Chapter 752: Chapter 502 When Durant Became Durant_2 Chapter 752: Chapter 502 When Durant Became Durant_2 As an individual, Yao Ming was very pleased that the national team proved its value in such a special way.

But he couldn’t bring himself to be happy because it meant that from now on, the national team would not “underestimate” anyone anymore. Is the Asian Championship not challenging? You still have to come back and play; it’s a matter of Asian dominance.

“Playing basketball is really boring. You can’t win many games and still have to be treated like a donkey. I’m thinking about retiring.”

Yao Ming EMO’d for a moment, then sent another text to Yu Fei.

“What do you mean? Are you giving up the last big contract of your professional career?”

Yao Ming, a regular in the best lineup and with Bird rights, could trigger most of the Yu Fei clause if he stayed with the Houston Rockets and sign a massive contract.

Thinking about that money, Yao Ming felt that life was still bright.

“I suddenly feel that being able to play basketball at my age is a wonderful thing.”

Isn’t that the truth? If it were a different timeline, he would have to seriously consider retiring now.

Then, Yu Fei got tired of texting back and forth and called directly.

The two of them started chatting.

Yao Ming asked Yu Fei if he would participate in this summer’s World Championship, but Yu Fei had no interest in it.

“You know, the title of world champion, once you win it, that’s enough.”

Afterwards, Yao Ming brought up his plans.

His old CBA team was facing financial problems; the owner wanted to sell, so he planned to buy in.

After knowing what happened, Yu Fei approved of Yao Ming’s plans.

“What are you going to do about those people who gave you a hard time about your stint in America?” Yu Fei asked with malicious glee.

Yao Ming gracefully revealed a rare murderous intent: “I’ll do what needs to be done.”

According to Yu Fei, everyone from the management to Li Qiuping (Yao Ming’s mentor) were purged.

Otherwise, how could Yu Fei and Yao Ming get along so well? When it comes to people who have caused them displeasure, their methods are consistent.

In the end, Yao Ming turned the conversation back to the playoffs: “You need to do me a favor.”

“What favor?”

“Take down the Spurs.”

“I would have taken them down even if you hadn’t mentioned it,” Yu Fei said, “Can’t let those two in Los Angeles have a laugh at our expense.”

Despite some twists, the first round of the playoffs eventually came to an end.

In the Western Conference, the Lakers, Supersonics, Spurs, and Mavericks advanced; in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics, Miami Heat, Magic, and Knicks advanced.

The once-Eastern Conference powerhouse Bucks suffered from injuries this season.

Kevin Martin and Danny Granger were both season-ending injuries; barely making it into the playoffs, they were eliminated by the Miami Heat 4 to 1.

Before the semifinals started, the league announced the winners of the major regular-season awards.

For Yu Fei, it was a bountiful season.

Not only did he achieve another season averaging a triple-double, but he also became the first player since “Tiny” Archibald to win both the scoring and assists titles. Moreover, he was selected for the first team and the first defensive team.

However, even with such magnificent honors, the regular season’s MVP was most likely out of his reach this year.

It was no longer a question of whether he deserved it, but rather that the voters had grown tired of casting their votes for the same person year after year.

“Voter fatigue” is a real issue.

Moreover, they could find many excuses; Yu Fei had achieved a season averaging a triple-double before, so it was nothing special. Although he had lost his second-in-command and the coach he had identified with for years, his team only won 66 games this season, knowing they had 73 wins the previous season–a big step back; the main bonus was securing both the scoring and assists titles.

However, for well-known reasons, when Kobe and James teamed up, they automatically lost the chance to compete for top spots in various statistics, hence, Yu Fei faced very little competition.

No matter how you look at it, this season’s Yu Fei was no different from the past, making it time to give others a chance.

Then, the Lakers, with a record of 72 wins, emerged. Both Kobe, averaging 25 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and James, averaging 24 points, 7 rebounds, 74 assists, were ideal candidates.

With enough qualifications and team status, Kobe led the MVP predictions multiple times in a row.

This foreshadowed the final result.

Yet, while the MVP was still undecided, the controversy over the best lineup woke Durant, who had been quiet for a while.

Durant, who had won the scoring title and was selected for the first team at the same time in his past life, averaged 22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists this season, with no team selection.

However, Durant’s teammate Chris Bosh, averaging 20 points and 7 rebounds, was named to the third team.

This sparked lively discussions from the public.

“Has Kevin Durant regressed in his third year?”

Durant knew what had happened.

Just before Karl was let go, his average scoring was closing in on Yu Fei’s, and he had the chance to finish with a 25-point average for his third season.

However, once the young Tyronn Lue took over, the Supersonics went in a completely different direction than Durant had expected.

He resisted at first, then was forcefully suppressed by Yu Fei.

Following that, he fell into a slump for a while.

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It was during that period that his average stats noticeably declined, directly causing him to miss even the third team now.

The series of effects this event caused made Durant look back and see what his sacrifices had really brought him.

Understanding? Support? Encouragement? No, the outside world was discussing why he had regressed.

And his teammates? Yu Fei recorded his second season averaging a triple-double, also securing both the scoring and assists titles, reaching the pinnacle of statistical achievement.

Bosh, that bandwagon soft egg from outside, could actually make the best lineup just because he grabs a few more rebounds per game?