Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

The Chosen One's blessing was heard by Milwaukee. But fulfilling the desire to meet at the peak was not easy. As the Eastern Conference team with the highest average talent, the Bucks had the same problem as the Spurs in the Western Conference: they lacked a commander who could tie the roster together. However, the Magic had issues of their own. Dwight Howard was not the kind of superstar who could make a decisive impact on the offensive end, and second-in-command Carter was now just a 20-points-per-game winger, with Tskitishvili being a key figure in the tactical system. Both sides played a full seven games, maintaining the suspense right up to the last half-minute of Game Seven, where Louis Williams hit an incredible buzzer-beating three-pointer to help the Bucks return to the Finals. From this point on, the season was destined for a fairy-tale ending. The Milwaukee Sentinel wrote before the start of the Finals: "Frye, all your wishes have come true, can you now fulfill Milwaukee's wish? We want to win the fifth championship trophy in seven years!" According to Bill Simmons's theory of "winning five championships in the same decade to be considered a dynasty," the Bucks were indeed just one step away from becoming the defining team of the 2000s. But Yu Fei didn't want to leave winning the championship to anyone else. Two similar teams playing the same style of basketball broke out of the era's framework from the first second of the Finals. The SuperSonics and Bucks started bombarding each other from the outside. Their big men barely had a presence at this moment. The Western powerhouses had proven over the course of two seasons that no one could rival the SuperSonics' perimeter players. The Bucks reaffirmed this fact once again. In the first game of the Finals, the SuperSonics scored 121 points and defeated the Bucks with a 17-point advantage. At this point, the Bucks realized that they couldn't match the SuperSonics' perimeter, and began to step up their defense in the second game. "Danny, have you ever beaten me in practice?" When Granger was determined to take on the core role and confront Yu Fei, he was met with this brain-oxygen-depriving question. "Times have changed," Granger refused to admit defeat here. But he couldn't change the course of the game. Tonight's Yu Fei was the one Milwaukee knew well. With the demeanor of a main ball-handler, he racked up 45 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, leading his team to defeat the Bucks once more for two consecutive victories. The home games were over, and the Bucks were heading back to the Bradley Center. At this point, the media started to anticipate the SuperSonics winning the championship with a perfect record. Not only had the '96 Bulls failed to do this, but also the 2001 Lakers team, which had unpredictably mutated during the playoffs, hadn't completed this record. The 2001 Lakers' only Finals loss contributed to the myth of Iverson, while so far, the SuperSonics showed no signs of defeat. A day later, the SuperSonics arrived in Milwaukee. This was the friendliest away game Yu Fei had seen in the NBA. As the team bus drove from the airport to the hotel, one could vaguely see some remaining "No. 44 signs" that hadn't been taken down yet. In certain rundown neighborhoods, murals of Yu Fei were everywhere. "Miss it?" Karl asked. "A little," Yu Fei responded, "but I won't show any mercy." Back on their home court, the Bucks stepped up their game against the SuperSonics as the other Eastern Conference teams had done. There was a gap in strength between the two sides, and this tactic indeed worked. Durant had a 10-minute interview with ESPN before the game about "what I'd do if I won my second championship," He wouldn't have thought that half an hour after the interview ended, the Bucks would hold him to a 3-for-12 shooting night. This was Durant's Waterloo, but it didn't affect the SuperSonics. When the SuperSonics' young stars were restrained by ferocious defense, the veterans brought in last summer—Tyronn Lue and Michael Finley—stepped up their game. Coach Lu suddenly started sprinting wildly. Finley reminded people that he used to be called Jordan's successor. The veterans stabilized the situation and viewers at the Bradley Center saw a familiar Frye. When both sides were locked in a tight struggle, he suddenly exploded, breaking through the Bucks' defense single-handedly and scoring 14 points in three minutes, turning the balanced situation into a clear advantage for the SuperSonics. After that, Roy stepped up, and Marion blocked the Bucks' layups one after another. The suspense of the game disappeared at a visible speed. In the fourth quarter, the Bucks lost their ability to resist. "So, there was reason for the world to award the SuperSonics the championship before the Finals even started," Mark Jackson began his hindsight commentary on ESPN as the game entered garbage time. "Last year, the Celtics could withstand them, but now, with KG encountering an ACL, I'm sure his superstar peak is over. The Celtics will never be the same as last year. The problem is, Frye isn't even 27 years old, and Kevin Durant isn't even 21; they'll undoubtedly be stronger next season. So, who can stop them then?" "Don't rush," Marv Albert, ESPN's legendary commentator, said with a smile, "We're about to welcome the greatest free agency market in history." "That's right," Jeff Van Gundy said sarcastically, "You know, Frye is too strong. If LeBron realizes this, he might go to Miami and join forces with D-Wade and T-Mac, and then Miami next season would be incredibly strong!" Jackson gave him a mock smile, "Jeff, you've started to fantasize. Why not be bold? LeBron could even go to Los Angeles and team up with Kobe..." One of Albert's tasks was to bring the conversation back to the game when the two of them were cracking jokes. So, he said, "The SuperSonics have brought in DeAndre Jordan, what does that mean?" "It means the SuperSonics' coaching staff thinks they've already buried the Bucks," Van Gundy said cuttingly. Though it was a harsh thing to say, it was true. Even though DeAndre Jordan was now Brown's backup, under normal circumstances, Karl preferred using Collison because he seemed more mature. Once Karl put DeAndre Jordan on the court, it indicated that the SuperSonics had the game firmly in their grasp. There were no waves in the fourth quarter, the SuperSonics continued to extend their lead, solidifying their final victory. 3 to 0 The Bucks no longer stood a chance. The Milwaukee locals had lost hope too. The nature of the Finals changed from that moment on. The die-hard Bucks fans stopped coming to watch the games, but fans with old affection for Fei began to cheer for the SuperSonics voluntarily. Many Bucks fans openly embraced the "Empire" (SoleImperium) concept created by Marc Stein. Without a Bucks dynasty, there could be no SuperSonics dynasty. They were all part of the Empire. This narrative of infinitely magnifying the individual while weakening the team would have a profound impact, although it was not immediately visible. The concept of "Empire" turned Yu Fei's image in the eyes of the world into something ethereal; he was no longer a mere person, but a lofty will representing the strongest domination and competitiveness in the sports world. For the fourth game of the Finals, everyone gathered at the Bradley Center. The League was ready to award the trophy; the media wanted exclusive news; shoe companies like Reebok, Nike, Adidas were keen to contact Yu Fei right after the game ended and Hollywood, whose residents had always ignored Milwaukee's existence, suddenly found the Bradley Center in Milwaukee to be the center of attention in the United States. Consequently, a large number of celebrities paid high prices for VIP boxes and front-row tickets. Yu Fei spotted Robert Downey Jr. at the scene, who had successfully made a comeback with "Iron Man," once again joining the ranks of Hollywood's leading actors. "Tony, where's your suit?" although Yu Fei greeted Downey, it was hard for his attention not to be drawn to the glowing beauty of Scarlett Johansson by his side. Considering the timing, the second "Iron Man" must have already entered production, making Scarlett a part of the Marvel Universe. Downey said with a faint smile, "If you win tonight, I can give you one." Scarlett did not take the initiative to greet him; she was not being haughty, just aware that as a goddess-like beauty, her biggest advantage was her appearance. So, she understood that men would approach her and all she needed to do was wait. But Yu Fei didn't greet her directly, knowing that Scarlett was married at the time and also that she would be divorced soon. Regardless of the future, it wasn't wise to mess with a married woman. "That means I must win tonight," Yu Fei laughed, "Hope you both enjoy yourselves here tonight." It wasn't strange to see elites gathered at the Bradley Center. Even when Yu Fei was still in Milwaukee, the Bradley Center was like this. The Bucks were still competitive today, but in the eyes of the outside world, they were no longer attractive. This was the last show of the season. The Bucks' role was to play the part that was appointed to them – a besieged fighter who rises against despair, only to be struck down in the end. As the game started, Yu Fei began raining down threes from the perimeter. And these weren't just ordinary catch-and-shoot threes; they were pull-up threes following various pick-and-rolls. In just one quarter, Yu Fei got 18 points and 5 rebounds. His performance was as if to tell the world why Stephen Curry would become a top three pick that year. The SuperSonics' basketball was the answer. Yu Fei was the embodiment of that answer. Although Curry couldn't play exactly like Yu Fei, he held the key to the answer ─ owning a three-point range and shooting speed with the potential for development. Unintentionally, Yu Fei boosted Curry's draft prospects. The Bucks' will to resist vanished and crumbled with the continuously rising score gap. In the end, the game inevitably became a showcase for the SuperSonics. Yu Fei started dunking, showing off clever passes, playing with layups, and executing two-man plays with Roy that only they could do. Finally, 124 to 101. The SuperSonics completed an undefeated championship run with sixteen consecutive playoff wins. Yu Fei accomplished a feat of 6 championships in 7 years, and this was not the end. It was a phenomenal year. However, the biggest aftermath of this year was the events after the championship. "Frye has captured his sixth championship in seven years. This means that he has completed in eight years (01-09) what Michael took fourteen years (84-98) to do. From now on, the debate between No. 44 and No. 23 will be endless, swarming every corner of the Earth. Who's better, who's stronger, who can conclude?" said Marv Albert, "What I want to say is, Michael's life as a player is over. But Frye might still have ten years. So, what's your answer?" The answer was self-evident. PS: Only one chapter today. There's a lot happening after the Finals – re-signing with Reebok, the draft, free agency (decisions)… My mind is too cluttered right now, can't settle down.