Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

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However, this time, they approached Yu Fei with a sour mood.

"Frye, how does it feel to be back in D.C.?"

"It's not being back, it's coming here. This is no longer my home court."

"But... your mom still lives in D.C."

"What's that got to do with anything? I now live in Milwaukee, and today I'm here representing the Bucks, that's all."

"Do you have anything to say to the Washington fans?"

"Without me, the Wizards must be better than before, please continue to support the Wizards."

The reporters present had followed Yu Fei's rookie season, and they knew he wouldn't pass up the opportunity to rub salt into the wound.

Afterward, Yu Fei took Lawson and Clark back home to spend some time with his mother before going to the hotel to check in.

In the evening, Yu Fei and Lawson headed to the Wizards' home court—the MCI Center.

"Missing it?"

As they reached Chinatown outside the MCI Center, Lawson asked with a smile.

"If you're referring to the intensive training I did here after the draft... well, of course, it's worth missing."

"What about your rookie season?"

Then, Yu Fei looked at Assistant Clark, a Bostonian, "Alex, do you miss the days when the Red Sox had Roger Clemens?"

"No! Fuck Roger Clemens!" Clark cursed as if he had PTSD.

Currently, the Bucks have a 13-4 record, ranking first in the Eastern Conference, while the Wizards are 8-9, ranking eighth in the Eastern.

If Jordan's so-called escape from the slump meant getting the Wizards into the playoffs, then they have already succeeded.

Unfortunately, Jordan clearly stated that the Wizards out of the slump would be better than the Bucks.

If the Bucks were the benchmark, the current situation of the Wizards is hardly satisfactory.

Yet, Jordan still radiates confidence, and his team keeps reiterating to the public that the Wizards' goal this year is not just to obtain a "playoff experience qualification" like last year.

Influenced by Jordan, the media began to paint the Wizards' playoff prospects.

As if making the playoffs for two consecutive years was the most basic thing.

However, every team that has played against the Wizards knows that even if they make it to the playoffs, they won't break through the first round.

So, why does a team with a first-round ceiling garner so much attention?

This is a legitimate question. An even more important question is why should fans care about this? Who likes to watch the Wizards limp into the playoffs just to get knocked out in the first round? What glory is there in that?

The simple answer is, the media endlessly talks about the Wizards' playoff possibilities simply because Jordan insists that since the Wizards had only made the playoffs twice in the last fifteen years, as long as they make it again under his command, it'll prove his comeback truly turned the team's fortunes around.

In fact, it's meaningless, but if a sports superstar capable of swaying public opinion uses the media's power to push such a concept for a long time, it becomes mainstream recognition and the standard.

That is: making the playoffs means that the Wizards have achieved a great success under Jordan's leadership.

While the season's future remains uncertain, some data still foreshadowed Jordan's ending in Washington.

According to "The Washington Post", the Wizards sold fourteen thousand season tickets last season (sold out), but this season they sold twelve thousand, which is still an impressive number for a local team without much appeal, but by Jordan's standards, it's a failure.

The two thousand unsold season tickets indicate two thousand middle-class fans think Jordan no longer has the appeal.

According to the cockroach theory, behind the two thousand who gave up their season tickets lies a bigger secret—if two thousand people in Washington think Jordan has lost his appeal, then how big would that number be if the scope expanded to the entire nation?

Before tip-off, Yu Fei met with his old friends.

Kwame Brown, Cassidy White, Bobby Simmons, and Doug Collins.

"Guv'nor has done so much for you, what do you plan to do tonight to repay him?"

Kwame Brown seemed very eager to see Yu Fei settle scores with Jordan on the court.

No wonder, the first overall pick and his rookie season average playing time was less than eighteen minutes.

Going into his second professional year, Brown's situation with the Wizards had not improved significantly.

Even though it increased slightly—his average playing time reached twenty-two minutes—it was still pitifully low for a first overall pick.

Yu Fei said, "I'll hit him a home run."

Kwame Brown wished, "I hope it's a walk-off home run."

Unfortunately, that was just a wish.

Yu Fei couldn't retire Jordan tonight.

In the end, Yu Fei and Collins met.

Collins looked at him with mixed emotions, "Go easy on Michael."

"Don't worry, we still have a few regular season games to play." Yu Fei said with a kind expression but in a fierce tone, "Before he retires, I'll give him a royal treatment."

Then, tonight's two main characters representing their teams met at center court.

As the main trading chip the Bucks used to get Yu Fei, Sam Cassell was also looking forward to this game. He didn't have a good impression of Yu Fei because the last time the two teams met, this impolite young man had repeatedly made trash talk about his looks.

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