Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

People in Washington didn't want to admit the fact that trading Yu Fei had been a total loss for them.

On the surface, it looked like the Wizards got what they wanted.

An experienced and mature All-Star guard, a young power forward with potential to grow, and the tenth overall pick in the first round of the lottery—Frye was only the eighth pick, and with His Airness's ability to spot talent, would it be that hard to select another Yu Fei?

Regarding the third point, they had to turn a blind eye to Kwame Brown's existence to convince themselves.

It was the Wizards' turn to attack, and since Yu Fei took the initiative to guard Jordan, the task of defending Sam Cassell fell on Sprewell.

For Sprewell, Cassell was much easier to guard than Jordan, so he had no complaints.

On the left side of the frontcourt, Cassell passed the ball to Jordan.

Suddenly, the noise in the MCI Center surged.

"Michael against Frye, one on one, the big show is happening earlier in the game than we expected!"

Jordan, having lost his explosive power, couldn't rely on pure athletic talent to break past Yu Fei's defense.

Therefore, during defense, Yu Fei didn't leave any cushioning space and intensely pressured Jordan up close.

In an era where defenders could still reach in within the three-point line, it was hard to get away with skill alone when totally outclassed physically.

But Jordan was still Jordan. Using his sharp right crossover, he still caused Yu Fei's center of gravity to shift to the weak side of the offense, and then he broke directly to the right.

If he had been five years younger, he would have shaken off the defender.

But no one can return to the past, and the things that time takes away from one's body never come back.

Yu Fei reacted, sidestepping to stick close, and his size advantage determined the outcome of the match-up, preventing Jordan from getting off a shot, forcing him to pass the ball out from under the basket.

Waiting to clean up for His Airness was his dear junior, Jerry Stackhouse.

Stackhouse caught the ball on the perimeter and launched a three-pointer directly, swish!

3 to 3

"Those who hype up your killer instinct all day should watch this play a thousand times," Yu Fei mocked. "So-called killer instinct means being forced to pass the ball after being completely defended, huh?"

Jordan retorted, "If your defense had been good enough, I wouldn't have had the chance to pass the ball."

"Indeed, I didn't consider that you would pass the ball; truly my oversight. I overestimated you."

The two of them trash-talked from backcourt to frontcourt.

Ray Allen temporarily took over the task of dribbling the ball past midcourt.

As he crossed the half-court line, he saw Yu Fei standing at the top of the arc, shouldering against Jordan while gesturing for the ball.

"George won't like the way you're playing right now," said Allen, before passing the ball.

George Karl doesn't like it? Why would he need to be liked? It was clear this game carried personal vendettas—and he just wanted to be willful for once.

That's the privilege of a star.

Yu Fei received the ball and, without initiating any tactic, took a probing step forward, pure McGrady style. Jordan, wary of his penetration, slightly shifted his defensive stance backward.

It was at that moment Yu Fei decisively jumped in place, launching a three-pointer over Jordan's head.

"Swish!!!"

"What does stepping back mean? Surely you don't think I'm going to pass, do you?"

Yu Fei exuded an aura determined to crush Jordan.

This was a rapidly rising young star taking on Jordan on the cusp of turning 40—how was he supposed to compete?

With continuous provocations, trash-talking, and embarrassing Jordan, Yu Fei showed no mercy.

Jordan was burning with rage, like eating a mouthful of fiery chili peppers, warming up quickly and snatching the ball from Cassell to launch a fierce attack on Yu Fei from the right side of the three-point line.

Not only had he lost his athleticism, but his speed was also gone, so even with a hesitation dribble full of his signature moves, he couldn't shake off Yu Fei's defense.

In the end, Jordan opted for a fadeaway from the right side of the paint.

Yu Fei turned and sealed him off, believing he had disrupted Jordan's shot.

Indeed, that was the case. Jordan chose to use the backboard, but the angle was off, and the ball bounced off the rim, caught by Yu Fei.

"That was a disappointing shot for Michael!"

"Yes, right now Michael is like the basketball version of Christopher Reeve— we've almost forgotten what he looked like at his peak!"

Walton made this comparison while Yu Fei stood not far off.

Although it was unethical, he laughed.

Why did he like Walton? Because the man wasn't just friendly and humorous; he was a genius at commentary. As someone who wasn't particularly fond of Jordan, Yu Fei couldn't think of a Hollywood case more fitting for him than that of Christopher Reeve, who had been a superstar in the '70s and '80s as the original Superman, influencing a generation, before becoming paralyzed in the mid-'90s.

Walton may not have meant any harm, but he was right, especially considering that this metaphor could have enraged Reeve's family and Jordan's team; the comedic effect was all the more potent.

Because the Wizards' transition defense was quick, the Bucks did not seize the opportunity to fast break off Jordan's missed shot.

But this played right into Fei's hands.

He didn't want a fast break.

Fast breaks were easy points. While exhilarating, they lacked the visual impact of overpowering Jordan.

If possible, he hoped that tonight, all his points would come from set plays.

If this 'if' held true, then he had a second 'if,' that he hoped each of his scores would be made over Jordan's defense.

Once again at the top of the arc, the Wizards did not switch defenders, and Jordan was still the man guarding Yu Fei.

This was normal; unless Yu Fei truly dominated Jordan to the point of embarrassment, Collins was unlikely to adjust the matchups. Having someone else switch to defend Yu Fei would signal Jordan's weakness.

If Jordan did such a thing, even at 39, it would deal a major blow to the relentless "killer instinct" and "court Hannibal" image that his team had long promoted.

Yu Fei grabbed the rebound himself, brought the ball up front, then gestured for his teammates to clear out.

He wanted to go one-on-one again.

For the audience, this was thrilling.

For Karl, this was torture.

Karl understood the importance of this game for Fei, but Yu Fei hadn't passed the ball once since the game started. Was he planning to play like this all night?

As Karl grew anxious, Yu Fei blew past Jordan's defense in one step, surged to the basket, leaped fiercely, and facing Tim Thomas—who had been traded to Washington along with Cassell as part of the deal for Yu Fei—slammed into his opponent with the ball, then dunked it into the hoop.

Tim Thomas, like Cassell, wanting to prove that the Bucks were wrong to trade him, was completely dominated by Yu Fei in this play!

"!￥!￥"

The fans at MCI didn't know how to react.

Logically, they should have booed as their player was humiliated at home, but Yu Fei was a special case. Everyone knew he hadn't been traded for basketball reasons. Now, he was back seeking revenge with the team leading the Eastern Conference.

I'm not sure who started it, but some people began cheering for Yu Fei's performance.

As the big screen replayed Yu Fei's dunk, there were plenty of cheers at the MCI venue.

This somewhat proved that Yu Fei had won a significant number of fans with his performance during his rookie season.

Now, less than three minutes into the game, the Bucks had an 8-3 run.

It must be said that all 8 points scored by the Bucks were from Yu Fei.

Doug Collins called for a timeout.

"Bill, do you think now is a good time for a timeout?" asked Brad Nessler, the commentator for ABC.

Bill Walton said, "Queen always had plenty of drinks on stage at their concerts, and they would drink heavily during the performance as a way to regulate their state."

Walton's abstract metaphor left Nessler completely befuddled, "Hmm?"

"I hope Doug can get Michael to drink heavily," Walton said prophetically. "Believe me, if no one stands up to match Frye, this kid is going to commit a massacre in D.C. tonight, his eyes burning with a vengeful fire!"

As Yu Fei walked off the court, Devean George tossed him a towel, "Your game is terrifyingly good tonight!"

Yu Fei confidently replied, "It's not even at its best yet."

"Sure, you're good, but we can't rely on just one person; there are four other teammates on the court," Karl said. "It's time to stop the one-man show."

At this moment, the atmosphere became subtle.

Karl was dissatisfied with Yu Fei's one-man playstyle, and Fei's response would have a direct impact on the remainder of the Bucks' game.

"I asked to start at the shooting guard position for a reason," Yu Fei said diplomatically but firmly. "Since I'm the shooting guard, my job is to score."

Karl was irked by this sophistry. "Under normal circumstances, Ray is our shooting guard. Do you see him playing like you?"

"John Stockton is hailed as the most standard point guard ever; does that mean all point guards have to play like him?" Yu Fei didn't wait for Karl to further counter, adding, "George, I will not play the kind of basketball you like tonight, please respect my choice. Sometimes, being a fool of a coach isn't such a bad thing."

The longer George Karl dealt with Yu Fei, the more he understood why Jordan had traded this future star who had already proven his strength and potential.

Being a fool of a coach? Karl was so furious he trembled. He made players act foolish because they didn't understand the tactics, so there was no need to delve deeper into tactics themselves. They should regard themselves as fools and leave everything to the coaching staff.

Now, Yu Fei was suggesting that he be the fool of a coach. What did that mean?

The coaching staff didn't need to meddle in his game; he would handle everything.

In other words, he didn't need coaching tonight.

"George, since Frye is determined to go one-on-one, it's better to accommodate him rather than force him to change his mind," Coach Ron Adams suggested. "Tonight is, after all, different."

Still disgruntled, Karl took the advice, arranged the timeout to let Yu Fei handle the ball, and substituted Devean George in for Ray Allen.