Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

The duel had already begun, and Jordan had no escape.

"Give me the ball!" Jordan said to Cassell.

Cassell watched Jordan closely, and when he saw the old His Airness back down Fei outside the left side of the front court's paint, he felt uncertain.

Even if Jordan's back-down game was good, could he really move Yu Fei, who had clear advantages in height and weight?

Cassell passed the ball.

Jordan didn't let that question linger long. Pivoting on his left foot, he took a step to the right with his right foot, then jumped, as if he was back in his prime, facing off against Fei's defense and forcefully elevating the trajectory of his shot.

"Swish!"

"Mike has responded to Frye!"

"That's what we want to see!"

"Michael is still Michael!"

Sprewell looked at Fei teasingly, "You wouldn't pass the ball again, would you?"

"Shut up, Sprewell!" Fei said after passing the ball, "You just need to pass me the ball and then get the hell out of the way!"

As Fei said, Sprewell took the ball up front, passed it, and then moved aside, not enough on his own but also directing others to spread out.

"You're too confident." Jordan tried to disrupt Fei with trash talk, "Without me you're nothing..."

Before he could finish, Fei dribbled the ball between his legs continuously, changing directions back and forth like an invisible nail, firmly pinning Jordan's center of gravity in place. In just a few seconds, Fei made a lateral move, and to everyone's surprise, Jordan couldn't budge.

After freezing Jordan's defense in place, Fei created space and shot directly.

"Swish!"

It was a perfect response shot.

"Without you, I'm one of the best in the League now." Fei continued his trash-talking right in front of Jordan, who remained at the front court, "Without you, my team ranks first in the League."

"You know what? The professional basketball world would be better off without you."

Fei's worst habit was to mock and taunt after gaining an edge, a behavior not many could withstand.

Even a formidable god like Jordan was shaken, to the point of fiercely pushing Fei away.

Seeing that there might be a conflict brewing, Referee Joe Forte stepped in to control the situation.

Although the game was momentarily interrupted, Forte didn't call fouls on either Jordan or Fei.

The Wizards resumed the game.

After the recent clash, Jordan's rhythm had clearly been thrown off.

He backed down again, but Fei, having learned from the previous lesson, no longer allowed him an easy jump shot.

A year ago, when Fei was blasted by McGrady in the low post, how did Jordan teach him?

Idiot, when defending the post, focus on the lower body.

Fei showed he had learned.

Jordan turned to the right first, a feint to no effect. Then he dribbled to the left, only to take one step, gather the ball and try a turnaround fadeaway that was the opposite direction of the prior move. However, Fei firmly stood his ground, denying Jordan the space he needed to jump, trapping him in place.

The experienced Jordan opted to crash forward into Fei's body, attempting to create a shooting opportunity.

But Fei was immovable, standing firm in front of him. At this point, Jordan's offensive opportunity had been entirely snuffed out. He faked left and right, finally managing a weak shot that Fei easily blocked.

Fei sent the ball out of bounds, leaving the Wizards with barely three seconds left on their shot clock.

"That's why you guys have two All-Stars but can't make it to the playoffs!" Fei continued to jeer, "The Wizards would be better off without you!"

When players of old lose their edge on the court, they usually respond with their past glories, but Jordan had already attempted that tactic.

It only invited more intense humiliation from Fei.

Now, Fei having the upper hand, continued to use so-called facts to unsettle Jordan's mind, rendering him speechless.

All he had left was a proud heart and a mouth as hard as steel.

Doug Collins had never seen such a powerless Jordan.

He couldn't produce any trash talk, unable to retaliate against a disrespectful opponent, no longer the man whom no one dared to provoke.

People feared his glory, but Fei cruelly proved that past honors were nothing but flimsy illusions in the present.

Professional sports are like this, if you're no longer up to snuff, that's it, with no chance for a comeback.

After the Wizards' inbounds pass, they launched a quick offense but missed.

Fei anticipated the rebound's path, leapt up and grabbed it.

Normally, he would accelerate and push the pace, but today, he advanced across the half-court slowly, as if just dribbling normally.

His teammates didn't say a word, conscientiously spreading out to the side.

George Karl didn't like the idea of a star hogging the ball, but he knew the NBA needed stars who could play one-on-one. He had never won a championship because his team never had someone who could play unlimited one-on-one like Fei.

He was concerned that Fei might waste other talents by indulging in one-on-one play, but after a season, he felt that Fei wasn't the kind of player to be easily swayed by media narratives about "true superstars scoring 30-40-50 points per game."

If that's the case, what's the harm in Fei being capricious now and then?

The Wizards were different, Jordan was different.

After crossing half-court, Fei suddenly sped up, and Jordan was racked with indecision.

Suddenly, Fei came to a halt beyond the three-point line. Without waiting for Jordan to react, he lifted the ball and shot.

His height, coupled with his arm reach, remarkable release speed, and leaping ability, made it impossible for Jordan to interfere. Experience new stories with empire

"Swish!"

Kwame Brown almost jumped up to cheer for Fei.

He really almost did, but then he remembered how it would look if he openly rooted for the opponent, and he just managed to restrain himself.