Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 581 418 Ineffable

Yu Fei wanted to exploit Red's mismatch, but that was not easy.

Because avoiding Yu Fei's mismatch was part of The Celtics' game plan. As long as Yu Fei called for a pick-and-roll, Red would not switch or help on defense; the only person he needed to keep an eye on was Roy. If Roy went to set a screen for Yu Fei, he would double-team Yu Fei if necessary, but he would not switch.

This meant that Yu Fei could not target Red right away.

Meanwhile, The Celtics' offense showed signs of revival under Cassell's control. Cassell, unlike the young Rondo, was well aware that even though the team had an advantage in the paint, the offense would struggle if every player wasn't firing on all cylinders.

However, what The Celtics didn't expect was that their most reliable player in the paint began to have issues.

Bill Simmons, in his annual column "Who's the MVP," chose Kevin Garnett as the MVP of the season. But in reality, Garnett didn't even make the top three for MVP. Yet, this didn't affect Simmons' viewpoint at all.

Simmons said Garnett "played every preseason game as if it was Game 7 of the finals," which was both praise and somewhat a criticism of Garnett.

A person who only knows showiness but not restraint can be explosive when things don't go his way.

Yu Fei's recent remark about The Celtics' away game losing streak severely struck a nerve with the Celtic warriors, and as the biggest on-paper advantage for the Celtics, Garnett wanted to dominate the paint.

But right off the bat, Marion's tough defense caused him to lose his shooting touch, and though he wasn't shooting poorly close to the basket, the effort was too consuming.

What Garnett didn't expect was the Supersonics' weaker frontcourt to initiate the attack on him.

Yu Fei, holding the ball up high to draw the defense, suddenly lateraled the ball to Kwame Brown. Brown attacked the rim, drawing Garnett's foul.

"That's the way to play!" Yu Fei shouted, cheering on his good brother.

Brown really was brimming with confidence, his sexy little hands clenched into fists, pounding his chest as fiercely as Garnett with the words, "You can't stop me."

Garnett was furious. If Big Fei had said something like that, maybe that would've been fine, but Kwame Brown? Based on what?

There was no second player in the League who played the way Garnett did; he wasn't just treating preseason games like the final game of the finals. Even when sitting out during garbage time, he would excitedly cheer on his teammates from the sidelines as if it were a tense game. In this respect, Garnett truly fit the culture of the Celtics, but that same unstoppable energy could become a destabilizing force when his performance was off.

He angrily confronted Brown, backing him down, but the result was ironic.

He looked so furious, his face, which read "I'm the world's number one tough guy," instilled infinite confidence in his teammates, and the on-site Bill Simmons expected him to break open the Supersonics' defense. Then the ball was passed to him.

He should've understood that if he wanted to shatter the opponent's confidence with overwhelming force, he needed to charge at the basket, but his choice was to resist briefly and then go for a turn-around jump shot.

"Dammit, no! KG, don't shoot!"

Simmons cried out.

Garnett's shot missed, but the rebound fell to David Lee, who completed the second-chance offense.

Garnett's energy started to become negative, as he was dissatisfied with his performance and wanted to turn things around. So, he put even more effort into defense, which in turn increased his risk of fouling.

Unable to find Red to settle the score, Yu Fei continued to provoke The Celtics' defense. He quickly initiated an attack from the top of the key and then passed to Marion in the paint.

Marion charged in, bumping into Garnett, and the referee's whistle blew. This was Garnett's second foul within a few minutes.

With just over half of the first quarter gone, Garnett's foul trouble meant The Celtics had to take him out of the game.

"Kevin!" Rivers clapped Garnett on the shoulder, pumping him full of encouragement, "Never doubt yourself!"

Garnett gritted his teeth, nodding forcefully.

But even so, the score on the court had already reached 22 to 9.

The Supersonics were more dominant than in the last game.

The Celtics' performance was only deepening their image as a team that couldn't play away games.

The heroic Garnett at home court seemed to have no impact on Fei in the first away game, and in the second game, he couldn't even make a dent inside.

The Celtics subbed in Kendrick Perkins for Garnett, and the intensity in the frontcourt dropped sharply, leaving The Celtics to rely on their perimeter players.

Pierce, under Yu Fei's defense, turned with difficulty, straightened his back, and scored off the backboard from an unbalanced position.

He felt very frustrated because Yu Fei was a player who didn't like to jump to defend. He was hardly ever fooled and had advantages in height, wingspan, and physicality. To score over him, he had to use his body to block Fei and then look for opportunities to attack the basket; otherwise, even if he successfully shook off his opponent, he might still be blocked.

"Is this how you're going to make me eat my words?"

Shortly after Pierce made that basket, Yu Fei brought the ball up aggressively. A fierce crossover shook Pierce, and he charged into the paint, dunking viciously over Perkins' head and drawing a foul in the process.

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

This was a disadvantage familiar to the Bostonians watching on television.

Back in the Eastern Conference, The Celtics didn't play well away from home.

Whether it was the first round against the Hawks or the semi-finals against the Magic, as soon as they played away, they seemed to be possessed, with far less fighting spirit, strength, and desire than when they were at home.

This was a test for the coaching staff.

Unfortunately, The Celtics' head coach was Rivers.

The Celtics' defense had Thibodeau, a detail-oriented coach, and the offense had outstanding point guards like Rondo and Cassell to guide a group of veterans. Usually, all Rivers had to do was keep them mentally stable to be successful.

But the playoffs had too many unpredictable factors.

Especially tonight, with Garnett self-destructing first, Pierce being firmly suppressed by Yu Fei, Red looking in form but not getting the ball on offense, and still avoiding Yu Fei on defense.

They were a whole lot weaker in terms of momentum.

After the first quarter finished, the Supersonics led the Celtics 35 to 21.

"We need to level our mindsets and continue the fight!" Rivers shouted during the break between quarters, "You are all seasoned veterans, you have more experience than the Supersonics, forget about the first quarter, think about how we play at home!"

In the end, he looked at Garnett, the team's strongest player had to rally: "KG, you know I'll always stand by you!"

If the opponent were someone else, George Karl might worry about The Celtics suddenly changing tactics, such as letting Cassell take the lead, pairing him with three shooters, and then having Garnett play center.

This would be completely in line with the three-point trend that the Bucks had stirred up within the league.

But the opponent was The Celtics, and their head coach was Rivers, a man whom Karl had looked down on since his debut, clearly showing weaknesses that resulted from never having received any formal coaching training.

His judgment of the situation was flawed, his grasp on details was inadequate, and even with a comprehensive roster depth, he lacked the boldness to make significant adjustments during the game.

In Karl's eyes, Rivers didn't have the qualities of a professional coach, but he was a great motivator, able to inspire players to give their all with just a few words, but if you wanted him to solve a problem, all he could do was "I stand with you".

Therefore, Karl's determination was not only to win his three home games, but most importantly, to complete the internal psychological construction on home ground. The young players had to grow over the course of a few games, recognizing not only that they were playing in the finals but also believing that they could make an impact in the finals.

Not to be Frye's followers, but to be his aid, this was something they must understand.

And home was the best place to awaken this awareness.

But to make them realize, they still needed Yu Fei's guidance.

Karl looked at Yu Fei and asked, "Do you need to rest?"

"KG is coming back, I can't rest," Yu Fei said. "Besides, the lead isn't big enough."

Karl nodded, so the Supersonics' lineup at the start of the second quarter became clear: Yu Fei, Durant, Childress, Posey, and Brown.

A lineup of three veterans and two rookies.

The Celtics were much steadier, with Garnett returning, Red continuing to play, and the other three positions taken by Rondo, Matt Barnes, and PJ Brown.

Yu Fei was playing point guard in this lineup, but The Celtics couldn't possibly let Rondo match up with him.

Barnes came to the top of the arc, spreading his arms, but Yu Fei wasn't interested in him and directly called for a pick and roll with Durant.

Durant's low shooting percentage in the finals made Red think this was an opportunity to double-team Yu Fei.

He and Barnes silently coordinated, suddenly stepping forward, intent on stopping Yu Fei in his tracks.

Instead, Yu Fei decisively passed the ball.

Durant took the open shot and scored.

The current Durant had no psychological burden; the team was significantly ahead, and Yu Fei had attracted the defensive pressure, this was his ideal comfort zone.

And Yu Fei didn't forget to mock Red, "Why do you ignore our rookie like an asshole? Don't you know he was last year's top draft pick?"

"So what?" Red retorted coldly.

"It might not matter now," Yu Fei said, never once looking at Durant, but his words sent a thrill through the latter, "But in a few years, you might not even be qualified to stand in front of him."

The lead had reached 16 points, a gap that The Celtics' coaching staff couldn't ignore.

Then, Rondo aggressively attacked Childress's defense, according to tactical habit, passing the ball to the outside.

Normally, Red would be in that position.

But suddenly, Rondo's eyes widened as he saw a long arm inexplicably block the passing lane.

Instantly, the ball was in the hands of the opponent.

"Nice pass!"

Yu Fei left a sarcastic remark and surged forward at full speed.

Red sprang up in pursuit, intending to intercept Yu Fei midway; he had forgotten the physical disparity between them. Although his speed was decent, his body couldn't withstand a collision.

Remembering the humiliation he'd suffered from Yu Fei, and the words Yu Fei had pointedly said about Durant, he was livid with rage.

Red's glass heart shattered, and he felt the urge to kill this arsonist of fragile egos.

But as Red got in Yu Fei's way, it was also when his defense was shattered. Yu Fei, swift as the wind, stepped into his defensive position, and in the blink of an eye, the inertia of his elbow and the natural impact of his body forced Red aside. He felt an unbearable sharp pain that took his breath away, and soon lost his ability to defend. It wasn't long before he heard the screeching sound of a dunk.

"!#@￥@#!%￥"

Key Arena became incredibly noisy, and an 18-point lead threw The Celtics' coaching staff into complete turmoil; their only option was to call a timeout.

Red struggled to his feet, still in acute pain from where he'd been hit.

"I suddenly feel like trading you away was an incredibly right decision." When Red decided to be Yu Fei's enemy, Yu Fei cast aside any past affection. "So maybe I should thank you, because with your departure, we secured four championships in five years."

Red retorted angrily, "Shut up, I have nothing to do with that!"

"No, no, you must play your role well." Yu Fei walked past Red, "Whether I can win five championships in six years depends on you, Michael."

Michael Redd had a good name.

Every time Yu Fei called him Michael, his hostility towards Redd increased by a notch.

It was truly delightful.