Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

If the second quarter was tough, the third quarter was downright oppressive.

This sense of oppression pertained to both sides; every person involved in the game felt they were facing suffocating pressure.

The Spurs were determined to make the game ugly.

Popovich's instruction to his players was, "Every round should see someone hitting the deck; if that someone is Frye, then it means we've had a great round."

If someone made a mistake on the court, the forever angry, ever-energetic, and always ready to issue a terrifying roar at his players, Popovich would let his voice be heard throughout the arena.

Former Spurs player and commentator for the Spurs' games, Sean Elliott, had an indescribable trust in Popovich: "It's hard to decide through this game whether Tim or Frye is better, but I believe everyone can see that Pop is the more influential coach! No matter who makes a mistake, Pop shows the madness we're familiar with, which is what makes the Spurs so special—Pop can coach everyone on the team. Believe me, not every coach has that kind of authority,"

After saying this, Elliott cast a meaningful glance toward George Karl in the distance.

Yu Fei was the biggest X-factor for the Bucks.

He was to the Bucks what Kidd was to the Brooklyn Nets.

Players who can bring significant changes to a team often possess a transcendent kind of power.

This is why professionals within the Spurs' circle believed the Bucks could never defeat the Spurs.

Because when Yu Fei made a mistake, the Bucks lacked the ability to correct the error.

Perhaps, Yu Fei should be thankful to Jordan.

When he debuted in D.C. with the "Anti-Mike" image, Jordan's entourage tirelessly told the world how uncoachable he was.

The rebellious nature of "Anti-Mike," the act of "upsetting the superior," represented a terrifying surplus of self-awareness; arriving at the Bucks, his undisguised hatred for Jordan and the Wizards proved he was a vengeful villain, and such a character was not likely to humbly accept guidance upon seizing power.

He was the Jordan after Jordan, and this was the sole reason for his fallout with Jordan.

Like repels like, right? Is it hard to understand?

Up to tonight, the words Yu Fei said to the Saint City reporters after winning the King of the Hill battle still echoed around the Alamo, but nobody really took them to heart.

Yu Fei missed a three-point pull-up jumper in an offensive play, and the basketball clanged off the rim and out of bounds.

Ray Allen criticized, "Do you even see anyone else? I was wide open!"

"My bad," Yu Fei didn't make excuses for himself, "I'll pass to you next round." Continue reading at empire

In the Bucks' next offensive round, Ray Allen's three-pointer also clanged off the rim.

Yu Fei didn't blame him. That was the nature of the game; fierce competition wiped out everyone's shooting touch, causing both sides' field goal percentages to be terrifyingly low.

In the third quarter, the Spurs' final play was executed by Duncan.

Duncan had already drawn three fouls against Ratner, four against Tyrone Hill, and five against Anthony Mason.

As long as he had the ball in the low post, without the Bucks' double team, they simply couldn't stop him with single coverage.

This round, Yu Fei quickly collapsed into the paint.

And Duncan, the moment the double-team formed, passed the ball out to Stephen Jackson—who thus far was 3 for 11—he took the Spurs' last shot of the third quarter.

It was a three-pointer.

"Swish!"

Who said Duncan was The Stone Buddha? When Jackson hit the three, Duncan's unwittingly thrown fist was full of passion.

61 to 64

The Spurs were leading by 3 points with 11 seconds left in the quarter.

Up until now, Duncan and Yu Fei had not rested for a second.

They both knew they were bound to play the entire game.

Yu Fei looked back and said to Ratner, "Watch for my hand signal, get ready for the pick and roll."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Ratner didn't say a word, and silently threw the ball in.

He looked at No. 21 ahead of him, then at No. 44 beside him. Whether it was playing style, position, methods, or personality, these two were the opposite of each other. Yet somehow, he found numerous similarities between Yu Fei and Duncan.

Teamwork, responsibility, calmness, reliability, a crazy competitive nature, and an on-court contribution that was almost impossible to separate in terms of superiority.

Duncan was wreaking havoc on the Bucks' interior.

And Yu Fei was similarly tearing apart the Spurs' perimeter.

To challenge Yu Fei, the Spurs' fouls on the wing had substantially increased.

At present, both Stephen Jackson and Bruce Bowen were carrying four fouls each, while Ginobili, who played less than 10 minutes, had committed three fouls against Yu Fei. David Robinson had even been fouled out four times by Yu Fei, almost unable to provide Duncan any help on the court.

Yu Fei dribbled the ball while Ratner readied himself for the screen.

Just as he approached Jackson, Yu Fei waved him away with a hand gesture.

ISO?

Ratner stopped thinking and instinctively spread out while Yu Fei, facing Jackson, executed consecutive crossovers before stepping back and releasing a buzzer-beater.

"Swish!!!"

64 to 64

Yu Fei glared fiercely at Duncan, and although he didn't talk trash, the message was clear.

Whatever you're planning to do, I'm here to match it all the way!

The forsaken genius, the respected leader, they infused this intense game with so-called watchability, bringing an epic long missed in professional basketball.

Whichever of them won in the end, it symbolized a well-deserved victory in their fated struggle.

ABC displayed the stats of both players once again.

Frye, 26 points 10 rebounds 9 assists 2 steals 4 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 46%.

Tim Duncan, 19 points 15 rebounds 7 assists 1 steal 7 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 47%.

George Karl watched the statistical display dumbfounded, as Yu Fei's performance far exceeded his expectations, but Duncan's dominance in the paint was downright terrifying.