Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 440 - 295: The Second Star

Chapter 440: Chapter 295: The Second Star

After the new year arrived, Yu Fei’s life pace had noticeably quickened.

The Bucks were making a forceful push, having occupied the first place in the league since December.

Yu Fei’s triple-doubles had become a cultural phenomenon, allowing him to beat Vince Carter, the new century’s GOAT of all-star voting, to become the league’s top vote-getter.

Although the voting was not yet over, Yu Fei’s title as the king of votes was already without suspense because his main competitors were either too immature (James), had given up on themselves (Carter), or had terrible reputations (Kobe).

Apart from Yu Fei, no one on the Bucks team had secured a spot in the All-Star game, the closest being Kevin Martin and… Kwame Brown.

Since the turn of the century, the league had seen a dearth of centers, especially in the Eastern frontcourt which was lackluster, allowing Brown to squeeze into the third spot in the Eastern All-Star center position voting with averages of 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game.

However, there were two legends above Brown. One was Shaquille O’Neal, the first in the Eastern center voting, and the other was Big Ben, the second.

Moreover, these two had a million-level advantage in votes over Brown. This gap was not something Yu Fei could bridge just by speaking up.

Disappointed and regretful for Brown, Yu Fei painted a picture of hope: “Kwame, as the most outstanding American center under thirty, do you still have any doubts that you will be selected for the All-Star game at least once in the future?”

Brown was dejectedly said, “But… that’s a million-level gap…”

Yu Fei laughed, “Don’t worry, they will get old eventually.”

Brown had to accept this.

In comparison to the insurmountable gap of center votes, Kevin Martin was currently ranked sixth in the Eastern guards voting, less than ten thousand votes behind Richard Hamilton, who was fifth.

Besides calling on his own fans to vote for Martin, Yu Fei also expected Martin to perform well in the coming period.

This required Martin to maintain his game condition and Yu Fei to share the ball rights, deliberately creating opportunities for him by using the star’s inherent gravitational pull.

In terms of personal form, Martin was undoubtedly in a hot state.

The lifting of a ball-handling restriction not only paved the way for all-round unlocking for ball-dominant cores but also provided space for light and agile guards like Martin to take off.

In early January, the Bucks faced the Knight in their third meeting of the season.

Not long after the Christmas big game, both sides seemed experienced and familiar, just like Yuuki Yuuna who had collaborated with Fukada Eimi 25 times during the 2020-2021 period; everyone knew each other’s material, so there was no need for the virtual, just go all out.

Tonight, LeBron James was on full throttle, grabbing 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in front of Yu Fei, known for his triple-doubles, and Yu Fei did not seek to outdo his younger brother in the stats tonight.

Since each game between the Bucks and the Knight was broadcast nationwide, it was an opportunity to campaign for Kevin Martin.

Yu Fei used himself as bait, consistently creating opportunities for Martin, who eventually set a personal record of 23 assists in a single game, allowing Martin to score a career-high of 48 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists on an impressive 26-of-18 shooting.

In this battle, although the Knight lost, James won unanimous praise from the media.

The media favoring James believed that this was “the first time LeBron took the initiative in front of Frye.”

After all, James got a 30+ triple-double, while Yu Fei had 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 23 assists; although the 23 assists had a greater impact on the game, two of the stats were surrounded.

This gave some people an excuse to attack James’s teammates.

Regarding this phenomenon, the just-turned-21-year-old LeBron strongly discouraged: “You know, it’s my responsibility to keep everyone under my wing, and if we fail, I hope the critique falls on me, because I didn’t make them better.”

Yu Fei congratulated James on his performance, then focused on campaigning for Martin: “I’ve always been telling Kevin that he could completely become an All-Star this season, and tonight he displayed a performance many All-Stars couldn’t, I’m proud of him.”

“I don’t want to hear other people’s flattery.” Martin showed obvious disdain for the public opinion, “For me, the only important advice is Frye’s advice, he saved my professional career, and I feel that there is nothing I can do to repay him.”

Martin’s gratitude was unexpected for Yu Fei; in his view, Martin’s rise depended on the League’s introduction of the ball-handling restriction in his second professional year, but from Martin’s perspective, Yu Fei was the one who advocated for the team to draft him and remained patient through his terrible rookie season, constantly giving him opportunities.

Different perspectives led to different views.

Yu Fei continued to push, wanting to make Martin overtake Richard Hamilton’s spot and become a member of the Eastern All-Star Team.

After the game against the Knight, Martin’s popularity soared overnight, and the gap between him and Hamilton had nearly closed.

This was the perfect time to strike while the iron was hot.

Two days later, the Bucks faced the Bulls at home, where Kevin Martin continued his hot streak.

That night, Yu Fei didn’t specifically feed Martin the ball, he just made the shots that should go in and even those that shouldn’t—like the half-court buzzer-beater three-pointer at the end of the second quarter. In the end, his stats of 32 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists prompted George Karl to suggest that the League might as well hand the Most Improved Player Award to Martin right away.

“A rookie season averaging less than 3 points, and the second season averaging 18 points with top shooting percentages in all three categories—what more could you ask for?” George Karl said, “Kevin Martin is not only our second-most important player, but he is also the best scoring guard in the Eastern Conference. As a coach who has led his team to championship victories twice in the past three years, I think I’m qualified to say this. If you think history doesn’t count for anything, then let’s look at the present: our record is the best in the League, Frye is our leader, and Martin is the second man to Frye. As the second man on the League’s best team, when I say he’s the best scoring guard in the East, it’s merely out of respect for Kobe Bryant, you know, Frye is his fan (laughs).”

Martin’s performance, coupled with the media power behind Yu Fei, saw his votes surpass those of Richard Hamilton after just two games.

Karl’s remarks and Martin’s looming bid to edge out Hamilton in the All-Star selection had the Pistons panicked.

In terms of records, they were only behind the Bucks.

In terms of capability, Hamilton had been a renowned shooter in the League for years and the primary scoring option for the Detroit wings. His greatest regret had been that he hadn’t received any individual awards since entering the League.

Indeed, up until the 2005-06 season, Hamilton wasn’t part of the All-Star team.

Meanwhile, his contemporary in Philadelphia, Kobe, not only made the All-Star team in his second year, but he is now an NBA superstar. The two are on entirely different levels.

This season, the Pistons were even more reliant on Hamilton’s outside shooting, as star power in the East was fading, especially at the guard positions. Ever since Ray Allen went to the West, the top players included only Iverson, followed by hot commodities like Wade, Arenas, and others.

Hamilton didn’t aspire to compete with these hot new stars; he merely wanted to make the All-Star team, even if as the last resort off the bench. That’s still an All-Star.

He thought this year was a sure bet, but suddenly, a second-year rookie emerged.

“Given my resume and performance, I believe I deserve it (All-Star),” Hamilton said after a game, “If I’m not chosen, that’s not my problem. It only shows that I’m not the one in control of the game’s rules.”

A close look at his words reveals Hamilton is frankly suggesting that there’s foul play involved.

So who has been pushing for Martin to make the All-Star selection? Naturally, it was Yu Fei.

Yu Fei and Hamilton had their grievances. Thus, Hamilton’s passive-aggressiveness followed logically.

This matter was an unexpected bonus for Yu Fei.

Of course, he knew promoting Martin into the All-Star would squeeze someone else out, but initially, Yu Fei didn’t expect that person to be Hamilton.

Now that he knew Hamilton was competing with Martin, Yu Fei had even more reason to meddle.

The one in control of the game’s rules? Hamilton was right.

Unless you’re a highly popular superstar, in places like Milwaukee or Detroit, if players want to make the All-Star Team based on good performance, they have to rely on local fan support.

Benevolent local media will help toot the horn, showcasing how great the homegrown talent is. However, the same media, Los Angeles Times and Milwaukee Sentinel, are two different beasts, just as Fang Shi Long and Leng Feng are two different individuals to the world.

One has a global influence, while the other has only a regional impact.

The history of basketball superstars wielding control over the media narrative dates back to Dr. J, developed further with Magic Johnson, and reached its peak with Jordan, defining the relationship between professional basketball stars and the media.

This relationship is both extreme and unequal. Someone like Jordan could justifiably disrespect every journalist, yet those journalists would still have to smile and endure the cold shoulder, telling themselves that this is Jordan; that’s how he is. They must put up with it, or they’ll never get to interview him again.

Now, Yu Fei has a similar presence, exercising a similar influence over the media.

Hamilton was well aware of this.

He knew his complaints and accusations wouldn’t change anything. As long as Martin continued to perform, and as long as Yu Fei wanted him to be an Eastern All-Star, Martin could naturally oust him and become the second star for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Hamilton stood no chance.

From the new year until the end of the All-Star weekend voting period in late January, Kevin Martin averaged 30 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists per game, during which the Bucks were undefeated.

Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.

Eventually, not only did Martin open up a 100,000-vote lead over Hamilton, but he also closely challenged another Pistons’ player, Chauncey Billups, for the fourth spot in Eastern guard votes.

Some thought that if the voting deadline was extended by a few days, Martin would surpass Billups to become the fourth guard on the Eastern ballot.

Regardless, this entirely Yu Fei-driven star-making campaign was successfully completed.

Kevin Martin was successfully selected to the 2005-06 Eastern All-Star team roster.

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