Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Every Big Game has its explosive moments.

These moments can sometimes be turning points in the match, or signs that the game is moving into the next chapter.

The first explosive moment of Game 6 of the Finals between the Bucks and the Spurs was brought by Yu Fei.

David Robinson's rough foul ignited his rage, accompanied by a blasphemous trash talk against God.

To David Robinson, nothing could be more heretical.

However, Robinson also thought of the Lord who said in the Bible, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," and also, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Eternal God."

Was Yu Fei his Eternal God?

Robinson's questioning did not last long.

When Duncan drew a shooting foul from Mason inside and made both free throws, Yu Fei, in turn, called for a pick-and-roll, specifically targeting Robinson.

David Robinson had nowhere to hide; if Yu Fei had chosen to drive inside before, now he was finishing with a delicate floater from the perimeter.

The Spurs likewise relied on their superstar to maintain the situation.

Duncan, high post catch, intending to screen for Parker, ended up setting a botched screen. Seeing the ball movement stalling, he had to make a quick decision.

Duncan drove against the basket, breezing past Mason's defense, scoring with a hook shot inside the paint.

It was a round that could set his teammates' minds at ease.

No matter whether the tactic succeeded or failed, they had Duncan to fall back on.

But the sense of security that Duncan provided did not extend to everyone. As Duncan's elder, Robinson now urgently needed protection.

Externally, the Spurs' Twin Towers were heralded as a celestial pairing rarely seen in history, with a smooth transition of power that seemed seamless. When Duncan acclimated to the NBA and needed to take on more responsibilities, Robinson chose to cede power without saying a single word or showing any dissatisfaction.

This was his natural disposition. Robinson had the dynamic talent and skills of a superstar, yet lacked the tough heart and competitive spirit to never fall behind. This led to various defeats before Duncan's arrival and allowed Duncan to ascend without pressure. Their success in 1999 proved that Robinson's concessions were valuable.

What then? Time doesn't stand still at that moment, much like all happy endings in family dramas are not tragedies simply because the drama ends there.

No matter how wonderful things are, as time goes on, they turn into bad things.

David Robinson received a championship ring that Patrick Ewing could only dream of, but he also lost all his superstar aura. To others, he was just someone who luckily won the championship by clinging to Duncan's coattails, and even the Spurs organization lacked respect for him, which his last contract proved.

Now, this God-believer, who had traded everything a superstar had for a ring, wanted to end his career with another. However, when he resorted to violence for it, he found he had provoked someone untouchable.

Duncan had just scored a basket not long ago.

Back in the backcourt, Yu Fei beckoned again, naming Robinson, this time playing his offense with more patience, repeatedly faking at the top.

In his prime, Robinson was called a seven-foot guard, but no matter how well-coordinated a tall person is, they can't really move like a forward.

Once Yu Fei was given enough space to take him on one-on-one, merely crossing over with a back-and-forth dribble, akin to stir-frying moves, was enough to toy with Robinson within the palms of his hands.

As Robinson's center of gravity inevitably tilted to one side, Yu Fei promptly gathered the ball and leapt to shoot.

Another score!

For anyone watching, this was a groundbreaking moment.

Yu Fei's mismatch offense turned one of the Spurs' major defensive strengths into a weakness, which was intolerable for Popovich.

The Spurs called a timeout.

In response to Yu Fei's mismatch one-on-one, the Spurs didn't choose to sub out Robinson, but instead opted for a double-team disruption.

To double-team, they had to leave one of the Bucks' players open.

The chosen one was Sprewell.

The Spurs chose poorly; Sprewell's three-point shooting percentage might not match that of other Bucks' sharpshooters, but tonight, he was on fire, especially when left unguarded.

When Sprewell scored 5 points in a row with the help of Yu Fei's pass, Popovich quickly changed the target of his team's defensive neglect.

If you can't leave Sprewell open, then the only desperate choice left was Ray Allen.

Just looking at the latter's three-point shooting percentage, this was akin to suicide.

But Ray Allen was 0 for 3 tonight until now.

The high-intensity defense the Spurs had implemented from the start had a strong impact on him.

That's the charm of defense; even for the most lethal sharpshooter, finding the rhythm is essential to perform.

And the current style of the game was the least friendly era for shooters, overemphasizing physical contact and confrontations, a nightmare for those who relied on rhythm and touch.

Ray Allen missed one shot, then another, and finally left with a 0 for 6 record in the first quarter, subbed out by George Karl.

Ray Allen's inaccuracy made the previous performances of Yu Fei and Sprewell in vain; the Spurs not only erased the points gap but also took a 1-point lead.

Karl subbed in Michael Redd for Ray Allen, and Devean George for Anthony Mason.

With this change, the Bucks had only Gadzuric as an inside player on the court, with Yu Fei and George alternately taking on the four spot on defense.

The Bucks made two substitutions, while the Spurs wanted to test Yu Fei's current touch.

Thus, with the double-team arriving late, Robinson was once again left vulnerable to the blasphemer's maneuvers. Enjoy more content from empire

The tense Robinson was faked out by Yu Fei's feint; that one jump lost him not only the initiative on defense but also the ability to control his fouling.

As Robinson jumped forward, Yu Fei could fully capitalize on that to draw a foul.

With Robinson lunging towards him, Yu Fei naturally didn't miss the opportunity. Leaning slightly, he jumped up and first used his shoulder to bump into Robinson's body. The whistle blew, and then he relied purely on muscle memory to launch the ball at the basket.

The ball spun around the rim twice before falling out, giving the Spurs players a moment of relief.

But then they immediately thought of something worse—David had two fouls!

Less than three minutes left in the first quarter, 18-19, the Bucks trailed the Spurs by 1 point, and the twice-fouled Robinson was subbed out to be protected.

Popovich positioned Duncan at the five and brought in Malik Rose for the four, followed by substituting Steve Kerr in for Tony Parker.

After a series of substitutions, it was evident that Popovich intended to focus on Duncan as the absolute core in the final minutes of the first quarter.

Seeing the Spurs' substitutions, Karl replaced Gadzuric with Ratner.

If the Spurs were focusing on Duncan, the Bucks would focus on Yu Fei.

The newly crowned MVP had proven himself in the King of the Hill battle; Karl believed that as long as the team's perimeter firepower provided Yu Fei with enough support, Duncan's offense couldn't compete.

Both teams returned to the game, and Yu Fei made both free throws.

20-19

Then it was the Spurs' offensive turn.

Duncan got the ball in the low post and, as Ratner brought no disturbance to his positioning, received the ball deep and scored directly with a turn-around hook shot off the board.

"Unlike Shaquille O'Neal, TD has a wider range of offensive options," Bill Walton didn't hide his admiration for Duncan, "He has a longer shooting range, can turn and shoot at either 45-degree angle, can score with a hook shot from either side, and what's most unique are his post moves, just as excellent as Kevin McHale! With so many offensive options, defenders are helpless because even if you limit one of his moves, he has three or four more to fall back on."

Yu Fei dribbled past, and cheers from the Bradley Center roared like thunder.

Although the game involved two teams, until now, it had been a showdown between Yu Fei and Duncan.

Yu Fei now had 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, while Duncan had 8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks.

Their stats were extremely similar; the commonality was their ultimate versatility across both ends of the court.

Now, Yu Fei received the Spurs' highest tribute—a perimeter defense by Bowen, Rose in the middle as a speed bump to slow down Yu Fei if Bowen's defense failed, and finally, Duncan, like a gatekeeper, lingered near the paint, ready to leave the key to double-team Yu Fei at the high post.

Yu Fei wasn't planning to jump into the Spurs' trap willingly. He waved Ratner over, asking him to draw Duncan out.

The Spurs chose to make Rose switch to high pick-and-roll defense instead of Duncan, so Yu Fei called Devean George over for a second screen.

For a moment, there was an abundance of talent at the top of the key.

Yu Fei moved fluidly like a swift serpent, advancing and retreating with purpose, throwing the Spurs' defense into disarray.

For sharpshooters, it might be the worst of times, but for pick-and-roll and mismatch experts, it was the best of times.

If a team lacked understanding of this threat, even a squad like the Spurs with top-tier offensive and defensive qualities could expose massive flaws due to lacking corresponding defensive literacy and habits.

The Spurs originally planned to switch defenders, but in doing so, they ended up triple-teaming Yu Fei. Meanwhile, Ratner and George, who came to set screens for Yu Fei, found offensive opportunities with one cutting inside and the other popping out.

Yu Fei passed left and right, hurling the basketball like a bullet towards Ratner under the basket.

Ratner didn't expect to be the ultimate beneficiary in the high chaos, sneaking into the paint.

He joyfully collected the two points.

"So, they're using three guys to defend me? Does Coach Popovich respect me that much?" Yu Fei mocked, "It seems that all his talk about me not deserving the MVP was fake; he actually recognizes my MVP more than anyone else."

Realizing his team's defensive blunder, Duncan felt an impulse he had never felt before.

Yet, Duncan quickly suppressed his own desire.

He knew this was one of Yu Fei's psychological tactics.

As someone with a bachelor's degree in psychology, as someone who even before entering the NBA had written a thesis on "The Influence of Psychological Warfare During the Competition on the Final Outcome" (true story), he was all too aware of the principle that impatience leads to chaos in grand plans.

Thus, Duncan continued to play the game in Duncan style.

Reliable, unassuming, steady.

Compared to other traditional big men, Duncan had a golden habit—never holding the ball too long. Sometimes, he would intentionally dribble to draw a double team, creating opportunities for his teammates.

In this regard, he was often too generous.

Because his shooting percentage was 54%, higher than all his teammates, but this never became a reason for him to reward himself with more shots.

This round, Duncan's strategy worked, the Bucks' defense collapsed, and he passed the ball to Kohl at the high post who then took a jump shot.

Both sides were playing a correct, sensible, and sober game.

Yu Fei and Duncan both played the whole first quarter, and at the end of it, with the score at 25-24, the Bucks went into the second quarter with a slim lead.