Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

If Yu Fei truly wanted to become an influential star, he couldn't get tangled up in these sorts of incidents.

Ratner didn't know if Yu Fei was aware of this.

But judging from his demeanor, still full of youthful vigor, tonight might indeed brew some trouble.

Yu Fei wasn't concerned about the consequences of provoking Martin; he was excited, as this was his first time having a 5 OUT lineup since entering the NBA.

As Yu Fei brought the ball up the court, the first instruction he passed to his teammates was that after setting a screen, everyone should spread out.

Then, Yu Fei waved his hand, signaling for Michael Redd's screen.

Redd, who was usually on the receiving end of screens, didn't know what to do when asked to set one for Yu Fei. He merely stood symbolically next to him and then spread out, which was enough.

Yu Fei drove with the ball, piercing through Brooklyn Nets' defense before passing it out.

Redd caught the ball and shot a three-pointer, swish!

Yu Fei clenched his fists, completely unaware that he was opening Pandora's box.

George Karl was stunned.

That last offensive move wouldn't even count as the most basic tactic in their system.

Yu Fei just needed a screen at the two spot, then drove with the ball and passed it back out to create an excellent three-point opportunity?

Karl instinctively knew that five players capable of shooting threes on the court could stretch the opponent's defense, but he couldn't imagine what the offensive space would look like if there really were five threatening three-point shooters.

Because it was the year 2002.

This was an era where "a shooting team couldn't possibly win the championship."

Moreover, this era had half a century's worth of real cases as the basis for this unshakeable truth.

You want to challenge it? Simple, just win a championship like the 2015 Golden State Warriors did.

The championship is the best testimony.

The Brooklyn Nets responded quickly; Kidd rapidly advanced the ball up the court, taking advantage of the Bucks' instability, passing it to Keith Van Horn who followed up.

Van Horn made the chase-down three-pointer.

The gap remained at 10 points.

Yu Fei advanced the ball up the court again, still calling for a screen, this time Sprewell came to set it.

This time, the Brooklyn Nets decisively switched on defense, creating an open shot opportunity for Ray Allen through passing.

But Ray Allen's three-pointer missed.

However, the Brooklyn Nets' counterattack also failed to score.

Yu Fei came back up the court...

The offensive potential of the 5 OUT was exciting, but Karl also saw the hint of a pattern in this lineup.

If this lineup were compared to a big cake, then Yu Fei was the person with the knife slicing the cake.

He could decide who gets a piece according to his own wishes.

And this type of offense, dominated by one person, was exactly what George Karl detested.

Or rather, what coaches of Karl's generation were reluctant to see.

Because it's tied to another truth as the saying "a shooting team can't win the championship."

Moreover, this truth wasn't just limited to basketball; it applied to any team sport.

That is "one person can't win a championship."

As for the idea of one person entirely controlling the ball and playing with ideas and flair, Anthony Mason was another example.

Mason didn't see any difference between what he was doing and what Yu Fei was doing.

Both were about one person controlling the ball, dominating the offense; why didn't Karl have any reaction to Yu Fei's performance?

Isn't this a double standard?

Mason might not dare to confront Yu Fei directly, but he had the guts to confront Karl, and plenty of them at that.

Since Karl was ignoring the "system" disturbance caused by Yu Fei, he couldn't blame him for doing the same thing.

Both were stars; if Yu Fei could do it, why couldn't he?

When one is consumed by paranoia, they are blinded to the truth, even the simplest and clearest of truths.

The reason Yu Fei made Karl feel conflicted was precisely because the 5 OUT lineup was astonishingly powerful under his command.

As long as two out of the other four players in the lineup maintained their shooting touch, Yu Fei's screen offense was unsolvable for the Brooklyn Nets.

If they double-teamed Yu Fei, they would face a three-pointer.

If they chose to switch, Yu Fei's hot hand tonight would severely punish any mismatch.

Either way, it was the wrong move.

Then, while establishing dominance, Yu Fei, not yet satisfied, continued to severely crush Kenyon Martin; the point difference reached 18.

When he brought the ball up again, he glanced at the time; there were two and a half minutes left in the first half, and Karl was already preparing to make substitutions.

Yu Fei knew he had to deliver a big gift to Martin with the last few attacks before going off the court; otherwise, his first half performance would be imperfect.

When the Bucks had offensive possessions, the Brooklyn Nets typically wouldn't assign Martin to guard him.

So, if Yu Fei wanted to face Martin, he would have to call Sprewell to set a screen, given Martin was his matchup on defense.

Owing to the fear of the Bucks' shooters, the Brooklyn Nets no longer double-teamed Yu Fei. Fortunately, Martin's size was a good match for Yu Fei, so it wasn't a mismatch.

But was it really not a mismatch? The Brooklyn Nets had overlooked the biggest difference between Yu Fei and Martin.

That was, Yu Fei was a tall forward capable of playing the three spot full-time. At the same height of 206 centimeters, his speed was not something that Kenyon, who had broken his leg, could match.

Yu Fei dribbled the ball, accelerated, and stepped past Martin, but he deliberately slowed down to let him catch up. Both men entered the paint where Yu Fei's plans came to fruition. He jumped in the painted area, used his arm to fend off Martin, and with a right-handed hammer, smashed the ball into the basket.

With Martin at a disadvantageous position, Yu Fei flipped him onto the floor and had to helplessly watch this detestable sophomore complete a ferocious breakthrough dunk over him that was destined to top tomorrow's highlight reel.