Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Christian Laettner, Kwame Brown, Bobby Simmons...
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Yu Fei's "garbage teammates" weren't garbage in the second half; although mediocre, they dedicated their everything.

That was why, with one minute left before the game ended, the Wizards were still leading the Lakers by three points.

Then, the cold-blooded Kobe scored an unreasonable buzzer-beating three-pointer, tying the game.

Yu Fei raised his hand, signaling Laettner to pick and roll.

By this point, Laettner had set more picks for him than he could count, his energy was nearly depleted, but still he ran out carelessly, blurrily blocking his man, and creating space.

Yu Fei shook off his defender, stopped abruptly on the right side of the free-throw line, and made a jump shot.

104 to 102.

The Wizards took the lead again, and there were less than 30 seconds left in the game.

The Lakers called for a timeout.

Everyone on the Wizards knew they would pass to Kobe, but how would Kobe handle the ball?

Perhaps even the Basketball God had no answer.

If Yu Fei's stereotype of Kobe was correct, then Kobe would go to great lengths to be the hero of the match, regardless of anything.

Meaning, he would insist on taking the final shot, ignoring all objective circumstances.

Based on this, as soon as the Lakers inbounded the ball, Yu Fei suddenly abandoned his own mark (Fox) and brazenly double-teamed Kobe with a bold and adventurous preemptive strategy.

This was the thinking of a young man, the rash courage of someone bristling with vigor, the choice that only someone full of confidence and willing to take risks would make.

He was right!

Kobe dribbled along the baseline, even though his teammates were wide open, even though the shot was more likely to fail than not, he still stubbornly launched that difficult jump shot with a slim chance of success.

"Bang!"

It didn't go in!

But the Lakers' insurance was never just Kobe.

Shaquille O'Neal leapt from under the rim, his monstrous body momentarily eclipsing the sky, allowing him to grab the ball and then, with all his strength, slam it into the basket.

A thunderous dunk, and the Lakers tied the score!

"The unbelievable Shaq!"

"Superman has arrived!"

104 to 104.

Eight seconds left in the game.

Doug Collins clenched his fists, he of course knew that if the game went into overtime, they would not have the strength to continue.

Yu Fei was tired, he had played for 46 minutes.

The big men were either fouled out or burdened with a heavy load of fouls.

The others were also tired; the game had to end in regulation time.

He wanted to win against Phil Jackson, but he didn't know if his players could grasp the last 8 seconds.

Normally deft with on-the-spot tactics, Doug Collins suddenly felt panic.

The Wizards called for a timeout.

While Collins's mind went blank, someone walked up to him and said in a soft but confident voice, "Coach, give me the ball, and we will walk out of Staples with a victory."

For a moment, Collins was dumbfounded.

He remembered, 16 years ago, another player had said something similar to him during the last moments of his first game coaching the Chicago Bulls.

That person seemed like he had come from beside God and returned to God's side in 1998, and mortals like them were destined to return to dust, the corruptible world belonged to the powerless, and the greedy God always kept the finest close by.

But last year, that son of God decided to return to basketball.

And Doug Collins quickly realized, he was no longer that person.

His loyalty and following were just inertia and dependency, perhaps with a bit of gratitude, but he really understood, he was no longer that person.

"Okay!" Collins said loudly as if he had grasped a lifeline, "What will you do?"

Yu Fei said, "Have Tyronn inbound the ball to me, tell Christian to prepare for the last pick and roll tonight, and leave the rest to me."

He said it in front of his teammates.

Collins stabilized himself, looked at the others and said, "Did you all hear that?"

Everyone nodded, a few responded.

"This is what we'll do!" Collins exclaimed.

The timeout ended.

Yu Fei led his teammates onto the court; Collins looked at them and just felt his head burning and his limbs weakening, and he involuntarily crouched down.

When he saw how the other players looked at Yu Fei, he knew the team had transformed. This bunch knew who was truly worth following; they would burn all of themselves for the one worth following, even if it meant destroying themselves.

That person would lead them to victory!

Even if only as a witness, even just watching from the side.

Because these people, called "garbage," were only really fighting for themselves at this moment!

The whistle blew, the ball was inbounded, Yu Fei gently dribbled outside, and when the last five seconds began, he waved his hand, and Laettner ran over.

The Lakers clearly had a designed defense for the last play; Jackson had instructed his players to decisively double-team Yu Fei after the breakthrough.

However, the moment Yu Fei moved for the pick and roll he saw right through the opponent's intentions, in an instant, he gathered the ball, stepped back, retreated beyond the three-point line, and with 0.7 seconds left in the game, found absolute balance in his body, breath, and rhythm. It was a moment of perfect harmony, the unquestionable moment of judgment!

"Final seconds, Frye Yu!!!"

"Swish!!!!!!!!"

"He's done it! He's done it! OMG! Frye Yu is Washington's savior!!!"

Collins roared and rushed onto the court, hugging Yu Fei, shouting uncontrollably: "We won! We won! We won!!"

Then came all his teammates, Yu Fei was submerged, lifted, adored, looked up to.