Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1094 - 614 Such Victory and Defeat
Chapter 1094: Chapter 614 Such Victory and Defeat Chapter 1094: Chapter 614 Such Victory and Defeat “`
If before the time-travel Yu Fei had no real concept of the Spurs, only knowing they got lucky in 2023 when they landed the top overall pick choosing the most talented player since the 2010s, then after his time-travel, his greatest impression of the Spurs was that, no matter when, this team was strong.
From the year he started in the NBA, 2001, they have already been a power team.
Over the past fourteen years, they made it to the playoffs every time, reaching the finals four times and winning the championship once.
But this strength didn’t start from 2001, it started when they drafted Duncan in 1997.
That was another streak of dumb luck.
A good team, due to injury woes, was forced to tank and then managed to draft the greatest foundational player after Bill Russell.
That pick established their strength for the next 20 years.
...
Nearly 20 years have passed, and all their contemporaries have mostly fallen. Even Yu Fei, a latecomer GOAT, has already changed to his third team, yet they are still the overlords of the Western conference.
The approaching 40-year-old Duncan was still trying to adapt to the era of small-ball.
Moreover, the Spurs knew that they had to prepare for the post-Duncan era.
Therefore, they first had to establish a core framework for Paul George and Kemba Walker.
For this, George started trying to play as a small-ball power forward, and Duncan gave up his comfortable low post play, frequently stepping out to shoot from the perimeter.
The results were not good.
Tonight, Duncan only made 3 of 9 shots in the first three quarters, 1 of 3 from threes. Shot touch is perhaps the only talent not quite top-notch for this superstar known for his basic skills, also causing him a significant challenge in adapting to the small-ball era.
When Yu Fei dashed past Duncan’s help-defense and burst to the basket, finishing a 2+1 dunk over George’s head, Popovich angrily called a timeout. He scolded Duncan without reservation: “Everything you did tonight didn’t work. Can you still play or not? If not, you might as well retire!”
Duncan listened in silence, and after the timeout, he said mildly, “Coach, thanks for the ‘encouragement’.”
When Young Duncan was stimulated by Popovich’s “motivation” like this, he would always play better in the subsequent game. It was like a silent understanding between lovers; one uses harsh words to provoke, and the other accepts willingly and always proves they can be stronger.
But that was the young Duncan.
However, tonight’s Duncan was not willing to end it so gloomily.
In the fourth quarter, both sides’ offense became more fierce, with an increased number of possessions. Duncan was waiting for his opportunity, and finally in one defensive play, he caught a flaw in Yu Fei’s move, broke out from the weak side, and cleanly blocked his layup. As strong as Yu Fei was, such a block was routine for him and wouldn’t cause any emotional disturbance unless his opponent happened to hold a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
After the block, Duncan patted his own head in front of Yu Fei, as if to say, “Young man, is that how you go for a layup?”
Yu Fei felt a slight displeasure. In the next play, he no longer cared about the tactics, asked for the ball outside directly, called for a pick-and-roll, went hard on training Duncan, and hit a pull-up jumper against his defense.
“Nice shot.”
Duncan still responded with his usual encouraging yet mocking tone, a method that made one feel helpless, yet it always hit the spot.
Yu Fei countered with, “Good defense.”
“Not good enough.”
If his defense had been good enough, the Spurs wouldn’t have lost the 2003 finals.
Did Yu Fei know that was a lifelong regret for him?
The Spurs that year might not have been the best team Duncan had during his career, but that year’s Duncan was the peak of his career.
The Duncan of that year was so dominant that even when Yu Fei finally won the championship, he wasn’t considered the best player of the finals.
But after that year, the best of Duncan gradually faded away because he was struck early by plantar fasciitis.
Since then, the Spurs have kept changing their tactics and eventually got the second championship of the Duncan era in 2005.
During the Yu Fei era, it was considered complete if you could lift the trophy because, in those so-called dark years, only the Spurs and the Miami Heat managed to win championships.
Duncan slowly adjusted his pace.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.
He was hoping to get some opportunities in this round.
Since Duncan entered the league, he always had the right to operate from the Spurs’ left low post. After 2010, the team designed a lot of high pick-and-rolls and outside cutting plays for him, but the left low post remained his exclusive area.
However, starting this season, he gradually stepped out of his most comfortable zone and started to learn how to become a stretch big, making room for Paul George, who was transitioning to power forward. At the same time, Duncan had to utilize pick-and-rolls to aid the guard Walker in dismantling opponents like a modern core guard. Last season, these two young players were still a bit green, and the Spurs paid their dues in the playoffs. Now, as Duncan and Ginobili continue to age, the shift in core status has become an unavoidable reality.
At this moment, George was holding the ball at the perimeter, facing Yu Fei’s defense, thinking to himself, should he handle this play? As he hesitated, Duncan quietly moved next to him, glanced at George as if asking for his opinion. Duncan didn’t pause, he set a screen confidently: directly targeting the GOAT!
George decisively followed through Duncan’s screen, breaking through for a successful layup.
“He’s playing pretty well, isn’t he?” On the way back to defense, Duncan deliberately threw a taunt toward Yu Fei.
