Chapter 500 The Man in the Mirror
58 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists
Major TV stations released Yu Fei's final statistics.
The data itself is far less shocking than what happened in the final moments.
In the last three minutes, no second Sonics player touched the ball. Yu Fei defeated the Celtics entirely by himself.
Anyone who has watched the game knows that the Celtics are in better shape tonight. If things continue to develop normally, the Sonics will lose.
Durant's argument with Lue was caught on camera.
Then, the Sonics replaced Durant, and it looked like a common on-the-spot conflict between a young coach and a rising star.
If the Sonics win, Lue's coaching authority can be defended. If the Sonics lose, it's hard to say what will happen next.
But the premise of these two what-ifs is that Durant is the absolute core of the Sonics. He can say the same thing, but is he?
Yu Fei's performance gave the completely opposite answer.
When Yu Fei dominated the game, some people at the scene began to realize that Durant's opposition to Lu was not indirectly opposing Yu Fei? Everyone knows that Lu was brought to power by Yu Fei, and by openly disobeying Lu's coaching, he is rebelling against Yu Fei's rule.
Durant was replaced, and Yu Fei took over all the team's shots like a vindictive man. Even when the last LOGOSHOT, which was destined to be the best goal of the season, was completed, he did not say anything to his opponent, but turned to the court and aimed. The disgruntled young man, the man with the reputation of being America's son, yelled, "This is my fucking place!"
Is this a coincidence?
ABC's Doug Collins knows this scene all too well.
He instantly remembered Yu Fei and Jordan in 2001. These two rivals, old and young, started with the pre-season training questions! The tit-for-tat continued until the end of the season. Their war ended with Jordan being reimbursed for the season and Yu Fei leading the team into the playoffs.
Jordan traded Yu Fei because he knew that he was getting older and could no longer stop this rising young man, but he still had to use the name of basketball to defend his decision.
Eventually, he got his comeuppance.
Yu Fei personally organized Jordan's retirement ceremony in the spring of 2003.
Today, eight years later, this has become the trump card of the GOAT debate. When Yu Fei’s supporters talk about how the Wizards Jordan was humiliated by Yu Fei, Jordan’s believers are speechless and can only shirk the indefensible defeat. Give time.
They believe that the 40-year-old Yu Fei's end in front of Jordan will only be more miserable.
This is an unarguable if.
However, Durant is in a completely different position today.
He is not Yu Fei, and Yu Fei is not a wizard.
When Yu Fei was in the prime of life, when his dominance was at its strongest, Durant's resistance was responded to on the spot.
Will this curb Durant's ambitions? Collins doesn't see it that way.
Once something like ambition appears, it will only grow indefinitely. Because desire is endless.
After the game, Yu Fei came to the sidelines for an on-site interview.
"Fry, this was a great game, how do you feel now?"
"I'm very excited. I like this result and we deserve this victory!"
"KD seemed to have an argument with Coach Lu during the game. What was the situation?"
"This question is more appropriate for you to ask him personally."
"Is replacing KD in the last three minutes a tactical arrangement or...KD's personal wish?"
This question is very level. Lu's replacement of Durant is a tactical arrangement, not a public revenge. Durant's unwillingness to play is a matter of willingness.
But Yu Fei didn't intend to hide this issue.
"He is too young and often forgets the most basic etiquette of being a human being." Yu Fei said, "Tailun is our coach. Although he is still very young and has little qualifications, as long as he stands in this position, we will Respect him.”
Lu actually gave Durant a step.
"The situation was very complicated," Lu said. "We didn't want to lose to the Celtics, but the situation was precarious and we almost lost. I was not satisfied with KD's choices on the court. He knew that I I also know his character. We are both people with strong personalities. Things like this happen on the court, and I don’t take it to heart.”
The question is, does Durant want this step?
After the game, Durant left the court without speaking to anyone else.
Therefore, none of the major TV stations could interview him immediately.
This is a big deal.
Durant has developed a good habit since he entered the league.
Before and after each game, he will be interviewed by the TV station and talk about a specific topic for 5-10 minutes.
Not tonight.
As soon as the game ended, Durant quickly returned to the locker room. He wanted to know why he suddenly lost control. That was not his usual self.
Thinking back to that moment, Durant felt an uncontrollable rage deep in his heart, as if he was facing the greatest injustice in the world.
But after calming down, he clearly realized that the Seattle SuperSonics was indeed Yu Fei's team.
It was, is, and will be.
Seattle people's expectation for him is to take over when Fei gets old.
If Yu Fei, like those superstars in history, experiences a sharp decline at the age of 35, that will be Durant's opportunity. But Yu Fei is only 28 years old this year, and there are still seven years before he turns 35.
Durant didn't think he could wait that long.
He doesn't expect to replace Yu Fei's position, but becoming Seattle's Scottie Pippen is definitely not what he wants.
For Durant, the ideal state is to become the K in OK.
O is still a dominant force, but he wants people to realize that without K's help, O will accomplish nothing.
And this has been a paradox from the beginning.
Because Yu Fei had won four championships before Durant arrived.
The legendary monument has long been erected, and the inscription says that no one can match it. Durant's arrival has achieved two consecutive championships for the Sonics, but this has not awakened people's consciousness.
From the perspective of the outside world, this is not a story about a super starlet helping a famous superstar achieve success.
This is a fairy tale in which a super giant turned something rotten into a miracle, overcoming all difficulties with potential newcomers, achieving success, and successfully leaving a team on the verge of relocation.
Now, these fairy tales have developed further and become myths belonging to Yu Fei alone.
If things develop as before, Durant can still accept his dedication and become part of the myth, but Tyronn Lue has left Yu Fei as the ball-carrying core to play to the end without any flexibility, which really hurts the system. His tactical position and possession of the ball.
Durant exploded.
Looking back, he doesn't feel like he was at fault.
However, a boy with a school bag shouldn't act like a rebellious youth against his coach.
So when Lue returned to the locker room, Durant stood up and apologized to him.
"Tylen, I apologize for what happened tonight." Durant said, "I shouldn't have said those words, you know, I was just too anxious, I"
Lu looked downhearted, waved his hand and said: "No need to explain, I understand you, it's not a big deal. Everyone gets anxious and angry when they are on the court, just say it!"
At this time, other teammates joined in.
"That's right." Bosh wanted to be a peacemaker, "This is just a small episode, we have to move on."
But people like Kwame Brown who are loyal to Yu Fei think otherwise: "You still have to apologize to Fry."
Brown's active protective attitude brought back memories of Durant.
Yu Fei's words "I don't need him tonight" still sounded in his heart, and that chill almost negated his contribution in the past few years.
What made him even more frightened was that no one at the scene expressed any objection, and Lu replaced him without saying a word.
These phenomena all show how appropriate Yu Fei's new nickname "Master" is.
"Shouldn't you apologize, Kevin?" Brown said. "The coach was dissatisfied with your performance, but you dragged Frye into the water? I would like to know what the situation at that time had to do with Frye? Why did you say that? ”
Anthony Morrow echoed: "Indeed, the situation at that time had nothing to do with Frye."
Larry Hughes, who was watching the show on the sidelines, couldn't help but said to Xiao Ao: "You guys have so much fun here."
"We haven't gotten to the most fun part yet." Xiao Ao had been staring at the door of the locker room, hoping that the next person to walk in would be Yu Fei.
Yu Fei didn't let him wait any longer.
A minute later, Yu Fei came in, followed by Kevin Lin and Lawson.
Durant took the initiative to walk over and said: "I apologize for what happened tonight."
Yu Feixiao asked: "Apologise? Why are you apologizing?"
At this time, Yu Fei was no longer as scary as before, but even though he was smiling, in Durant's deepest imagination, he still believed that there was an alien behind this smiling face that was ready to kill at any time.
"I said some emotional words to the coach." Durant said strictly, "I have already apologized to him, and I think I should also apologize to you because my words implicated you for no reason"
Many anti-fans who are waiting to see Yu Feilezi say that Durant today is like Yu himself in 2001.
But Yu Fei can pat his chest and guarantee that he will never assume such a low profile in front of Jordan.
"You should apologize to Tai Lun. I'm glad you did. This shows that you just lost control for a moment and are not crazy." Yu Fei said in a joking tone, "But apologize to me?"
"No need."
Yu Fei said calmly. This left Durant at a loss for words. He thought Yu Fei would readily accept his apology and then reveal the matter.
But he said "no need". What does this mean? Did he not accept it, or did he think the apology was insincere?
"You don't need to apologize to me, because you are right." Yu Fei said grandly, "You can't do the things I can do. You can't make the mistakes I can make. The privileges I have, you can't. No. This is the Sonics, mark my words, you play on a team that is run by me."
Yu Fei put the bleak reality on the table and asked Durant to accept it: "The sooner you see this clearly, the better for you."
"Of course, you can continue to challenge me like tonight." Yu Fei said, "You know I will accept the challenge."
Durant was not the only one present, but also other players and coaches.
They all heard what Yu Fei said.
But when Yu Fei mentioned "dictatorship", everyone pretended not to hear.
O'Neill pretended to get into the shower, and Brown wanted to go, too, because he was the one who suggested Durant apologize, and now he realized it was a bad idea.
Yu Fei doesn't need Durant's apology.
He has extreme confidence in his dominance, and only those who are insecure will surround themselves with PUA from time to time.
For a long time, Durant has lived in the mirror.
The man in the mirror lived a perfect life. He was signed by Nike with a large sum of money and regarded as his future hope. He won the championship in his rookie season. He has steadily improved since then and is now the second-in-command around Yu Fei. He is approachable, affable, friendly to the media and friendly to his teammates, and has almost none of the uncomfortable arrogance and arrogance that characterizes modern stars.
To preserve the beauty in the mirror, Durant needs to convince himself of something unrealistic.
Yu Fei just wanted to let him know tonight that he should stop thinking about those unreasonable things and that Classmate Du should accept the reality.
However, it is impossible for Durant to accept the current positioning.
If he doesn't lie to himself, then he must obey his heart and continue to challenge the other party as Yu Fei said.
What happens?
While Durant was deep in thought, Yu Fei said: "Change your clothes and attend the press conference with me."
Durant subconsciously asked: "What to do?"
"Do what you do best." Yu Fei said, "Behave like a good person and lose your mind because of your desire to win. You have apologized to the coaching staff and have no objection to the coaching staff replacing you in the last three minutes. We're still going to help each other as a team and move forward. That shouldn't be a problem for you, you're what you do best, right?"
Durant couldn't even refute Yu Fei, he just replied numbly: "No problem."
After that, Durant quickly changed his clothes and went out with Yu Fei.
Minutes later, the locker room was still digesting what had just happened.
Durant's posture was very low, but Yu Fei didn't let him go at all. He didn't even do a basic cover-up and just wanted Durant to recognize the reality.
"Has something like this happened in the past?"
Bosh asked his teammates.
The past he was referring to was before this season.
Everyone shook their heads.
Some people only feel their worth when they are not around.
Brandon Roy will ease the atmosphere and will not let Yu Fei press hard on Durant, while George Karl will do a good job in the aftermath and will not let Yu Fei and Durant talk clearly. .
There were signs of a loss of control in the locker room, and Tyronn Lue once again felt his incompetence.
That night, Lue reported back to Karl about the situation in the locker room.
He felt that his failure to control the court immediately was his biggest mistake.
But after hearing what happened, Carl said: "Even if I were there, the situation would not be much better."
Lu knew that this was just to comfort him.
Karl continued: "There is nothing wrong with your coaching methods. You gave Frye more control than me. As a result, KD's ball rights dropped slightly. But will this drop really make him explode? I think this dissatisfaction with the status quo has been brewing in his heart for a long time, and it just happened that night, neither I nor you could stop it."
Even before the season started, Karl was troubled by Durant's need for the ball.
This thunder had been laid for a long time, and it just exploded in Lu's hands.
"What about Frye?" Lu asked, "Is he too fond of KD?"
"Do you want to say too harsh?" Karl laughed, "or too cold?"
"Both."
Karl feels the same way, but the longer he coaches Durant, the more he has the same view as Yu Fei.
This young man is living unreal.
He presented himself in the image Nike designed for him and then believed from the bottom of his heart that this was who he was. But when the status quo does not match his wishes, the real Durant will jump out and show his teeth from time to time.
Yu Fei wants Durant to break out of this false persona and be honest with him. Otherwise, no matter what tacit understanding is reached in front of a self-righteous good man, it will eventually be torn apart by the devil in his heart.
"Fry is the only one who knows KD's true face." Karl said, "We thought KD was the prince of the earth, but Fry knew from the first day he saw him that he was a snake. When dealing with snakes, use snakes. way of understanding.”
Lu's heart was shaken.
If he hadn't heard it with his own ears, he really couldn't believe that Karl and Yu Fei viewed Durant this way.
However, when he recalled what Durant said to him tonight, his expression at that time, the hatred and unwillingness on his face, it was hard for him to believe that such a person was really the only good person in the NBA, as the rumors said.
"But what about the locker room?" Lu said worriedly, "If this continues, the locker room will be turbulent."
Karl smiled: "This is your business, Tyron, you are the coach. On-site arrangements, pre-game preparations, and stability in the locker room, you have to do one thing well, otherwise, Frye has misjudged the person. ”
Carl successfully helped Lu recharge his batteries.
That night, Lu saw Yu Fei and Durant's press conference at home.
The two of them behaved harmoniously and friendly in front of the media, and the outside world could never imagine how alienated the two were in the locker room.
This is a typical prank, but the effect is very good.
The next day, someone broke the news to reporters about what Durant said to Tyronn Lue during the game, as well as Yu Fei's rebuttal.
The revelations are basically accurate, but because Yu Fei and Durant showed off a wave of friendship in front of the media yesterday, this tabloid-like revelation was ignored.
After that day, Durant fell into a dead fish state.
He seems to have seen through everything and is no longer interested in fighting for power. He is content with 17-18 shots every night.
Durant didn't mess up the court, he just stopped actively fighting for the ball.
If someone gives him the ball, he will do what he has to do. If someone doesn't give him the ball, he will stand still on the outside.
In other words, he went from Durant 1.0 to a more stable Michael Porter Jr.
Tyronn Lue breathed a sigh of relief. Anyway, the team's situation has temporarily stabilized.
The Sonics enter April with a win.
In the past three months, although Yu Fei dominated the league with averages of 34 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists per game, due to changes in the team, the record was not stable. The Western Conference Player of the Month was Kobe Bryant, the head coach of the Lakers who won all the games in March. Bryant was elected.
After the reinforcements, the Lakers look like the ultimate small ball team, invincible and invincible.
Originally, the SuperSonics still had a chance to compete with them for the league's first place, but once the March games were over, there was not much suspense left for the league's first place.
Unless the Lakers lose the rest of the regular season in April, the Sonics have no chance of fighting for first place in the league.
But under the current situation, it is difficult for the Lakers to lose even one game, and losing them all is even more unthinkable.
It can be said that they have locked in the league's first place. The only suspense is whether they can tie the SuperSonics' record of 73 wins set last season.
According to the current record, if the Lakers win consecutively until the end of the season, they can tie the record of the 2009 SuperSonics and share the best record in history.
But everything has a surprise.
The Celtics, the biggest troublemaker in the Eastern Conference, gave the Lakers their long-lost defeat at home.
It was a tight defensive battle. The Green Army limited the Lakers, who averaged nearly 120 points per game, to 92 points, while they scored 94 points. Kobe Bryant failed to re-engrave Yu Fei's LOGO, causing the Lakers to miss out on tying the record for the most points in history. Opportunities for good results.
When the Lakers lose, the Seattle area celebrates the Lakers' defeat as much as it celebrates victory.
Although 72 wins can tie the 1996 Bulls, the one-game difference with the 2009 SuperSonics may become an eternal regret for the Lakers players.
This is destined to make it impossible for the Lakers to have a perfect dominant season like the 2009 SuperSonics.
The Sonics were overlooked due to the Lakers' strong record in the backcourt.
Their presence is almost invisible to the outside world, except in the Washington state media.
The confrontation between Durant and Lue was the big news at the end of the regular season.
They then went 6-2 in April and eventually entered the playoffs with the second-best record in the Western Conference at 66-16.
The Lakers, who had won 72 games, were riding high, and they met the Nuggets in the first round.
Yu Fei's message to the Timberwolves not long ago was unfortunately true.
The Timberwolves ultimately ranked seventh in the Western Conference and will face the second-place SuperSonics in the first round.
(End of chapter)