Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

After all, it was just a regular season game; he didn't care about winning or losing. For Kobe, perhaps letting out the frustration in his heart felt better.

Unfortunately for him, tonight Kobe was facing the top player in the league.

A monster who was voted in a preseason poll by Sports Illustrated as the player most feared by others, with a 46% voting rate.

When Yu Fei topped another list due to the players' fear, it was easy for people to be reminded of Michael Jordan in his heyday.

Even today, there are various opinions about Yu Qiao's grievances; some people have stopped focusing on who is right or wrong.

Because more than right or wrong, it's the ongoing story that's most important. Those self-proclaimed basketball writers and psychologists suggest a popular notion: Yu Fei and Jordan couldn't get along because they were too alike.

And so, the controversy ended.

The power of the media led people to prefer believing Yu Fei was the type of person Jordan was, incompatible due to the repulsion of like individuals, rather than accepting that Wizards Dan was a talentless, unethical old bastard who, out of personal vendetta and selfishness, ruined the Wizards' bright future.

From the start of his career, Kobe had been chasing Jordan's legacy, and he certainly didn't agree with the idea that Yu Fei was the second Jordan.

But if Yu Fei wasn't Jordan, what was he?

The answer: Someone who on the court was even more prone to extremes than Jordan.

Kobe exerted his strength in the second quarter, while Yu Fei dominated in the third quarter.

Unlike Kobe, who is still obsessed with cool and difficult offensive moves, Yu Fei's offensive style focuses entirely on the small ball, big core approach: playing it rational and aiming for stability. Therefore, he didn't have as many dazzling moves as Kobe, but his scoring and shooting efficiency were both superior.

By the end of the third quarter, Yu Fei had racked up 38 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, while Kobe had 35 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

The stats of both players could be said to be evenly matched, with only a slight advantage for Yu Fei.

However, the score told a different story; Yu Fei's advantage was significant.

The SuperSonics scored 95 points by the end of the third quarter, while the Lakers had 81.

With a 14-point gap, the Lakers' chances of a fourth-quarter win were slim.

Then, Zen Master, who had not used drastic tactics throughout the game, suddenly felt that if he kept going like this, his recent record against Karl would look too bad.

So, in a desperate attempt, he deployed a bold five-out lineup.

Kidd, Kobe, Vujacic, Walton, and Odom made up this lineup.

When the Lakers decided to play Odom at center, it was clear how quickly the Zen Master embraced new ideas.

He wasn't unwilling to play small ball; he just needed an opponent like the SuperSonics to push him a bit.

In Karl's view, the Zen Master was taking a path to his own demise.

You've got a perfectly good Triangle Offense and you're asking me to play small ball? Were my five championships in four years with Big Fei for nothing?

Karl promptly adapted his strategy, positioning Lewis at the five spot, with the other four players being Durant, Yu Fei, Roy, and Channing Frye.

Both sides were playing small, but the Lakers' lineup was smaller. Statistically, the SuperSonics' small-ball lineup was of higher quality. However, basketball matchups aren't a card game; having a higher card value doesn't guarantee a 100% win over the opponent.

The Lakers' small ball put sufficient pressure on the SuperSonics for most of the fourth quarter until, in the final minutes, Kobe's unreasonable three-pointer, Kidd finding his rhythm with an open three, and Odom's corner three tied the game.

After that, the SuperSonics called a timeout.

Karl originally wanted Yu Fei to go solo, but Yu Fei said, "Channing's feeling pretty good; we can take advantage of that to create an opening."

Frye was startled, not expecting Yu Fei to entrust him with the crucial play of the game.

As long as Yu Fei spoke up, Karl had no objections.

Moreover, this was a great idea, as the Lakers would never expect the Supersonics to not use Yu Fei, who had scored 45 points, for the critical shot and instead put their hope in Channing Frye.

"Take a sip of water, don't be nervous," Yu Fei said to Frye, "don't disgrace our Frye family."

Although the pronunciation was similar, Channing's Frye and Yu Fei's Frye were not the same word. Frye believed Big Fei was aware of this.

Well, did he really know?

Frye didn't have much time to think, as the timeout ended and the Supersonics' offense started with Yu Fei, the Lakers indeed paying him extra attention.

All Frye needed was a simple pick and pop, and a beautiful shooting opportunity appeared at his spot.

Yu Fei, like a dancer, caught the ball with one hand and whipped it behind his head to Frye at the perimeter.

This move had already elicited gasps from Key Arena, while Frye's steady and precise long shot provided the perfect answer.

"From Frye to Frye!" joked ESPN's Mike Breen, "In the end, the Supersonics still look to Frye for hope!"

With that shot, the Supersonics regained a 3-point lead with 50 seconds left before the end of the game. Then, Kobe encountered a sudden double-team from the Supersonics in his solo play. Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire

At such times, the fascinating aspect of his personality also became his downfall.

Kobe didn't look to pass but chose to face the challenge head-on.

"Bang!"

Yu Fei, always keen in predicting rebounds, once again moved faster than any other player, and by the time everyone reacted, he had jumped to the right spot, secured the defensive rebound, and threw the ball like a quarterback towards the frontcourt while in mid-air.

"OMG! Frye's quick long pass to Brandon Roy in the frontcourt~~~!!! A fast break score! Brandon slams it down to give the Supersonics a 5-point lead!"

The Lakers called for a timeout, with less than 30 seconds remaining and a 5-point deficit, their chances of winning were extremely slim.

Jackson's gaze lingered for a second on the big screen in the arena, featuring Yu Fei's game stats.

45 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals.

The strengths of Jordan and Pippen were manifested in the same person.

This man was arrogant and rude, but undoubtedly, he was stronger than Kobe, stronger than LeBron, stronger than anyone else in the League.

Last season's Western bottom-dwellers, the Seattle Supersonics, had actually started rising because of his arrival.

At this moment, Jackson had already set aside the night's win or loss; he was contemplating the odds against the Supersonics in the playoffs.

He was certain that if the Lakers didn't strengthen their team further, their current lineup would have a tough time defeating the Supersonics.

The Lakers' carefully planned strategy after the timeout hadn't even started when they encountered a steal, signifying the conclusion of the entire game.

"!@#￥!#@￥"

The audience was overjoyed, none happier than them.

Mike Breen said, "This could very well be a preview of the Western Conference Finals."

However, if no changes occur before the trade deadline, then Phil Jackson had already seen the end.