Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1096 - 614 Such Victory and Defeat_3

Chapter 1096: Chapter 614 Such Victory and Defeat_3 Chapter 1096: Chapter 614 Such Victory and Defeat_3 If Durant wins, this will be like the dawn of a new era that Jordan ushered in by ending Magic Johnson’s reign in 1991.

But what these people who love excitement didn’t consider is that if Yu Fei wins, Nike’s days will be completely darkened.

In an era where Kobe is racking up points, James is going AFK, and Ross is nearing the end of his career, Durant is the man carrying the banner for Nike.

The market of New York has expanded Durant’s influence.

However, if he fails in New York, the backlash could be described as the ultimate malice in professional sports.

Especially now that Durant is no longer giving media a friendly face, he’s making the media resent him, just like Ewing did back in the day.

The moment Yu Fei stepped into the Madison Square Garden, he was greeted with unequivocal boos.

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New Yorkers are the harshest fans; their first principle is to mentally pressure the guests from the start.

Only if you perform well under this pressure will they respect you.

Even the Greatest of All Time has to accept this test.

Having played for so long, Yu Fei has long been accustomed to ignoring the noise from the stands.

Soon, Yu Fei, who is about to turn 34 in a few days, stood in front of 26-year-old Durant and asked, “How does it feel to have all that power?”

In New York, Durant could demand and obtain pretty much anything, with nearly no one daring to say “no” to him, especially since he had just won the MVP, second only to Yu Fei, and was considered the second-best in the league. Everyone generally believed that Durant was most likely to take over the league after Yu Fei’s retirement, which is why the Knicks management spared no effort in pampering him.

Yet, despite being placed on such a high pedestal, Durant still lamented, “I still miss my days in Seattle.”

“Really?” Yu Fei responded, “That’s because you were young then.”

“I’m not young anymore,” Durant replied, “I’m already 26.”

“That’s still young.”

A trace of bitterness couldn’t help but emerge in Durant’s heart: By the age of 26, Yu Fei had already won six championships, and what about him? Despite having four championships, if he wanted to leave a higher mark in history, these championships were just icing on the cake. He seemed to have everything now, but was increasingly troubled because he hadn’t yet won a championship of his own. And Yu Fei still calls him young?

The last person Yu Fei said this to is now getting nowhere in Cleveland — that guy is 32 years old and has achieved nothing. Durant definitely doesn’t want to follow in those footsteps.

The game soon began, and the showdown between the Clippers and the Knicks was packed with stars.

The Clippers had Yu Fei, Thompson, Jokić, and Antetokounmpo, while the Knicks boasted Durant, Iguodala, and Aldridge.

In terms of maturity, the Knicks seemed to have the upper hand, but the Clippers didn’t just have four stars on the court, they also had Yao Ming sitting off the court.

The talent of the Clippers was unfathomable, which was the reason they had lost only two games that season.

Both of those losses were due to bad touch, while the opponents went crazy from the outside, impossible to defend. It’s like those strange teammates and opponents you encounter in ranked matches of competitive online games after a winning streak. But professional sports ultimately come down to the current state. Faced with the Knicks, a potential Finals rival, the Clippers would not slack, especially Yu Fei.

He knew very well that Durant’s most desired victory now was over him. Regardless of Durant’s nostalgic demeanor, if he really leads his team to the championship, memories of Seattle will probably vanish like smoke in the air.

During the game, Yu Fei found his rhythm with finesse and suppressed Durant’s touch with physical play.

Antetokounmpo struggled under Iguodala’s defense, but he didn’t need to force his performance, because the team had enough talent to share the ball.

The Knicks reinforced their inside lineup in the offseason, easing the problem of too many offensive resources, but the rookie point guard Terry Rozier clearly wasn’t enough to start for a contending team. He didn’t have the same control over the game as Antetokounmpo did.

To the surprise of New Yorkers, although Jokić struggled to defend Aldridge’s shooting from the outside, he dominated the Knicks’ inside line with his miraculous rebounding technique.

With the advantage of Jokić’s rebounds, Yu Fei’s one-on-one play in the second half became increasingly effortless.

Durant withstood for half a quarter, but ultimately couldn’t resist, as the Knicks’ defensive confidence gradually crumbled and began to double-team Yu Fei.

Yu Fei passed the ball to Thompson on the perimeter, who hit consecutive threes like bullets targeting New York’s heart.

The Knicks couldn’t hold out till the fourth quarter.

In terms of on-the-spot adaptability, roster depth and rationality, they were not even comparable to the Spurs and the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference, but in the Eastern Conference, this lineup was enough to reign supreme.

However, facing the Clippers who went all out tonight, they felt powerless. They couldn’t even last three quarters? Weren’t they even as good as the Spurs?

130 to 109, the highly anticipated Christmas showdown ended with a 21-point victory for the Clippers.

“A Finals preview? No, this is just a preview of the result of the Finals!” the Los Angeles Times boldly predicted, “No matter which Eastern Conference team makes it to the Finals, the outcome will be the same. The Clippers are dominating this season with unprecedented intensity! We have never seen such a team before! Honestly, I don’t think any team will bring the Clippers their third loss before 2016 arrives.”

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Sometimes the flattery is so over the top that it seems like a parody.

But just so, the young Clippers players love this kind of flattery. After obliterating the Knicks, they became arrogant.

So, before 2016 arrived, they lost in an upset to the Pelicans in New Orleans, with the superstar Anthony Davis scoring an explosive 42 points and 21 rebounds, and Chris Paul getting 30 points and 14 assists.

After the game, Yu Fei reflected, “In today’s era, the media’s favor has surpassed everything else as the most disruptive external factor to a player’s mindset.”

This was Yu Fei’s first game after turning 34.

When the media asked him about his mood later on, Yu Fei said, “I’m already thinking about whether the first game after I turn 35 next year will turn out like this.”

Anyway, the GOAT has turned 34, and the world breathed a sigh of relief. For his competitors, they are eagerly awaiting “that day” to come sooner.