Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 436 - 291: I Am Not What I Used to Be

Chapter 436: Chapter 291: I Am Not What I Used to Be

Before the Christmas Day game, the Milwaukee Bucks ranked first in the league with a record of 22 wins and 7 losses, followed by the Spurs with 21 wins and 8 losses, and the Mavericks and the Detroit Pistons who both had a record of 20 wins and 9 losses.

For NBA fans who have been paying attention to the league in recent years, they are all “old acquaintances”.

However, the NBA did not arrange for these four teams, which could be called the top forces in the league, to face each other on Christmas Day.

The Bucks’ Christmas Day opponent was the Cavaliers with a record of 17 wins and 9 losses.

This arrangement was not a surprise to the fans, as the NBA has been keen to build up Big Fei and A KING as the new generation’s Magic Bird, hoping to create a rivalry between them that’s even bigger than “Pat or De Niro”, just like CSGO players endlessly debating over Zywoo and Simple.

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But the main issue with the Yu Fei versus James dispute is different from the latter two comparisons; because the current gap in their levels is evident, there is no need for a serious comparison.

Moreover, since Gloria’s arrest for DUI, James has been quite controversial. Public opinion can both let him gain by comparing him with the reigning best and cause him suffering for the same reason.

Bill Simmons called the Bucks vs. Cavaliers game “a matchup between the Prohibition Ambassador and the son of a DUI mother” in his Christmas Day preview.

On Christmas Day, Yu Fei prepared for the game as usual.

After the Cavaliers’ charter landed, James called Kevin to ask for a front-row ticket at the Bradley Center.

Yu Fei agreed to his request cheerfully, and their relationship seemed to be the same as before.

They both did not want to talk about Gloria’s incident.

This deliberate avoidance itself indicated that they both couldn’t get around this issue.

It wasn’t until 20 minutes before the game started that Kevin found out whom James had given his ticket to.

Tonight, the Bradley Center welcomed an unusual VIP guest. Due to the outdated facilities and the headache-inducing heating system, even with a superstar like Kevin, it was still rare to see celebrities at a Bucks’ home game in winter.

But today, the venue welcomed a woman named Maria Sharapova.

As someone who made a name for himself in the sports industry, Yu Fei had met Sharapova at last year’s ESPY awards.

Yu Fei didn’t expect her to be friends with Lebron James, let alone willing to come to the Bradley Center to watch a game for him.

Could the term “Zhan Girl” actually be a thing?

Well, what exactly is a “Zhan Girl”? In the first half of James’ career, which can be called lengthy, when he was at his youngest and strongest, fans always fantasized about pairing him with the most formidable woman on Earth, thus creating an invincible ultimate warrior. During this period, the Williams Sisters, Sharapova, and other female heroes were all objects of people’s fantasies.

However, this phenomenon gradually evolved into another trend as people’s mentalities changed. One group wanted to maximize LeBron’s talents to the utmost, while another wanted to see if LeBron, as the epitome of manliness on the basketball court, could take on the various tough guys from the boxing world (from Zou Shiming to Tyson) in a PK, and even evolved into a gladiatorial nature, asking on various forums whether James could single-handedly defeat various fierce beasts.

Now, as the owner of the Bradley Center, Kevin took the initiative to go over and greet Sharapova.

“Hey, Maria, your presence really brightens up our humble arena,” Kevin said with a smile.

Sharapova laughed and replied, “Frye, everyone says your home court is cold, but I think it’s actually okay.”

“Do you know why your feeling is different from others?” Kevin said lightly, “Because this is my girlfriend’s seat. She hasn’t had time to come to the games recently, so, I temporarily gave it to Bron’s friend. I just didn’t expect it would be you.”

Sharapova’s face turned red, but although she was young, she was worldly-wise. Having become famous from a young age, she had been the butt of men’s jokes in public on countless occasions.

Sharapova, preempting Kevin’s teasing with a smile, asked, “What if you had known it was me?”

“I would have advised you not to come,” Kevin said self-deprecatingly, “Our shabby arena isn’t worthy of such a big star like you.”

Sharapova burst into laughter.

Soon after, the Cavaliers players arrived on the court.

When James saw Kevin and Sharapova talking happily, he came over and said, “I hope I’m not interrupting?”

“Of course not, LeBron,” Kevin responded. “I was just talking to Maria about you.”

James asked, “What about me?”

“I said that you might score 40 points tonight,” Sharapova said. “Frye doesn’t think it’s possible.”

James put on a serious face, “It’s possible, Frye.”

“Oh no, Badass·LeBron has escaped from the commercials tonight,” Kevin joked.

Kevin’s joke made James laugh irresistibly.

This was because Kevin referred to a recent Nike commercial where James played four different roles, each representing a different aspect of him; “Badass LeBron” was one of them.

After the banter, Kevin and James both returned to the court to warm up.

“Looks like the relationship between the Prohibition Ambassador and the son of the DUI mother hasn’t been affected at all,” Sprewell joked to Kevin.

“If our relationship were to break over something so minor, it would only show how fragile it is,” Kevin said sensibly. “LeBron and I are adults now, and we know our priorities.”

Sprewell smiled and didn’t say anything. Both the main parties might be sensible and wise, but how could they withstand the constant provocations from the people around them? Sprewell had heard Kevin’s entourage and assistants badmouthing James more than once.

It was like in a relationship where the girlfriend’s best friend keeps badmouthing the boyfriend to the girlfriend. No matter how strong the partnership, how long can it last under constant, incessant instigation?

At the opening tip-off, although Big Z had a clear height advantage and even got a hand on the ball, Kevin quickly positioned himself and snatched the ball that was supposed to land in James’ hands.

James chased after Kevin with light-footed agility, the two met inside the free-throw line, but Kevin cleverly leaned against his opponent’s body and made a swift turn to layup, rendering the Little Emperor’s efforts in vain.

2 to 0

James had the ball on the outside; despite the space not being clear, he still forced his way past Bell’s defense and charged under the basket to challenge Kwame Brown’s rim protection.

Brown tried his best not to initiate contact, just to interfere, while James relied on his left-handed lay-up to score over the defense with a clean swish.

2 to 2

“Raja, you holding up okay?” Fei said, “If you can’t handle it, I can switch with you.”

Bell’s foundation in the League was defense and three-point shooting, and suddenly the team leader was questioning his own defense, wanting to switch with him?

“Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong!” Bell retorted, “This is a regular-season game, so my defense is calibrated for that. If we meet in the playoffs, it will be completely different.”

Like paying tribute to Sprewell by fiercely choking my little brother’s neck?

Fei dribbled the ball, and before even crossing half-court, the Bucks’ tactics were already in motion.

By the time Fei settled at the top of the arc, Danny Granger had already transitioned from power forward to scoring guard, utilizing Bell’s screen to get to the left side of the free throw line for a catch-and-shoot jumper.

4 to 2

“I honor you, Frye!” Granger said, like a knight of the medieval times.

“Enough, no role-playing Gladiator characters on the court,” Fei bellowed, “Just cover your man, hit your shots, then shut up!”

Granger always imagined himself as Maximus Decimus Meridius from Gladiator, loyal to his family, kind to his friends, compassionate to strangers – a paragon of integrity.

The Cavaliers had grown accustomed to being dominated by James.

Larry Hughes honestly took on the role of a leading shooting guard, whose main job aside from handling some ball-sharing that James was willing to distribute, was to knock down open threes and defend.

This play featured the classic two-man game between James and Big Z.

James lobbed the ball to Big Z, Bell’s defense slightly sagged, and Big Z seized the chance to pass back to James, who had space to shoot.

In the left corner, James mysteriously became a marksman.

James made the corner three-pointer.

4 to 5

“Looks like you can’t leave him open tonight,” Fei stated.

If James could consistently hit those shots, Bell couldn’t imagine anyone being able to guard him.

However, considering his physique, and his preference for barreling down the lane like a tank, he was never destined to have the touch of a top-tier shooter.

Fei decided to do something about it.

He approached the frontcourt, but it was Kevin Martin dribbling the ball.

Suddenly, Fei called for the ball on the wing.

Martin passed it out.

Fei called for a 1-3 pick-and-roll, forcing a switch to draw James’s defense.

Out of respect for their relationship, Fei didn’t trash talk James as he might with someone else, regardless of whether he made the basket or not – he had no intention of talking trash.

Even though it was James’s third year in professional basketball, he was still accumulating defensive experience.

Most of the time, his defense relied solely on natural talent.

Even though his reliance was so simple and pure, he was still a defender not to be underestimated.

Fei’s offense was clear and decisive. He started with a strong move to the right and a wide crossover followed by a behind-the-back step-back that shook James’s center of gravity to the opposite side.

“!￥!￥%”

This move sent the audience into a frenzy; screams and cheers peaked with Fei’s jumper following his shake of James.

As the most prestigious spectator present, Maria saw the charm of basketball in that moment.

No, rather than the beauty of basketball, it was the splendor of a star player.

This was why Fei could be promoted globally by the League and Reebok as both a face and a commodity.

“Swish!”

Fei effortlessly scored over James’s defense, then turned and walked away.

James breathed deeply, having anticipated Fei’s skill. He didn’t want to collide with Frye this early in the game, but after that play, listening to the mockery around the arena and seeing a huge banner unfurled by fervent fans nearby that read: “LeBron, Frye will have a drink with you tonight,” he felt challenged.

I’m a different player now!

James wanted to prove something, just as he had done with the Cavaliers.

He had led the team into the playoff territory, averaging 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists a game to date, listed in the top five for MVP predictions. Although he couldn’t match Fei, who was leading the League in wins and averaging a triple-double, he believed he had already begun proving he could compete with anyone.

Tonight might be an opportunity.

A chance to make everyone take his competition with Frye seriously.

James had made up his mind; he was going to go head-to-head with Frye.

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