Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1139 - 629: Unique and Peerless
Chapter 1139 -629: Unique and Peerless
Chapter 629: One of a Kind
After the holiday, the NBA season remains busy.
They still have one-third of the regular season to play, along with an upcoming trade deadline that cannot be ignored.
Everyone is saying that Miami will surely make a move, as they aim to disrupt the Clippers’ dynasty.
However, the Clippers drastically underperformed after returning from the break.
In their first game post-All-Star Weekend against the Timberwolves, what should have been a comprehensive victory turned chaotic due to Westbrook’s reckless shooting style.
The Los Angeles Times bluntly commented, “Klay Thompson played like a lion who had just mated with five lionesses, utterly lifeless!”
Thompson is a miraculous shooter, but even the most miraculous shooters share the flaw of appearing useless if they can’t make their shots.
Antetokounmpo was in good form, but he ended up being dragged into Westbrook’s chaotic pace, causing trouble for Jokić.
Yu Fei performed as expected; against the Timberwolves, simply playing normally would have secured a win, but tonight, his teammates were off their game.
As for Westbrook on the opposing team, he was far above his “average level.”
Remember, he’s currently averaging 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists per game; tonight, he exploded with 49 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists, like a legendary superstar from ancient times.
The Clippers unexpectedly lost to the Timberwolves.
This defeat was insignificant for the Clippers but had a profound impact on the Timberwolves.
At this moment, they surpassed the Utah Jazz, climbing to the eighth position in the Western rankings.
Unfortunately, Westbrook still lacks the reputation for MVP.
An average triple-double is a mythic achievement, but with Yu Fei’s spectacular performance in the past, where he led the league and secured the championship while averaging a triple-double, Westbrook must match or exceed Yu Fei’s performance from that year to claim MVP.
Even if he can’t be compared to Yu Fei back then, the minimum standard is to lead his team to the top four in the Western Conference.
Unfortunately, Yu Fei has set a high benchmark.
However, the Clippers are not happy.
“Too long a rest? Our core players all participated in the All-Star Weekend? That’s no excuse for losing.”
Doc Rivers said, “The only thing I can tell you is, someone is going to be in big trouble tomorrow!”
At the next day’s practice, Yao Ming arrived early and specifically said to Jokić, “Have fun, Nikola!”
Jokić smiled; of course, having fun is most important.
Later, Jokić realized Rivers pinned the main responsibility for the loss on him and Thompson.
Indeed, with Thompson’s misses from the perimeter and Jokić losing his rhythm the entire game, these were the main reasons for the Clippers’ defeat.
When Rivers demanded that Jokić abstain from carbonated drinks for a month due to this loss, the Serbian ‘Young OG’⑴ was unhappy.
⑴ A renowned work by the Canadian Electric Eel.
“It wasn’t just my fault, Giannis is also to blame!”
Then, Jokić logically explained how the Greek’s chaotic game pace threw him off, making him lose his rhythm all night.
Of course, Giannis wouldn’t accept this accusation and immediately demanded that Jokić, a third-year rookie, shut up as a fourth-year veteran. He scored 22 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and had 7 assists; he saw no reason to be blamed.
“We are a team,” Yu Fei intervened to defuse the situation. “Everyone lost, and a few individuals performed especially poorly; we need to change that.”
“GOAT, but he’s blaming his poor performance on me!” Antetokounmpo exclaimed, “It wasn’t me who caused his errors, nor was it me who made him take those bad shots, he can’t put all that blame on me!”
Yu Fei looked at Jokić: “You have to admit, he makes a good point.”
“However, the pacing last night was indeed off,” Yu Fei continued, “Nikola, if you didn’t like last night’s rhythm, from today onwards, you control our game pace.”
“As long as you’re on the court, you will be the first to lead the play. Any problem with that?”
While Antetokounmpo and Rivers were still pondering the implications of Yu Fei’s proposal, Jokić immediately agreed.
“No problem!”
After observing for more than half the season, Yu Fei believed that Jokić was now capable of supporting the team’s system.
In his previous life, Jokić was a unique, historically unparalleled big five because he could progress the ball like a guard, swiftly directing the frontcourt offense. Some said he was the best passing center in history, but that was too modest for other centers, as Jokić could indeed compete for the title of “the best passing player in history.”
The third-year Jokić might still be somewhat immature, but the sooner he took control of the core ball rights, the sooner he would grow into his full potential.
Only after the matter was settled did Antetokounmpo realize what had transpired.
They were supposed to discuss issues with Jokić, but instead, they ended up granting him the most control over the ball in the whole team?
With these arrangements, not only would Yu Fei have to alter his playing style, but so would Antetokounmpo. As long as Jokić was on the court, everyone had to follow his rhythm.
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This was like establishing the core for the future.
GOAT hadn’t consulted with the coaching staff.
Rivers tacitly approved the arrangement.
