Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

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In mid-October, after training camp ended, the Bucks went nonstop to Las Vegas for several preseason games.

Preseason games are inconsequential, but the Bucks still achieved an undefeated record.

Yu Fei started every game but only played for less than 20 minutes each.

For the Bucks, he was the player who didn't need to be tested through preseason games.

What was Yu Fei's only problem? George Karl said, "Sometimes his ego will make him hold on to the ball, I've told him that he needs to let the ball move, he needs to get his teammates involved."

"And what did he say?"

Karl rolled his eyes, "He said, 'How can I get my teammates involved if I don't control the ball'?"

"Is the disagreement between you two serious?"

"Not at all," Karl laughed. "Frye is an interesting guy!"

After the preseason ended, the Bucks returned home to rest for two days.

Then, until October 30, they flew to Philadelphia where their first regular-season game took off.

Philadelphia was a good place for Yu Fei.

Because Iverson helped Yu Fei promote his sneakers a few times under Reebok's arrangements, not only Philadelphia but the entire Pennsylvania was one of the best-selling markets for "The Chosen One" series.

Every time he played in Philadelphia, Yu Fei took it very seriously.

It's just that lately, Iverson has been having a tough time.

Since last year's "We're talking about practice?" incident, Iverson's standing, which peaked when he led his team to the finals only to be swept by the Lakers, began to slide. First, there was the continued drama with Larry Brown, followed by negative news off the court, and the "assault incident" during the off-season made him a literal pariah.
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Yu Fei could see that even Reebok was troubled by Iverson.

This time in Philadelphia, they didn't even call Iverson to help Yu Fei boost the morale.

After a year of experience, Yu Fei handled such matters with ease.

After the event, while Yu Fei was signing an autograph for a young girl, he heard her say, "Fulai, I really like you, can we request a trade?"

Yu Fei skillfully signed his name and asked with a smile, "What kind of trade?"

"Can we trade Keith Van Horn for you?"

"That's a bit difficult," he replied.

Hearing this, the young girl bit her lower lip with difficulty, as if she had made up her mind, "Then can we trade AI for you?"

Look at what you've done, Iverson, even little girls don't want to see you in a 76ers jersey anymore!

"You'll have to grow up fast, and once you're grown up, you can make that trade," Yu Fei said.

Yu Fei's affability was impressive.

Off the court, Yu Fei didn't seem as overbearing as the legends suggest.

This convinced the Reebok staff that as long as his basketball career progressed further, replacing the precarious Iverson and becoming Reebok's top basketball athlete was by no means a difficult task.

As soon as the Reebok event ended, Yu Fei went to see LeBron James. In addition to game tickets, he also gave James several Bucks jerseys.

"This is awesome, Frye! I love this!"

"Glad you like it!"

After chatting for a while, the busy Yu Fei took Reebok's car to the 76ers' arena.

Here, Yu Fei met Ray Allen and Devean George.

It felt great to see that there were two people in the team who worked harder than himself.

After a brief practice, the time for the pre-game warmup was nearing, and players from both teams gradually arrived at the venue.

Twenty minutes before the game started, all the Bucks players returned to the locker room.

Seeing stains on his locker, Ray Allen angrily opened it, so he wouldn't have to keep looking at the stains.

This is another trait not commonly found in NBA players on Ray-ray: a penchant for cleanliness.

Travis Knight, who came to the Milwaukee Bucks with Sprewell, used to be Ray Allen's college teammate at the University of Connecticut. Speaking of Allen's cleanliness, he shared a story: Knight and Allen were participating in a college sports event, sharing a dorm, and Knight would always leave his used bowls on the table without washing them. Annoyed, Allen warned him that if he didn't start washing them, he would put those bowls on his bed.

One day, when Knight returned to the dorm with his girlfriend, hoping to have a good time, he found his unwashed bowls all over the bed.

"That's a bit much, didn't you hit him?" Sprewell asked.

Knight said, "No, from then on I washed the dishes every day."

Yu Fei listened to their gossip without a word, quietly tying his shoelaces, waiting for Karl to come in and give a pep talk.

Ten minutes before the opening, Karl entered the locker room, as per routine: "This is our first game of the new season, and I want to win, not just for myself, but for all of you. You should know how the outside world has been looking down on us recently."

Those words plunged the Bucks players into a brief reverie.

The Bucks were the least favored team.

Because:

Yu Fei = Nothing without Jordan, grossly overrated

Mason and Sprewell = Past their prime

Joel Przybilla and Dan Gadzuric = Unable to bear the weight

Devean George = A deserter from a dynasty team

Michael Redd = "If a team hesitates to shell out a $3 million salary for you, you know that you're absolutely unreliable"

George Karl = America's team villain, John Thompson's close friend, the most overrated coach

The only variable was Ray Allen. ESPN's Bill Simmons said he has been in the league since 1996, for six years; if he couldn't evolve in six years, he would never evolve. An all-star with deadly accuracy, stellar defense, and occasional dominance averaging 20 points a game couldn't change the Bucks' plight. If that's all he could offer, at most the Bucks could make a one-round show in the playoffs.

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