Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 472 - 324 Heartbreak Club

Chapter 472: Chapter 324 Heartbreak Club

On June 2, 2006, in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the score: 105 to 88. The Milwaukee Bucks Team defeated their potential rivals, the Miami Heat Team, with a series score of 4 to 1, advancing to the NBA Finals for the third time in four years.

For the believers of Yu Fei, seeing him perform exceptionally had become a habit.

But his performance to date was still unbelievable.

Throughout the playoffs, averaging 36 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists per game, with unstoppable offense, all-around prowess in both offense and defense, and with appropriate support from his teammates, he had once again steamrolled through the Eastern Conference.

As for his opponents, it was as if they were attending a funeral.

Shaquille O’Neal did not know what else he could do.

He gave up his tactical position, relinquished ball control, abandoned the dignity of a superstar, focusing solely on serving his teammates, only to find that the sole result was winning one game against the Bucks in the series? Was this what he wanted? Who would care about a single victory in a best-of-seven series?

Most crucially, Shaquille O’Neal’s performance against the Bucks, compared to the first two rounds, saw a cliff-like decline in his statistics.

In the first two games of the Eastern Finals, Shaq averaged 20+10, with the Heat ending up in miserable defeats; in the last three games, Shaq didn’t score more than 15 points in a single game, even posting a low of 8 points in one game, averaging only 13 points and 10 rebounds for the series—how much better was that than Kwame Brown, who claims to be the second-best center in the Eastern Conference? (Brown’s Eastern Finals stats were 8+8)

“Shaq has fallen to Frye once again,” Bill Walton appeared to be impartial but was actually taking a jab at Shaquille O’Neal’s heart, “I never believed those who said Frye was Shaq’s kryptonite, but even in Shaq’s best times, they lost in the regular season to a Frye without the help of MJ and Rip. Several years have passed since that game, and they’ve met in two playoff series, with Frye leading an overwhelming 8-1 in their record.”

“Maybe we can start seriously examining this issue, why Frye has become Shaq’s kryptonite?”

Walton skipped straight from questioning the “kryptonite theory” to “verification,” bypassing the “understanding” stage altogether.

On the other side, Dwyane Wade wiped the sweat off his face, understanding from the frenzied atmosphere in the Bradley Center that he had missed a chance to be far ahead of James and Anthony, to be in the same league as Big Fei.

As for personal performance, he could say that the Heat lost, but he didn’t lose.

In the five games against the Bucks, he averaged 34 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, having done all that he could.

It’s just that Fei was a bit more monstrous, not only scoring higher but also achieving double digits in assists and rebounds.

Such overwhelming statistical coverage left no room for argument.

Wade didn’t think the gap between Fei and himself was as big as the numbers suggested.

In his eyes, it was just a difference between 95 and 100 points.

If the stats were that different, there was only one explanation: Fei was playing in a more advanced system.

Wade believed that this was what he needed to focus on learning afterward.

If you can’t beat them, join them.

Then, Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton, along with other veterans whose championship dreams were shattered, officially joined the heartbreak club.

Faced with the question of retirement, Mourning did not provide an answer.

Whereas Payton firmly denied any rumors of his potential retirement.

“I won’t leave before I win a championship,” he said.

The question reporters wanted to ask but dared not was, if you still want a championship, who are you counting on?

No one on the Miami Heat Team was more embarrassed than Payton.

In the summer of 2003, he decisively joined the Lakers to form the luxurious “F4,” rejecting Yu Fei’s recruitment, and then played embarrassingly in the 2004 NBA Finals, getting swept 4-0 by the Bucks.

The 2004-05 season was a waste.

And he continued to believe in Shaquille O’Neal this season.

Coming to Miami, he was more humble than during his Lakers period, even allowing a youngster like Wade to scold him in the playoffs for his mistakes (first round against the Bulls).

He endured it all, until now, when there was no longer any need to endure, only to find he still couldn’t achieve his goal.

When Payton heard Shaquille O’Neal saying he had done enough and that others didn’t provide support, and that he was fed up with failure, a voice echoed in his mind.

Following the right person is crucial.

That big guy who styled himself “the most dominant ever” was a good choice only in his earlier years. Now, he was just a loser who refused to accept defeat.

But did he still have a chance to choose that “right person”?

In 2003, he rejected the invitation, and now, he wondered if these years of failure were punishment from the heavens.

Those who reject God’s grace do not end well.

“Gary, will you come back here next season?” a Miami media member asked.

Since he was on this ship, Payton had no other choice.

Although Shaq was unreliable, Wade had proven that he was a superstar capable of competing with Fei.

Although Payton knew Wade wasn’t necessarily the best choice, what other options did he have?

“If they need me, I will come back,” Payton said.

If Mourning and Payton were newly registered members of the heartbreak club, then Riley was the president of that club.

Since leaving Los Angeles, Riley had earned a reputation as a tactical innovator. He introduced muscle basketball, laying the foundation for the dark basketball of the early century, but as a coach who had impacted the NBA for years, he had won no championships since leaving the Lakers.

Many people said that Riley would only take up the coaching reins again if he believed the team could win a championship.

Last June, when the Heat were defeated in the playoffs, Riley publicly stated that he might get more actively involved in team affairs.

This sparked wild speculation.

Riley began laying the groundwork for his return, allowing Stan Van Gundy’s favorites, Eddie Jones, sharpshooter Damon Jones, Kenyon Dooling, and Rasual Butler to leave Miami. In their stead came Payton, Williams, Walker, and James Posey. With this exchange of new guns for old cannons, the Heat entered a “win-now” mode.

Moreover, the Heat only removed Van Gundy from the coaching position without canceling his contract.

Van Gundy’s contract lasted until the summer of 2008, which allowed the Heat to restrict his comments after leaving the team—since he was still under contract, he couldn’t speak ill of the Riley-led Heat.

After all these deliberate moves, Riley finally took the team to the Eastern Conference Finals, but another nightmare awaited him there.

As the Heat were eliminated tonight and the game ended, Riley thought back to that night years ago.

The Wizards had erupted with the “he said he would trade me” incident. Jordan put Yu Fei on the trading block, sparking frantic competition among multiple teams.

At that time, Riley was willing to offer up the entire Heat team in exchange for Yu Fei.

But just like Richard Hamilton, the Heat’s only trade-worthy Eddie Jones was also a shooting guard, which could not free Jordan from playing small forward. Jordan refused him and almost completed a trade with the Suns, which, for unknown reasons, didn’t happen—or rather, was delayed for a few months.

Back then, Riley only felt a sense of loss, knowing that Yu Fei had the potential of a superstar.

That loss was like a seed planted in his heart; now, as the Heat were swept by Yu Fei, that seed had germinated.

He knew what he had missed.

That evening, after completing his interviews, Riley walked past the locker room and encountered Yu Fei.

The young god was dressed in trendy clothes, not at all like someone who had just destroyed a city’s basketball dreams.

He looked more like a fashionable man ready to attend a party.

Riley suddenly remembered something he had done in the past. When his Knicks lost to the Bulls in the playoffs for the first time, he had someone deliver a note to Jordan, which read something along the lines of “Congratulations on winning, but in the future we will @#$%&.”

Looking back, it seemed rather humorous.

His Knicks had since been hindered, not only never breaking past Jordan, but even when fortune allowed them to defeat the Jordan-less Bulls, they were unfortunate to face Hakeem Olajuwon, in perfect harmony, in the finals.

“Congratulations,” Riley had said these words after the game ended, “you performed incredibly well.”

Off the court, Big Fei was not as rampant as he was on the court.

“Dwyane also did well,” said Fei. “If it were me, I would start building him as the core of the team next season. Also, I would trade that pig to the Clippers as punishment, can you believe he only averaged 13 points against us?”

Riley was also disappointed with Shaquille O’Neal’s performance and knew that O’Neal was no longer the player he used to be.

Fei was right, they needed to move that pig soon, but they couldn’t make it too obvious.

Riley was extremely concerned about Fei’s present and future, however.

“We will establish Dwyane as the core, but thanks to you, Dwyane’s future in Miami is not certain.”

Fei asked, “What does that have to do with me?”

“Like you,” Riley said calmly, “Dwyane also tends to sign a 2+1 extension contract with us.”

As the initiator of signing short-term contracts for a second deal, Fei was pleased: “Oh, I’m glad he made a decision responsible for his future.”

Actually, the intention behind top players signing short-term contracts was clear: it was a threat to the teams—if you can’t be responsible for my career in the next two years, don’t expect me to be responsible for you.

The relationship between labor and management was supposed to be collaborative, with no hierarchy. If you don’t consider my interests, why should I be loyal to the team?

Fei’s contract renewal brought a different mindset to all players.

Its ensuing impact was quickly spreading throughout the League.

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When he retired, this would become part of shaping his historical status⑴.

“Really? What about your future?” Riley asked. “Will you leave Milwaukee if you win the championship again next year?”

⑴ I’ve always had a radical opinion: “The Decision” will not only not become a stain on LeBron’s legacy after he retires, but because everyone follows suit, it will become a praised point, a cornerstone of his claim to the top three in history. However, it has pretty much evolved to this point already—you call it peak grouping? No, this is “player empowerment.”

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