When pride still matters

Chapter 95 Is age not a problem?Sometimes it can be
The day after losing to the Spurs, the Wizards announced that Jordan would miss the next game against the Rockets due to tenosynovitis.

Yu Fei takes the game with the Rockets extremely seriously.

Because this is Eddie Griffin's team.

Before the draft began, Yu Fei was regarded as the yellow version of Griffin, the next substitute for Griffin in the draft.

The New Jersey Nets were originally going to select him with the seventh pick, but changed their mind when they found out there was an opportunity to select Griffin.It turns out that they don't love Griffin that much. On draft night, Griffin, like Yu Fei, was traded before he could become a real Nets (Cavaliers) player.

In the end, the Rockets got Griffin. Although the performance of Rudy Tomjanovich's No. [-] pick in his rookie season cannot be said to be in line with expectations, it can at least be said to be a big disappointment.

He is not strong enough and does not have reliable skills at the NBA level. His athletic ability is top-notch but he flies away when someone hits him. He is also prone to fouls. He has a bad temper and does not train diligently. He is as unteachable as Yu Fei but does not have Yu Fei's immediate combat ability.

In the game between the Wizards and the Rockets, Yu Fei failed to fight Griffin because the opponent was just an insignificant substitute.

Although the Rockets have a star backcourt pair of Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley, the attributes of these two people are too obvious in terms of offensive strength and weak defense. There is no pillar-type defensive core inside. Yu Fei's breakthrough can be said to be It's there in a sudden attack, and it's even more unstoppable in a counterattack.

A team with poor defense is the best stage to brush up statistics. In this campaign, Yu Fei played 34 minutes, made 17 of 11 shots, and scored a career-high 28 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. While leading the team to victory, he also unlocked Record of first career triple-double.

Kwame Brown and Richard Hamilton were the main beneficiaries of Yu Fei's triple-double performance.

Brown played the most 26 minutes of the season tonight and also reached a milestone night, unlocking his first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Hamilton, as the second-leading scorer, scored 25 points, Yu Fei's most on the court. Trusted teammates.

"Young people need to stand up. I've always said this, and tonight they stood up." Collins laughed. "Even Michael would laugh when he saw it."

The first NBA showdown between Yu Fei and Griffin was a good gimmick. After all, they had already had conflicts due to a fight during the last trial. As a result, Tomjanovich had no idea of ​​meeting the expectations of the outside world and always suppressed He asked Griffin not to let him meet Yu Fei.

Griffin could only play when Yu Fei was resting. In the end, he only played 9 minutes, and his performance was poor. He made 5 of 1 shots from the field. He was completely unable to compare with Brown, and even more so with Yu Fei. .

"We are in great shape!" Hamilton was excited. "This is proof of the rise of DC's new heroes! We have Da Fei, we have Big K (Kwame Brown), and I and others. The future legion belonging to DC has already It’s starting to reach its potential!”

Yu Fei didn't expect Hamilton to be so excited. The boss had just taken a break and he was about to cash in on his future. Was he trying to force Dan to come back?
Then came Yu Fei’s interview.

The reporter asked him how great he felt about the Rockets' triple-double. Yu Fei responded: "It's not bad. It would be even better if I could have a good game with Eddie. I really want to play against him because there are many players." People say he’s the black version of me.”

Yu Fei ended the night successfully with a taunt that everyone could understand. Then, when the Wizards flew to Dallas, Jordan returned to the team.

"No problem, I can come back in the next game."

Since Jordan is going to come back, he will definitely come back.

“It’s really gratifying and I can’t wait to hear the creative journalists asking me after the game how I can help the boss on the pitch!”

Yu Fei continued to be weird, and the game that night was not difficult because the Mavericks' core inside player, Dirk Nowitzki, was out due to hip tightness.

As if he wanted to prove that his legs were fine, Jordan played 42 minutes against the Mavericks, but made 21 of 7 shots from the field, scoring the highest score on the team with a classic [-]% shooting rate.

Why is it said that the [-]% hit rate is classic?Because this is Jordan's normal behavior this season.

The [-]% shooting rate is an obvious characteristic of Wizard Dan. On nights when he can't find his shooting touch, his shooting rate is only [-]% or even below [-]%.

It can be said that Michael Finley defeated Jordan. He scored 55 points with a 32% shooting rate, but the victory still belonged to DC.

Because Nowitzki's truce not only caused the Mavericks' offense to lose a core attacker who can score 24 points per game, but also caused their inside line to change from the top in the West to the worst in the West.

Tonight, the Mavericks’ starting big men are Wang Zhizhi and Juwan Howard
Although Lao Wang's offense is good, his defense is really bullish in the NBA. As for Juwan Howard, after Yu Fei became an NBA player, he compiled a starting lineup with the worst defense in the NBA, including star players. .

This lineup is Earl Boykins (PG), Jason Terry, Steve Smith, Carlos Boozer, and Juwan Howard.Any team with this starting lineup is going to lose at least 65 games in a season, and the numbers for each of them will look good.

The Mavericks' temporarily weak inside line allowed the Wizards to live a good life with all the advantages in the inside line.

Kwame Brown rose to prominence for the second time. This was the first time he performed well in front of Jordan. He scored 11 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks. It can be said that the negative impact of Jordan's inefficient shooting was offset on the defensive end.

The most obvious impact after Jordan's comeback was Yu Fei.

When Jordan was away, he was the big brother. When Jordan was around, his status was even lower than that of Hamilton. As a fill-in-the-blank all-around No. 14 position, he could do anything but didn't have much possession of the ball. He relied entirely on his own enthusiasm and restraint. Reese Whitney scored 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal and [-] block against his high passing tendency.

103 is better than 94
The Wizards defeated the Mavericks, won two consecutive games, and rose to fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

"Their defensive attention was on me, which led to good opportunities for my teammates." Jordan hinted that there was a reason for his low shooting percentage, and implicitly said that Brown's explosion was related to him, "Look It was a pleasure to go to Kwame and take the opportunity and perform well.”

"What about Fry?"

"He's been outstanding."

"Michael, do you want to talk about your feet?"

"No, I don't want to." Jordan's tone cooled down quickly. "I know whether I can play or not. As long as I stand here, it won't be a problem."

Then, the Wizards headed to Memphis, the last stop of their road trip.

The Grizzlies were one of Jordan's favorites.

Since the start of the season, many have said that if the Wizards draft Pau Gasol with the No. [-] pick, then Jordan's draft ability would match his skills.

Jordan didn't want to hear this. He never felt that he made the wrong choice.

Most front offices in his position would take Kwame Brown.

But in this world, everyone likes the result to be correct. No matter how correct your process is, if the result is wrong, it will be 0 points, and there is no room for argument.

In addition, Kwame Brown scored double-doubles in two consecutive games, which made Jordan feel that Brown was mature enough to take on big responsibilities. It was time for him to prove Dog's vision in a focus game that did not receive much attention. .

In this way, Kwame Brown was sent to the starting lineup by Collins without any preparation.

Moreover, Collins also put him in the fifth position to directly compete with Gasol.

"Kwame, you know how much effort Fry has put in to get into the starting lineup, but you are far inferior to him." Before the game started, Jordan's tone was full of pressure, "Don't let us down!"

Please replace "We" with "I", thank you.

Yu Fei didn't even think that Brown, who had eaten two dumplings, could achieve good results.

Jordan's move was entirely for his own selfish reasons, which put Brown under great pressure and difficulties.After the start, Brown, who was confused, confused and lacking in self-confidence, collapsed as expected.

Sliding hands, not stuck, and was beaten one-on-one by Gasol
In the first 5 minutes, Gasol led the Grizzlies to a 14-5 lead over the Wizards, and Collins requested a timeout.

Jordan, who was greatly disappointed with Brown, glared at Brown and couldn't help but roared: "Why are you so bad? Why can't you stay focused? Why are you as cowardly as a wimp? That's why you're not as good as Frye." ! Damn it, how could I expect anything from you! If you don’t want to fucking fight, don’t fight, get out of here!”

You started bullying your No. [-] pick from the training camp, attacking his body, destroying his will, and making him feel that he is the worst player in the NBA. Now that he has finally played two good games and built up a little confidence, you Are you rushing to push him out to prove that you are right? Now that he is not performing well, you have forgotten his performance in the first two games and dismissed him as the worst player again?

Great leader!Great leader!
It had only been a few days since Jordan's comeback, but Yu Fei's dissatisfaction with him had already accumulated to a certain extent. At this moment, his humiliation of Brown was just a fire that ignited dry wood.

"Paul is 21 years old this year, and Kwame is not yet 19." Yu Fei asked, "What do you want him to do?"

In fact, Yu Fei's disobedience and his behavior of contradicting himself in public have shaken Jordan's rule, which is why they cannot live in harmony no matter what.

You have to take care of the arrangements of the coaching staff, and you have to take care of me when I teach rookies. Will one day you have to take care of me too?

"I want him and sissies like him who only use age as an excuse to know that it's not a problem!"

Jordan's brown eyes were bloodshot, and he was furious.

Collins was frightened and wanted to dissuade him but he had no chance to speak.

"Age is not a problem?" Yu Fei sneered, "So you were swept by Larry Bird in the playoffs, not because of your age, but because you played too poorly? Not focused enough? As cowardly as a weakling? So Are you saying that you were defeated repeatedly by the Pistons in the playoffs because you were too bad, unfocused, and as weak as a sissy? And "

"Shut up, you bastard!" Jordan lost his mind at this moment, "You want to teach me how to do things? You want to replace me? You think this is your team! I can trade you tonight! You Get the fuck out of here tonight!"

"You don't really think I like being a teammate with you, do you?!" Yu Fei laughed, "If I'm still a member of the Wizards tomorrow, then you're that bastard! You're the one who should have gotten out long ago but still didn't You old dog who comes back with his tail raised, no one wants to be your teammate, don’t think you are anything special, in my eyes you are worse than that bitch Christian Laettner!”

"That's enough! That's enough!" Collins used all his strength, "Stop arguing!"

It was too late. The rift between Yu Fei and Jordan not only opened up a huge gap, but also made the conflict completely public. This was during the live broadcast of the game. NBC's camera was focused on the two of them. They were filled with hatred for each other. The blowjob cannot be concealed.

Collins thought the only person he needed to be loyal to and serve on this team was Jordan.

However, Yu Fei's appearance completely changed the situation.

"Anti-Mike" can be described as teenage rebellion, but what about this?Does he respect Jordan?What does Jordan look like to him?Does he recognize Jordan as a leader?If the answer is no, what does he want to do if he doesn't regard Jordan as his leader?Jordan, in his rage, had already given the answer.

Yu Fei wants to replace Jordan.

Once this terrible truth is exposed, it is impossible for the relationship between the two to go back to the past.

Although Collins used his own efforts to stop them from continuing to argue, some things were completely beyond his control.

For the rest of the game, Jordan ignored Yu Fei, and Yu Fei ignored Jordan.

Jordan shot 25 crazy goals, but only hit 9, while Yu Fei relied on Chris Whitney's unreserved standing in line (passing), plus his own fight for backcourt rebounds to push back, and also created for himself He took 17 shots, once again tied his career high of 28 points in a single game, and scored 8 rebounds.

The two tigers fought, but it was Richard Hamilton who was injured.

Hamilton, who felt great tonight, only got 7 shots in this suffocating team atmosphere, and he hit 5 of them.

The Wizards, who had completely lost their chemistry and teamwork, unexpectedly lost 89-95 on the road to the Grizzlies, who ranked second from last in the Western Conference.

When the referee blew the final whistle, Yu Fei had already left the field one minute early. This was the second time he had done this this season.

The Grizzlies announcer was still criticizing him for being rude, disrespectful to his opponents, and unsportsmanlike, and the media, who smelled the smell of blood, were looking forward to the later press conference.

Post-match interview
"Fry and Michael are okay, they are both competitive people. We have seen a lot of similar things, like the Lakers. They may not be friends but that doesn't stop them from playing together." - Doug Collins Commentary on the heated argument that broke out between Yu Fei and Jordan during the game.

"How could they not pass the ball to each other? Go back and watch the game tape. This can't happen. I won't allow it." - Doug Collins responded to Yu Fei and Jordan's view of isolating each other on the court. .

"When we lost, everyone felt that the coach should take responsibility. Yes, I am willing to take responsibility." - Doug Collins on this upset game.

"Next question." - Michael Jordan was asked about his heated argument with Yu Fei.

"My foot is fine, but our team has a problem. I won't say who has the problem, but it's obvious that the problem lies with those people." - Michael Jordan responded to his injury.

"I think Frye will be the Rookie of the Year, but I won't be surprised if I get the award in the end." - Pau Gasol talking about the duel with Yu Fei.

"We could obviously feel the tension in DC, and all I can say is that we were lucky tonight." -Sidney Lowe (Sidney Lowe/Grizzlies coach) commented on this game.

"Fry, how do you evaluate Michael shooting 25 for 9 tonight? Is tenosynovitis still affecting him?"

"When us young players make mistakes on the court and perform poorly, we're told that's because we're not working hard, we're not focused, we're terrible, and age is no excuse for making mistakes and performing poorly. So I feel like if someone goes 25-for-9, You should not focus on his injuries. Since he is playing, there is no excuse. Age is not an excuse and injuries are not an excuse. It is all part of the game and he played too badly."

"Would you like to talk about that fight you and Michael had during the game?"

"why not?"

"What happened at that time? Didn't you two have a good relationship?"

"Hehe." Yu Fei smiled strangely and looked at the reporter who asked the question. He was from the New York Times. "Have you ever heard of any of Michael's former teammates who maintained a good personal relationship with him? Oh, maybe There is one, Charles Oakley, that should be the right name. He is a good friend of Michael because he can help Michael fight on the court, but he cannot help Michael win, so he was traded. And those who help Michael win Teammates are the ones who don't have a good relationship with him, so I understand that if I want to really help him, I can't be his friend."

"How the altercation occurred."

"I don't remember." Yu Fei said, and the reporters looked disappointed. Although "I can't be his friend" was enough to make headlines, it was not explosive enough.However, Yu Fei's next words made the media interview room heated up, "I only remember that he said he wanted to trade me."

"what?"

"He said he wanted to trade me." Yu Fei raised his voice, "Please write this sentence down and put it in tomorrow's news. These are his original words. He wants to trade me, so this may be my chance as a Wizards player. My last press conference, nice to meet you."

If you are a veteran, you will never show off your cards in such a simple and crude way, but young people can.Today's Yu Fei, just like "Magic" Johnson 20 years ago, is dissatisfied with the status quo. Although he can make better decisions after calming down, the young magician just wants reporters to express his thoughts. Write it in the newspaper and tell the world that he has had enough, and so does Yu Fei, he has had enough.

So age really doesn’t matter?

No, sometimes, it can be.

(End of this chapter)