Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

James walked from the media room into the corridor backstage, his face weighed down with concerns.

As James's full-time personal assistant, Randy Mims, along with Maverick Carter and Rich Paul, who together with their boss called themselves the "Four Horsemen,"

They were true confidants, absolutely loyal and trustworthy to each other.

Now, Maverick held a position at Nike under James's direction, while Rich was learning about being an agent, ready to take over the right of representation from James's agent Aaron Goodwin as soon as the time was ripe.

Seeing James's furrowed brow caused by Yu Fei, Mims said resentfully, "Frye is only using you as his tool, he would have won the game against the Bucks even without playing like that! He showed no mercy because his new generation of sneakers has just been launched, and this game is the best advertising opportunity. Moreover, I'm sure he's really enjoying the situation, Bron, he..."

"Enough," James did not want to face the incessant 'Frye issue' even when with his most trusted friends, "If he didn't play like that, I would be very upset, because that would mean he doesn't take me seriously."

"This is for the best," James seemed to have an epiphany, no longer troubled by being completely overshadowed by Yu Fei in the game, "He treated me as a rival, which is a form of respect. That's what true friends should do."

Would a true friend humiliate you in front of the entire audience, leaving you forever in his highlights? Mims wasn't sure.

He always felt that the relationship between LeBron and Frye was as fragile as paper.

Both aimed for the summit, and with Jordan retired, Yu Fei's way of humiliating the other was to become the greatest player in history. James had carried the weight of being the greatest since entering the league.

Mims wondered, when they met on the path to the peak, could the farce of "big brother and little brother" continue?

In fact, it almost fell apart tonight.

Mims wouldn't forget the round when Frye toyed with LeBron, nor the look on LeBron's face, filled with anger, dissatisfaction, and a sense of betrayal—expressions Mims had seen during high school.

That was when LeBron's high school coach decided to abandon them for his own future.

Mims believed that in that moment, LeBron saw Frye for who he truly was—not the purely kind-hearted big brother, especially not on the court where he was far from warm.

On their way back to the locker room, they happened to run into Yu Fei and his crew.

With Tim Grover and Anthony Lawson by his side, Yu Fei looked surprised to see James, "LeBron, those reporters didn't give you a hard time, did they?"

Yu Fei's face caused James to have a momentary auditory hallucination, as if he could hear those questions about "Frye... the game... its significance to you" all over again.

"The usual," James replied with a wry smile, "You know how they are."

Yu Fei joked, "Apologize to your mom for me, she asked me to go easy on you and I broke my promise tonight."

Whether intentional or not, Yu Fei's words seemed to remind James who was the winner tonight.

James forced a smile, "Don't worry, she's fine."

"Next time you come to Milwaukee, I'll treat you to food," said Yu Fei, "an absolutely on-point pork chop meal."

James replied, "Frye, I don't eat red meat anymore."

"Oh, is that so? That's a shame, we'll figure it out next time," Yu Fei said, "Goodbye, tonight was really enjoyable."

Yes, enjoyable for him alone.

"Let's go."

After Yu Fei left, Mims fumed, "Bron, that guy was clearly showing off!"

"Let it go, that's just Frye," James replied, whether to comfort himself or to convince Mims, "Didn't you see how he treated Darius? Compared to that..."

Compared to that... he was blasted in a much harsher way, but Frye didn't hurl insults at him like he did with Darius, suggesting he valued this friendship and didn't want to embarrass James. Yet in the end, it made James feel even more embarrassed.

He was blown out in front of a national audience, highlighting the gap between them, and restating that he was the big brother; therefore, the game was like a welcome fraternal comedy of the big brother picking on the little brother. But did that mean the little brother could never surpass the big brother?

Is this a good thing?

Thirsty, Yu Fei went to the vending machine to get a bottle of soda water.

"You looked a lot like Michael tonight," Grover said.

Yu Fei asked back, "Tim, do you know what the least funny joke is?"

Grover asked, "What is it?"

"Telling a sick dog that it looks like a cancer-stricken baby," Yu Fei replied indifferently, "that it will never grow up."

Grover felt a chill run down his spine.

"But the joke you just made is even less funny than that," Yu Fei said, "I remember telling you not to compare me with a rapist, and now I'll add, don't compare me with anyone on this planet named Michael Jordan."

Grover was curious whether Yu Fei now hated Jordan more or Shaquille O'Neal more.

But such a question seemed meaningless.

To Yu Fei, it was a typical choice between two piles of shit.

"When Michael was in Chicago, he crushed many friends," Grover said, "Charles Barkley was his friend, so was Patrick Ewing. Heck, he once gave Barkley a grand gift during the 1993 Finals, and though he never admitted it, I believe it weakened his friend's morale when facing him in the game."

"Grover was really interested in whether you were playing the same trick on LeBron,"

Yu Fei couldn't believe his good intentions were being so misconstrued.

Can the world really not accommodate good people?

What's happened to the NBA? When an older brother looks after his younger brother off the court and spurs him on during a game, it's interpreted with such malice?

"No."

Yu Fei didn't want to waste words and flatly denied Grover's speculation.

What a joke, not to mention he didn't have that intention, but even if he did, was LeBron someone who would lose his way in playing basketball after a bit of care?

LeBron's mind was far more mature than his age and was certainly on par with his physique.

Take for example earlier this year, before LeBron entered the NBA and was about to sign with Nike, he attended a Nike party and gave the Nike president a watch.

The watch wasn't particularly expensive, but it was manufactured in 1972—the year Nike was founded.

It was a very thoughtful gift, and you can imagine how much Nike people liked him.

"So, you just wanted to play a good game?"

"Of course, what else could it be?" Yu Fei muttered, "It's just that Reebok isn't happy about Nike using the game to hype LeBron."

Grover's expression changed, and he said with a smile, "Then they must really want you to blow LeBron away, right?"

"It's that kind of situation, but I didn't blow LeBron away for that reason," Yu Fei stated with pride, "How can you act like an older brother if you don't beat the younger brother to a pulp?"

Grover nodded, but thought to himself, you're right, but did you really have to hit that hard?

The next day, Yu Fei dominated most sports headlines across the country.

His stats, his comments, and the way he shook James were all hot topics for media discussion.

Not wanting to miss out on the buzz, Reebok arranged an interview for Yu Fei on the same day, hosted by ESPN's Jim Gray, on the most influential talk show in the NBA at the moment.

On the show, Gray asked, "Many people say your kindness toward LeBron is fake, aimed to deceive him. What do you think of such remarks?"

"I pity them," Yu Fei said, "It shows that they don't have a single genuine friend in their lives."

After watching the show, Bill Simmons, also a writer contracted with ESPN, sarcastically wrote in his column, "I would rather die alone than have a friend who makes me a laughingstock in front of my hometown elders."

Yet, Yu Fei couldn't afford to waste time on these post-game reverberations.

The season continued.

If you were to say who had the easiest schedule at the beginning of the season, it would be hard to tell, but if you were to talk about who had the weakest opponents, then it must be the Bucks.

In terms of strength, before the Christmas Day game in December, the only strong teams the Bucks faced were the Pistons, Lakers, and 76ers, and apart from the 76ers, they only played each once.

They played the 76ers twice.

And coincidentally, the 76ers were the kind of team that couldn't easily shake the Bucks out of their playoff-level status.

That was also thanks to the small pond of the Eastern Conference. With Kidd heading west to the Spurs, the Nets went from boom to bust, leaving the Pistons and Pacers as the only teams that could challenge the Bucks in the entire Eastern Conference.

However, as weak as the Bucks' opponents were, their schedule was very tight; they were among the league's leaders in back-to-back games, which greatly affected their preparations.

From the end of November to the beginning of December, the Bucks faced a wave of injuries.

First, Ray Allen sprained his knee and needed 4-6 weeks of rest, followed by Anthony Mason pulling his thigh, requiring half a month to recover, then the veteran Sprewell with his occasional minor injuries.

The sudden entry of three core players into the injury list demanded a higher depth from the Bucks' roster.

Yu Fei felt that his chance to rack up points... oh no, to refine his offensive skills through real combat had arrived.

Forget understanding Kobe or empathizing with him, he jumped straight to the third step—becoming Kobe!

From the beginning of December until the Christmas Day game, Yu Fei averaged 29 shots per game, scoring an average of 36 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
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Before Christmas Day, the Bucks stood at 22 wins and 7 losses, ranking first in the Eastern Conference and third in the league, only behind the Spurs and the Kings in the Western Conference.

Then, at their home court, they welcomed their Christmas Day opponents—the Detroit Pistons, who had beaten the Bucks early in the season.

However, that didn't really count because Yu Fei and Shaquille O'Neal were suspended due to a fight, greatly weakening the Bucks.

This time, the encounter drew much attention.

It was not just a matchup between the strongest offensive team in the Eastern Conference against the strongest defensive team in the conference (and the league), but it also carried a series of off-court grudges.

As Yu Fei said in a radio show before Christmas Day, "I have some personal issues with Coach Brown that need to be resolved."