for a second, Payton passed the ball.

Afterward, Mason left the high post where Karl Malone was, coming over to double-team, and Shaq, intent on showing Kobe what textbook team basketball was like.

So, even though Shaq's position was enough for him to take on two players, he still passed the ball to Malone.

Malone was the player in the F4 most adapted to his role; what he did for the Lakers was no different from what he did for the Jazz, setting screens to spread out, creating space for Shaq, taking the opportunity shots—with the only difference being that the Lakers didn't need him to play in the post.

Malone stood at the left elbow extended, unguarded, and took a jump shot.

0 to 2.

Shaquille O'Neal glared at Kobe as he fell back on defense.

Yu Fei noticed the anomaly within the Lakers.

Though Kobe did unspeakable things and was incoherent, you, Shaq, weren't much better. As a four-day-old Kobe fan, he felt obligated to give his idol a helping hand.

Yu Fei dribbled the ball beyond the three-point line, immediately calling for Gadzuric's screen.

Shaq, as always, followed to the paint and then stopped moving.

Yu Fei used tactical gestures to direct Gadzuric to run to his sweet spot, then made a feint drive, forcing the Lakers' defense to shrink before passing the ball out.

Gadzuric, like Malone, scored with a jump shot.

"Some dead fat pig just knows how to stand there doing nothing; no wonder he's still not the boss of the team," Yu Fei mockingly said to Shaq.

Originally, this was just a struggle between OK, but now, with Yu Fei sticking his oar in, Shaq decided to prioritize external threats before internal conflicts, directing his spearhead at Yu Fei.

This time Payton passed the ball quickly, but unfortunately, the recipient was Kobe.

Kobe wasn't going to pass to Shaq. In a flash, he drove in with the ball.

And Shaq had no intentions of clearing a path to the basket for him; a bunch of people were crowded under the hoop, which for guards trying to score in the paint, was like a hellish space.

Kobe shot among the crowd, the very image of a cancer, which was why Yu Fei admired him.

As long as that man wasn't his teammate, every flaw on him shone brilliantly.

The ball rolled around the rim before falling out.

Gadzuric secured the most crucial position, but getting in position was just the preparation for protecting the rebound.

In last season's Finals, he blocked out Duncan countless times but couldn't prevent him from averaging 20 rebounds per game.

The same thing happened again, Gadzuric had the better position but was completely immobile, only able to watch the rebound, which was so close, fall away.

Then, his body was pushed aside by Shaquille O'Neal, who grabbed the rebound, and in less than a second, The Big Shark was hanging on the rim.

If the NBA hadn't reinforced the rims to the point they were nearly indestructible by humans, people would really worry about Shaq breaking them.

Shaq stomped on the floor forcefully, showing off his strength like a narcissist, as if he wanted to tell the Bucks that he was a monster even greater than Duncan.

Yu Fei still wanted to exploit Shaq via targeted fouling.

The Lakers' strategy to deal with this was to move other players to help Shaq defend the pick and roll, and this time it was Payton who chose to leave Sprewell open and suddenly double-teamed.

However, Yu Fei ignored the double team coming from the pick and roll, and after a hard rush towards the strong side and a quick stop, he seized the gap in the double team, started forward, broke through the defense, dribbled to a position one step inside the free-throw line, and scored with a jump shot.

Shaq was still just standing in the paint watching.

"Why would you shamelessly join such trash, risking your whole reputation?"

Yu Fei mercilessly questioned Payton.

Payton was fired up, "Shut your damn mouth!"

How can fans in 20 years understand just how demeaning it was for Payton to join the Lakers and form the 'F4'?

It wasn't the kind of "call for help" super-team formation that James took to Miami, nor was it Durant's "defection." Although both actions were despised, they were still superstars in their own right.

Yet, Payton, who was an All-Star just last season and could still average 20 points, 8 assists, and 2 steals, accepted the Lakers' mid-level exception during the offseason, just for a championship ring. In the next 20 years of the NBA, only DeMarcus Cousins joining the Golden State Warriors in the summer of 2018 could compare.

You know, Cousins' joining made the Warriors truly the 'Universe Warriors.'

Before the start of the 2018-19 season, everyone thought the outcome was predetermined. However, Cousins had just come back from a major injury, faced insulting offers from the Pelicans, and was ignored in the free market, so in a fit of anger, he joined the Warriors for a low salary. Compared to Payton, who was still top-level but chose to degrade himself for a championship, Cousins' decision was obviously more acceptable.

So, when Yu Fei mentioned this, it hit Payton's sore spot.

Payton, famous in NBA history for his vulgar trash talk, immediately called for a pick and roll to target Yu Fei, "You think just because you've won a championship you can lecture me? I'll fucking show you – I handed you the trophy back then, but tonight I'll teach you a lesson!"

Payton's "back then" was only three years ago, but coming from him, it felt like an age had passed.

Indeed, three years can change everything.

Payton disregarded the Triangle Offense.

Now he wasn't just part of the Lakers' F4; he was the famous 'Glove' Payton.

He spewed execrable trash talk, trying to break Yu Fei.

But this was no longer his era.

Yu Fei feigned a vulnerability, Payton thought he had seized the opportunity and abruptly stopped for a jump shot.

As a result, Yu Fei easily reacted, met him head-on with a brutal block, and followed the ball to launch a fastbreak.

In his rage, Payton tried to retaliate but was knocked to the ground in the backcourt by Yu Fei, drawing a foul, and at that moment, Yu Fei's offensive move was already in motion, Payton's foul merely resulted in a 2+1 for him.

"BOOM!!!"

Yu Fei slammed the ball in for a score.

"As someone with ties to Seattle, I had some respect for you," Yu Fei said coldly, looking down at Payton on the ground, "but if you continue to bark at me like a mad dog, I'll skin you alive, you idiot!"

⑴ "Shaq did it too" is a "summary extraction," not a verbatim quote. The original quote went like this: "Kobe told us (Eagle County police) what his teammates would do in this kind of situation. Kobe said he should have done like Shaquille O'Neal. Kobe said Shaq would pay women to keep silent. He said Shaq had already paid out a million US Dollars for situations like this⑵."

⑵ This reminds me of Zhou Qi's classic "I wasn't ready," although Zhou Qi never said those exact words, he merely mentioned the coach hadn't planned on putting him in the game before the match. But indeed, that was the gist, and we fans know how to extract the essence.

PS: QiDian now supports inserting images, which I think is good for those of us who write sports essays. However, I don't have the energy to provide illustrations for each chapter... I'll do my best.