Chapter 668: 475 Chapter 668: 475 Yu Fei’s ridicule and attacks on Simmons quickly became a hot topic online.

Despite being insulted, this was also a victory for Simmons.

As a sports writer, he received a response from Yu Fei.

The SuperSonics entered December with a record of 13 wins and 3 losses.

As the last month of the 2000s began, the League immediately started promoting this year’s Christmas showdown.

Although many teams were playing that night, the focus was solely on the SuperSonics’ first seasonal encounter against the Lakers.

At the same time, 44 VS 23 and 24.

The most-talked-about, most-traffic-generating, and most-capable trio of new-generation stars appeared in a non-All-Star match, with fierce competition expected in the playoffs in the future. The mere thought of it felt dreamlike.

According to ESPN, TNT, and ABC statistics, tens of millions were expected to watch the SuperSonics vs. Lakers Christmas battle.

In NBA history, aside from Jordan’s comeback game, few regular-season games have drawn as much attention.

Now, with a dominant lineup, the Lakers were the unmatched power in the Western Conference before encountering the SuperSonics.

Kobe averaged 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game, James 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists. Throughout the season, the Lakers tasted defeat only once.

The Chicago Bulls, led by Derrick Rose, accomplished this feat.

When James announced at his Lakers signing press conference that he aimed to win seven championships with Kobe, he also declared he would no longer wear the number 23.

He believed Jordan in basketball was like Jackie Robinson in baseball.

According to him, no one in the league should continue wearing the number 23. All teams should retire the jersey.

The wider public perceived this as James’s way of reconciling with Jordan.

James’s “decision” was entirely contrary to the values Jordan had established during his playing days. In Jordan’s view, such a path to victory, even if it ultimately defeated Fei, would be without honor.

He once saw James as someone who could carry on his legacy, only to realize he was massively mistaken.

In the end, the person most like him was the one who hated him most, and whom he most detested.

Possibly out of respect for Jordan, James was dazzled by the number 23 on the United Center’s rooftop during the Lakers game. He couldn’t find the basket or Kobe, performed poorly throughout, making frequent errors, thus the Lakers’ loss was inevitable.

However, in response to James’s proposal to retire the number 23 league-wide, the president of the Miami Heat, Pat Riley, said, “If he truly respected NJ, he should have chosen to join us. We respected MJ even before he thought of respecting MJ. We are the team that respects MJ the most in the league.”

These were Riley’s words during the offseason, expressing his disappointment over James joining the Lakers.

In Riley’s view, James was the perfect power forward for a small-ball system, second only to Fei.

If he had come, the Heat wouldn’t have had to go to such lengths to pursue Tskitishvili.

But now, the situation wasn’t bad.

The Heat’s trade of McGrady for Curry faced many doubts, with some believing Wade might leave the team. But after Tskitishvili joined, Wade was pacified.

So far this season, the Heat had won 10 and lost 6, ranking third in the Eastern Conference.

They were the most aggressive team in the Eastern Conference and the team with the highest average three-point attempts per game in the league, Curry, although a rookie, was heavily utilized right from the start.

The Heat treated Curry as the future core of the team, giving him control of the ball right away, averaging 34 minutes per game, with Wade and Ariza providing defense, effectively covering his weaknesses.

From a system and setup perspective, the Heat were like Curry’s dream team. He adapted quickly, averaging 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists per game since the season began. If not for Tyreke Evans and Brandon Jennings performing exceptionally as rookies early in the season, Curry would have been the acknowledged best rookie.

Yet, his team was far stronger than Evans and Jennings’s teams.

Thus, even if there was suspense about the best rookie, it wouldn’t be significant.

During the last month of the 2000s, Curry faced his monthly test–Seattle SuperSonics.

The Miami Heat came to Seattle.

Outside the airport, a reporter asked Curry, “Does Frye still call you ‘kid’?”

As a member of Reebok, Curry had been taught how to address such questions.

He smiled lightly, “Even today, Bill Russell still calls 61-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ‘kid’. I think it’s not a problem, Frye is my benchmark on the path of growth. For me, if my achievements could reach one-third of his in the future, I would have no regrets.”

The questioner was dazed by the respectful manner in which Curry referred to Fei.

Once upon a time, LeBron James also regarded Frye in the same way.

Fei responded to Curry’s overture.

“One-third? Stephen is selling himself short,” Fei said, “You can take my word for it, Stephen will win at least three championships. He has that potential.”

It was the first time on this planet that the word ‘potential’ was applied to Curry.

Some people thought Fei should perhaps study the meaning of the word ‘potential’ more carefully.

An average-talent but technically mature rookie peaks at debut 99% of the time, so how much potential is left to dig?

That afternoon at four, the highly anticipated SuperSonics versus Miami Heat game was set to start at the best time slot.

Key Arena was packed with people.

To increase ticket revenue, Key Arena set up the current largest quad-screen, offering not only regular seated tickets but also peripheral standing tickets far behind the front rows.

Those with standing tickets could barely see what was happening on the court; they had to rely on the live big screens to follow the action.

Even so, standing tickets were sold out.

The popularity of the SuperSonics was such that a standing ticket cost more than other teams’ so-called “middle class area” front and middle row tickets.

Watching the SuperSonics’ games had become a fashionable activity in the Seattle area.

Rich people liked to watch the game while discussing business here, and the middle class took pride in owning season tickets. However, now season tickets were priceless since the contract between the SuperSonics and Key Arena was due to expire next summer. Whether the SuperSonics would stay at this venue, or find a better transitional venue before a new arena was built, was uncertain. Thus, the value of the season tickets for this season continued to climb.

Before the game started, the friendly interactions between Fei and Curry excited the audience immensely.

Fei and Curry began shooting from half-court at the center circle.

Curry would never understand what Fei’s proficient half-court shooting meant to him.

Even for Curry, his fondness for ultra-long three-pointer shots was gradually formed; right now, he was still a pragmatist.

So, when Fei’s half-court shooting scored three out of five and he missed completely, he could not help asking, “Frye, do you really think that logo shooting will become a common thing?”

“As long as I am proficient enough,” Fei said, “the opponents will even dispatch someone specifically to prevent me from shooting from the backcourt.”

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Curry burst into laughter, “Don’t worry, we definitely won’t let anyone restrict you from doing that.”

The founder of the small-ball era was nothing now.

Fei, greedy for the accomplishments of the heavens, sighed, “Kid, you know nothing.”

(1) Create a team that’s “unstoppable when playing, but often not playing”, besides Leonard, I would add Fat Tiger and Walton.

(Penny, Hill, Rose who declined after serious injuries don’t qualify)
PS: The day before May Day, a nap messed up my sleep schedule. Now, I’m living night and day in reverse.