Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

With the Supersonics breezing through to the advancement, they had to wait for the outcome of the Mavericks vs. Hornets matchup. In the meantime, the Lakers' Jermaine O'Neal suffered another injury, this time a shoulder issue, and after surgery, he was expected to recover in 2-3 months. This also meant he was out for the season. This left the Lakers without a reliable power forward. Although Pau Gasol and Bynum made a decent twin tower combination, they could be easily disrupted by the opponent's small-ball tactics, especially against a team like the Supersonics with their wind-like pace. As the Supersonics' biggest rivals in the Western Conference, the Lakers, like the Celtics, were severely affected by injuries. Meanwhile, the Celtics had a bloodbath in the first round against Ross's Bulls, playing out what might be the most intense first-round series in history. This provided a counterattack to the current trend of undervaluing the basketball of the old days, overvaluing the basketball of the new era, thereby assisting "someone" to ascend to the throne. The grudge between Simmons and Yu Fei dates back to the latter's rookie season. In the infighting between Yu Fei and Jordan, Simmons decisively stood with number 23. This was the beginning of their feud. With Yu Fei disrupting the Celtics' revival in last year's Finals, this animosity transformed. The Celtics and Bulls first-round series made Simmons believe that this year's Celtics were stronger than last year. Had Garnett stayed healthy, they had a chance at revenge. But now, all that remained were "ifs". This didn't stop Simmons from writing an article titled "Asterisk Champions" after each first-round series ended. Simmons started the article by saying, "My father still refuses to acknowledge the 1973 NBA champions (Knicks). Nearly 40 years have passed, and he hasn't changed. Because Boston's hero, the great John Havlicek, could only play with his left hand in the last few games of the Eastern Conference Finals, so we lost, but the Celtics were the best team that year. That's how we fans are. We find excuses for our losses; we ignore the same problems when we win. The '74 Celtics defeated Jabbar's Milwaukee Bucks in a tough Finals, partly because Milwaukee's guard Lucius Allen stepped on a discarded warm-up jacket and tore his knee. An aging '76 Celtics team eventually won another championship, mainly because the season's best team imploded⑴. My father taught me to forget these things. But Havlicek playing only with his left hand in 1973? That was a year we should have won." ⑴ Referring to the '76 defending champion Warriors Team. The team's superstar, Rick Barry, got into a fight during a game and discovered at halftime that no teammate stood up for him. Upset, he refused to shoot in the second half, leading to the team losing the series. Do you think Simmons just wanted to recount some history? No, this was just the setup for a dish of sour grapes dumplings he was preparing to serve. At the start of the article, he defined cases of "Asterisk Champions," meaning the so-called best team loses the championship due to injuries or other unforeseen events, resulting in another team winning. If these things hadn't happened, the best team should have won the championship. At the end of the article, Simmons revealed his intent. ``` He cited the devastating injuries to Garnett and Little O as examples, pointing out that the Supersonics broke the '96 Bulls' record in a league where the competitive level had declined. If they ended up winning the championship, it would only be because the Lakers and Celtics had suffered injuries that precluded them from facing any real challenges. If they failed to win the championship, they would be labeled the biggest losers in NBA history. Simmons is one of the most influential sports writers of our time. His writing style has influenced countless people, and in a world on the brink of the social media era, he boasts a massive readership. That's why sports terms he coined, such as the Ewing Theory, Tyson Zone, and Danny Manning Face, have become part of sports lexicon. When he published a lengthy article right before the start of the semifinals, declaring the '09 Supersonics' title run as lacking in merit, the public's reaction was immense. Dan's fans quickly rose in support, and Celtics and Lakers fans alike agreed, uniting conservative and modern basketball enthusiasts for a time. The media in The Chosen Country promptly published articles in response, and the intensity of public opinion was as explosive as wartime propaganda. Even Yu Fei, who was preparing for the semifinals, was taken aback. He had heard about Simmons' outrageous claims. The so-called asterisked championship talk made Fei think back to how the critics in his previous life looked down on bubble championships. As A KING's primary title that widened the gap between him and his contemporaries, the way this championship was defined wasn't really about LeBron James' place in history, but about cementing his status as the greatest player of the 2000-2020 period. The situation was similar now. Anyone could see that if Fei won his sixth championship, Jordan would no longer be able to eclipse him honor-wise. Therefore, before this potentially happening event, it was pivotal to downplay the significance of the championship; that way, these people would have fodder for their articles. "Bill Simmons says that his father still doesn't recognize the 1973 championship. I think this actually reflects why the Celtics haven't been able to win a championship since '86. They neither have the grace to acknowledge that someone else might be better nor the wisdom to learn from history," said Yu Fei, laughing, "Did you realize that he's indirectly disparaging the other teams striving for the top? I hope he washes his face and sees the world clearly." The risk of waving the big flag is that others can wave an even bigger one. Simmons, although temporarily unifying Lakers and Celtics fans with his article, inadvertently alienated other fan bases. Yu Fei pointed out this fact, and although it might not win the support of fans from other teams, it would certainly prompt them to refute Simmons' asterisk championship notion that the Supersonics' potential triumph hinged on injuries to the Lakers and Celtics. Then, the Supersonics faced their semi-final opponents. They met the New Orleans Hornets in the semi-finals for the second consecutive year. This season, the Hornets were a hot mess internally. Paul's superstar aura had dimmed, and his teammates found his controlling nature unbearable, which even Tyson Chandler struggled with. The Hornets had intended to trade Chandler during the season, but the deal fell through due to a failed physical. Unable to rebuild their team chemistry through trades, the Hornets had no choice but to forge ahead. After defeating the Mavericks in the first round, they then faced the season's ultimate boss in the semi-finals. They were unfortunate, not only because Paul's relationship with Fei wasn't as harmonious as Anthony's but also because Simmons' article had particularly irritated Fei. Yu Fei wanted the media to smell blood. ``` The first game of the series saw Paul playing one-on-one against Yu Fei. Though the Hornets tried to trap Yu Fei with relentless double teams, they were still unable to contain this formidable foe. In the first game of the semifinals, Yu Fei slashed 44 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. "Frye, do you think the Hornets have improved compared to last year?" "I can't say they haven't," Yu Fei replied, "but I also don't know how much they've improved." "Chris Paul said their primary goal is to win games." At these words, Yu Fei smiled slightly. "A goal without a plan is just a wish," the basketball Elvis said lightly, "A goal not based on your own strength is a dream." The other party asked in surprise, "You don't like Chris's words?" "No, I like them," he laughed, "In this era, it's good to dare to dream." The reporter found it hard not to agree with Yu Fei's words. It was clear to anyone with eyes that the Hornets were not much stronger than the Denver Nuggets, the first-round opponents of the Supersonics, yet Paul still dreamed of winning games. Then, the reporter couldn't help but think again. Once upon a time, there was a person in this world who dreamed of competing against Yu Fei, and for a while, they were called the two heroes. Where are they now? The younger champions of today, where are they? ※※※ Cleveland Having smoothly passed the first round, the Cavaliers met the Bucks in the semifinals once again. They had been defeated by the Bucks in the playoffs for three consecutive years. Last year, Yu Fei was no longer on the team. But the remnants he left behind were still strong. Danny Granger was the most underrated star in the Eastern Conference. He took it upon himself to defend the honor of the Bucks and saw himself as the successor to The Chosen One. As the successor, he might not win the championship, but he absolutely couldn't lose to the Cavaliers. This year, however, the Cavaliers were full of confidence. Because James saw a major explosion after the introduction of new footwork rules. Some media close to Nike said, "LeBron looks like Frye back in 2006." But behind the Cavaliers' strong showing was the reality that James had been defeated by Yu Fei for six consecutive years. Besides this, the Cavaliers had another nightmare. That was this year's offseason. Four games into the semifinals, the Cavaliers were tied 2-2 with the Bucks. The team's owner, Dan Gilbert, wore a grim expression as he accepted an on-site interview. The media asked Gilbert if he thought LeBron would stay after the season. "I don't know," Gilbert said, "I think he will." Compared to 2007, it's a different world now. James is no longer the center of the basketball world. The whole world is discussing "44 VS 23", "Whether the '09 Supersonics should get an asterisk if they win the championship", "How much basketball has evolved in the last ten years", "Could Jordan succeed in the defensive era"?... LeBron? The only topic about him is whether he will leave Cleveland. This topic was too dull, and it was far from the time to hype it up. But this was exactly the Achilles heel of the Cavaliers. Because the Cavaliers achieved 54 wins this season, Mike Brown became the runner-up in the Coach of the Year voting, and if it weren't for George Karl leading his team to a 73-win season, the Bread Coach would have been named Coach of the Year. The day before the King of the Hill battle between the Cavaliers and the Bucks, an ESPN reporter asked Brown about his relationship with James. The coach, who had coached James for several years with some success, humbly answered, "LeBron allows me to coach him." As the Cavaliers were eagerly preparing for their King of the Hill battle, an obscure sports gossip website published an article alleging that LeBron James's teammate Delonte West was having an affair with his mother, Gloria James. Overnight, LeBron James was overtaken by Yu Fei in a special way in the court of public opinion by this malicious world, briefly freeing the basketball world from a year-long narrative of "44 VS 23."