Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 511 - 352: The Ultimate Weapon
Chapter 511: Chapter 352: The Ultimate Weapon
Fei arrived at the White Team, donned the white jersey, and asked Coach K, “Can I choose my own teammates?”
Coach K replied, “You can, but only between the Blue Team (Potential Team) and the White Team (Scramble Team).”
Thus, Fei picked Durant and Iguodala from the Potential Team.
“Big Fei, I didn’t expect we could play on the same team again.”
Iguodala couldn’t help but recall the good times he and Fei had competing at the ABCD Camp.
Afterward, Fei picked Kwame Brown from the White Team.
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He originally wanted Tyson Chandler, but not wanting to cause a misunderstanding with Brown, he didn’t choose him.
The last to join was Deron Williams, and Fei had only one reason for choosing him—this stocky little guy wouldn’t be too disadvantaged against Kidd’s physique.
Originally, Fei didn’t want to pick a point guard, but upon realizing that he would now be playing the small forward position, if there was no point guard, it wouldn’t be easy to fully demonstrate his value in that role, so he chose Deron.
The Senior Team, represented by James, also involved all sorts of psychological games.
Designated starters like Kobe and Anthony decided not to play, since this was clearly a personal vendetta between Fei and James, and they didn’t need to get involved.
Anthony was even more determined.
Even if Fei hadn’t caused a stir, seeing such an arrangement by Coach K, he would have objected.
Why should his starting position depend on whether he’s called on or not?
Although he was friends with James, when it came to starting positions, it involved the stars’ ego and pride.
Even against Fei, Anthony was reluctant to give up his starting spot.
Now that Fei was openly competing with James, Anthony was happy to let it happen, as no matter which of them won or lost, it wouldn’t affect his own starting position.
With Kobe and Anthony’s withdrawal, the only options for the Red Team were to fill the spots with Boozer and Prince.
All things considered, James still had the better setup.
The Red and White Teams ready, the only star on Fei’s side was Deron, and the rest were newcomers, not to mention Durant, who hadn’t officially played an NBA game yet.
Tension and excitement intertwined in Durant’s heart, and he asked, “Frye, what do I need to do?”
“On offense, you are the power forward,” Fei said. “On defense, just do whatever, guard whoever you want.”
James’ Red Team was all looking tense.
Big brother Kidd didn’t want to treat this game as an extension of the personal grudge between Fei and James because, if that were the case, wouldn’t they all just be extras?
James took the lead, “We can’t lose this game because we are the Red Team.”
Being selected for the Red Team meant you were almost part of the Dream Team.
A defense stronghold like Tayshaun Prince was already penciled in by Coach K as a backup small forward.
James’ choice to include him was also influenced by Fei’s deep enmity with the Detroit Pistons.
In the battle at Auburn Hills, it was Prince who had clashed with Fei.
However, James had not anticipated that Prince’s apprehension towards Fei far exceeded his hatred, “I can’t contain Frye in the NBA, and under FIBA rules, it might be even harder.”
“Tayshaun, what is this talk?” James said. “We’re the Red Team, and his team is a mishmash from the Blue Team and White Team. No matter what, we will win.”
To his surprise, Boozer, who was filling in at power forward (he was defined as a center in the Dream Team), stated clearly, “I’ll say this upfront, your grudge has nothing to do with me, so don’t expect me to bear the brunt of that maniac’s fury.”
“Why do we have to be at each other’s throats like enemies?” Howard said like a choirboy, “Where’s the love between you two, LeBron?”
James couldn’t answer Howard’s question.
As the game started, Howard faced off against Brown and showed what a gap there was between number one picks.
With his speed and jump height, Howard instantly outplayed Brown in the air, securing the ball for the Red Team.
Iguodala was originally looking for James to match up against, but Fei gestured towards Prince.
Iguodala got it—Fei wouldn’t let anyone else take on James.
Almost as soon as the Red Team took their positions in the frontcourt, Fei’s physical confrontation found James.
James, who played in the Eastern Conference, was of course used to such challenges.
But this level of physicality had never before been seen at the Las Vegas training camp.
“Not going for the ball?” Fei taunted, “Could it be that you’re too scared to ask for it?”
James responded, “I’m not you, I won’t disrupt the team’s strategy.”
“What right does a deserter like you have to become me?” Fei sneered, using his strength to bump James’ body aside. “You might want to lead the Cavaliers to the finals first!”
Kidd passed the ball inside, and Howard went one-on-one against Brown in the low post.
Fei always thought Howard lacked the ability to attack with the ball, but what he did next made him understand why Shaquille O’Neal despised this womanizer so much.
Howard shouldered past Brown, and after turning around, his energy exploded. He leapt up devastatingly, dunking over Brown’s head.
In terms of near-basket damage, Howard could play against similar-sized centers just like O’Neal. This is why Boozer, who could drive and shoot against the Shanghai big man, leaving him bruised, was helpless against Howard, who trembled in front of the Shanghai giant but dominated over the likes of Boozer as if he had just stepped out of a peak horror movie like a terrified beauty.
“Where’s number 6, the coward?” Fei loudly called out for James by his jersey number. “Too scared to guard me?”
Prince said calmly, “We have our own roles.”
Wearing White Team’s number 4 jersey, Yu Fei’s choice, whether intentional or not, revealed his ambition.
Like Fei, Prince’s defense might actually be stronger in the FIBA games with their more lenient defensive restrictions than in the NBA.
However, Fei’s height and wingspan combined with his style of play meant he was already pegged as the number one weapon in the history of the event, even without having played a single FIBA game.
Prince’s defense was only shaken by half a step, allowing Fei, who had perfected his step-back move, to pull up for a three-pointer just beyond NBA range.
“Swish!”
Watching this scene, the Dream Team’s coaching staff couldn’t help but lament, “If we had Frye last year against Greece, we definitely wouldn’t have lost.”
However, what would resonate more deeply with fans than Fei’s impending display of dominance was his animosity towards James.
Even though he scored over Prince, it tasted as bland as drinking water to him. He looked at James and yelled, “Do you want to keep being a shrinking turtle? That’s fine, I’ll come for you, you coward, I’m fucking set on you today!”
Chris Paul, who was very close to James, felt a tingle on his scalp. He couldn’t help but ask Michael Redd, who had been teammates with Fei, “It must be tough playing with him, right?”
Redd shrugged, “Not really tough, Frye respects me on the court.”
Paul gave him a ‘don’t bullshit me’ look, unable to believe that someone as aggressive as Fei was easy to get along with off the court.
Finally, James got the ball, and Fei facing him shouted, “Put up a zone defense, this coward can’t attack at all!”
“Shut the fuck up!”
James was a respectable person. In fact, most NBA players are respectable, and even when they meet their nemesis, they don’t openly seek revenge like this.
In history, only an extremely small number of players have taken such a suffocating approach to combat their rivals.
James charged into the center of the zone and was forced to pass.
Prince caught the ball for a three-pointer, and missed.
Fei continued to mock, “Is this how you tell me to shut up? You actually think passing will shut me up?”
James, on the verge of breaking down defensively, decisively abandoned Iguodala to double team Fei at the top of the key as the White Team’s next offensive round began.
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Fei was almost forced into a corner but flicked the ball into the air the moment before a turnover, assisting Iguodala for an alley-oop.
James was torn between fury and reason; part of his body reminded him to respond to Fei, but another part was very clear that it wasn’t the time to act on impulse.
When Fei threw the alley-oop, James had already anticipated the White Team scoring, so instead of rushing back to the basket, he simply assumed the point was made and darted forward at full speed.
If the White Team hesitated for even a second, he could create an excellent fast-break opportunity.
Sometimes, being too smart is not a good thing.
If you always look for the optimal solution and equivalent exchange in everything, your actions become predictable.
Fei relentlessly pursued, and if Kidd’s passing skills weren’t so exquisite, James’s effort would’ve been in vain.
Determined to recover from being dominated, James aimed to finish with a dunk.
However, the instant he took off, Fei had already caught up from the side. His right hand became a blade, aiming for James’s chest—first hitting the player, then the ball—making a slap and thud as James, losing his balance, slid towards the sideline.
“All this fast-breaking and passing, you coward!” Fei insulted, “Have you become such a waste that you can’t even face me directly?”
“Beep, beep, beep!”
At the sound of the referee’s whistle, Fei glared over.
The temporary official said softly, “That… That’s a hitting foul.”
“What the hell!” Fei complained, “This is supposed to be a national team practice. Can’t you get a professional referee who understands FIBA’s hand-checking rules?”
“That’s enough, Big Fei!” Anthony, not far off, was amused, “In FIBA, you’d have been given a technical for that kind of play a long time ago!”
The atmosphere on the scene was jovial, as if no one cared about the blow James had just taken.
Although the game had only been going for a few minutes, Coach K had already seen Fei’s astonishing potential on the FIBA stage.
Because the rules and overall talent in the NBA are far superior to international basketball, some players who can’t make it in the NBA often become major weapons in international games. But what about those players who are already thriving in the NBA?
Fei’s physique, skills, maturity, versatility, and the ability to swing from the 1 to the 4 position in FIBA had already made him the ultimate weapon in the world of international basketball.
If the Redeem Team really wanted a 100% chance to redeem themselves in Beijing, then Fei would be an indispensable figure.
The question is, what about LeBron?
Coach K’s gaze fell on the Red Team’s number 6.
James had already stood up. Las Vegas used to be his playground, but in just a couple of days, he hardly recognized it anymore.
Yet why did it feel so familiar?
When Frye began to dominate the court, the little world would morph into his image.
James knew this all too well. He went to the free-throw line, about to take a shot, when Fei’s trash talk came again, “He’ll make at most one. If he makes both, I’ll fuck up that amateur referee.”
And so, laughter erupted in the arena once more.
This place no longer belonged to him.
