Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Yu Fei, who faced the most serious questioning, felt nothing towards the media's opinions in recent months.

Because he knew Jordan's media power would attack him fully, they would try every possible means to make the outside world understand that last season, the Wizards made it to the playoffs entirely due to Jordan's leadership.

The 3/4 of the season with Jordan was what mattered most; the 1/4 season that Yu Fei led the team alone was merely reaping the benefits of Jordan's legacy.

Not only did people believe in this argument that completely disregarded the facts, but it was also a hot topic in the market.

That is the power of the fourth estate.

All Yu Fei could do was achieve results in Milwaukee, because once he did, the media would not feel slapped in the face; they would forget what they had written and would support him instead, then turn the guns towards Jordan.

When everyone recalled the outside world's underestimation, disdain, and mockery, Karl did not need to amp them up to get a group of fighters full of zeal.

The Bucks players ran out of the tunnel, and Yu Fei purposely crossed half court to greet Iverson.

"How have you been lately?" Yu Fei asked, feigning ignorance.

Iverson had no smile, "Not good at all."

"I'm sorry to hear that, AI."

In fact, did Yu Fei really feel sorry for Iverson?

It was possible to feel sorry for the Iverson who had supported him at the Reebok event, but to feel sorry for a scumbag who chased his wife with a gun to a friend's house and then beat up the friend was absolutely impossible.

A few minutes later, the game started.

George Karl was quite bold, setting up a large lineup without a traditional point guard, with Yu Fei, Sprewell, Ray Allen, Mason, and Dan Gadzuric as starters.

In this lineup, Yu Fei, Sprewell, and Allen could take turns playing point guard.

From the outside, the 76ers still looked like the tough team from 2001 that fought its way out of the Eastern Conference with a very aggressive defense thanks to Iverson, Snow, and McGee.

But what made that 76ers team threaten their opponents' perimeter like a rabid dog was because they had Dikembe Mutombo, one of the greatest rim protectors since the '90s, in the paint.

And now, Mutombo was no longer in Philadelphia.

This was Larry Brown's biggest off-season trade, in which he swapped Mutombo from the New Jersey Nets for Keith Van Horn.

Well, this trade was pretty much like Xu Zheng "upgrading" Wang Baoqiang to Paul Pierce in "Lost in Hong Kong."

The difference in popularity between Wang and Pierce was just like the defensive gap between Mutombo and Van Horn, indescribable by any numbers.

It was something from two different dimensions.

Perhaps Larry Brown was fed up with their lack of offensive ability inside, but if so, choosing someone who couldn't handle the pressure alongside Kidd and Kenyon Martin, how could he excel next to the League's top thug (Iverson)? How did Brown convince himself? How did he believe that the bullets Iverson never fired at his wife would not hit Van Horn in the future?

That was none of the Bucks' concern.

Yu Fei held the ball, called for a pick and roll, cut into the basket for sneaky points, and led fast breaks on defense...all because the 76ers' once oppressive perimeter was now more relaxed without Mutombo's protection inside.

Because they previously only needed to focus on perimeter defense, but now they had a lot more to worry about; if the perimeter collapsed, Van Horn could not be expected to guard the rim.

Thus, the defensive system that Larry Brown had long tailored for Iverson fell apart.

Van Horn's offense could not compensate for the defensive holes.

Yu Fei scored 27 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists in 29 minutes, and he rested on the bench with 6 minutes left in the game.

George Karl personally handed the towel to him and said, "You're holding the ball too long, sophomore!"

"Does it matter, George?" Yu Fei glanced at the score, "We won big."

Karl had nothing to say, he disliked Yu Fei's ball-dominant style but he could also clearly feel the chemistry between Yu Fei's play and the shooting threats from Ray Allen, Sprewell, and others.

Whenever Yu Fei called any of them for a pick-and-roll, the 76ers would fall apart.

This was somewhat revolutionary for Karl, who always liked to see all five players involved in the offense.

It was a coincidence.

That's what Karl thought.

The final six minutes were without any suspense, the Bucks' reserves kept the lead against the demoralized 76ers, winning by a large margin of 111 to 93 in the end.

Post-game interviews

"All the smear, all the underrating, all the criticism is our motivation, this game is dedicated to all the critics!" —— George Karl talking about the big win in the debut.

"Frye was very comfortable, he really was comfortable, he's a natural basketball player, he fit in with us almost instantly, look at his stats tonight, didn't he get like 30 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists? But I didn't feel there was anything difficult for him, that's what I mean, he's comfortable." —— George Karl on Yu Fei's Bucks debut.

"This 'who's the boss' topic is boring, we're all focused on the game, no one cares about that." —— Ray Allen when asked about the Bucks' internal hierarchy.

"I'm uncomfortable, this isn't my rhythm, I'm still finding my feel." —— Latrell Sprewell on his poor performance.

"We need a lot of structural changes, we need complex rebuilding, it's not an overnight task, we need time, a lot of time, we'll be okay." —— Larry Brown on the impact of two consecutive losses.

"I'm working hard on the court, why do you only care about my personal life? Damn it, that's my private business! I won't let you continue to pry into my privacy!" —— Allen Iverson losing his composure when asked about his wife.

"Frye, how would you rate your debut with the Bucks?"

"Rating is your job."

"Is this your response to the external doubts?"

"There's too many things I need to respond to, isn't there?"

"What do you think about the Wizards and Bucks trade?"

"Was there a Wizards game tonight? Did they win?"

"They lost."

"Then no problem, haha."

—— Yu Fei's post-game interview.

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"Debut flop, has Yao Ming been overrated?" —— ESPN News Flash

"Substitute MJ scores only 8 points, has his major decline arrived?" —— "Toronto Times"

"T-MAC revealed that he almost chose to undergo end-of-season back surgery last summer. He said the pain from two herniated discs was unbearable." —— "Orlando Sentinel"

"An impressive debut didn't make Frye complacent, but his tense face relaxed upon hearing the Wizards had lost. Maybe he won't admit it, but we believe, he detests everything about D.C. from the bottom of his heart." —— "The Washington Times"