Chapter 578 Believe in the process

Chapter 578 Believe in the process

"You really turn me on!"

The Clippers played their first "away" game of the new season against the Lakers. Before the game started, Yu Fei and Kobe met at midfield.

This is their first meeting since last season.

Yu Fei noticed that Kobe's beard was a bit gray, and couldn't help but think that the opponent was already 35 years old. Thinking back to when they met at the ABCD training camp, who would have thought that the two sides would fight endlessly on the court in the future?

However, Kobe's first words after meeting him made Yu Fei confused as he was signing autographs.

"Are you trying to say that my eight championships made you very angry?" Yu Fei did not forget to add fuel to the fire.

Kobe glared and said: "I can understand your rejection of the Lakers, but how can you join the Clippers?"

If he says this, then Yu Fei will activate the great memory recovery technique.

"You were just one step away from joining the Clippers in the summer of 2004, right?"

The conflict at OK was so great that it could not be resolved. Kobe decisively gave the Lakers management the option of "only keeping one player." Not only did it cause a big fuss in the media, but he also had substantial contact with the Clippers. The super star trained by the Lakers was about to join a team in the same city. Buss made a decisive decision to send O'Neal away, and the Clippers played a ridiculous third party in this farce.

"This is different." Kobe did not shy away from the fact that he regarded the Clippers as his favorite. "That's just my strategy."

Yu Fei said flatly: "Sorry, I don't have that many strategies. The reason why I chose the Clippers is very simple, because it is a Los Angeles team, and no one has ever been able to bring this team out of the abyss in history. , if I want to leave an impressive resume in the last period of my career, the Clippers are the best choice.”

Kobe is almost 36 years old.

He believes that as long as the strength and status of the starting lineup can be guaranteed, playing until the age of 40 is not a problem.

So it's really strange to hear Yu Fei, who is not yet 31 years old, say that the Clippers are the "last" of his career.

However, Yu Fei's intention was already clear.

Having played professional basketball in Los Angeles for nearly 20 years, Kobe knows better than others how despised the Clippers are locally.

Griffin's sudden emergence briefly changed this situation, but the popularity of a super star who is more interested in getting good data than attracting viewers with acrobatic dunks, but cannot improve the team's record, always comes and goes.

In the end, Griffin only improved the Clippers' local base, and the status quo has not changed.

The Clippers are still a mess.

No one thinks much of them.

But if it’s Yu Fei

Kobe is one of the countless opponents Yu Fei has defeated, and he knows the opponent's ability and influence. If Yu Fei wants to do this, maybe it is really possible.

But he was still angry because Yu Fei rejected the Lakers for the Clippers.

This is like a big European fan who chooses the latter between RION and Gigan Yulia. Although on the surface it seems that he has chosen the same type, the difference is more than ten million?

Afterwards, Yu Fei went back to warm up.

Griffin looked around and realized that every time he played against the Lakers at Staples Center, it was his most painful moment because there were almost no home fans to cheer them on.

However, today, there are obviously many "Clippers fans" in the venue.

The men were unidentified but were wearing Clippers jerseys.

Rivers' strategy worked, and there were literally thousands of fans wearing Clippers jerseys.

Although it was impossible for Yu Fei to sign autographs one by one for thousands of fans within an hour, hundreds of lucky people managed to get autographs. Those who wore Clippers jerseys but failed to get autographs still chose to support the Clippers because Yu Fei promised that their names would be recorded and given priority the next time the autograph session is held.

Of course this is just a blank check, but fans are always so easily satisfied.

After the warm-up, the starting players from both sides came on stage one after another.

Although the Lakers failed to introduce Yu Fei, they still used their market influence to sign defensive champion Tony Allen.

However, a player like Allen who is extremely focused on defense does not seem to be suitable for this Lakers team that claims to be still competitive.

The Lakers introduced him just to show Kobe: We have tried our best.

The actual results of such efforts are another matter.

Kobe's desire for the highest honor is no longer as good as before, because the Lakers have been operating at full capacity in the past few years, but they have encountered the powerful Sonics empire. This is really their misfortune.

Now, Kobe is getting older, and the Lakers do not have enough resources to make large-scale signings.

He is currently more concerned about what kind of honors he can leave in his career.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's total scoring record is one of his current goals.

Opposite them, the Clippers' situation is not much better, but they have been targeting the championship from the beginning.

After the game started, both sides showed off their starting moves.

The Lakers played inside first, and Marc Gasol showed off his power.

The Clippers' starting center is Zaza Pachulia, whose strength is completely unable to match the strength of Gasgoo who is at his peak. Today's Marc is probably one of the best centers in the league - he can attack in the low post, support in the high post, block under the basket, protect rebounds, protect the basket and even pull out to shoot three-pointers. His main problem is that FIBA can effectively solve it. The Spanish national team's system is designed to serve him and his brother. But in the NBA, his offense is not as good as Yao Wei, his defense is not as good as Howard's, and his support is about the same as Noah's. He seems to have many strengths, but he has no absolute advantage. Skills, that is, beating Pachulia and his like can exert suppressive power.

However, it is impossible for Xiaojia to really rely on his inside advantage to change the direction of the game.

Because Yu Fei has not forgotten how he made Xiao Jiadian unable to play through roll call.

In the context of space basketball, the European White Bear's ability to defend against pick-and-rolls is ultimately its Achilles' heel.

Yu Fei started to deal with Xiaojia by name, and the latter's presence immediately declined. Then, Griffin released the seal and wreaked havoc on the basket like a griffon.

Yu Fei called a pick-and-roll and threw the ball into the sky. He jumped up and dunked.

Moreover, Yu Fei not only assisted Griffin for dunks, he also frequently attacked the basket, causing multiple fouls on Xiaojia, causing the Spaniard to be replaced early.

The Lakers, who had lost their inside fulcrum, began to chew on their old age. Kobe Bryant didn't feel good at the start, but wouldn't he stop playing if he didn't feel good? No, hitting hard with cold hands is also the Mamba mentality.

The cold shot bounced randomly on the rim. Yu Fei kept collecting defensive rebounds and passed forward. The Greek monster, who was ready to go, started at full speed.

It took the Clippers half a game to change the views of the fans.

Some celebrities were chatting among themselves in the front row.

What they talk about most is-"The Clippers' games look more enjoyable."

Tonight, the Clippers are like the American Dream Team in the international arena. With their overwhelming athletic ability, they continue to perform wonderful dunk shows.

Griffin in particular stands out. After being educated by Yu Fei, he no longer rejects those so-called "monkey tricks". Due to the strong reinforcements in the team, he is no longer the opponent's key defensive target. The Lakers' fourth position couldn't stop him at all, and when Marc Gasol was replaced due to too many fouls, the inside became his playground.

He goes in when he wants, goes out when he wants, and uses whatever posture he wants to put the ball into the basket.

Griffin completed 7 alley-oops in a single game, Yu Fei completed 4 breakthrough dunks in positional battles, and Giannis Antetokounmpo also had 4 one-stop fast break dunks.

"I really suggest that the Clippers change their name. They should not be called the Clippers, but should be called the Shockers - my God! Their game is really visually stunning. As long as you are a basketball fan, you must not miss this game! ”

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said on Twitter.

The suspense of victory or defeat quickly disappeared.

The Clippers used their talent to crush the Lakers, and the Lakers tacitly shifted into "Old Man Fun" mode.

Kobe plays singles as he pleases. Although his hit rate is not high, his movements are graceful. He made 12 of 29 shots and scored 32 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Although the Lakers lost by 22 points, every fan who watched the game felt that the trip was worthwhile.

After all, the Clippers' dunk show tonight can be edited into a highlight reel.

At the end of the game, there were rare cheers at Staples Center, a rare treat that the Clippers enjoy here. "Frye, the number of dunks you performed tonight was so crazy, can this performance be maintained?" a reporter asked after the game.

"Why not?" Yu Fei obviously knows how to quickly accumulate popularity. The most direct way is to improve the enjoyment of the game, and dunking is undoubtedly one of the best ways to increase the enjoyment. "The height of the rim hasn't changed, and the athleticism of Blake and Giannis and I will not disappear tonight. Our dunks will only get more and more."

What follows is a series of chain reactions.

The Clippers scored five of the top ten goals of the day, including two from Griffin, one from Yu Fei, and two from Antetokounmpo. Subsequently, the four-minute highlight of the Clippers' dunk against the Lakers was widely circulated on the Internet.

The media began to pay attention to the changes in the Clippers.

Bill Simmons, the reporter who calls himself the biggest Celtics fan on the planet, now lives in Los Angeles. He claimed that he moved to Los Angeles out of work needs and that Boston was his forever home. Although he lives in Los Angeles, he will never buy Lakers game tickets. Instead, he is a long-term season ticket holder of the Clippers.

However, the Clippers season-ticket holder is also one of the propagators of the impression that the Clippers are cursed.

Now, after watching the video of the game between the Clippers and the Lakers, he said: "As far as tonight is concerned, I think the Clippers are the most attractive team in the league!"

Mainstream media followed suit.

The Los Angeles Times commented after last night's derby: "The most unlikely thing in the world is to see the Clippers completely surpass the Lakers. But if it can happen that even Frye Yu joins the Clippers, then What's impossible? It's time to change your mind about the Clippers! ”

Clippers owner Ballmer also came out to join the heat, saying that he liked the name "Shocking" very much and would seriously consider the possibility of changing the name.

If the first game of the new season can determine the trend of the entire season, then the Clippers are like a bull stock, showing unlimited potential.

There is no shortage of cases in the history of the NBA that have successfully improved the market through entertainment.

Not to mention, the Suns in the Nash era were a team that played "small ball" in the "big ball era" and gained widespread attention with their smooth offensive style.

And those teams that really shock their home court all have top dunkers.

The Suns have Stoudemire Jr., while the Clippers have Griffin and Antetokounmpo.

In addition, Yu Fei himself is a very interesting player.

His dunks are also very enjoyable to watch. If you really want to make a dunk collection for him, they will not be inferior even when compared with professional dunkers.

But Yu Fei knows very well that his advantage does not lie in dunks. Dunking is just an embellishment for him. When he was young, he would use this method to attract fans, but now there is no need.

After all, he has reached the point where even if his performance is mediocre, he can attract fans just by being present.

After defeating the Lakers, the Clippers defeated the Trail Blazers at home, but then suffered their first defeat of the season on the road.

Defeating them was another California team, the Golden State Warriors.

After the accumulation of last season, the talent that the Warriors have accumulated for many years is showing signs of exploding.

Joe Johnson is their key player, and Lillard, as a precocious second-year player, has shown All-Star level combat effectiveness. Kawhi Leonard is gradually becoming a stronger offensive Metta World Peace, and Klay Thompson's top 3D qualities are also beginning to be revealed.

The only question now for the Warriors is how to deal with Tyreke Evans' situation.

Evans was at his peak when he debuted, and his performance felt like LeBron James at the point guard position. However, as the league fully entered the era of space basketball, Evans' problems gradually became apparent. As a point guard, he does have obvious physical advantages, but his shooting ability has hardly improved over the years, and he is only a threat with his right hand on the offensive end. The Warriors originally believed that he could develop left-handed skills, so they gave him a maximum salary extension in advance, but the results were not satisfactory.

Lillard's rise has made Evans' position awkward. He can't compete with Lillard at the point guard position, and he can't compete with Thompson and Leonard at the second and third positions. In addition, he also carries a premium maximum salary contract. Therefore, trading Evans has become the Warriors' most urgent task at the moment.

That has nothing to do with tonight's game, though.

Tonight, the young Warriors showed their prowess, blossomed more, and won with an offense that the Clippers couldn't resist.

"They are a team ready to go." Yu Fei said, "They will get better in the future."

At this time, the Spurs are still the dominant team in the Western Conference. As for what the future holds for the Warriors, no one can predict.

The Clippers don't have time to be bothered by this loss, the season continues.

However, Pachulia, who has been a backup in Milwaukee for a long time, seemed to have a reaction to the starting treatment in Los Angeles. He strained his thigh in the next away game against the Kings, and the Clippers asked Kwame Brown to replace him.

Yu Fei was not affected by these changes. He maintained a high-intensity performance throughout the game and completely controlled the rhythm of the game in his own hands. Griffin took off frequently and performed many wonderful dunks. The lack of competitiveness of the Kings ultimately failed to use the inside advantage to reverse the situation.

The only Clippers player out of shape is Giannis Antetokounmpo. The "Greek Freak" was the only guaranteed starter from the disastrous 2013 draft class.

In the first game of the new season against the Lakers, he performed well, and there were occasional moments of talent shining in the subsequent games. But facing the Kings, the tough physical confrontation confused him.

Yu Fei noticed this. Since Antetokounmpo only started receiving formal basketball training at the age of 13, his basic skills are not solid. This means that although he has coordination with the ball, he is unable to dribble in front of his body as drastically as Durant. Because of this, when Yu Fei heard him say that he only started playing basketball when he was 13 years old, he sighed, "It's a pity."

With insufficient basic skills, if he wants to increase his threat with the ball, he can only use his physical conditions to play in a wide-open and wide-open manner. The Greek Freak is good at using his height and wingspan to shorten the distance on the court. What others need to dribble three times to do, he can do it with just one dribble.

This style of play can not only cover up his shortcomings in basic skills, but also take advantage of his physical talents. However, Antetokounmpo as a rookie was like a tall and thin Spider-Man, falling down at the slightest contact. He often does it first, and then gets bumped by his opponent, and then the entire technical move collapses.

The Kings were the first team to frustrate him. Due to poor performance, Rivers only played him for 20 minutes. Antetokounmpo only scored 4 points and 2 rebounds in the game. Looking at Yu Fei's comprehensive statistics of 36 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists, he couldn't help but wonder how the GOAT did it.

"Fry, I want to be like you." After the game, the Greek said to GOAT.

GOAT glanced at him: "Do you really want to?"

The Greek wanted to say that he was dreaming, but he didn't know how to express it, so he just nodded vigorously.

Yu Fei smiled jokingly and said nothing more.

The next day, the Clippers returned to Los Angeles.

The training session that day was unremarkable, the only special thing happened after the training session.

Rivers put Antetokounmpo at the free throw line while his teammates, including Yu Fei, Griffin, Pierce and Barnes, each had the ball in their hands. Following Rivers' order, starting from Yu Fei, they dribbled the ball in order to attack Antetokounmpo's defense.

Again and again the Greek was knocked down as if he were hollow.

Every time Pierce knocked down Antetokounmpo, he would mock: "Have you never practiced strength?"

Yu Fei showed no mercy and was the most ruthless one, knocking Antetokounmpo so hard that he slid to the ground the first time.

But the Greek showed no fear and stood up again and again.

"You want to be like me?" Yu Fei said, "Then first bear the unbearable pressure like a man!"

In this kind of besieged environment, it can be seen how well a person can withstand pressure. Antetokounmpo fell to the ground countless times, but never showed discouragement. Every time he resisted the impact of his teammates with a desperate attitude. Although the results were modest, he never backed down.

Rivers was once again convinced that GOAT was absolutely right. This kid is destined to be special.

It was a moment of relief for Rivers. This is strange because the Clippers have little hope of competing for a championship this year, but Rivers will cherish this time extremely. Because he knows that years from now, when Giannis becomes like Frye, he will feel immense relief. But what's really important is that before he becomes fully fledged, every shining moment will arouse unlimited imagination. The beauty of this process can only be understood by those who have experienced it personally.

The last person Antetokounmpo defended that day was Pierce.

This time, Pierce failed to exert his strength and was dodged by the Greek. The results were not good for him. His old cold legs had lost their explosiveness and he couldn't lay up in front of the Greeks.

Antetokounmpo gave him a vicious nail plate block.

"Ubuntu! Ubuntu!" Antetokounmpo shouted excitedly the slogan Rivers taught the team, "Ubuntu!"

The incarnation of "Ubuntu" stood on the sidelines, revealing himself to the scene.

(End of chapter)