Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 583 420: There Can Only Be One

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One should say, the efforts of The Celtics were not without results.

They should have lost by more than 20 points, but in the end, they "only" lost by 18 points.

This was the result of perseverance; this was the reward for their hard work.

Garnett finally realized during the fourth quarter that he was the most dominant inside player in this playoff series; he should be fighting for his life inside the paint rather than relying on the lottery of a ten-foot jumper.

So, he grabbed a lot of offensive rebounds, alleviating the Celtics' poor offensive performance, only it was too late.

But, at least it provided Doc Rivers with a focus for the incredibly crucial fifth game.

"Doug, so far you've faced eleven consecutive playoff road losses, and in two days, the fifth battle will be your last one on the road this season." ESPN's David Aldridge asked, "What do you think you should do to turn around the adverse road performance?"

"Good question, David." You really can discern in Rivers' interviews why he, as a tactically inept, slow-to-adapt head coach, is always praised and has a stable coaching job. "In my view, this isn't a basketball issue; it's a psychological one."

Rivers spoke at length: "You know, it's like 'The Shawshank Redemption'; we all hope to be Andy, but in the end, most of us are more like Red. We're accustomed to playing within a familiar system; in the professional basketball world, that's the difference between home and away. We're a systemic team, so we perform better at home. This should not be looked down upon; I'm proud of my players!"

Many people say that LeBron James is an anomaly among black people in social interaction. He is clean-living, focused, frugal, and has an empathetic heart, but you have to know that James can't please everyone. Not to mention having more detractors than other players, his treatment of media is actually quite criticized. Whether it's foreign media or domestic media from the United States, they all think James "has too much attitude," always being the last to accept interviews and then the quickest to leave.

But Rivers isn't like that.

He smiles at the media, maintains good relationships with every reporter, willing to spend lots of time answering their questions, and satisfies all their curiosity.

Although David Aldridge, like others, thinks The Celtics' poor away performance is a problem with the coaching staff.

But interviews with Rivers felt like a breath of fresh air.

Aldridge's negative views about Rivers disappeared; he no longer focused on The Celtics' failure to win away games and instead found Rivers' analogy to be interesting.

The Celtics, a systemic team?

Really?

However, not every media person buys into Rivers' narrative.

Bill Simmons, who supported the home team by purchasing expensive front-row tickets at Key Arena for two consecutive games, had to swallow his pride twice, and his patience with Rivers was nearly at its limit.

At the end of the game, Yu Fei's mockery nearly drove Simmons mad: "The great Celtics' glory is to be restored by a team that has eleven straight losses on the road? Is this what you call 'the team of your lifetime'? Quite admirable, I'm looking forward to the fifth game even more."

"Damn it, Frye!" Simmons shouted, "Don't get too happy too soon, The Celtics will definitely find a way to win on the road!"

Fei said sarcastically, "There are only a few games left in the season, and you're still looking for ways to win away? Cool!"

Simmons was furious; he wanted to rebut Fei, but the fact that The Celtics suffered eleven consecutive road losses was embarrassing.

For a moment, Simmons despised Rivers' coaching staff.

These incompetent people had become an obstacle to The Celtics' rise.

But he quickly dismissed the thought because Rivers' coaching staff couldn't be the problem. If they were the problem, then the trajectory of the finals would become quite weird. It meant that their coaching staff couldn't turn things around and had to rely on the subjective initiative of the players.

That was too scary.

If they didn't win the championship this year, then the sweetness of the regular season and the agony of the playoffs, all the away games that had been forced down the throats of The Celtics' fans would become a nightmare.

This cannot be allowed to happen!

Simmons decided to endure.

There was one more away game.

The Celtics still had a chance to prove that they could win on the road.

"KG, Pierce, Ray... and damn Doug, I beg of you, win the damn fifth game!"

The Celtics' away game dilemma, as propagated by the media behind Yu Fei, was becoming a cultural phenomenon.

In today's sports world, if a team struggles on the road, they are said to "suffer from The Celtics' road curse," or even worse, "be helpless on the road like The Celtics."

For a team with glorious ancestral history, aiming to revive the glory of their predecessors, this was a great disgrace.

But this disgrace brought not only anger but also pressure.

Especially after tonight, The Celtics had only one chance left to prove themselves.

The King of the Hill battle was not only about game points; it also determined what kind of team The Celtics would be.

If they won, though still unable to hide the embarrassment of the previous eleven losses, they would at least avoid becoming the first team in history to not win any away games in the finals.

If they lost, even if they clinched the championship at home, the stigma of being unable to win away would stick to them like a thorn.

This would cast long-term doubt on their championship.

So for The Celtics, in addition to the pressure of a potential clinching game, there was another layer of pressure, they couldn't afford to lose.

In contrast, the Supersonics were much more stable in spirit.

With two consecutive home wins and an even series, and The Celtics having suffered two consecutive crushing defeats, the Supersonics felt that as long as they could win on the road, they could take the championship.

That was the result of the fourth game, where the young players built up their confidence.

George Karl sensed that The Celtics would fiercely rebound in the fifth game, but the young players on his team were already mentally prepared.

That day, the Supersonics' training session was only half as long as usual.

Because there were some community events that the players had to attend.

After the training, Yu Fei once again approached Durant for a one-on-one.

Having gained confidence in the fourth game, Durant showed it in the one-on-one match by making many moves he wouldn't have dared to attempt before.

In a one-on-one game to 11, the usual Durant would get 3 to 5 points more, but today, he had scored 7.

"Not bad," Yu Fei said, "You can be more at ease."

Durant nodded, "Yes, I can."

"Another game?"

"No problem," Durant accepted.

In Durant's heart, a seed had been planted.

Last night's game made him realize that even in the Finals, he would not be a mere side character.

Even in front of Frye, he had the ability to showcase his talent.

In his wildest fantasies, the words of Nike executives suddenly echoed in his ears.

"Learn from him, catch up to him, surpass him, defeat him."

Before the playoffs started this year, the NBA Entertainment Division invited many stars to film a promo for the playoffs.

Many active superstars faced the cameras and said some blood-pumping words.

Yu Fei also took part in filming this promo.

His lines were very simple.

But everyone remembered what he said.

"There can only be one, only one can." And then, he smiled at the camera and added, without a doubt, "That's me."

The lines were pre-arranged and were a publicity stunt specially arranged by the League, with only Yu Fei being permitted to deliver them, and nobody thought it odd when he did.

Before the Finals began, Durant was merely watching from a distance.

But after last night, a bold idea, a wild thought suddenly sprung up.

"If there can only be one at the top, it could be Frye, Kobe, or even LeBron." Durant was thinking this as he was defeated by Yu Fei 11 to 6 in their second one-on-one game, looking at the ball that had stopped rolling, "Why can't it be me?"

The fifth game between the Supersonics and The Celtics would take place on June 15th, on a Sunday.

It was already a holiday, and apart from a few institutions like hospitals, the vast majority of companies and stores in Seattle announced a day off for this day.

Bars had already begun advertising.

Posters of the Supersonics were plastered all over the streets and alleys.

For a long time, the Mariners and the Seahawks had been the most popular sports clubs locally, but now the Supersonics had become the leader, because of the magic of their stars.

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

When Yu Fei represented the Supersonics at an event in the city center, tens of thousands of people gathered.

They chanted the slogan that had made Yu Fei decide to return.

"Save our Supersonics!"

The Supersonics were no longer in need of saving now, but the slogan remained unchanged.

It was like an established tradition.

The entire city screamed with excitement, anticipating the fifth game, and even more so, the ultimate championship.

A day later, on the day of the fifth game of the Finals, The Seattle Times headline read, "Seattle, Seattle, forever Seattle, Frye tells us we don't have to wait anymore. What was once a wish has now come infinitely close to reality. If you're from Seattle, you must watch this game, because you may only get one chance in a lifetime to witness The Chosen One save our team so closely. Get ready to fight, Seattle!"