Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1056 - 600 On the Road

Chapter 1056: Chapter 600 On the Road Chapter 1056: Chapter 600 On the Road The 2015 All-Star Weekend was a perfect occasion for the League.

Only two veterans, Kobe and Nowitzki, remained as the “staple households.”

The middle-generation stars were still dominant, holding most of the discourse in the League, but the impact of the rising stars could no longer be ignored.

Westbrook overwhelmed numerous renowned stars to seize the AMVP. He shone on the court like a Kevin Johnson with a tank-like physique, becoming the spotlight in an incredibly dazzling manner.

What was more surprising, for years, self-important players like the Greatest of All Time were unwilling to lower their statuses to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest, causing this historically glorious event to gradually become a stage for the unknowns.

Those exceptionally talented stars had long since become mere spectators, making most participants lack absolute talent and rely on uniqueness to win by surprise. Once, Griffin brought out a sports car to awe the whole arena, yet he chose to jump over the hood where the difficulty was significantly lessened, turning the move into a performance where gimmicks outweighed actual effect.

However, this year, Lakers’ rookie Zach LaVine, like Kobe back in the day, became famous for his astonishing leaping ability at the draft. Generally, such players are unwilling to be labeled as “only good at dunking,” but LaVine never hid his dunking talent, even at the All-Star Weekend.

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Kobe said he saw his younger self in LaVine.

Subsequently, LaVine lived up to expectations and participated in the Slam Dunk Contest. Though he did not go all out, he still won the event without a doubt.

The media claimed LaVine, like Vince Carter of the past, had rescued the Slam Dunk Contest, while lamenting that he didn’t encounter opponents who could push him to his limits.

Only Yu Fei knew that it was simply not the right time yet.

Regardless, various signs indicated that the transition of generations in the League was happening much faster than anticipated.

This was precisely the situation Adam Silver wanted to see.

Coincidentally, the situation Silver wanted to see was also the goal the Clippers aimed to achieve.

In professional basketball, regime change means the old order is shattered, and a new ruler ascends the throne. If this is achieved by an unfavored team, it is all the more dramatic.

After flying back to Los Angeles from New York, the Clippers prepared for battle with full force. Rivers’ most commonly uttered phrase recently was: “Maintain the sense of urgency!”

Giannis Antetokounmpo did not like this slogan; he preferred “Ubuntu”—the first special word he learned after coming to the NBA, filled with unique meaning.

To revive this impressive slogan, Antetokounmpo adopted a regular catchphrase:

“Is there Ubuntu here?”

He would ask this in the locker room.

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“Is there Ubuntu there?”

Before meals, he’d say the same.

“Where can we find both a sense of urgency and Ubuntu?”

One day, Kwame Brown finally couldn’t bear it and shouted at the Greek: “Stop being stupid, will you?”

Antetokounmpo replied: “If Frye were like you, he surely wouldn’t understand what Ubuntu means.”

Brown rolled his eyes in helpless frustration.

Although the Greek had been in the United States for nearly two years, he remained curious about this flashy new world.

His constant mention of “Ubuntu” was just his way of expressing curiosity about novel things.

Yu Fei didn’t have much sentiment about “Ubuntu”; to him, it was nothing more than a tactic Rivers used to coax the young players.

After a few days of adjustment, the Clippers faced their first game post-All-Star Weekend.

They headed to D.C. to challenge the Wizards on their home court.

The Wizards were a mediocre team.

Their record was poor, but not so bad as to be aiming for the top draft pick, because they had DeMarcus Cousins and Bradley Beal on their team.

Both were stars with robust abilities, but they also had their own issues.

Beal was a pure scorer who could score as well as lose the ball—a fine blade that needed guidance.

Cousins, on the other hand, was one of the rare core centers in the United States in recent years, but his mood swings were unpredictable. When happy, he could drive the whole team forward, but when unhappy, he’d swiftly earn two technical fouls and walk off the court with a slap on his behind.

Such a person is hardly capable of leading a team forward.

Tonight, Cousins was in a foul mood.

Yu Fei tricked him with a few feints, and like a bratty child caught in mischief, Cousins acted out on the court.

The refs didn’t indulge him for playing at home and quickly ejected him from the game.

“Doesn’t he get fined for being sent off? Why is he so impulsive?”

Antetokounmpo couldn’t understand it.

Yu Fei smiled and said: “If he were as collected as you, D.C. wouldn’t be just this.”

Tonight, the Clippers did not give the Wizards a chance, dominating throughout and winning with a 28-point lead.

Yu Fei took a triple-double and was named the best player of the game.

“Frye, how does it feel to play in Washington?”

“There’s no particular feeling,” Yu Fei said, “Those events are many years past, I’ve long let them go.”

Years ago, Abe Pollin cleaned out Jordan’s remaining value before rudely showing His Airness the door, an action that caused unrest among some fans. However, as Yu Fei achieved great success in Milwaukee, those original Jordan supporters in Washington gradually became the biggest Jordan antagonists. Because they understood that the accomplishments Yu Fei achieved in Milwaukee could have happened in Washington.

Throughout the 2000s, D.C. paid the price for that mistake of choosing Jordan.

As Yu Fei said, many years have passed since that incident. Looking back, Yu Fei could only smile indifferently, but many others remain unable to move on.