Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

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Before the game started, Yu Fei greeted Dwyane Wade in the middle of the court with Kevin Martin.

For well-known reasons, Shaquille O'Neal refused to speak to Yu Fei, and therefore, there was no need for pleasantries in the middle of the court.

"Show some mercy, Big Fei."

Wade was a congenial fellow, much like Kwame Brown during his rookie season.

But the biggest difference between him and Brown was that one had talent, and the other did not.

Still, what good was talent when you could end up getting traded by an infuriated old baldy?

"The one who should be saying that is me, Dwyane."

The attitudes between Yu Fei and Wade were still polite, as the former acknowledged the latter's abilities and the latter was well aware of how strong the former was.

However, as long as Shaq was around, games between Miami Heat and the Bucks were inevitably tinged with animosity.

This was made all the more certain with the presence of the chatterbox Gary Payton.

"Shaq, we've got to teach that kid a lesson!" Payton, remembering the F4's devastating loss in the finals, couldn't help but seethe with hatred towards Yu Fei and Kobe, "He's too cocky."

Why should Payton hate Kobe? Simple, because of the feud between Kobe and Shaquille O'Neal and, setting aside the fact that our great "Glove" was a no-show in the finals with an average shooting percentage of 32% and a mere 5 points per game, wasn't Kobe, with his team-high shooting attempts at a 38% hit rate, the biggest culprit? Truly a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

However, Shaquille O'Neal didn't respond.

For the normally vindictive Big Shark, such restraint was rare.

But Yu Fei was a special case for Shaquille O'Neal; the two were like oil and water, yet Shaq never got the upper hand over him.

Ever since Yu Fei joined the league, he had repeatedly gained the advantage over Shaquille O'Neal.

After countless painful lessons, Shaquille O'Neal had to admit there was something odd about Yu Fei, especially in the way he played that seemed to particularly counter Shaq himself.

So, to Payton's provocation, Shaquille O'Neal, after careful consideration, surprisingly responded with clarity, "No, winning the game is more important."

Payton was shocked. Was this the same man who never let go of any grudge, who couldn't stand anyone who made him uncomfortable or feel uncomfortable?

Forget about someone like Yu Fei, who had humiliated Shaq time and again; even the modest and well-mannered David Robinson would incur Shaquille O'Neal's displeasure simply for being too proper, leading Shaq to conjure up a fantasy in his mind of Robinson refusing to give him an autograph back in the day, branding him a hypocrite.

The most interesting part of this story is that Robinson ultimately proved by action that when people think you're a hypocrite, you might as well do something hypocritical—thus David Robinson clinched the scoring title with "The Shot" in the last game of the season, pouring in 70+ points to snatch the title from Shaquille O'Neal.

Like to fabricate stories, huh? That's the karma for the Fat Shaq.

Yet now, Shaq showed no sign of revenge towards Yu Fei, his true nemesis?

This sent a chill through Payton's heart.

Wasn't this capitulation? Was this the man he had stooped to join forces with? Payton had once defied Yu Fei's recruitment—and even angered him—by turning and joining the F4, and still didn't believe it when F4 failed, thinking that it was all because the Triangle Offense didn't suit him. So, he chased after Miami for a second season to collaborate with The Big Shark.

As the time of Shaq's domination of the league was quickly becoming a thing of the past, for the first time, Payton started to doubt if he had bet on the wrong horse.

Shortly after, the game began.

The starting lineup for Miami Heat was Gary Payton, Dwyane Wade, James Posey, Antoine Walker and Shaquille O'Neal.

It was a typical roster of aging stars banding together for a championship run.

Only Wade and Posey represented the new and middle generation, respectively.

The Bucks adjusted their starting lineup according to the opponent.

That evening, facing a team like the Miami Heat with a dominant inside presence, the Bucks' interior starters shifted from the usual small-ball positions of Granger and Brown at the four and five to Brown at the four and Pachulia starting at the five.

In the backcourt, Kevin Martin, whose defensive strength was not sufficient, was benched from the starting lineup, with Sprewell temporarily entering the starting group.

At the jump ball to open the game, Miami Heat gained the first possession.

Payton brought the ball to the frontcourt and then lobbed it to Shaquille O'Neal.

Behind O'Neal, Pachulia clung to the Big Shark like a stubborn rubber band, as if he had some kind of inexplicable affinity for the other's fat and flesh. This annoying, pest-like defense didn't work on Shaq.

Using his shoulder, Shaquille O'Neal pushed Pachulia aside, turned around, and gently hooked the ball in, making a clean shot.

0 to 2

Shaquille O'Neal had no intention of clashing with Yu Fei, but as he ran past, in a bid to look tough, he couldn't help but let out a cold snort that said, "Don't mess with me."

"What exactly are you trying to prove with your tough guy act?" Yu Fei taunted.

"I'll do whatever I want!" Shaquille O'Neal snapped back.

No matter how much Shaquille O'Neal tried to avoid conflict with Yu Fei, a collision between the two was inevitable.

Because Yu Fei was the type of Devil King who would return the slightest provocation tenfold, a hundredfold.

And Shaquille O'Neal's provocations towards Yu Fei were far more than slight—they were indeed countless.

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Yu Fei dribbled past half court and immediately called for a 1-5 pick and roll.

Shaquille O'Neal was all too familiar with this scene.

The Miami Heat's game plan was for Walker to replace Shaquille O'Neal on defending the pick and roll, but Walker was notorious for his poor defense during his time with The Celtics. Having him defend the pick and roll was essentially a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

Yu Fei accelerated with the ball, easily bypassed Walker, dashed to the edge of the paint, and unleashed a soft floater right in front of Shaquille O'Neal's eyes.

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"On my home court, no one tells me they can do whatever they want," Yu Fei mocked, "especially not you, a big fatty who does nothing on the defense!"

Shaquille O'Neal became angry, but only for a moment.

Because he wanted to retort, but Yu Fei had already run off.

So, he turned to Wade, reminding him to remember to pass the ball to him.

Wade agreed verbally but thought that things might not be that simple.

Indeed, as he brought the ball past half court, he saw signs of trouble in the Bucks' defensive setup.

The Iron Bucket Formation of Larry Brown's Detroit Pistons might have become history, but their hated rivals had inherited it.

The Bucks actually liked to play the Iron Bucket Defense against the Pistons, each side torturing the other.

For Shaquille O'Neal personally, his offense wasn't that troubled by the Iron Bucket Formation, but the defense principally restricted one-on-one aces on the perimeter and secondly compressed the passing space, making it extremely difficult for the big men to receive the ball inside.

This was the essence of Larry Brown's entire coaching philosophy. In that defense-oriented era, he found a way to block both low-post one-on-one plays and perimeter isolations at the same time.

It's just that he didn't expect to meet someone like Yu Fei, a ball-dominant centerpiece ahead of his time.

After Yu Fei, a new generation of ball-dominant cores also began to emerge.

Miami Heat's spacing wasn't great, as Payton and Posey were not consistent from behind the arc, with only Walker capable of stretching the floor.

But Wade was a superstar ball handler who could rip open defenses without needing space.

Up against Sprewell, Wade only needed a crossover and then acceleration. Unable to get a hand on him and facing an opponent relying purely on explosive talent, The Madman simply couldn't react in time.

Wade forcefully tore through Sprewell's defense and opened up a sizable lead, scoring with a floater in the left side of the paint while being defended by Brown.

2-4

Yu Fei couldn't help but lament Shaquille O'Neal's good fortune, having Anfernee Hardaway early in his career, Kobe in his prime, and now Wade.

Which other big man in history had such great guard luck?

Can't let it go, gotta push back, can't let Wade get too involved.

Suddenly, Yu Fei's target switched from Shaquille O'Neal to Wade, calling for a 1-2 pick and roll to force a mismatch.

Unlike most young players, Wade was quite good at defense, so Miami Heat had no qualms about having him match up with Yu Fei.

But Yu Fei played dirty. He didn't rely on skill or talent, just backed down with sheer size, and after bumping Wade a few times to gain a physical advantage, he spun for a face-up basket, leaving the stunned Wade unable to respond effectively.

Like an arrow piercing through, Yu Fei broke the Heat's blockade, causing their defense to falter. With Shaquille O'Neal a step slow in his reaction, Yu Fei had him under the basket, earning a layup.

Not only that, Shaquille O'Neal, who was conservatively defending, still couldn't escape the penalty. Bald referee Joey Crawford blew a hair-trigger foul on him.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Shaquille O'Neal roared, "I didn't even touch him!"

As a highly sensitive and prideful referee, Crawford wouldn't allow players to question his calls. A poor player in the future would be ejected from a game just for smirking at one of his calls from the bench. As for the current overreacting Shaquille O'Neal, Crawford sympathized with his anger but he had to issue the technical foul nonetheless.

"You've got the balls, just eject me then!"

And then Shaquille O'Neal really did leave the game.

Pat Riley swiftly reacted by substituting the aging Shaquille O'Neal for protection and called Alonzo Mourning to take his place.

Big Fei, who always respected referees, felt he needed to say some things that weren't appropriate for the referee to hear.

So he approached the Miami Heat's bench and loudly inquired, "Did I hear right that the big fatty is a reserve officer for the Miami police force, with an annual salary of a whopping 1 US Dollar?⑴"

Mourning asked, "Big Fei, what are you trying to say?"

"Nothing much, just wondering how a jerk who disrespects referees gets to be a cop in Miami. You all see that he can't protect anything in the paint, so how can Miamians expect him to maintain order? Just thinking about it seems unreliable."

Shaquille O'Neal was furious, shouting loudly as the arena erupted in boos.

Crawford frowned and shouted at Yu Fei, "Frye, quit the chatter and come shoot the free throws!"

Could this impatient bald referee just drop dead already? I haven't even finished taunting, and you're telling me to shoot the free throws? Fine, but don't think I'm afraid of you. I just respect the referee.

But not baldies.

⑴ This isn't something Big Fei made up. Headline: Shaquille O'Neal dressed in police uniform makes an appearance at a public event with an annual salary of 1 US Dollar and permission to carry a gun while on patrol (12/10 3:10) — From some sports outlet.