Chapter 501 If
Before the start of the playoffs, the SuperSonics announced that Brandon Roy would continue to miss the game due to his slower recovery than expected.
The news sparked widespread concern.
Fans are worried that Roy will be reimbursed for the season.
The SuperSonics officials did not deny this possibility.
Rumors began circulating in some tabloids that Roy's surgery had failed and that he was about to undergo a second surgery. Some tabloids also said that the sequelae of Roy's surgery have far-reaching consequences. Not only will he be unable to return in the playoffs, it may also affect his career.
In order to clarify the rumors, Yu Fei specially asked his media friend Mark Stein to come to Seattle to conduct an exclusive interview with Roy.
The reporters and writers of ESPN's basketball column have a regular column called "The Weekly Dime."
It means, "just talk for a dime."
ESPN reporters usually share their chats with industry insiders in this column.
Roy seemed fine and chatted with Stein for half an hour.
The most critical topic is Roy's injury.
Stein asked: "Are you optimistic about the prospects of a comeback in the playoffs?"
Roy replied: "I am optimistic about everything. If I can, I hope to come back tomorrow, but the decision on this matter is always in the hands of the doctors. I am healthy only when they think I am healthy."
Stein was keenly aware of something unusual: "Do you have any disagreements with the doctor?"
"I feel very good, but the doctor thinks I can't come back after the examination." Roy said helplessly, "I have to listen to the doctor."
Stein asked again: "Many Sonics fans believe that if you cannot come back, the Sonics will be at a clear disadvantage against the Lakers in the playoffs. What do you think of this?"
Roy is naturally very happy that fans regard him as the Sonics' hope to win.
However, Roy was not complacent.
"I think, before worrying about how to deal with the Lakers, our top priority is to defeat the Timberwolves tomorrow night." Roy joked, "Isn't the worst thing about being defeated by the Timberwolves?"
The interview is over.
Stein had already drafted the article. He could finish it in an hour.
"Take care, Brandon."
Because of Yu Fei's relationship, Stein has a very good relationship with the Sonics.
He knows everyone from the boss Bennett to the staff at the Furtado Center.
He was concerned about Roy's recovery.
"Why did Frye choose you to write this article?" Roy asked curiously.
Stein said: "Because I'm the reporter with the most views on ESPN?"
"More than Bill Simmons?"
"Bill has a wide range of hobbies. He not only focuses on the NBA, but also MLB and NFL." Stein lamented, "Even if he can't focus on basketball, he is still the best sports writer in the world. But even if He only writes one NBA article a week, and each article can get one million clicks, which is no better than me writing 20 news reports a week, even if my average clicks are less than 100,000."
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Besides, that guy can't even write an NBA article every week. Quality and quantity are inferior, how can he compare with me?
Stein looked at Roy with great confidence.
Roy got it: "Quantity is more important than quality."
"Actually, my quality is better than his." Stein said arrogantly, "It's just that there are more fools in the world. Bill's articles can provide emotional value to them, but I can't. Because I am only responsible for news output. News Just tell the facts, no emotional value.”
Roy couldn't help but nod, with an expression on his face that said, "I understand, although your average number of clicks has been suppressed ten times, you still beat Bill Simmons in terms of quality and quantity."
But I still prefer to read Bill's article.
Roy thought to himself.
"It's over?"
Yu Fei walked in.
"Brandon is very good at chatting." Stein smiled, "I hope there will be a chance to cooperate next time."
Roy said: "There must be."
Stein took his leave.
Yu Fei looked at Roy and said, "You seem to be recovering well."
"If the doctor allows me to come back tomorrow night, I can score 30 points on Russell Westbrook." Roy said, "But the doctor doesn't allow it."
Considering Roy's vitreous constitution, there's no harm in being cautious.
But when Yu Fei thought about his previous life, Roy was basically one of the most fragile players in history. He was as stable as Kawhi Leonard. After the game, he fell down and fell asleep.
Leonard must be grateful for an era that treated players like national treasures.
Otherwise, Roy, and even Roy's many previous players who turned into glass after being injured, would be a lesson to him.
Yu Fei didn't expect Roy to become an iron man after he was raised. Even if he could only play in and out like Leonard, it would still be a blessing.
"Listen to the doctor."
Yu Fei said.
"Of course I listen to the doctor's words." Roy said, "It's just that I heard about what happened in the team some time ago. It seems that there is a big difference with or without me. You should pray that I come back soon."
What Yu Fei had to admit was that without Roy, Durant's ambitions had indeed expanded exponentially.
Although Roy severely suppressed Durant's ball rights, this can just form a triangle balance. Yu Fei, Roy, and Durant share the ball equally under this balance, and no one can be said to be selfish.
Now, Roy is gone, and Tyronn Lue still plays the original and authentic ball-holding core system of Yu Yu. Durant is obviously in the best environment for his rise but is constrained by the system.
"What are you praying for when you come back? Are you going to steal the ball from KD?" Yu Fei said with a smile, "He only takes 16 shots a game now. If you come back again, will he still be able to touch the ball?"
Roy asked a question that silenced people: "But I will always come back."
Yu Fei said nothing.
Roy said: "You are not very good at talking, keep talking."
"Uh-huh." Yu Fei joked, "I heard that Kevin has an exclusive interview with ESPN tomorrow night, and the person interviewing him is Jim Gray."
"The one who makes the 'decision' with LeBron?"
"Yes."
"This shouldn't be a good thing," Roy said whimsically, "Does Kevin also have to make a 'decision'?"
"Don't interrupt."
Yu Fei said: "The theme of their interview is 'selfless'. Kevin is going to talk to Jim Gray about how he can be a selfless player in a team where everyone wants more shots."
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"He is so selfless." Roy joked, "I almost forgot that he had a fight with Tyron because he was too selfish on the court."
"That's not the point."
"The point is that if he believes that he is a selfish player, can I ask him to consider the overall situation and for your sake, only take 8 goals in each game from now on." Yu Fei smiled, "If he is The selfless son of America would definitely agree.”
"When did he become a selfless American son?"
"It will change tomorrow night."
"You're kidding, right?"
"Did you hear it?" Yu Fei smiled, "It seems that meniscus surgery is not harmful to the brain."
The next day, the start of the playoffs.
KeyArena
Westbrook regrets it very much.
They should have entered the playoffs eighth in the Western Conference, so they could avoid the SuperSonics and directly challenge the devil Lakers.
However, they managed to defeat the Spurs, the third-ranked team in the Western Conference, in the final game.
Under normal circumstances, the Timberwolves are no match for the Spurs whether they play seriously or not.
However, since it was the last game of the season, the Spurs' 60 wins had already guaranteed the third place in the Western Conference. Regardless of whether they beat the Timberwolves or not, they could not surpass the 66-win SuperSonics. Therefore, Popovich rested Duncan and Timberwolves in the final game. Ginobili.
The Spurs optimistically estimate that even without their two senior players, they will still be able to defeat the Timberwolves.
But the Spurs' weak backline was overwhelmed by Westbrook.
The external breach brought about the entire collapse.
The Timberwolves won, Westbrook was delighted, and then was told that the victory moved them into seventh place in the Western Conference, where they would face the Sonics in the first round of the playoffs.
Westbrook doesn't like playing against Seattle.
Because he always felt that Yu Fei could see through his own thoughts, and he didn't like the feeling of being seen through by others.
But now, I have to give it a try.
This is the first playoff game in his career. Externally, they claim to win, but insiders know that winning one game is considered lucky.
When they came to the court, as soon as the two sides met, Yu Fei said to Westbrook: "Russ, it seems that you really like me."
Westbrook was speechless.
But McGrady came over and said, "Fry, don't tease him."
"Tracy, did you say 'what if' today?" Yu Fei asked.
This time it was Maddie's turn to be upset.
Ever since he renewed his contract with the Timberwolves, McGrady knew that he would probably never win the championship in his lifetime.
Ten years ago, he was hailed as the most talented player of his generation. You know, "this generation" includes peak Kobe Bryant, Iverson and Carter in their demigod period.
Ten years later, McGrady didn't break through the first round with the Heat until last season, and then was dumped to Minnesota to retire. As people get older, they tend to have random thoughts.
The first thing McGrady told reporters was that if he was really traded to the Bulls that year, he would most likely win the championship with Jordan - what he meant was that even if the Bulls traded Pippen for him and let him replace him Pippen in the 1997-98 season, the Bulls could also win the championship. You know this is basically a fantasy. Although Pippen applied for a trade that year and didn't put on a jersey to play until halfway through the regular season, he was still selected for the third team and first defense, which shows his role.
McGrady's second if was if he hadn't separated from Carter.
Then it was if Duncan had joined the Magic and joined forces with him; if Hill had not been injured; and if he had not been injured either.
As one of the early mythical beasts in the Jianzhong Basketball Forum, Ruomai was the first to add value to himself through the void sign - in the way of If - and finally achieved the "Ruomai" status.
This is an obvious joke, and many Americans are also laughing at Tracy McGrady's "what if".
It's just that not many people like Yu Fei raised it face to face.
McGrady's face darkened and he said indifferently: "You know, I have what-ifs every day, and my what-ifs today are. If you think you have a chance to win, I will make you suffer a lot!"
"If your strength regressed to nine years ago, you would still be qualified to say this, now." Yu Fei smiled after finishing speaking, "Why should I get up? Will this be contagious?"
Later, Westbrook and McGrady retreated to the backcourt, and the two sides were not happy.
At the beginning of the game, the Timberwolves played a very conventional style.
They know that they can't beat the SuperSonics with hard power alone, so they have to pick up the pace and try to get the SuperSonics into a chaotic rhythm of shooting and killing birds.
Only in this way can Westbrook enter his comfort zone.
This is also the Timberwolves' best winning model.
However, Seattle's start was quite tactic.
Yu Fei controlled the court steadily, playing in the low post for Bosh, playing pick-and-roll with Brown, and then singled to Durant on the weak side before breaking through and scoring the ball himself.
The purpose of each ball is very clear, and the play style of each round is different.
Moreover, all members of the SuperSonics team were online at the opening.
Before Yu Fei made a move, the SuperSonics scored 22 points in half a quarter.
The Timberwolves called a timeout in order to curb the SuperSonics' offensive rhythm, but after the timeout, Westbrook started to hit the wall with his dribbling. Because his shooting touch was not good tonight, Yu Fei only had to stare at his breakthrough.
Once Westbrook becomes a headless fly, he becomes an ugly turnover machine.
The trouble with mistakes is something that only you can't think of, and no one else can do.
Originally, Yu Fei had no chance to score, but now, he scored 6 points just by catching the defensive counterattack sent by his opponent.
After one quarter of fighting, although the Timber Wolf was still panting, his body had fallen into the ground, leaving only the wolf's head howling outside.
39 to 22
The SuperSonics lead by a big margin.
Yu Fei went to rest early, and Coach Lu made extravagant use of the garbage time in the playoffs to rotate.
He hopes that every player on the roster will play to see who is in good condition.
Two people gave Director Lu a surprise.
One is Shaun Livingston. Livingston was originally signed to serve as Roy's substitute. Now, Roy has not come back for a long time, and he has become Yu Fei's substitute.
Since Livingston doesn't shoot three-pointers, this severely limits his role in the SuperSonics system.
Karl couldn't use Livingston well at first, so he abandoned it directly.
Director Lu feels that everyone has a role. What, you don’t use tactics? That's good, I don't have any tactics, just do whatever makes you feel comfortable.
When he was a player, Coach Lu suffered deeply from the constraints of the system. He spent his entire career serving the team and the core of the team, and never really had the freedom to play. Therefore, he is willing to give the defender free reign.
This is why he gave Fei control and tried to invite God, but in the end he actually invited Stag Fei back.
Livingston is a defender who needs to play in the low post, so Director Lu gave him low post tactics and let him play casually. With this arrangement, Livingston really came to life.
He went from being a tasteless substitute to an effective role player.
Of course, this comes at a price, that is, the Sonics' second lineup is basically disorganized. Although it has basic tactics, it mostly relies on itself.
However, Director Lu believes in one truth.
Only when the ball holder is comfortable will the team's offense be comfortable. If the ball holder makes him feel sick, his passes will turn into vomit, indirectly nauseating the entire team.
This indirectly dismantled Karl's second-team system, but it also made the transition period under Lu's guidance not look chaotic. Although it was unstructured, don't worry, it was smooth, enjoyable, and everyone seemed happy. That was enough. .
Another beneficiary of Lue's guidance is rookie Alonzo Key. Ji reminded Director Lu of himself when he was young. He worked so hard but no one could see it. Doubling the training volume compared to others cannot buy five minutes of playing time.
Lue coached Key as Durant's substitute and the fourth position substitute at certain times, and Key also rewarded him with strong energy.
Durant likes the Sonics' second-unit style of play.
He knows he can get a lot of opportunities with this style of play, and most importantly, there are not so many rules.
However, he and Yu Fei were always on the same page.
Therefore, he partners with Yu Fei almost all the time, which is different from when Karl was there.
Karl often asks Durant to lead the transition period in order to allow Durant to let himself go during that period.
Lu's background determines that he will be down-to-earth and take the initiative to consider the bottom players, but at the same time, this kind of thinking also makes him passively give up the opportunity to reduce Durant's pressure.
Why is coaching related to philosophy? Because this is not only a technical and tactical consideration, but also needs to add humanistic thinking to the deep logic.
Halfway through the second quarter, Yu Fei and Durant returned.
When Yu Fei came back, Meng Lang's style of play led by Livingston disappeared.
Yu Fei directed his soldiers to form the formation like a general in front of the formation.
This authority is irresistible.
Durant became a member of the lineup, and then Yu Fei broke through, ripped apart Westbrook's defense, rushed to the basket and scored a dunk.
The Key Arena crowd started cheering.
The SuperSonics' lead has reached 25 points.
The suspense is gone.
The second half was all garbage time. The Sonics did not continue to increase their intensity. They only scored about the same points as the Timberwolves and maintained a 20+ point difference until the final buzzer sounded.
Yu Fei played only 28 minutes and scored 24 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists.
Compared with Yu Fei's average data per game in the regular season - 29 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists (scoring leader + assists leader) - tonight's data has not reached his average level.
However, the competitive state displayed by the Sonics is enough to sound the death knell for the Timberwolves.
Durant accepted an exclusive interview with ESPN on the topic of "How important selflessness is to three consecutive championships."
Yu Fei accepted an on-site interview.
Regarding the victory, he was very dull, but he fully affirmed the support of the fans at the scene.
"I once heard that Rucker Park in its heyday was a basketball mecca." Yu Fei said, "If the rumors are true, then Key Arena tonight is a basketball paradise."
The ABC reporter asked: "So in your opinion, heaven is a basketball court?"
Heaven is a basketball court?
Yu Fei smiled and said: "This is the best interpretation of the game I can think of."
Then, tonight's loser vowed to make the Sonics suffer. Westbrook said, "We didn't have the energy tonight, but it doesn't happen every night."
McGrady threatened: "If we didn't make so many mistakes, the game would never have been this result."
Kwame Brown pointed out on Twitter: "Look, Tracy is acting like it again. Is this a good sign for us?"
After that, the process of SuperSonics' second away game was not much different from the previous game.
The SuperSonics still led from start to finish, still winning by 20+ points.
The Timberwolves want to get back into the game at home.
In the third game of the first round, the outside world had great confidence in the Timberwolves because the referee was the notorious Scott Foster.
Many future fans are familiar with him mainly because he became Chris Paul's "sufferer".
But now, in 2010, Foster's reputational disgrace mainly stems from his deep friendship with Tim Donaghy.
Donaghy is the most evil person in basketball, and Stern swore Donaghy was the only evil factor. And Foster, who has a close relationship with him, has become the "seed player" most likely to be contaminated with evil. This bias was amplified by Foster's personal style, known for his arrogance, unwillingness to listen to the complaints of players and coaches, and his tendency to incite rather than defuse conflicts.
Yu Fei's supporters were worried that Foster was up to something, but Yu Fei himself had no worries.
When Foster's father passed away two years ago, Yu Fei was one of the few players to send him a message of condolence.
He and Foster were not friends, but Foster would never make things difficult for him.
Foster was even willing to blow the whistle on Yu Fei in the away game.
Yu Fei didn't know if this had anything to do with the text message he sent back then, but Foster's good impression of him must have created some unnecessary protection in some games.
That night, the Timberwolves had a strong fighting spirit and faced off against the SuperSonics for three quarters. In the last quarter, Yu Fei hit the basket repeatedly, causing the Timberwolves' starting center to leave the game with a foul. The target center was filled with curses on the referees.
They thought Foster was the team's savior, but unexpectedly, he was a disaster.
The Wolves' defense collapsed after losing their starting center, and their efforts in the first three quarters were in vain. Yu Fei scored 42 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Among them, 17 free throws were eye-catching, which was the same number of free throws as the entire Timberwolves team.
After the game, Westbrook angrily complained about the referee and subsequently received a $100,000 fine.
When the Minnesota media pointedly raised the issue of free throws to Yu Fei, they received an outrageous answer.
"This may be one of the reasons why the Timberwolves lost tonight." Yu Fei said lightly, "But, I think you should know that we can beat the Timberwolves even without the advantage in the number of free throws. If there is any doubt about the number of free throws, Just go appeal and let your video analyst edit the video and send it to the league. Don’t ask me why I took as many free throws as the Timberwolves did. Are the referees going to ignore your fouls because you don’t take many free throws?”
"Let's talk"
Yu Feixiao asked: "You actually want to complain that the referee gave you too little help?"
(End of chapter)