Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

I hoped this day would never come.

Bruce Bowen had encountered many opponents, Kobe from the Lakers, Nash from the Mavericks—both were the kind of opponents who were more passive.

Bowen tried to trip Kobe multiple times, but Kobe saw through it every time, responding with a cold laugh and mocking him after the game with "I enjoy playing against him".

Nash was even more at a disadvantage, more like prey; even when he suffered a blow, it was hard for him to respond, his flopping in front of Bowen was like child's play.

The Bucks were completely different.

Yu Fei wasn't the stubborn and ruthless type like Kobe. Compared to Kobe, he had greater autonomy and could easily evade Bowen's dirty tricks. Furthermore, if Bowen really pushed him into a corner, nobody knew what he might do, after all, his bad reputation preceded him.

If it was just Yu Fei, it wouldn't be so troublesome. The real problem was that the structure of the Bucks team closely resembled the NBA teams of the 80s and 90s.

Enforcers, law enforcers, hooligans—they had them all.

Compared to the Bucks, the Spurs, aside from Bowen's bad seed, appeared pure as ice and snow and were not the kind of team that would actively seek conflicts with opponents.

As Bowen's tripping was caught by the Bucks, the scum of the Bucks team revealed their true colors, declaring that they wanted to give the Spurs a good crash, consequently making their opponents hand-tied.

After a timeout, Duncan said, "Give me the ball."

His phrasing was simple, without many words, just an action to make things right again, as relying on Bowen's "deterrence" was never a long-term solution.

Popovich silently approved of Duncan's request.

The real number one in the league immediately used his skillful low-post one-on-one move to stabilize the Spurs.

The Bucks also saw the transformation of the Spurs.

Popovich no longer let Bowen match up against Yu Fei, which seemed like a statement—we'll play the game properly, without resorting to all that nonsense.

The logic was sound, but Yu Fei thought, why should I let you trip me without consequence?

If it weren't for his own tough teammates, would the Spurs give up on that strategy?

Since you started it, how it ends isn't up to you to decide.

If he didn't trip back, even if they won the game, Yu Fei wouldn't be able to sleep.

In the latter part of the next quarter, the Spurs' offense revolved around the twin towers.

Duncan was in the low post, Robinson in the high post.

In the lockout season, the twin towers' high-low coordination was the Spurs' ace tactic, but with Robinson's decline, the twin towers gradually shifted from dual-core to Duncan's solo effort.

Robinson often played a supporting role in tactics.

The offensive starting position inside inherently meant they had to face more trouble.

Duncan got the ball in the low post, and Yu Fei ran over from the baseline to double-team him.

Because Yu Fei's intention was too obvious, Duncan waited for him to approach and then passed the ball to Bowen.

Yu Fei anticipated Duncan's pass and instantly shifted his weight backward, lunging towards Bowen's spot.

Not counting tonight, Bowen's three-point shooting percentage in the playoffs was up to 44%, making him a player not to be left unguarded.

Getting the ball in this situation, he believed he was feeling good, and the corner was his hot zone—there was no reason to miss the opportunity to shoot.

Bowen naturally jumped to take the shot.

Yu Fei's defense wasn't fast, and by the time Bowen released the ball, Yu Fei had only just reached the defensive spot. By then, it was too late to jump for the block, so all he could do was nudge his foot forward a bit.

Tripping? No, Yu Fei thought he simply became a bit clumsy all of a sudden, inadvertently sticking his leg between Bowen's.

Bowen landed, lost his stable footing, and was tripped by Yu Fei's awkwardly placed foot.

"What's this?" Popovich, like a moral guardian of the basketball court who could not tolerate any evil actions that didn't belong on the court, immediately put pressure on Dick Bavita. "This isn't a damn basketball move!"

Yu Fei mocked, "Indeed, compared to Bruce's kind of tripping people's feet, I'm too naive. I still have much to learn."

Bavita scolded Yu Fei, "Enough! Frye, play the game properly!"

As for Popovich's pressure, Bavita tossed it far away.

Fortunately for the Spurs, Bowen wasn't seriously hurt.

Although tripped, Yu Fei really "needed improvement" in that aspect; he chose the middle to trip, which was something only a novice would do. An old hand like Bowen always chose to trip the feet, only rarely tripping the middle, which had a small chance of hitting the opponent's groin and causing more damage.

For Yu Fei, this wasn't something to regret.

He tripped Bowen as a retaliatory measure and to establish deterrence, letting the Spurs know he wasn't someone who could be hit without hitting back.

The next time he met Bowen, Yu Fei directly jumped in his face and threatened, "Bruce, if there's a next time, I guarantee I'll return the favor double."

No sooner had he said this, Yu Fei ran back to rush into the paint, jumped up to catch the alley-oop pass from his teammate, and slammed it down.

Needless to say, Bowen didn't have the guts to continue playing dirty with Yu Fei.

Not to mention Yu Fei's retaliation, the mere presence of people like Mason could act as a bodyguard.

Yu Fei now extended the lead to five points with a powerful alley-oop dunk.

On the Spurs' side, Duncan's pick-and-roll helped Tony Parker break through to score.

Then, Yu Fei shook Stephen Jackson at the perimeter with a drive, threw the Spurs' defense into disarray, and passed the ball out to Ray Allen.

Ray Allen faked the shot and gave a true pass to Sprewell.

Sprewell took the jump shot from the outside.

"Swish!"

"Good shot!!!" Yu Fei shouted, motivating his teammates and high-fiving The Madman.

Duncan watched him run back, hopping and jumping, without a ripple in his heart.

He and Yu Fei were different people.

This was not just about the age difference, but also about their contrasting styles.

Someone like Yu Fei, who was spirited and aggressive, brimming with youthful energy and a naturally rebellious, upstart demeanor, was definitely not the kind of person Duncan liked.

Such individuals were too self-centered, too opinionated.

"He's strong," Duncan said.

Robinson nodded, "Exactly, they are formidable."

"But we will win."

Duncan and those who believed in Duncan felt that this year belonged to the Spurs.

They might not be the best team in the entire league, but they had the best player.

A player at his peak, if surrounded by a decent team, could lead them to the very end.

That was the most decisive factor of this season.

The 2002-03 season, like most of the previous NBA seasons, saw the decline of the OK Dynasty. Beating the Lakers didn't prove the Spurs' championship capabilities, as there were at least two teams in the Western Conference stronger than the defending champions.

They were the King and the Mavericks, and as fate would have it, their key players suffered major injuries during the playoffs, paving a somewhat trouble-free path for the Spurs.

This was a generational season, not a monumental one. A generational season only determines the strongest team of that year, while a monumental season usually features historically strong teams.

Boasting the strongest team in the league, the Spurs were deemed favorites for their superior cutting-edge combat power and playoff experience.

However...

With three minutes left before halftime, Duncan's 2+1 brought the Spurs within one point.

Then, George Karl subbed out Anthony Mason and rotated Sprewell and Fei at the power forward position, bringing in Michael Redd to play at shooting guard.

Suddenly, the Bucks revealed their trump card.

Leading with Fei, supported by Ray Allen, Sprewell, Redd, and Ratner.

At the juncture of Duncan's full-on domination, Karl chose to trust in Fei.

The 5 OUT lineup—is this the future of X? offensive basketball?

George Karl believed he could find the answer in the NBA Finals.

Four players spread out, engaging in continuous pick-and-rolls.

The space created by four shooters made it impossible for the Spurs to defend both ends.

Fei started by exploiting the space to attack the basket.

There was no one there.

After Stephen Jackson's defense broke down, Fei took advantage and scored effortlessly.

The Spurs had witnessed the potency of the X? offense during the regular season.

After analysis, the Spurs concluded that the only way to counter this tactic was to lock down Fei or to leave one of the shooters unguarded.

The Spurs first chose to target Fei.

Fei began to face various double teams.

Early double teams on the perimeter, aggressive traps after pick-and-rolls, and mid-court encirclement that pushed him towards the sidelines upon penetration.

In four possessions, Fei committed just one turnover, while the other three offensive drives brought the Bucks 5 points.

On the Spurs' side, although the offensive pressure was not entirely on one person, they managed only 3 points within those four possessions.

Every time Duncan got the ball, he encountered early double teams, but his passes to teammates did not translate into points.

Bang!

Bang!!

Bang!!!

Was there anything more ironic than this scene?

The Spurs carefully chose which Bucks shooter to leave open, yet Fei's passes still resulted in 5 points, whereas Duncan's every pass failed to score.

The Spurs' 3 points still relied on Duncan grabbing an offensive rebound and converting a 2+1 over Ratner.

At halftime, the Bucks led the Spurs by 7 points, 52 to 45, with Fei being named ESPN's halftime star with his stats of 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists.

"Twenty years and six months old, Frye is pushing the Spurs into a corner. He may not be an all-influencer like Tim Duncan, but as long as the ball is in his hands, the Spurs feel trepidation!"

"He is a rising superstar!"

"Can Tim Duncan stop him? Let's take a short break..."

Fei headed into the player's tunnel and found Ratner waiting for him there.

"What's up, Chris?" Fei asked.

Ratner was there to tell Fei not to get into it with Bowen, that he'd step in if necessary.

But not wanting to appear too obsequious, he refrained from voicing his inner thoughts, "If you get thrown out because of Bowen, we'll be in big trouble."

Fei looked at Ratner seriously, "I, the MVP, certainly won't stoop to the level of a shit-eating dog. But Chris, have you ever disciplined a dog?"

Ratner felt somewhat embarrassed.

He had never disciplined a dog, but he had been taught a lesson by Fei as if he were a dog.

"Dogs are creatures that bully the weak and fear the strong. No matter how ferocious they are, once they are overpowered in stature, they will henceforth only tuck their tails and behave. That's why I do what I do, I want Bowen to know—if he dares to play dirty with me again, I'll end him!"

Star players are expected to maintain their dignity, that was Ratner's understanding.

It was also what Ratner considered Fei's biggest shortfall at the moment.

But now, Ratner realized things weren't as he had imagined.
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Not all stars are the same.

Some stars are untouchable, others get their hands dirty.

From the moment Fei stood up against Jordan in DC, the side he showed was of someone who is always at the forefront of any issue; he wouldn't distance himself when his teammates were in trouble, wouldn't stay silent in the face of provocation, and wouldn't be inactive when his team needed him.

That was his secret to shaking Jordan's foundation in just one year.

That's how he had pushed Jordan to the brink, and he would continue on this path; if one day he stopped being this way, the magic within him would vanish as rapidly as it did for Wizards Dan.

For an incredibly proud person, losing their greatest personal label signified the beginning of the end.

Ratner hoped that day would never come.