Chapter 602 The Art of Awarding
71 wins gives the Clippers home-court advantage in all playoff series.
At the same time, Yu Fei once again gained MVP momentum.
He won the MVP last year. On the one hand, he led the Clippers, which no one expected, to achieve a good record that shocked the outside world. In addition, the momentum of his competitors was not strong, so he could easily win the award.
This year, Yu Fei's biggest selling point is that he led the team to the third-best record in history - 71 wins. At the same time, his personal data shows a trend of rejuvenation. After the madness of March, Yu Fei finally played in 77 games, averaging 31 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.
However, the improvement in the team's record is not enough to be his main plus point in competing for MVP. After all, he has led the team to a better record. Moreover, the Clippers introduced Yao Ming and Klay Thompson this year, coupled with the growth of Antetokounmpo. Although the media generally denounced these operations and believed that the Clippers were doomed, the current results are completely different from outside speculation. Media standards have changed as a result.
As for personal data, although Yu Fei's data is undoubtedly MVP level, compared with his previous performance, this is not the most outstanding season. It can be said that his data can no longer have a shocking effect on the outside world. He once averaged 36 points per game in an era when defensive rules were relatively loose. He also averaged a triple-double during the Bucks' second championship and even continued to average a triple-double after moving to Seattle.
Yu Fei's data has already made people feel numb.
Therefore, despite his impressive record and impressive personal data, Yu Fei's MVP lineup is still not as strong as Durant, who led the Knicks to 65 wins. Durant averaged 32 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists per game. Except for scoring 1 point more, he was completely suppressed by Yu Fei in other aspects. However, the media can always label GOAT as "aesthetic fatigue" to weaken it. This gap.
In addition, New York's market influence and media power are no less powerful than those of Los Angeles. Moreover, the Clippers do not occupy a monopoly in Los Angeles, and they cannot fully obtain the full support of the media in the entire region.
This is also Nike's top priority right now. They desperately need their players to win MVPs, which would give the entire brand a shot in the arm.
However, Yu Fei doesn't care about the struggle behind the MVP.
For him, one more MVP is not too much, and one less is not too much - after all, he already has 6 MVP trophies.
He is now focused on the first round of the playoffs.
The intensity of competition in the Western Conference this year is brutal.
After the Big Three of the Nets disintegrated, the Western Conference teams shared the remains of the Nets.
Anthony went to the Lakers, Howard went to the Rockets, and Paul went to the Pelicans.
These three teams are currently ranked fourth in the Western Conference, fifth in the Western Conference, and sixth in the Western Conference.
The Lakers ranked highest, followed by the Rockets, and the Pelicans, with the weakest foundation, ranked sixth.
In front of them are the Clippers, Spurs and Warriors.
This is the competitive pressure in the Western Conference. Even if you get a healthy All-Star player, you will not be able to join the first tier.
However, the rise of these three teams has indeed squeezed the living space of other teams.
The Timberwolves were knocked out of the playoffs under such circumstances.
The Mavericks, who have been fighting with the Spurs since the 2000s, also fell behind this year, barely ranking eighth in the Western Conference, and met the big boss Clippers in the first round.
The Mavericks are no longer a championship contender.
The last time they were expected to compete for a championship was the season when Tony Parker had just transferred to Dallas.
But Parker's peak period ended in the summer of 2013. As a star player who relied on speed, injuries and age caused his decline to exceed his peak running speed.
After Parker's decline, the Mavericks can only use quantity to make up for the quality of ball handlers.
They found another veteran, Monta Ellis, and signed an older veteran, Andre Miller, to cooperate with Parker to ensure that the system can operate normally.
Nowitzki is no longer at his peak. In the early years, the German tanks could use offense to make up for deficiencies in defense. But now, in order to prevent his defense from causing trouble, the Mavericks signed Tyson Chandler to wipe their ass. Then, last summer Acquired Chandler Parsons from Seattle.
Today's NBA is no longer the NBA it was when Cuban first bought the team.
The league has taken severe punitive measures against those rich and willful teams. People like Cuban who are not actually that rich among the owner group have naturally become what he hated the most.
He began to calculate every expenditure and no longer acted recklessly. Except for Nowitzki, he could give up on anyone.
Meeting Yu Fei's team in the playoffs again after many years has a different meaning for the Mavericks veterans.
Before the series started, someone asked Nowitzki: "Is there any difference between this time and 2006?"
"One thing is different." Nowitzki said, "No one thinks we can win this time."
Before the first game of the series, Yu Fei and Parsons caught up with each other.
Parsons originally didn't want to leave Seattle, but if he wanted more money, he had to.
Loyalty is one thing, more money is another.
Parsons chose more money without hesitation.
"How does it feel to be in Dallas?" Yu Fei asked.
"I quite like it here." Parsons said, "There is not as much pressure as in Seattle, and there are not countless eyes staring at me."
That's why the Mavericks aren't the same as they used to be.
They have become a Bucks-like team.
Trying not to show off, but I have no intention of competing for hegemony. However, the idea of entering the playoffs in the name of competing for hegemony and tricking fans into booking season tickets for next season is there, and it is very big.
"It seems that I can only let you have a holiday early." Yu Fei said, "This is the only thing I can do for you."
"No, GOAT!" Parsons pretended to yell.
The game begins immediately.
Against the Clippers, the Mavericks didn't have many moves, they basically used various zone defenses.
Because Antetokounmpo is the nominal point guard of the Clippers, although the Greek retains the shooting posture and rhythm of his rookie period under the reminder of Yu Fei, his body is too big after all, and it is impossible to organize dribbling. It also takes into account the shooting feel.
Therefore, zone defense works wonders for Antetokounmpo. Once he is unable to hold the ball and cause damage, he has to give the ball to flying hands in large numbers.
In this way, he actually becomes a tool for dribbling the ball through the half court.
Every team that plays the Clippers will push the Clippers to this point.
Teams that cannot do this are basically teams that are so weak that they are not worthy of being taken seriously.
But once the ball comes to Yu Fei's hands, there are almost no teams that can deal with it.
Yu Fei is now like a small Jokic, with one person holding the ball, four running, and five opponents keeping an eye on him at all times.
He can always seize gaps in defense and deliver precise passes.
If the defense is good enough, he decisively switches to offensive mode.
Tonight, the Mavericks not only wanted to limit Yu Fei's cooperation with his teammates, but also wanted to suppress his personal offense through double-teaming. However, the tactic of attacking from both sides was poorly executed and turned into a situation full of loopholes.
Yu Fei made continuous fake moves to attract double teams, and then lobbed the ball for Yao Ming to dunk easily.
Mavericks tried to interfere with Yu Fei through a combination of real and fake defense, but this trick could only fool young people.
Yu Fei directly called for a pick-and-roll and beat Nowitzki, leading the opponent to relive the bitter memories of the summer of 2006.
The only place where the Mavericks can compete with the Clippers is the outside connection between the defender and Nowitzki and Patterson when attacking with the ball. But the Clippers' defensive resources are too abundant.
Antetokounmpo's physical fitness and mobility allow him to often cover two people at the same time when defending. Richard Jefferson is one of the few veterans who has minimal degradation on the defensive end. Coupled with Yu Fei, who suddenly became more effective on the defensive end after February, and top 3D player Klay Thompson, the Clippers' defense is almost impeccable.
The Clippers' only defensive hole may be Yao Ming, who has trouble dealing with pick-and-rolls and can't limit the opponent's outside shooting tactics. However, there are four people in the Clippers' starting lineup who can switch defenses, so it is not easy to train Yao Ming in the military. The Mavericks' players also failed to successfully complete targeted attacks due to their own shortcomings.
In the end, the Mavericks lost by a huge margin. They were frustrated to find that even though they didn't make too many mistakes, they were still completely beaten.
The gap in hard power between the two teams is there. As long as nothing happens to the Clippers, no matter how Dallas struggles, the result will be difficult to change.
Nowitzki was in poor condition tonight. Not only did he fail to create pressure on Yu Fei at the fourth position, but the Mavericks had to let other players defend Yu Fei in a misplaced position in order to cover him.
Even if he protects Nowitzki to the extreme, Yu Fei can still find many opportunities to name him.
If the team has to tear things apart to make up for the west in order to protect the core players, and the core still cannot function, then whether the existence of this core is still meaningful is worth pondering.
"Should Dallas take the keys back from Dirk?"
The TNT team raised this issue when discussing Nowitzki's sluggish performance in G1.
Both Barkley and O'Neal believe that the Mavericks should give up continuing to use Nowitzki as the core and rebuild from next season.
Guest "Magic" Johnson said: "This is not just a basketball issue. This is Dirk's seventeenth season representing Dallas. I believe they also know that persisting will not lead to better results, but these seventeenth Years of emotional bonding are extremely rare in professional sports.”
This also raised another topic. Back then, if Nowitzki wanted to win the championship, he could have left Dallas. With his strength, the top three teams in the East and West can almost break the league pattern. However, he chose to persevere.
Now that he is old, will Dallas dislike him?
That’s the problem with ring culture – winning comes first.
The choice between Nowitzki and the Mavericks is a two-way loyalty. They were not swayed by outside public opinion.
In the second game that followed, the Mavericks forced the Clippers into overtime, and Nowitzki exploded, scoring 35 points.
But in the end, Yu Fei and Thompson's dominant performance in overtime avoided defeat.
The overtime defeat in the second game made the Mavericks lose their spirit. Back at home, they made consecutive mistakes, and the Clippers won three games in a row without any blood.
Facing the 3-0 score, Dallas no longer even had the chance to create a miracle.
This is Yu Fei's second series with the Mavericks after 2006.
He remembered the 2006 Finals, and was particularly impressed by what Nowitzki said after losing the Finals.
So, he now has a problem.
In the fourth game of the first round, the American Airlines Center was still full of spectators.
Mavericks fans cheered for the team with all their strength.
The Mavericks seemed to have cheered up a little, and their state had improved compared to the third game. However, Yu Fei and Thompson's three-point rain from the outside quickly woke them up from their dream of winning.
The game has entered the Clippers' rhythm, and the Mavericks' season journey has also entered a countdown.
In the end, the Clippers defeated the Mavericks without any suspense and advanced to the semifinals with a score of 4-0.
Nowitzki doesn't seem to be in pain. After all, they are absolutely weak. Winning is a surprise, losing is normal. He's become numb to it. Until he walked up to Yu Fei and was about to say "Congratulations", Yu Fei took the lead and asked: "Does time really solve everything, Dirk?"
This question brought Nowitzki back to nine years ago.
After losing in the Finals that year, ESPN's Jim Gray once asked him: "How are you going to digest this year's failure?"
Nowitzki replied: "Time will solve everything."
However, the most famous sentence in that year's final was Yu Fei's acceptance speech: "Because you don't know if there is still enough time."
Later, it was widely believed that this was a sign that Yu Fei was about to leave Milwaukee, suggesting that time was running out to save the Seattle SuperSonics.
Now, Yu Fei brings up the matter again, and Nowitzki can't help but think back on the opportunities he has missed over the years. He had many opportunities to join a super team like James, but he ultimately chose to stay in Dallas. The reward for this loyalty is a 17-year championship-less record.
Obviously, this record will last until the day he retires.
However, looking at James' experience with the Lakers, has he really succeeded? Even if you leave Dallas, you may not be successful.
Seeing Yu Fei, Nowitzki felt more and more that his choices over the years were not wrong.
"It's solved." Nowitzki said softly, "I just lost to a stronger player."
Nowitzki knows that he doesn't have enough time, and he has fully accepted that there is a high probability that his career will be without a championship.
"That's good." Yu Fei said no more, "See you next season."
The Clippers easily defeated the Mavericks, and the post-game awards ceremony followed.
Curry, Harden, Durant, Yu Fei and Yao Ming were selected to the best team.
This is a big breaking point today. James, who has been selected to the first team for many years, fell to the second team this year.
James' camp has hinted everywhere that this is because Nike's publicity machine has shifted from James to Durant.
The big city effect is also perfectly reflected in Thompson. Thompson averaged only 21 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game this season, which is almost the same as last season's data with the Warriors, but he was successfully selected to the third team.
Next is the announcement of the best defensive team.
Paul, Yu Fei, Leonard, Draymond Green and Jordan were selected for the first defense, and Giannis Antetokounmpo was selected for the second defense.
Then came the second breaking point of the day: Yu Fei was elected Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) over Jordan and Leonard.
Some of Yu Fei’s anti-fans claimed: “This is direct evidence that Reebok manipulates media voting!”
Yu Fei's defense has long been controversial.
Critics believe that his defense is like Dr. J. Although he averaged 2.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, he was never selected to the All-Defensive Team. With Dr. J's popularity, if his defense was half as good as his numbers, he would have been in a position long ago.
Comparing Yu Fei to Dr. J is undoubtedly a satire that his defensive data is "brushed".
Supporters try their best to demonstrate the actual effectiveness of Yu Fei's defense, but controversy about his defense has always existed over the years.
Winning DPOY this time seems to have touched some people's nerves. After all, this is the only honor that Jordan has but Yu Fei did not have before.
However, Yu Fei's camp was not happy that he won the DPOY. Winning DPOY means that the media really intends to label him as "aesthetic fatigue" and then choose Durant as the MVP instead.
Now giving DPOY to Yu Fei seems to be to seal off criticism from the outside world in the future.
But Yu Fei himself is very open-minded. He doesn't want to take all the credit like the guys on the team do. After all, he is already recognized as the GOAT, and every additional honor he wins will only make it more difficult for future pursuers to reach him.
So what if the MVP is given to Durant? What ultimately determines who is the winner of the season is the championship.
Therefore, Yu Fei quickly ordered the team to stop discussing the award.
Not talking about MVP, the Clippers are undoubtedly the biggest winners this season: the best record in the league, three players selected to the All-NBA Team, and three players selected to the All-Defensive Team. The Coach of the Year goes to Rivers, and the General Manager of the Year goes to Arn Tellem, who was criticized in the offseason.
The entire Clippers team is thriving, and the big market effect of Los Angeles is also showing.
The team's revenue, market share and influence in Los Angeles are all growing rapidly.
As long as the Clippers can win the championship, the Lakers will no longer be the only Los Angeles franchise to be the pride of the city.
(End of chapter)