Chapter 593: Chapter 427 Let’s Celebrate First Chapter 593: Chapter 427 Let’s Celebrate First The sixth game of the finals, not only did Key Arena in Seattle draw in an immense crowd of fans, filling the arena to capacity on a non-home game day, but areas outside Seattle also exhibited fervent enthusiasm for watching the game.

Just nineteen miles from Seattle, in Kent, Yu Fei’s hometown, every household had their TVs on game day.

In Olympia, the capital of the State of Washington where Seattle is located, a special nighttime legislative session was arranged to settle important state affairs before the meeting ended. However, no matter what those “affairs” were, they paled in comparison to the importance of the SuperSonics winning the championship, which led to the meeting being postponed by several hours, while the politicians watched the live broadcast of the game at their offices.

The atmosphere had been built up to this point.

The stage was set.

The SuperSonics needed to take that final step.

In Boston that night, Celtics fans endured the agony of being defeated away from home, unable to draw any confidence from the myth of invincibility at their own court.

That was because there had been a change within the Celtics.

Even the die-hard Bill Simmons believed that the SuperSonics had played a “decisive game” at home.

What is a decisive game?

It’s the beheading blade.

The Celtics had internal issues, issues that home advantage couldn’t negate.

As expected, after the game started, the Celtics didn’t show their usual invincible fighting spirit and ferocity at home.

What did the Bostonians see on their home court?

A team that didn’t know how to work together in unison.

It was unbelievable.

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As a team, the Celtics had already played 108 games this season, spending more time together than any other team, and their understanding of one another should have been the best.

But this was the Celtics after game five.

Red had problems with his teammates; he was no longer the one willing to integrate into the Big Three, pretending to be a selfless team player.

Red wanted to prove himself in front of Yu Fei.

Long as he could prove himself in the last two games of the finals, his embarrassments in Seattle would be forgotten.

That’s what he thought.

But what he did was abandon the team’s well-practiced play style.

He stopped making strenuous runs for position and instead chose positions he liked to ask for the ball.

If teammates didn’t pass him the ball, he would display toxic body language.

Lots of complaining, shouting, and dissatisfaction with ball possession threw the Celtics’ rhythm into chaos.

Danny Ainge, behind the scenes, turned off the TV after seeing this scene.

It wasn’t that Red’s performance seemed unfamiliar that was frightening; it was that after burying his frustrations for a season, Red proved that he was never the person the Celtics had imagined him to be.

Five years had passed since he was traded away by the Bucks in 2003, and the years he spent in New York seemed not to have taught him how to grow.

He wanted to show he could succeed without Yu Fei, but in the end, he made Yu Fei’s time with the Bucks look even more significant.

Ainge kept straightening his tie as if it could twist itself, but ties don’t move on their own.

It was Ainge’s anxiety that moved it.

Now Ainge understood.

How difficult it was to win, what the destructive self was all about, and what the ultimate outcome for the Celtics would be.

He should have known it all along.

Red’s resume had already given him the answers.

His selflessness was a facade, his team spirit was non-existent, and everything he did was driven by an obsession to prove himself, with the Celtics merely serving as a ticket to the finals. He really didn’t understand what such an opportunity meant.

Because he had already won the championship in 2003.

Winning the championship prematurely made Red believe that it was an easy thing to do. Just as long as he has good teammates, he thought he could win. What fundamental logic supports this thinking? Deep down, Red truly believed that if he hadn’t been with the Bucks that year, they couldn’t have defeated the Spurs.

Magnifying one’s contributions to an unbelievable extent and elevating oneself to an incredible level is human nature.

Ainge understood it deeply.

Because once, he too was an idiot who suggested to Red Auerbach that they trade Larry Bird. Someone like him, who could contribute but not decisively, simply couldn’t grasp that some people’s presence transcends everything.

Not until Ainge was traded, not until he became a coach, not until Robert Horry defied his authority and threw a sweat-soaked towel in his face, did he comprehend that he wasn’t the center of the universe.

But Michael Redd didn’t understand this, and he might never. Nor would he cherish the opportunity like Pierce and Garnett did.

Red scored 3 out of 8 shots in a single quarter to get the Celtics’ highest score for his team, but the team was down by 9 points going into the second quarter.

Rivers’ pep talks no longer had any nourishment.

When he lost control of his players, they found out that all he had was a way with words.

No one stopped Red.

But still, Pierce and Garnett wanted to win.

Red wanted to be the absolute core? No problem, they could focus their efforts on defense.

And then, tonight’s refereeing team dealt a fatal blow to the Celtics.

Just as Sam Presti had expected, the League’s decision to have someone like Steve Javie officiate the SuperSonics’ last home game was meant to give the Celtics a chance to break their losing streak away from home.

Unfortunately, the Celtics failed.

Once they failed, they found themselves opposed by the League.

No matter the reasoning, the League didn’t want to see a team that lost all their away games win the championship.

The shadow of Donaghy still loomed over the League, and what could prove the NBA’s refereeing bias more than allowing a team that lost all their away games to win the championship?

Therefore, however much favoritism the Celtics received in game five, tonight they had to pay it back.

Garnett was heavily affected, accruing three fouls before halftime, but Rivers dared not take him off.

Because by the time Garnett had three fouls, the SuperSonics had already built up a 15-point lead.

If they lost Garnett’s defense, would the Celtics even have a second half?

Garnett stayed on the court with three fouls, and the SuperSonics’ offensive focus shifted to the inside.

Kwame Brown waited for the moment of judgment.

A mere Garnett, a man who had been stopped in the first round year after year before holding onto the Celtics’ coattails, and at his worst, couldn’t even make it into the playoffs, had repeatedly offended him during the game.

Was the league’s top inside man so easy to bully?

Taking advantage of Garnett’s excessive fouls and his reluctance to play tough defense, Brown attacked the basket time and again, scoring frequently.

Rivers didn’t substitute Garnett out, but the outcome at halftime was almost as bad as if he had.

62 to 42
The SuperSonics led by 20 points at halftime.

“It suddenly became quiet here, and I’m not used to it,” George Karl said, “The Celtics have another half to turn the situation around, so why have the fans given up? That’s a question.”

In fact, it wasn’t that the fans had given up, but rather that the Celtics, who appeared powerless, triggered the sports failure PTSD of Bostonians.

Since the 21st century began, Boston has certainly been the most successful sports city in America.

The Patriots won the championship three times in six years, and the Red Sox broke the Baby Curse, but nothing could demonstrate the rise of Boston sports better than the revival of the glorious Celtics.

However, the Celtics tonight reminded Bostonians of the Patriots of the 20th century, and that cursed Red Sox team.

The mission of the Celtics was to dispel all the misfortunes since 1986, but now it seemed that the misfortune was continuing.

In the visiting team’s locker room, Karl confirmed the players’ performance and set the tone for the second half: “Guys, tonight we have to win big, not just win. So, we shouldn’t just think about playing the game, but completely annihilate the opponent!”

That was why the SuperSonics, despite leading by 20 points, still went all out.

Except for Yu Fei, everyone else had a reason to deal the Celtics a crushing blow.

Previously at North Shore Garden, the other SuperSonics had a hard time adapting to the intense play of the Celtics, but tonight, the opponent lacked intensity.

This allowed the SuperSonics to play to their full potential with ease.

By the end of the third quarter, the SuperSonics had extended their lead to 34 points, and halfway through the fourth quarter, the Celtics were trailing by more than 40 points.

The Bostonians couldn’t stand it any longer.

A large number of spectators left the arena.

Bill Simmons sat there, paralyzed, his eyes lifeless, as if someone had shot through his heart.

Yu Fei came off the court after scoring 34 points.

This score ensured that his average points per game would remain locked at 40.

To him personally, this was insignificant, but to his team, the crazy stats of averaging 40+10+10+3+3 in the finals meant a lot.

Everyone talked about Jordan’s god-level average of 41+8+6 against the Suns in 1993, a symbol of Jordan’s peak dominance.

And when it comes to Yu Fei’s dominance, everyone would mention his triple-double averages during his time with the Bucks and the four championships in five years. But from today on, the triple-double average of 40 points against the Celtics would become a brand-new chapter.

Garbage time was excruciating for the Celtics, who had become garbage themselves.

“After the timeout, there are only the last ten seconds left!” Mike Breen exclaimed, “The SuperSonics are about to lift their second championship in franchise history!”

Then, the timeout ended.

Neither side was attacking or defending anymore, patiently waiting for the time to expire.

As Yu Fei stood up, the referee blew the final whistle.

There were less than half of the fans left in North Shore Garden.

The SuperSonics’ players were celebrating excitedly on the court, but Yu Fei was calm.

He was draped in a towel, shaking hands one by one with the Celtics players who looked lost.

Pierce said congratulations, Garnett said nothing, Red left early…

When Yu Fei came to PJ Brown, the latter had a bitter expression.

“I’ve learned a lesson,” PJ Brown said dejectedly, “Never turn down Frye.”

“No, don’t bother with the word ‘never,’” Yu Fei said indifferently, “You won’t have another chance.”

Except for Yu Fei, everyone was excited, even Brown, who already had two championships with the Bucks, was looking for people to celebrate with and showing off in front of the reporters.

When a reporter asked him, “Do you still consider yourself the top inside man in the league?”

In the finals, Brown averaged 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 5 fouls.

Given his style, he should have admitted it loudly, but unexpectedly, this time he did a volte-face: “No, I’m not.”

“I’m just responsible for sending those who claim to be the league’s top mutts back home.”

Roy kept thanking his teammates and the fans for their support.

Durant talked about what winning the championship meant to him.

Childress boldly stated that he had no more pursuits in the NBA and that it was time to try overseas basketball.

Everyone took the special occasion to speak their minds.

Only George Karl became reflective of the past during the victory.

Before meeting Yu Fei, the most successful time in his career was coaching the SuperSonics with Payton and Kemp in the ’90s; they were a perennial 50-win team and made it to the finals in 1996, but ultimately, they became just a stepping stone in Jordan’s legend.

When Yu Fei invited him back to Seattle, he hesitated.

Because the SuperSonics were at the bottom of the league last season, and faced the risk of relocation, there was too much uncertainty.

But in the end, Karl left the Bucks and joined Yu Fei in Seattle.

He didn’t know whether it was out of trust in Yu Fei or a deep-seated belief that “I owe them a championship” that drove him to make that decision.

Now, his team had reached the end and tore apart the Celtics with a devastating victory; they had won the championship.

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A whirlwind of emotions swirled in Karl’s mind, and his eyes moistened.

“George,” this was the first time Yu Fei saw the old man cry, “tell me the water at the corner of your eyes is sweat.”

Karl took a deep breath, “Frye, we’ve made it.”

“Not yet,” Yu Fei said, “This is just the beginning.”

But let’s celebrate for now.