When pride still matters

Chapter 63: Betting on the Red Wen of Career

Throughout Michael Jordan's career, no one ever attempted to challenge his position on the team.

Scottie Pippen had his chance, and after losing by a hair in the semifinals in 1994, challenging Jordan became impossible.Although Pippen kept saying that Jordan was just an average player before he joined the team, he still needed Jordan.

Jordan knew how to control Pippen, but he didn't know how to control Yu Fei.

As a thriving Generation Y, Yu Fei should be a fan of Jordan.

But he is not.

He is not a fan of Jordan, nor does he watch Jordan's games. He even has a natural dislike for Jordan because he comes from an area near Seattle.

None of this matters, Jordan doesn't look like a cutie, so why does everyone have to like him?

What's disturbing is Yu Fei's obvious disrespect for Jordan.

Jordan, who was absolutely confident, believed that he could achieve an absolute dictatorship in this team that the country was unwilling to imagine, but Yu Fei stepped forward and gave him a big blow - whether it was physical or symbolic - he thought For the first time, Jordan, who is omnipotent, had the idea of ​​"whether I can control this fierce horse at this stage."

At this time, Laettner, who claimed to teach Yu Fei a lesson on Jordan's behalf, said again: "Michael, we have to let that uneducated little bitch know that the NBA has NBA rules."

Jordan pouted habitually, showing no trust in Laettner: "What do you want to do?"

"He is so fast that it is difficult for me to follow him on the outside. We can use Tyrone as a bait to match him. As long as he comes to the inside, I will let him know how cruel the competition in professional basketball is."

García Dee glared at Lightner disapprovingly.

This matter has nothing to do with him at all, why drag him into the water?

Jordan thought about it and felt it was feasible, so he looked at White and said, "That's it."

Jordan spoke, and White could only obey, but he was still dissatisfied with Laettner in his heart.

Before the game restarted, Yu Fei chatted with Tyronn Lue, "Can you let me control the ball?"

Director Lu has not yet recovered from the shock of Yu Fei challenging Jordan head-on, and will not refuse his request at all.

"Of course, you can fight however you want."

When Doug Collins saw Yu Fei receiving the serve from his teammate from the backcourt, he couldn't help but said in his heart, it's finally here.

Controlling movement was Yu Fei's biggest selling point before the draft. With such a figure, he can dribble as skillfully as a guard. If he can show his characteristics on the NBA court, then the sky is his upper limit.

Yu Fei just showed off his shot-chasing and breakthrough dunks, but the one he blocked was the unprepared old Jordan, and the one he passed was Laettner, who didn't know his characteristics. It can be said that he played well, but there was no surprise. place.

Now, Yu Fei was about to control the ball for half-time. Collins coughed loudly and motioned for Team Jordan's Chris Whitney to step forward and lead the defense.

Facing Whitney, who has many years of experience in NBA leading defense, Yu Fei had difficulty dribbling freely, but with his size advantage, he leaned on Whitney while pushing forward, and it was not a problem to pass the half.

After arriving in the frontcourt, Yu Fei had no intention of handing over the ball and waved his hand to call for a pick-and-roll.

Kwame Brown actively ran outside. Yu Fei used the pick-and-roll to break through the opponent's defense, found every opportunity, and passed to Brown for a layup.

The two sides conducted several rounds of normal offense and defense.

Yu Fei served as point guard for three consecutive rounds, first assisting Brown, and then passing the ball to Hamilton. Unfortunately, he missed the shot. Finally, he used his size advantage to beat Whitney and hit the board with a 45-degree throw from the right side.

Collins has always regarded Yu Fei as a small forward, and now it seems that maybe he can play as a point guard at some point?

Then, Yu Fei returned the ball to Director Lu.

When Yu Fei didn't have the ball, Laettner's plan went into effect.

Jasidi White, who can play three positions in the frontcourt, comes to face him.

White gives Yu Fei the feeling that he is just like Rodney White, a lottery pick at the same level as him, who can swing both inside and outside. As a result, because he has no expertise in any aspect, he becomes neither inside nor outside, neither three nor four.

White's biggest advantage over Yu Fei is that he has played in the NBA for a few more years and is better at confrontation, but when placed at the small forward position, his overall quality is far behind.

Yu Fei ran through the weak side, used Brown's off-ball screen to get rid of him, received the pass directed by Lu from the outside, and then found himself empty, and immediately tried a three-pointer.

Since the start of the training camp, Yu Fei has been conducting high-intensity shooting training every day. Although he has not returned to his best, he has regained his confidence in shooting.

This ball has a perfect arc.

"Shh!"

"Jasidi, what the hell are you doing?!" Jordan was furious, "How did you let a rookie score like this?"

Laettner, who was pretending to be powerful, said, "That rookie has no long-range shooting ability at all. Can you let him make it?"

White was even more upset with Leitner. Is this what he said in human terms?Since the rookie has no long-range shooting ability, shouldn't it be natural for me to let him shoot?Can he blame me if he makes the shot?

However, White knows that the most important thing for him now is to satisfy Jordan.

Leitner is just a stupid dog that only wag its tail at the dog, and it is unnecessary to talk to him.

The hard training in the offseason is paying off for Yu Fei.

Everyone on the Wizards staff can pinpoint the players who are in the best shape.

That is Yu Fei.

Compared with the Yu Fei who was training at the Verizon Center, this Yu Fei is faster, stronger, and uses technical moves better than before.

While most players are still recovering, Yu Fei's competitive state has reached competition standards.

Facing Jordan's offense, Yu Fei defended every move and finally forced the opponent to pass the ball.

"Pass the ball?" Yu Fei spat trash talk at Jordan without any scruples, "Steve Kerr is not here."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chris Whitney hit a three-pointer.

Jordan had no choice but to turn his anger on Whitney, "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Does provoking Michael like this do you any good?" Coach Lu asked.

He wanted to persuade Yu Fei to stop. "You are wrong, he likes this." Yu Fei snorted, "Look at how he treats Kwame. Instead of reacting passively, it is better to take the initiative!"

Yu Fei was soon punished by God.

When he wanted to try a low post attack on White, Jordan double-teamed him in advance and slapped his ball away with a knife that contained more than ten years of skill.

Jordan missed a one-stop counterattack, but Johnny Bach blew an individual whistle for Yu Fei who failed to chase back and block the shot.

Jordan frowned and mocked Fei fiercely, "You are stupider than Karl Malone, that bastard who cares about his head but not his body!"

How dare you talk about stealing Malone's goal?

It's really ridiculous that you can push someone down and then hit the ball to score the game of the century!
Yu Fei has completely entered the realm of a qualified Generation Z basketball fan (people born between 1997 and 2012/the generation here refers to Yu Fei before time travel). As a person who has no good impression of Jordan, after contacting After Jordan, the dislike multiplied exponentially, and he became a true "anti-Mike."

"Indeed, I am not as good as Karl, and Karl is not as good as you. Who can push people at will and make the referee not allow anyone to touch you like you?" Yu Fei mocked, "You'd better make both free throws."

In terms of free throws, Jordan is at the upper-middle level among the super giants. In his heyday, his free throw shooting rate reached 85%, and his career average free throw shooting rate was 83.5%. It can be said to be very stable, but today's game is Jordan's first since 1998. This was an intense match. It was different from the previous matches in the training camp where he was rehabilitating in Chicago. Artest, that blind kid, broke his ribs with a casual effort. This shows that his body is How much essence has been drained away by drinking and sex in the past few years.

Jordan made the first free throw, but missed the second free throw.

Yu Fei jumped up, collected the defensive rebound with one hand, and immediately released the ball when he landed. The speed was so fast that Leitner had no time to foul and rushed out of the backcourt three-point line.

"Garcetti!" Jordan yelled.

White was the only one in a favorable defensive position, but he didn't want to touch Yu Fei at all.

Because Yu Fei was rushing over at full speed. If he tried to intercept at this time, whether it was successful or not, the risk of injury would be greatly increased. It was just a confrontation. Is it necessary?We are all workers, and we can't see each other without looking up. This anti-Mike just did something that everyone wanted to do but didn't dare to do. Why should we fight boss Qiao for his own selfishness?
White became cowardly and turned into a timid lizard. The moment Yu Fei jumped up with all his strength, he ducked sideways, allowing him to complete a gliding tomahawk dunk that was full of visual effects.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Jordan was furious, "What the hell are you doing?!"

White said aggrievedly, "I tried my best, Michael!"

Yu Fei believed that White's defense did his best. If he didn't try his best, it was at most because he didn't risk injury to forcefully block himself.

But Jordan definitely doesn’t believe that he tried his best. This is a master of bullying who feels the need to beat down his teammates to make them stronger. He wants to suppress Yu Fei now, but White chooses to be a timid lizard, this damn waste , of no use at all.

The angry Jordan found a sense of the game. Facing Fei again, even if he didn't get away from the defense, he still used a higher arc to shoot against the defense and score.

This is not his best state.

Yu Fei feels that if Jordan returns to his best condition, when he has physical strength, he should be the team's strongest offensive point.

His on-ball offense and off-the-ball running are both so good. The only thing Hamilton is better than him is his physical strength. Even his best off-the-ball movement is nothing compared to Jordan.

Yu Fei's performance gradually created an atmosphere of anxiety in the hearts of some veterans.

There are even more conflicts with him like Leitner.

Having Jordan as a father is scary enough. The downfall of Kwame Brown is what many veterans want to see. No one wants to have a master and a young master on the team.

But now, the problem is more serious.

Yu Fei is far stronger than Brown, and has a rare confrontational personality that is not afraid of Jordan.

In just the first game, the tension between him and Jordan was already so strong that it suffocated the veterans.

Laettners have to worry about one thing. If Yu Fei is recognized by Jordan, will he become the new young master?

Even if Yu Fei is now making it difficult for Jordan to step down, Laettners will still have this idea, because that is Jordan. He likes confrontation and the kind of tough guy who dares to accept his confrontation. This kind of person was one of the best when he was playing. .

They forgot one thing, Jordan liked confrontation and challengers, but he also divided people.

It's like he doesn't treat Isiah Thomas and Reggie Miller as human beings when he plays, but he feels honored that he is respected by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

What Yu Fei showed today was infinitely closer to the former, not the latter.

For Jordan, who is aging and unable to stably suppress Yu Fei with hard power, how could he hope that the young people he hand-picked are mad dogs like Reggie Miller and Isiah Thomas?
Leitner was determined to suppress Yu Fei's arrogance.

However, Yu Fei didn't give him any chance during the 10-minute game.

Because except for fast breaks, Yu Fei did not try to attack the inside in positional battles. His throws were too accurate. For a small forward with an inside body, he did not practice hook shots or low post plays. Instead, he had a skill A seasoned throw, how outrageous is this?Has he ever encountered a giant who had to throw to avoid being blocked?

Finally, in the second half of the game, Laettner saw his chance.

Yu Fei was executing a buzzer beater in a certain round, and his continuous shaking made it difficult for Jasidi White to stabilize his center of gravity.White's body was like a rootless tree, swaying from side to side. Soon he could no longer withstand the large changes in direction, and his knees weakened and he knelt down.

Yu Fei stood up, took a step inside, stepped into the paint and took off. He was determined to dunk. However, Leitner appeared. With his physical fitness, he could not stop Yu Fei. Even if he jumped up, it would only serve as a background for dunking. He's crazy?
Leitner raised his hands and pushed hard against Yu Fei's side with his elbows. At that moment, Yu Fei felt a shock, a strong pain came from his waist, and his body hit the ground like a meteorite.

"Beep!!!"

Now Johnny Bach had to call Laettner for a foul. This action was too much.

"Fry?"

"Frye!"

Yu Fei lay on the ground and twisted his body. Although it hurt, it was okay.

He clenched his fists, his uncontrollable anger rising as fast as possible.

Leitner stretched out his hand innocently, "You all saw that he rushed too hard, and I was just careless."

Before Leitner could finish his sentence, Yu Fei, who had already stood up, found the right target and punched him in the face.

Laettner was knocked to the ground.

"WCNMLGCB!!!"

Yu Fei yelled something hysterically that no one could understand, and jumped on Leitner and punched him wildly.

Suddenly, things got completely out of control.

(End of this chapter)