Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

"Rookie, didn\'t MJ teach you how to respect veterans?" Cassell glared at Yu Fei.

Yu Fei believed that if Jordan and Cassell were to match up, His Airness would only say even nastier things.

Doubt it? Perhaps you might recall how Jordan destroyed Tyrone Bogues with a single word: "Midget."

No one loved to attack an opponent\'s weaknesses more than Jordan.

Yu Fei didn\'t respond, but simply spread his arms and defended closely, while Cassell, though irritated, didn\'t choose to go for an isolation play to regain face.

Because that didn\'t fit with the Bucks\' tactics, nor did their head coach George Karl, known as "The Madman," want to see that.

"Pass the ball! Quick, pass it, Sam!"

Karl\'s roaring voice had been heard from the sideline starting from the Bucks\' first offensive play.

If Karl planned to continue this intense sideline coaching to the last second of the game, Yu Fei really didn\'t know how the Bucks\' players usually put up with it.

Cassell passed the ball to Ray Allen, following the Bucks\' tactics.

Allen went one-on-one against Jordan, driving hard to the right and pushing His Airness at the free-throw line, then pulled up for a jump shot.

2 to 2

Yu Fei dribbled past half-court; Ratner moved to the high post, intending to set up Jordan using the Wizards\' usual play.

He knew about the beef between Jordan and Ray Allen.

Towards the young star who openly declared not to be moved by Jordan\'s comeback and expressed disappointment at the attention the latter received, it was necessary to strike decisively.

But Ratner had been on the injury list for too long.

Although in his view, it had been just over a month, it was during this month that Yu Fei\'s status on the team had risen several levels.

He moved from the small forward position to point guard and even had the right to play without adhering to the tactics.

When Ratner moved to the high post, Yu Fei, with a stern face, waved for him to clear out.

"Don\'t be too selfish, rookie!" Ratner called out.

As soon as Ratner finished speaking, Yu Fei stepped past Cassell, drove to the basket, and drew a foul from Pürzbila\'s help defense.

Then, Yu Fei turned around, looked at Ratner indifferently as if he wasn\'t there, and walked over to Collins, saying, "If you want me to play point guard, I should have the right to demand a substitution if someone isn\'t cooperating with me on the court."

"Rookie, you!!!" Ratner was shocked; he couldn\'t believe Yu Fei would dare to say such a thing.

Who did he think he was? Was this his team?

However, with Jordan looking on dispassionately and Collins not wanting Ratner to be sidelined right after returning, he said, "Christian is just getting back, he\'s not quite familiar with our current style of play."

Thus, Yu Fei approached the free-throw line, and as he was about to shoot the first free throw, he said to Ratner in front of the home crowd Bucks players, "You can sit down now!"

The words seemed to hang in the air.

It wasn\'t long before Collins substituted Ratner for Tyronn Nesby.

Ratner gained a new understanding of Yu Fei\'s status within the team.

The Bucks players were surprised; they couldn\'t believe Jordan would actually allow a rookie to do that.

Coach George Karl of the Bucks also witnessed this scene.

He knew Jordan well; even during the Bulls era, Pippen didn\'t have the power to decide who got to play and who didn\'t.

Because Jordan wouldn\'t agree to anyone else having the same level of power and status as him.

But Yu Fei could do it?

What was happening within the Wizards?

Collins stood numbly on the sideline; the developments had been too rapid, even he hadn\'t expected it.

Initially, the objective of playing Yu Fei at point guard was because both Hamilton and Ratner were out injured, and letting Yu Fei have a major share of ball possession was the only way to unleash his full potential.

At the same time, Jordan could also use this to control Yu Fei.

Then, with Yu Fei\'s assistance, Jordan produced MVP-like performances, which made Jordan think he had progressed in his relationship with Yu Fei. But when Jordan formally extended an olive branch to Yu Fei in the locker room, the way Yu Fei refused, with his words, his attitude, and his disdain towards Jordan, utterly severed their relationship.

Yu Fei made it clear that his position wasn\'t granted by Jordan but earned by himself.

If Jordan felt that Yu Fei couldn\'t help him as a point guard, he would move him back to small forward.

Now, with Yu Fei firmly established at point guard, it was evident that even Jordan didn\'t want to touch him.

That was the reason for Yu Fei\'s confidence.

Yu Fei made both free throws, and then Glenn Robinson of the Bucks started to assert his dominance, mainly matching up against Hubert Davis, who had been temporarily promoted to the starting lineup.

Aside from his shooting, Davis was a mess on defense.

Big Dog nailed a corner three-pointer, followed by a catch-and-shoot after cutting back, putting the Bucks ahead 7 to 4.

Then, Yu Fei noticed that the Bucks starting power forward, Anthony Mason, seemed restless.

"I didn\'t get the ball!" Mason yelled as he hustled back on defense, "Nobody\'s looking at me, why can\'t I get a touch?"

He acted as if the Bucks had missed a great opportunity, though in reality, Glenn Robinson had done well in the previous two possessions.

From this scene, Yu Fei could tell that Mason craved the ball like a superstar.

Wanting ball possession doesn\'t seem so bad.

What player doesn\'t want to get their hands on the ball?

However, the way a basketball game operates means that 80% of the ball possession is concentrated in the hands of 20% of the players; some players just don\'t get to touch the ball that much.

Mason, himself a hardworking blue-collar player, was a tough soldier under Pat Riley\'s New York gang in the early \'90s. Who would have thought that the longer he played, the more skilled his hands would become, making him a well-known organizing forward by the late \'90s.

But now, seeing how eager he was for the ball, disrupting his teammates\' rhythm and the team system, Yu Fei had a whole new take on him.

Next, it was Jordan who brought the ball up this possession.

Although Yu Fei didn\'t get along with him, their on-court collaboration had no issues. He set a screen for Jordan and then spread out.

Unfortunately, Jordan didn\'t have much strength in his footing. Despite having a favorable position, he didn\'t force his way deeper and instead settled for a conservative jump shot on the spot.

Yu Fei shook his head; he could tell it was off just by looking.

And sure enough, it clanked off the rim.

The Wizards retreated on defense in time, stymieing Cassell\'s fast break, forcing them into a half-court set.

From the previous few possessions, Yu Fei could tell that Coach George Karl had trained the team well on both offense and defense.

The offense had multiple points for ball domination, extensive ball movement, and lateral screens. The defense demanded swift switches and high-intensity energy, both hallmarks of the Supersonics during the Glove and the Rain Man era.

Karl brought it over to Milwaukee, and last season, they showed promise, reaching the Eastern Conference finals. While they ultimately helped build Allen Iverson\'s legendary season, it also set high expectations for their performance this season.

However, the widely praised off-season acquisition now seemed to be their greatest nightmare.

While the Bucks\' players on the wing were making their tactical runs, Mason, as if worried about losing his muscles from too much aerobic activity, simply posted up Tyronn Nesby in the low block.

"Give me the ball!"

His voice was sharp and grating.

Cassell passed the ball to him and then took Yu Fei to the other side, completely clearing out Mason\'s area.

Mason held the ball and looked around, as if searching for an opportunity to make a play.

Strangely, Karl, who placed great emphasis on discipline and ball movement, made no comment about this scene.

Yu Fei opted to observe from the sidelines. After all, he would see Mason\'s true ability first.

With Mason\'s frame, overpowering Nesby in the low post theoretically wouldn\'t be a problem.

And indeed it wasn\'t; upon seeing no chance for an assist, Mason started backing down inside. Nesby couldn\'t stop him. Mason pushed all the way to the basket and then scored with an unremarkable hook shot.

"My bad!" Nesby cried out eagerly, "I\'ll defend better next time!"

Yu Fei thought that if Mason liked to play this way, they might as well feed Nesby to him.

Let Mason have his fill.

The more Mason goes one-on-one, the more disjointed the Bucks\' offensive system will become.

This time, Yu Fei brought up the ball. He hadn\'t even crossed half-court when Jordan already had Ray Allen pinned down in the frontcourt low post, looking determined to regain his footing.

This confidence, after all, was built up against the likes of Carter and Sprewell. With Allen\'s status, at best between The Madman and the demigod, Coach Dan had blown those two away—what was so special about beating Allen?

When Yu Fei reached the frontcourt, he waved for his teammates to spread out and, without even glancing at Cassell, casually lobbed the ball with both hands.

"You really are Michael\'s good dog, rookie."

Cassell remarked, and for some reason, instead of guarding Yu Fei, he chose to double-team Jordan, who was waiting for someone to take the bait in the low post.

Jordan didn\'t want to play because he wasn\'t feeling well physically. Cassell\'s arrival was the perfect excuse to pass the ball. He locked eyes on Yu Fei and passed the ball under Cassell\'s watch.

Yu Fei received the ball on the outside, looked down at his feet right beyond the three-point line, and decisively took the shot.

In the moment he was airborne, Yu Fei felt his breath steady.

Then, the basketball left his fingertips.

"Swish!!!"

"Sam#!@￥@#￥%"

George Karl exploded in fury.

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Cassell inwardly admitted his blunder and then heard Yu Fei say, "Thanks for leaving me open; if I had to look at your face, my shooting percentage would drop by 50%."

Cassell had to endure being chewed out by his own coach on the sidelines, and on top of that, he was insulted by a rookie. Burning with humiliation and anger, he pinned all his problems on Yu Fei: "Rookie, this isn\'t over between us!"