Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 454 - 308: What Do You Want?
Chapter 454: Chapter 308: What Do You Want?
“…I’m going to score 60 points.”
James’s words echoed in Yu Fei’s ears, and he could feel the other’s fighting spirit and fury, like a rebellious teenager eager to prove himself.
What if James really did score 60 points on him?
Yu Fei wouldn’t think about that, but as long as James had this thought, his attitude towards the game would change.
As someone who had already reached the summit, his attitude towards anyone trying to climb to the peak was to kick them down.
James wanted to score 60 points, but the issue wasn’t with the Bucks’ defense, it was with himself.
Even for a human tank like him, when facing a zone defense he still had to resolve it with shooting.
Raja Bell’s defense, like that of all others in the future, adopted the strategy of backing off by half a meter to tempt shots.
To counter this kind of defense, James chose to continuously dribble, closing in, trying to shorten the distance between himself and the basket. He moved from outside the three-point line to a position two steps inside, pulled up, and took a jump shot.
“Swoosh!”
7 to 6
“Next, let me guard him.”
Yu Fei said to Bell.
Bell hesitated, “Are you sure?”
“Piece of cake,” Yu Fei laughed, “leave it to me.”
When it came to defense, Bell was indeed the best perimeter defender in the Bucks.
But sometimes, Yu Fei’s defensive performance against star players was even better than Bell’s.
This made Bell suspect that Yu Fei belonged to those who were good at defense, but were too lazy to put in the effort normally.
Well, anyway, defending LeBron James was tough and thankless, so if Big Fei wanted to take on the task himself, he couldn’t ask for more.
The Cavaliers had no idea that the Bucks had switched defenders.
This was a sign of the Bucks’ changed attitude towards the game.
Larry Hughes was still focused on guarding Yu Fei up front.
The regular season games had already proved that Hughes couldn’t stop Yu Fei, but Yu Fei still called for Kevin Martin’s pick-and-roll, singling out Eric Snow, who was even easier to explode on.
The veteran, who once served as a blade-wielding guard beside Iverson, was now James’s nanny. As a point guard, his defense wasn’t bad, but unless the model was like Kidd’s, which could freely switch defending one to three positions, any outstanding defensive point guard would have his limitations.
Because they were the shortest on the court.
To them, Yu Fei was like a dinosaur, massive. Snow’s defense was shattered in an instant.
Yu Fei stormed into the paint, lifted his hand for a floater, scoring effortlessly over Big Z as if he wasn’t even there.
9 to 6
“Keep it up, LeBron,” Yu Fei said to James, “Keep attacking!”
James would of course continue to attack, but when he saw Yu Fei switch on to him, taking the initiative to match up with him, he was still momentarily startled.
It indicated that Yu Fei was serious, and moreover, he was confident he could stop him.
Since last season, James believed he wouldn’t lose to anyone one-on-one, and Yu Fei felt the same.
Now, the Bucks’ defense was exactly the same as the previous possession.
One person outside facing up against James, backed by a zone defense.
James repeated the old trick, using the same set of dribble fakes in front of Yu Fei, launching with his left hand, then abruptly pulling up for a jump shot.
Bell was helpless against this move because of his limited physical condition. Even if he could react in time to try to interfere, he could only wave his hands where the ball couldn’t possibly be threatened.
Keeping that same distance of half a meter, Yu Fei’s towering 206+220 frame made the effect completely different.
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.
James felt a distinct pressure from Yu Fei as he released the ball.
The shot wobbled.
“Bang!”
Yu Fei, as if anticipatory, perfectly predicted the long rebound’s landing, snatching the ball at top speed and then charging towards the frontcourt.
James picked up speed as well, sticking close to Yu Fei’s body, attempting to block the shot.
He had confidence, as chase-down blocks were one of his specialties.
If he could stop Yu Fei, or even block his fast break with a chase-down, it would shift the atmosphere on the court and would add another highlight on top of Yu Fei’s head.
However, reality was stark.
Yu Fei had no intention of charging at full speed with James sticking close. Inside the three-point line, he suddenly stopped short. James managed to hold his position, only to see Yu Fei’s ball-handling hand start to rise; the ball wasn’t picked up yet, but the palm of the ball-handling hand flipped over…
James was wary of a trick, but his body involuntarily reacted first, purely on instinct.
He jumped.
James flew higher and saw Yu Fei still standing on the ground, with only one thought in his mind.
FUCK!!!
Yu Fei deftly shook off James with a fake move, then blasted off with a surge of speed, driving to the basket to finish with a James-esque, full-extension tomahawk dunk.
11 to 6
James began to feel the pressure, advancing the ball to the frontcourt for the third time, attempting to break the Bucks’ defense with a jump shot.
But once the composure was off, the stability of the shots was nowhere to be found.
And this shot missed again.
Kwame Brown held Big Z tightly, allowing Yu Fei to grab the rebound, one of the Bucks’ primary strategies.
Only when Yu Fei got the defensive rebound did the Bucks’ counterattack become as aggressive as fire.
Brown and the other bigs might not be happy with fewer rebounds, but who could fault Big Fei’s high-quality setup work?
When the Cavaliers thought Yu Fei would once again finish the fast break alone, three defenders converged on him almost simultaneously in retreat.
“You guys respect me this much?” Yu Fei stopped on a dime just outside the three-point line, then suddenly, with a carefree behind-the-back pass, he sent the ball to Kevin Martin on the right.
The Bucks’ second star settled in the frontcourt, completely unguarded.
Keep in mind, Martin’s three-point shooting percentage had been over 50% since the playoffs began.
The unmarked Martin, as he released the ball, appeared to shoot with such a soft touch that time seemed to stand still.
“Swish~!”
14 to 6
“The magnificent Frye show has given the Bucks an 8-point lead within five minutes, the Cavaliers request a timeout!”
ABC commentator Mike Breen announced loudly.
Hubie Brown, who had recently stepped back from the NBA frontlines to the commentary booth, explained the difference between Yu Fei and James to the audience: “You can see LeBron is a powerful individual; he’s influential, and all 8 points the Cavaliers have gotten are related to him. But in front of Frye, LeBron is just an individual, while Frye can fan his wings to shelter the entire team. He has unleashed the full potential of the Bucks with his incomparable talent, and that is the direction LeBron must strive toward!”
On the Cavaliers’ side, Mike Brown believed that James and Yu Fei were evenly matched.
“But LeBron, you shouldn’t compete with Frye on scoring,” the Bread Coach said seriously. “He’s baiting you, look at what else he has done besides scoring. That’s the key to their lead.”
LeBron listened in silence; he wasn’t someone impervious to influence.
Randy Mims encouraged loudly on the side: “Bron, today’s the day we go in hard! Show Frye your strength! I don’t want to hear that arrogant mouth of his anymore!”
In his imagination, James always played a kind of perfectionist basketball in an ideal world, where he scored like Jordan, passed like Magic Johnson, defended like Pippen, and continually won like Russell.
But in reality, the coaching staff wanted him to be like Frye, Nike wanted him to surpass Frye, Mims wanted him to beat Frye. But what about his own thoughts? Weren’t his thoughts important?
The problem was, he didn’t know what he wanted, he wasn’t sure which was the right choice.
However, Frye always had his unique way of reminding him—what do you really want?
Back in the game, James got his team organized, just as the Bread Coach hoped to see. He called for pick-and-rolls to avoid head-on confrontations and refrained from attempting unstable long-range shots, which didn’t just revitalize the Cavaliers’ offense; his teammates no longer had to watch him play one against four.
The ball eventually made it inside, with Big Z and Drew Gooden, the two big men, relentlessly attacking the offensive board and scoring on put-backs.
Seeing James getting rational again, Yu Fei thought this wouldn’t do—he still preferred the earlier James who boasted about scoring 60 points in front of him. That was the posture of a true king, the aura of royalty seemed to envelop him.
“Get ready to fall back.”
Yu Fei took the ball from the backcourt, then said to his teammates.
These words were like a signal; upon hearing them, everyone on the Bucks knew what Yu Fei was about to do.
This meant not only that Yu Fei wouldn’t pass the ball but also that he wouldn’t engage in any complex offense.
He would end the play with an ultra-long-range three-pointer.
Therefore, including Kwame Brown and the others, none of them went into the paint but instead stopped at the free-throw line, which allowed for an easy retreat while also providing a chance to grab the long rebound should the deep three miss.
The Cavaliers still had Larry Hughes guard Yu Fei.
Hughes’s typical defensive strategy was to stand at the three-point line and wait for Yu Fei to approach.
As a result, when Yu Fei dribbled up to two meters outside the arc at the top of the key, gathered the ball, and eyed his target, even the opponents knew what was coming.
But it was too late.
Yu Fei’s ultra-long three-pointer blasted out like a cannonball, hitting nothing but the net.
17 to 8
Afterwards, Yu Fei looked towards James and said loudly, “LeBron, I’ve got one-fifth done. What about you?”
James knew exactly what he meant.
That shot indicated Yu Fei had scored 10 points in the quarter, only 40 points shy of the game’s 50.
But what about him, who had spoken earlier of scoring 60?
James knew what he wanted.
He wanted to beat Yu Fei. Because he knew, if he couldn’t, he wouldn’t be able to achieve anything.
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