Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Looking at the roster, the Pacers aren't lacking in people to match up against Yu Fei.

However, there's one problem they all share—none of them is good at defense.

Jalen Rose, who has a beef with Isiah Thomas but is still helpless against Yu Fei, happens to be their best defender.

Al Harrington shines on offense as a versatile wing, a role that has one of the highest turnover rates in the NBA, yet his offense has allowed him to find his niche in the league.

Harrington can use his size to overpower small forwards or his speed to beat power forwards, but neither advantage works against Yu Fei.

With a body tough enough to hold his ground in the post against Harrington and speed that surpasses his, Harrington was at a loss, neither able to score on offense nor to guard on defense. It was this matchup that helped the Wizards gain an edge, and in the ninth minute of the first quarter, an energized Yu Fei suddenly pulled up for a three-pointer right in front of Harrington.

With his mind gone blank from being outplayed, Harrington instinctively reached out his hand, only to hit Yu Fei's arm.

"Whistle!"

Remember how Sakuragi retaliated for his Shohoku teammates by knocking down Iron Man? The force of Harrington's slap was akin to how Sakuragi gently touched Iron Man's face for the sake of Rukawa Kaede, practically without any effect.

With no real impact, Yu Fei's shot depended entirely on his own touch.

Given his condition tonight, there was no way this shot was going to miss.

"Swish!!!"

The buzzing Conseco Fieldhouse quieted down for a moment—Isiah Thomas wanted to loudly question what Harrington was doing but knew that if a player genuinely couldn't guard an opponent on the floor, pressure from the coaching staff would only lead to their collapse.

"D.C. had a reason for not trading Frye; he's too good!"

"If Frye could have been playing these past two weeks, maybe D.C. could have won more games."

"I think Coach Collins should seriously consider letting Frye play at point guard, he would free Rip from the bench."

The NBC commentators rambled on.

After completing a four-point play, Yu Fei was subbed out by Collins for a rest.

14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks—that was the stat line Yu Fei had racked up in just 9 minutes, proving he could do everything, everywhere, single-handedly dominating the Pacers and giving the Wizards a 24-15 lead over the hosts.

Keep in mind, the last time these two teams met, the Wizards didn't stand a chance.

The only thing Yu Fei couldn't understand was, "Why is the old man still on the court?"

Jordan should have needed the rest even more than him.

Jordan didn't play well in the first quarter, and now after nine straight minutes, Collins just wouldn't sub him out.

Collins' expression gave the answer away to Yu Fei.

If something is happening on the court that most people think should be happening, but Collins, who should have a keen eye for detail, is acting completely contrary, then there's only one reason: he's doing what Jordan wants.

Jordan doesn't want to come off the court; it's as simple as that.

"Push a little harder, and you might set a new career-high tonight," Whitney said from the bench, sensing Yu Fei's fiery condition.

Not playing for half a month had really frustrated him, and he was ready to let it all out in this game.

"That's not important," Yu Fei said, "Winning is the top priority."

Then, Kwame Brown was also subbed out.

The Wizards taking the lead in the first quarter was partly due to Yu Fei's excellent performance on both ends, and the other part was Brown making Jermaine O'Neal feel uncomfortable.

Jermaine O'Neal had come into the game ready to dominate the paint, but Collins' deft substitutions disrupted his rhythm.

These few minutes made Brown realize that while he might not be able to do much on offense in the NBA, his defense was still very valuable.

"Who can contain Jermaine like I do?" Brown said proudly.

"Well, since you've successfully defended Jermaine O'Neal, it's time to try challenging another O'Neal," Yu Fei said amicably, "When we play against the Lakers, I'll definitely suggest the coach let you match up with Shaq."

"Then you're asking me to die. I'm doing it voluntarily!"

The two youngest players on the Wizards were chattering away about things unrelated to the game, while out on the court, Jordan's old adversary was settling old scores.

This was the weakest Jordan Miller had ever seen.

Now Jordan looked old, his movements stiff, unable to run fast or jump high, and he even struggled with off-ball defense.

Miller took advantage of the gaps, using screens from teammates to find open shots, hitting a three-pointer.

"You're washed up, Michael, slow like a turtle!" Miller taunted with a laugh.

Jordan pursed his lips, appearing very angry, but Yu Fei didn't know how he could respond to Miller.

From a health standpoint, Jordan already had all the makings of developing chronic tendinitis, an injury that surfaced during the offseason and persisted into the season, with everything he did exacerbating the condition.

Hasn't anyone told him that going on like this would eventually be too much for his body to handle?

Yu Fei believed people told him every day.

But the stubborn old man just wouldn't rest; Yu Fei didn't know why before, but now he did.

Now that he had entered the starting lineup and successfully gained ball control, Yu Fei understood what Jordan was worried about.

He was just afraid of Yu Fei taking over his place on the team.

He feared that once he made his comeback from injury, the Wizards would no longer be his team.