The closer some people get to the end, the more they can't see themselves.

After the All-Star break, Jordan flew overnight to his home in Chicago and threw a party to celebrate his upcoming 40th birthday.

At the party, a middle-aged white tycoon named Donald asked Jordan, "Michael, why do you have to make a comeback?" What a perfect ending in 1998 and you already have the best way to end it. ”

It's Jordan's way of proving that he's old: "My body may be 40 years old, but I'm young except for my body. ”

Jordan forgot that for most of the time in basketball, the body is dominant, especially for a superstar who has generated tens of billions of dollars in profits for leagues and companies that have played for him under the name of the Flyers for more than a decade.

Then, the Wizards began to move towards self-destruction.

The first four games after the All-Star break were all on the road, with the Wizards winning just one of them, and during that time, Jordan shot a monstrous 31 percent from the field.

Sam Cassel complained: "We have a lot of good young players and should be running and playing. ”

Collins refused: "We need to find a way to help Michael's game, and that's the worst option. ”

Then came complaints from champion Kwame Brown that further created chaos in the team.

In the game against the Trail Blazers, Brown was substituted for throwing a couple of balls that Collins didn't think were in his range and didn't get back on that night.

A disgruntled Brown told reporters directly: "If it was Michael, he wouldn't have been replaced for a shot like that." ”

This seems to have made Collins furious, and Brown's performance proves that he has been completely infected by Yu Fei and has become rebellious, unwilling to obey and accept guidance.

However, if you want to be like Yu Fei, you must have the most crucial thing - strength.

"Young people must learn to obey!" Collins emphasized.

When he said this, the words that Yu Fei had told him before he left flashed in his mind - be kind to Kwamei.

Collins believes he lived up to Fly, and what he's doing now is what's best for Brown.

Unless it's a young player like Yu Fei who proves himself as soon as he comes and quickly gains privileges, a newcomer like Brown who wants to go bankrupt needs to understand that it's not that he can do what he wants, but that he can do what the team needs him to do.

If he wants to stay in the league for a long time, this would be a position that suits him best.

The stubborn Collins, the Collins who has lost his will, the Collins who has no control at all, such a Collins will of course ignore Brown's wail.

Brown's resentment lies in the team's treatment of the double standard between them and the star.

More precisely, it was the standard of Jordan and others, Collins didn't demand anything from Jordan and was extremely strict with others.

Brown's complaints opened the door to questions about Collins and Jordan, Stackhouse activated the smart groin, Cassell, who couldn't play the fast break, was depressed, and the Wizards were about to collapse.

Then, Jordan scored 41 points against the New Jersey Nets, as if he had returned to his youth.

The Wizards breathed a sigh of relief, and if Jordan continues to bring this kind of performance, the playoffs are still expected.

The reporter asked, "If the Wizards need to score 40 points a night to win, can you do it?" ”

Jordan has indeed decided to go it alone, and he no longer plays the role of a nanny or a partner of a young star.

"I'm going to do everything I can to get the team into the playoffs."

Jordan chose to increase his playing time and shots, but the situation still didn't improve.

The Wizards usually have a win rate of only about 40%.

Even in the East, they need at least a 50% win rate to make the playoffs.

Stackhouse doesn't play when he doesn't, Cassel keeps complaining, and then Jordan roars at the team like a tyrant.

By mid-March, the Wizards were five games behind the Magic.

At this time, Jordan's North Carn's teacher Dean Smith made an unexpected visit.

When Smith appeared in the Wizards' locker room like Santa Claus, the 40-year-old Jordan suddenly turned into an 18-year-old and embarrassed his junior brother directly in front of the old coach, "Jerry, your development is not as expected proves that the coach is right, and it is not good for you to enter the NBA too early!" ”

In front of Smith, Stackhouse could only respond with a smile.

"Look, Coach, I told Jerry to shut up!" This is how Jordan proved to Smith that he could manage the Wizards' locker room.

What is surprising is that Jordan's voice is very sharp, like the tone of a young man.

This is a Jordan that people have never seen before.

Smith's appearance seems to have really changed him, and he has gone from an adult to a high-spirited teenager.

With a smile on his face, Smith and Jordan strolled to the locker, where they sat facing each other in folding chairs.

Smith asked about Jordan's mother, and Jordan said she was fine, and they chatted for a few more minutes, chatting about mutual friends and family members — greetings from men who loved each other, but with generations of age between them, they had little in common other than respect and love for each other. But that's enough.

For Jordan, what he needs most now is people and things that make him feel young. Smith can do that, and when he sees this beloved coach, he can't help but think of his college days.

Smith was willing to do anything for this young man and vice versa. Jordan was fortunate at many stages of his life, even more so when he entered Dean Smith's world at the age of 18, where he was forever changed. As a freshman, he hit a crucial open jumper that earned North Carolina an NCAA championship — and overnight, his life and character changed forever. Even his name, he thought, seemed to have changed — from Mike Jordan to Michael Jordan.

It's enough to make some players revel in self-worship and then lose themselves completely, and most players will reach the pinnacle of their careers on that night and then fall faster than a meteor, unless they have someone like Dean Smith who tells him what he needs to improve on his game if he wants to be a truly great player. The day after winning the championship, Jordan showed up at the North Carolina Coliseum to practice shooting as instructed by his coach.

Needless to say, Dean Smith's arrival allowed the Wizards to win the night's game.

From now on, they are playing catch-up.

Before April, they were just two wins away from the Magic.

This was followed by a key card battle with the Magic, and if you win, there will be only one win difference between the two sides, and everything is possible.

If you lose, the gap will come to four.

As a result, Maddy dominated the game, and the Bucks also beat the Spurs that night to return to the top of the league.

And then everything happened in the media interview room.

Jordan had to hear the news of the Bucks' record topping the league again and was forced to respond to questions related to Yu Fei, who knew this was just the beginning. These question-asking dog mongrels will also question their intentions and purpose in trading Yu Fei the next day.

Everyone knows that Jordan is playing the role of boss and general manager at the same time, so trading Yu Fei must be related to him.

His relationship with Yu Fei is notoriously bad, so everyone can guess why Yu Fei was traded.

This is a personal vendetta.

The dignified Michael Jordan actually disregarded the long-term interests of the team for the sake of personal grievances and sent away a promising superstar, is this what a dog should do?

The better Yu Fei played, the more fierce his doubts about Jordan became.

Jordan saw one thing wrong.

He felt that if they won tonight, it would not matter if Yu Fei and the Bucks won or lost, and what people really cared about was whether the Wizards were good or not.

They lost, so they weren't good.

It's a pity that the media's attention is never chasing Jordan, but only starlight.

Even if Jordan himself was 6-of-18, he had a reason to blame his teammates.

Are they really down to the point where they need an old man like him to score 40 points every night to win?

Jordan was furious in the locker room, "I could have stayed home and played golf, I didn't need to be humiliated here with you bastards!" If you don't want to play, get me out of the field! If you want to play, then you have to play hard games from now on, and if you don't have this mental preparation, then you are not qualified to play professional basketball at all! ”

"Don't think I'm threatening you!" At this moment, Jordan is a man-eating beast, and the natural bestiality of human beings has completely exploded, "I have a lot of choices, and playing well is your only way out, if you don't want to fight, I can also sit on the sidelines and smoke a cigar, I'm @#¥@#"

Jordan's ranting and insults reflect another of his privileges.

From the moment he won the championship, he had the privilege of being a superior class, and he was free to humiliate his underperforming teammates, as he once once scolded Horace Grant on a plane for being too bad to deserve a meal on the plane, told Scottie Pippen, who had a migraine, to eat a damn aspirin and play on the court, and told the others not to pass the ball to Bill Cartwright because he couldn't score a goal (1).

At this moment, he completely coincides with the Bull period, but completely defeats the original intention of his comeback, he returns in the name of teaching young people, but he has long played the role of tyrant and dictator.

With seven games left in the regular season, they will face Yu Fei's Bucks for the last time of the season in Game 5 — if they don't make the playoffs.

Kwame Brown looks at the calendar every day, and he hopes to arrive early on April 5th.

He believed that it was Yu Fei's last reckoning with Jordan.

Before that day, the Wizards had a one-one record, while playoff rivals the Magic had a 2-1 record — leaving the Wizards with only a theoretical chance of qualifying.

The Magic have four games left and the Wizards have five games left. The Magic lost all four games and the Wizards won all five, which is the only way to qualify for the playoffs.

At this life-and-death juncture when you can't lose a game, the arrival of the Milwaukee Bucks has made many people sentence the Wizards to death in their hearts.

If you want to say who is the last person on the planet who wants the Wizards to make the playoffs, the answer is universally recognized, and it is Yu Fei, the star of the Bucks.

On April 5, 2003, Yu Fei flew to Washington with the team.

On the plane, Trevor White, a team reporter for The Milwaukee Sentinel, sat next to Mr. Yu and asked questions about the Wizards.

"Frye, let's be honest, if the total was 100, how much personal emotion would you put into it tonight?"

“200。” Yu Fei said, "My mother lives here, I have a few friends here, and I love and hate this place as much." ”

What White really wants to ask is what Yu Fei thinks of Jordan's recent frequent disparagement of his teammates in front of the media.

It's just that Yu Fei doesn't seem to want to answer questions related to Jordan, because he is usually asked too much.

So, White didn't ask, and he didn't think he could ask anything.

The moment the Bucks' plane arrived, the media at the scene was extremely excited.

There are not only local media in Washington, but also media from out of town.

It was the league's No. 1 vs. No. 9 game in the East, but the media attention on and off the court was as if a pair of old enemies met in the Finals.

Lawson and Clark stood in front of Yu Fei, blocking dozens of microphones that were about to slap Yu Fei's face.

"Tony, you don't have to do this." Yu Fei said, "I can answer a few questions. ”

So Lawson personally chose a media outlet - a reporter from the Washington Times was able to ask Yu Fei: "Frye, what do you think of the Wizards' current situation?" ”

Yu Fei glanced at the other party, "I don't have any special opinions." ”

"The Wizards need to win five games in a row to qualify for the playoffs, and tonight's game is a do-or-die match for them, does that factor affect your level of commitment?"

Yu Fei blinked and smiled kindly: "Originally, I didn't know about this, but now that I know, it may have a little impact." ”

"Michael has been publicly criticizing his teammates a lot lately, what do you think about that?"

"It's normal for someone who calls a teammate a mule after a loss and doesn't reflect on their performance at all."

"That's it!" Lawson seemed to be a challenger, and ended the interview when the media were able to ask, "This is the airport, Frye doesn't want him to affect the order of the scene, if you still have questions, you can go to the media interview room after the game, and Frye will answer all the questions at that time." ”

Yu Fei's fame grew, his status in the alliance also rose, and as one of his closest friends, Lawson also gained some privileges that he should not have.

He can scold reporters and decide who can interview Yu Fei on the sidelines while controlling the interview time.

Although Yu Fei and Lawson don't admit it, they are indeed moving in the direction of Jordan and Tim Grover.

This is something that the cronies of the privileged players and the privileged players are bound to face.

After leaving the airport, Yu Fei went home first to meet his mother.

Although the mother and son live separately, Yu Fenglin is very satisfied with her state, with her son contributing as start-up capital, her store is opening very well, and she can't be busy all day. As for how her son plays and who he has conflicts with, she doesn't care.

In her opinion, even if Yu Fei can't get along in the NBA, as long as she takes good care of the money she earns, she has nothing to worry about in the rest of her life.

The only problem is that Yu Fei doesn't care about the object, it's been a few years, and he can't see the shadow of his girlfriend.

Yu Fei expressed helplessness about the problem of finding a girlfriend, he also wanted to find it, but which one was so easy? After chatting with my mother for a while, I left and checked into the hotel according to the regulations.

In the afternoon, Yu Fei participated in training.

After the training, Yu Fei ate something and went to MCI with Lawson for shooting practice.

There was a person on the Wizards team who knew that Yu Fei would come to the arena early to train.

That man was Kwame Brown.

"It's nice to see you're alive." Yu Fei teased him.

Brown knew his situation, and only smiled at Fly's jokes.

"How's it going?" Yu Fei asked.

Brown feels that there is nothing wrong with him, although it is difficult to get rid of the ridicule of parallel goods, but he has not received less money, and he does not need to take on the burden of the team's progress prematurely like Yu Fei, which is good.

In Washington, people who lose will look for Jordan, and people who lose too many will ask Jordan why he wants to trade Yu Fei, as for him, the champion, everyone should not take it seriously.

Although the biggest insult in the world is to be ignored, if you are willing to be ordinary, Xiao Transparent also has the happiness of Xiao Transparent.

"If you win tonight, our season is over." Brown said meaningfully, "The remaining four games will be the man's retirement tour." ”

"It sounds a bit cheap, but it's the best arrangement for me."

Yu Fei looked at Brown and remembered his rookie season again.

As a rookie, he brought the team into the playoffs with the team's top and number two players being reimbursed one after another, and the reward in return was to be traded.

This account must be settled with them tonight.

Brown didn't say anything more, and he could see that Yu Fei's fighting spirit tonight was even higher than when he first met the Wizards at the beginning of the season.

That night, ABC, TNT and ESPN all broadcast the game live across the United States.

In addition, all countries in the world that own NBA rights will also be broadcast simultaneously.

The personal feud between Yu Fei and Jordan began last year, and was gradually intensified and reported by all parties, and it has long become a circle-breaking incident in the basketball world.

During the warm-up, there was no communication between the two sides.

Fans can't see the friendly interaction between the stars of the two teams in the middle circle.

10 minutes before the start of the game, Yu Fei and Jordan were interviewed by ABC live.

ABC asked Yu Fei: "What is the secret of your rise this season?" ”

"We respect each other, I mean, we used to bring internal conflicts to the outside world to spur us to make changes. But now, we're not like that anymore, and if I have a problem with someone, I'll say it to him, and if I have it, I'll change it, and if I don't, I'll encourage it. This kind of openness and relative relationship has benefited the whole team. ”

"The Wizards were the first NBA team you played for, how do you feel about them?"

"No, I'm just focused on the Bucks."

"So, this game is not personal?"

"Personally, of course." Yu Fei faced the camera and did not hide his desire for revenge, "I know how I ended up there." ”

Jordan was asked in front of the ABC camera if publicly criticizing his teammates would cause internal alienation.

"The truth always hurts." Jordan would find himself a reasonable footing, "Sometimes you have to say things that can hurt. You have to look in the mirror and say to yourself or to others, that's why we say there is freedom of speech, sometimes we need to stop and listen, evaluate ourselves. In the end, you may say that it's nonsense, but only by saying it will solve the problem. ”

"Would you like to talk about Fry?"

"Nope."

"And what about tonight's game?"

"We're going to win."

Despite the fact that the Bucks are the No. 1 player in the league, and despite the fact that the Wizards' previous two games against the Bucks ended in heavy losses, Jordan still has to make a winning declaration because this is the only way for the Wizards to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Ten minutes later, both sides started the game.

Yu Fei glanced at Jordan and asked sarcastically, "Are your mules full tonight?" ”

Jordan said coldly: "You'll know later." ”

Yu Fei snorted with a smile.

The two sides stood on their own sides, and the referee came to the center circle with the ball, and the game about the fate of the Wizards' season was about to begin.

(End of chapter)