Chapter 657: Chapter 472: Don’t Stop Talking About Number 23 (United)_3 Chapter 657: Chapter 472: Don’t Stop Talking About Number 23 (United)_3 —-Important remarks from the Seattle SuperSonics on Media Day.

Training camp has ended, and the SuperSonics are about to face a warm-up match in Las Vegas.

This year, they were not scheduled to play games in China, which is a rare occurrence.

Because even the schedule makers know that if you give someone the same menu every year, no matter how much they like it, they will get bored.

The Houston Rockets were also not scheduled for a game in China.

The two teams met in Las Vegas.

Yu Fei encountered a version of the Rockets that had never appeared in his past life.

This was a 20-year-old James Harden paired with a 29-year-old Yao Ming on the Rockets.

After a summer of recuperation, Yao Ming lost 14 kilograms, and though he hadn’t regressed back to his rookie physique, he wasn’t far off.

“Who are you?” Yu Fei asked upon seeing the new version of Yao Ming, “Where’s the 300-pound Chinese center from your team?”

“Damn it!” Yao Ming exclaimed, “I’ve never been 300 pounds!”

“You know I like to round up.”

“I practiced 400 three-pointers every day this summer. You’re dead!” Yao Ming confidently shouted.

Hearing this, Yu Fei chuckled without saying a word, glancing at the bearded veteran beside him, “How’s your rookie doing?”

Yao Ming began to make faces: “Stronger than you were at the same age. He’ll surpass you in a few years.”

Luckily for Yu Fei, Yao Ming was speaking in Chinese, otherwise Harden would be trembling in fear.

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It was only after Yu Fei and Yao Ming finished chatting that the bearded old showman Harden politely greeted him: “Frye, you’re my favorite player. You probably don’t remember… Last year when you were training in Las Vegas with Team USA, I was part of the college practice squad…”

“I remember you,” Yu Fei said earnestly, “You’re Ben Laden.”

Harden was struck by lightning, uncertain how to respond.

“Just kidding, of course I remember you,” Yu Fei said, “James, I remember you. I admire your courage. Do you know I hate everyone named James?”

Seeing Harden turn pale, Yao Ming immediately said, “Don’t overthink it, he’s just joking.”

“I assure you, James, I hate that name,” Yu Fei said with words that made the rookie shiver, then he abruptly cooled down, “But that doesn’t mean I’ll hate you. Good luck, I’m rooting for you.”

Yu Fei left.

Only then did Harden ask Yao Ming, “Is Frye always like this?”

“You mean his dislike for James, or his jokes?” Yao Ming countered.

Obviously, Harden was more concerned about the first question.

“I thought his hatred for James was an open fact in the United States,” Yao Ming said with a laugh.

This was exactly why Harden felt uneasy. LeBron is LeBron; he is himself; he shouldn’t have to suffer because his name earned the displeasure of a great figure.

“Don’t worry, he won’t give you a hard time,” Yao Ming reassured, “Tonight, he probably has only one target, to dunk on my head. And I’m not going to let him succeed.”

Once the game started, Yu Fei indeed did not focus on Harden but took every chance to go after Yao Ming.

The weight loss had restored Yao Ming’s early career mobility, and he was no longer a slow, lumbering big center.

However, Yao Ming’s speed was relative.

Compared to the movement-challenged giants around 220 centimeters tall with a condition akin to gigantism, his agility and speed were on par with that of someone 210 centimeters tall.

But by NBA standards, he could now barely keep up, although he would still get targeted by a mismatch machine like Yu Fei.

Faced with such targeted attacks, Yao Ming often chose to squat and defend.

This was equivalent to giving the initiative to his opponent.

Yu Fei decisively shot the ball, scoring continuously, and let Yao Ming foresee what he would have to deal with in future NBA games.

To some extent, the changes in the game pushed by Yu Fei had saved Yao Ming’s career; at a critical juncture, he had altered his playing style to extend his already dwindling career. But for traditional centers, the small-ball approach was like the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs. Those who failed to adapt would be doomed.

Yao Ming adapted to the times, but a grain of sand from the era still fell on his head.

For him, this was something he could handle, but for other traditional centers, it would completely overwhelm them.

Yao Ming quickly responded to Yu Fei’s “provocation.”

He first set a pick for Harden on the perimeter, then popped out to receive the ball and shoot a three-pointer.

Not long after, he ran to the left corner at a 45-degree angle during a Rockets’ offensive rotation to catch the ball.

A center, participating in an offensive rotation, finished with a trailer three-pointer.

His release wasn’t fast, but it was steady. More impressively, he was so tall that his high and steady shot made it difficult to disrupt.

Later, Yao Ming demonstrated another of his lasting abilities that proved very useful for Harden.

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As the tallest player in the NBA, Yao Ming’s rebounds were not numerous, mainly because he lacked explosive power, and his wingspan was not particularly long relative to his height. Thus, his rebounding was weak among star centers. But height has its advantages. As early as Van Gundy’s time with the Rockets, the coaching staff realized Yao Ming’s role in boxing out was far more significant than his rebounding.

His mere presence under the rim could hold off two opponents.

Therefore, Yao Ming boxed out, and others grabbed the rebounds; this was the primary way for the Rockets to protect their defensive rebounds.

For Harden, who had the potential to be a ball-handling core player, having the chance to enjoy the treatment of a center’s box-out and grabbing his own rebounds during his rookie season would greatly impact him.

In this preseason game, both sides delivered the performance they wanted.