Chapter 540: Chapter 378 Christmas Eve

The Christmas showdown between the SuperSonics and the Cavaliers, which was fairly balanced in the first half, broke apart in the second half. In the third quarter, the Cavaliers were already showing signs of fatigue, and in the fourth quarter, Yu Fei scored 10 points right out of the gate, 8 of which were over James, a move that sent the game into garbage time.

The fans at Key Arena rose to their feet in cheers.

They knew just how bad the relationship was between Yu Fei and James, so when the team secured the victory, they pulled out the cheer props they had prepared in advance.

They held up numerous signs that read: 26 to 0. LeBron, maybe next time?

Looking at the stats alone, James was actually only slightly inferior to Fei.

He got 34 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Yu Fei had 42 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. The problem is, he lost again.

As long as he lost, the data meant nothing.

The fact that James had been on a losing streak to Yu Fei had become a cultural phenomenon,

LeBron was a generational talent comparable to Frye, yet he had never defeated Frye.

When could he win? Does he stand a chance to win? What if he can never win?

“I think I performed well tonight, the gap was in the overall performance,”

James expressed his view subtly that the team lost, not him.

But the media didn’t like what he said: “Don’t you think that never defeating Frye affects your reputation?”

“No,” James denied, “It was the Bucks and the SuperSonics that defeated me, not him.”

“So you’re saying, even if Frye scores 70 points in front of you, it’s still the victory of the team, not an individual victory?”

“Yes, because basketball is played by five people.”

When it came to personal failure, James had a lot to say; he even quoted Jordan’s most famous commercial.

“Do you think MJ was a successful basketball player?”

The questioning reporter couldn’t help but nod; even a Seattle reporter couldn’t bluntly deny Jordan’s success.

“MJ is the most successful basketball player in history, but even MJ in his almost 20-year career won only six of those years, and he missed 12,345 shots. So, I don’t believe that failure at this stage will affect my future.”

The reporter blinked, thinking, you’re right, but MJ’s career didn’t last 20 years; actually, he played only 15 seasons because he retired twice, but expecting a guy who never went to college to understand this seems a bit difficult.

In recent times, the narrative surrounding James had undergone many changes.

The consistent dominance of Yu Fei left the James camp defending their position in the court of public opinion.

Moreover, Yu Fei’s decision to leave Milwaukee and return to his hometown posed a moral challenge to James’s decision about whether to stay or leave in the summer of 2009.

A person like Frye, who claims to be without morals, gave up the chance for a three-peat to return to his hometown. How could you abandon your own hometown for a greater chance of winning a championship?

This was the main public relations direction for James and his team recently.

They had to subtly hint to the outside world that James was a dragon trapped in a small pond in Cleveland.

Given a bigger stage and a better team, he wouldn’t be inferior to Yu Fei.

Yu Fei wouldn’t leave the battleground of public opinion for his opponent to take over.

“What I think the meaning of a 26-0 record is, is that he, as a star, has never used his influence on the court to change the outcome of any one game. He can say his team isn’t good enough, and he can say basketball is a team sport, but countless examples have shown that star players can directly influence the victory of a game. I’ve given him 26 chances, and not once has he stepped up. Now he wants to blame his team for not being good enough? Well, that’s the LeBron I know, always with one excuse after another. The one constant is, he refuses to acknowledge that he’s terrible,” Yu Fei said with a mocking look on his face. “In fact, he really is terrible.”

Then, a Cleveland reporter angrily stated that the Cavaliers had played very well tonight, but just couldn’t maintain it in the second half, and it wasn’t LeBron’s fault.

“What was LeBron doing when I scored 10 points in a row in the fourth quarter? You want to talk about the balance of the first half?” Yu Fei continued to fire away, “I can only say that when the cat doesn’t want to play with the mouse, the mouse doesn’t stand a chance.”

Typical Yu Fei style.

He was not the type to gloss things over, nor would he leave his opponents any dignity.

Once he made an enemy, he only wanted to finish them on the court and then continue to expand his victory off the court.

After completing the post-game activities, Yu Fei returned to Key Arena.

Lawson, Brown, and Jack Sikma came back with him.

Yu Fei wanted to spend an extra half hour practicing his post moves, so he needed Brown to practice with him.

Tonight, the reason they were able to go toe to toe with the Cavaliers in the first half was that Yu Fei focused on the post, but it didn’t go well.

“Big Fei, if I were half as diligent as you, I’d be better than Chris Webber,” Brown flattered Yu Fei while also boasting about himself.

Yu Fei wanted to agree with him, but looking at Brown’s hands, which were pathetically small, he really couldn’t say it with a clear conscience.

“Big Fei, your footwork doesn’t have any problems now,” Sikma commented after watching Yu Fei and Brown practice for a while. “But the sense of space in the post and offensive rhythm is a process of accumulation over time. You can’t master it in a year and a half.”

Yu Fei fully understood, much like with his shooting, which had also taken four or five years to fully grasp.

Therefore, in training, he was even more perfectionist, always asking Brown to defend with full effort.

Tonight’s extra 30 minutes of practice can be divided into two sections, with Brown relying on top-notch league defense in the first half to disrupt Yu Fei’s rhythm no matter how he played.

But starting from the second half, Yu Fei’s turnaround jumpers began to find the mark, increasing the difficulty for Brown’s defense.

Once the shooting threat was established, the combination of skills became more comprehensive, coupled with the “no problems whatsoever” footwork mentioned by Sikma, Brown repeatedly fumbled.

Yu Fei scored seven consecutive goals, leaving Brown frustrated.

“I’m done…” Brown complained, “feels like I’m guarding a smaller KG!”

Yu Fei asked with a smile while holding the ball, “Aren’t you the league’s number one center? Still scared of a small KG?”

“Once you get into your rhythm, you’re even harder to handle than KG,” Brown admitted from the heart. “Even though your post moves are entirely that of a big man’s, your movement speed is that of a small forward; I’ve never defended against someone like you.”

“If you’ve never defended against it, then you should practice more. Get up, if we face The Celtics in the finals, are you going to let Rashad guard KG?”

Brown groaned but still submitted to Yu Fei’s demands.

Sikma wasn’t sure if there had ever been another player like him.

A man who secured the league’s top spot at 25, willing to spend a significant amount of time on the mundane task of post-offense at the peak of his physical capacity.

His perimeter skills were already flawless, but what was terrifying was that his post skills were rapidly improving as well.

At this rate, the world might witness an ultimate basketball player with no weaknesses in the frontcourt or backcourt, inside or outside, before Yu Fei turned 30.

But, would Seattle’s professional basketball be revived from its death throes by him?

Yu Fei initially planned to practice for half an hour, but then he got into it and ended up practicing for a full 50 minutes.

Afterward, Brown lay on the ground like a dead dog, as if he had played two games in a row.

“Tell George, I’m not going to practice tomorrow afternoon…” Brown wailed.

“On George’s behalf, I reject your request for leave. You have to come to practice.” Yu Fei said, “Could you bear to watch me and Rashad, who have no clue about post defense, practice post-offense together?”

“You know me, Big Fei; I’ve always had a heart of stone…”

“Quit the crap, if you don’t show up tomorrow, I’ll have Sam send you to Indiana in exchange for Jermaine!”

“Think it through, Big Fei, that guy’s been injured for three years in a row; he’s not as solid and durable as I am. Besides, I’m the league’s top center, and that guy at most is the Eastern Conference’s top center. Have you ever seen anyone trade the league’s best for the best of a division?”

…

Seeing Yu Fei and his group sitting by the court chatting, Joe Gibbs, the maintenance worker in charge of the arena, came with a mop to clean the sweat stains left on the court by Yu Fei and Brown.

“Joe, do you work the night shift every day?”

Brown casually asked.

“Yeah, I’m pretty much the night’s watch here,” Gibbs joked, “Of course, not every night we have gym rats like you guys.”

“Don’t call us rats, Joe, today Big Fei just compared LeBron to a rat.”

Gibbs didn’t understand the young man’s humor. As an arena employee, his status was far from these millionaires who had free access to Key Arena.

“But lately, things here have indeed been different.” Gibbs couldn’t help adding a few more words, “The SuperSonics are attracting the city’s attention like they did over a decade ago.”

Over a decade ago? That would be the Payton-Kemp era, right?

Lawson couldn’t help commenting, “Back then, the SuperSonics must have been the biggest totem of Seattle.”

“No, not quite,” Gibbs said with a smile, as elders often like to continue, “but it once was.”

With that, Gibbs couldn’t help but glance at Jack Sikma, the portly older white man who used to be the core of the SuperSonics, the team that served as a city totem.

It was the 1978-79 season when the SuperSonics had just experienced a fairy-tale season leading to the finals, and although they narrowly lost to the Washington Bullets, this filled them with confidence for the future. So, the management retained the entire team to continue the quest for a championship. It was a special time, when Seattle yearned for a sports championship, but in 1978, every rational Seattleite knew their only chance for a title lay with the SuperSonics, as the Seahawks lacked competitiveness and the Mariners, only two years old at the time, had lost 107 games that season.

In the finals, the SuperSonics got their revenge on the Bullets and lifted their first championship trophy, fulfilling Seattle’s dream of a sports title. That day, from First Avenue to Fifth Avenue, from Pioneer Square to Belltown and Cherry Hill, SuperSonics fans could be seen everywhere. It was the pinnacle for the SuperSonics, the first and only time they truly felt they possessed the Emerald City.

“I still remember that day, I still miss it,” Gibbs said, “Now that I think about it, it’s been almost thirty years since that day. The team of my dreams has become a nightmare in reality, and it might leave me at any moment. Tell me, am I crazy?”

Brown didn’t know how to respond.

Yu Fei stood up and said, “Merry Christmas, Joe.”

With that, Yu Fei left.

That night, Yu Fei went home to a variety of Christmas greetings, including a unique one from Warren Buffett.

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In the voicemail, Buffett congratulated Yu Fei on his achievements over the past few years and stated that after investigations from various aspects, he believed that if the SuperSonics remained in Seattle, under the leadership of The Chosen One, they could bring investors more than fivefold profits. Therefore, he was willing to contribute 20% of the funds to the new arena’s financing plan.

“Merry Christmas, Frye. As a return, I hope you will get dunked on by me like Shaquille O’Neal in the next basketball video we shoot together. I think this request isn’t too much to ask for.”

“Not too much at all, you could even cross over me like Allen Iverson.”

Yu Fei replied.

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