Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

They decided to shut up before the third game arrived.

Before that, the only good news was that Karl Malone, who had completely disappeared from the Finals due to a knee injury, decided not to go to the hospital for examination. He was called a true warrior, but Mr. Warrior just said he wouldn't get checked, not that he would continue to play.

Even greater rifts were growing within the Lakers.

Reviewing the second game revealed to the players that Shaquille O'Neal had become Yu Fei's cash cow; whenever the offense stalled, they would call a pick and roll at post 1-5 by name.

Those embarrassing targeted plays made O'Neal look so clumsy.

It reminded some of the Lakers veterans of 1996 when O'Neal had first arrived—back then he was so agile, slim, and full of athleticism. Now what? He seemed a bit overweight, slow in his movements, lax on defense, shamelessly humiliated by Yu Fei without even realizing it—as he dared to interrupt the video analysis meeting, accusing others of not helping him defend.

"How much are you guys expecting me to do? I can't possibly give 100% on offense and defense!" O'Neal roared, "I just want to win the upcoming games, I don't want to see this crap anymore!"

Kobe said sarcastically, "The game video exposed your incapability against Frye's offense, so you don't want to watch it, is that it?"

"Fuck you, you're not qualified to teach me how to play basketball!" O'Neal shouted back, full of hatred.

The two of them were almost unable to stay in the same room. O'Neal left the video analysis room, while Kobe, with resentment, said: "He is just overrated! He's Frye's fucking slave! This bitch, I can't stand him anymore!"

The Lakers' nightmare continued.

June 10th

The Bucks were about to take a charter flight to Los Angeles.

Before the plane took off, Yu Fei made a call to Paris Hilton in front of his teammates, "Hey, Paris, if we win the championship in Los Angeles, what do you think I should do to celebrate this championship with a grand party?"

The videotape princess said excitedly: "If it were me, I would invite all the stars of Hollywood to my party!"

"I like your idea, although I don't know that many stars, but I will reward myself with a grand party!"

Afterwards, Yu Fei hung up the phone, facing his teammates' surprised expressions, said, "Am I the only one who thinks we can sweep the Lakers in Los Angeles?"

The atmosphere on the plane suddenly became much livelier. Although sweeping the Lakers' Fab Four sounded somewhat surreal, what if they actually did it? It would be a stinging slap in the face for those self-proclaimed basketball experts.

That night, the game was scheduled to start at 8:30 PM. Find adventures on My Virtual Library Empire

Yu Fei arrived an hour early.

By now, he was all too familiar with the Staples Center, and there was no need to spend as much time getting acquainted with the away venue as he did in his rookie season.

There was only one reason for arriving so early: the NBA Entertainment Division had decided to shoot a short film called "Legacy Passing" featuring Yu Fei and James.

The meaning of this short film was that Yu Fei was dominating the NBA, and James was the next to do so.

Being so close in age, it was only a matter of time before they would dominate the NBA.

So, would they bring another legendary rivalry to the world like Magic Bird in the 80s?

James was quite willing to talk about the future because that's all he had at the moment.

Yu Fei seemed distracted, as he didn't need to think about the future.

Last season's championship had already set him apart from his peers in age, and if he won again this year, his compatriots would no longer be the recent entrants to the League, but rather those who needed to consider their historical status.

Although Yu Fei wasn't fully engaged, the episode was a huge success.

NBA fans loved the concept of the "21st-century version of the Magic Bird confrontation."

Then came the vital third game of the Finals.

The Lakers, already trailing 0-2, had no way out, even though fans were still confident in them.

Tonight, Hollywood celebrities converged in the VIP area of the Staples Center.

The reason they liked the Lakers team was that the Lakers were strong and always managed to win, and as celebrities, it's normal to support the side that's bound to emerge victorious.

Trailing 0-2? That was just the Lakers being careless, in addition to being on the receiving end of a biased refereeing on the road—the Bucks had 66 free throws to the Lakers' 40 on home court.

Coming to the away game, things should get back on track.

However, events did not unfold as they expected.

For some reason, the Lakers abandoned the Triangle Offense right from the start tonight.

They didn't pass the ball, didn't run tactics, and apart from a staggering Karl Malone, whoever got the ball simply went for an iso.

This was most evident with Gary Payton.

He had been complaining all season about how he didn't fit with the Triangle Offense.

Phil Jackson had foreseen this. While Payton might still have all-star capabilities, he never fit the Triangle Offense. Once that discomfort intensified, conflicts would surface.

A lot of dribbling, a lot of missed shots—the Lakers were on course for a home blowout.

By the end of the first half, the Bucks were on fire, leading the Lakers by 16 with a score of 60 to 44.

It was later reported that the Lakers had called a limited attendance internal meeting at halftime.

Rick Fox, Fisher, Kobe, O'Neal, and Jackson had a ten-minute conversation in the locker room.

Fox painfully questioned why the team didn't stick to the Triangle Offense which had brought them three consecutive championships. Then Kobe promised he would pass the ball to O'Neal, while O'Neal said he would break through the Bucks' zone.