Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

This tactic against Curry is not unfamiliar to the Miami Heat.

The Miami Heat would deploy a similar setup to counter Yu Fei.

And they have good reasons to do so.

Yu Fei is older; once faced with different players constantly wearing him out, can he still find his rhythm?

Theoretically, James, who should be the one to face off against Yu Fei on this stage, played the role of a firefighter, occasionally matching up with Yu Fei, occasionally defending Antetokounmpo, and occasionally stepping into the paint against Jokić. His main task was to create matchup advantages and avoid sharp confrontations.

The Miami Heat fully trust their superstar and believe their interior line won't get blown up like it did during the Christmas showdown.

After all, with Hassan Whiteside starting, he's been contributing an average of 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game.

Although James questions Whiteside's offensive ability, viewing it mainly as "feeding off others", which he thinks severely impacts the team's offensive rhythm, the Heat have no other options for their interior.

Thus, the Emperor can only reluctantly accept this reality.

However, the technical characteristics of James and Curry are different after all. The former requires a lot of attacking the paint complemented by shooting, whereas Curry poses a shooting threat in himself, capable of scoring and creating space. Hence, the center not shooting has a relatively smaller impact on Curry.

Therefore, maintaining such a lineup will only secure James's position as the second star.

But defeating Yu Fei in the finals and shattering his unbeaten myth makes this sacrifice worthwhile.

However, things didn't go as James wished.

Whiteside's obsession with rebounds and excessive desire for blocks, coupled with a lack of defensive positioning, were thoroughly exposed in front of Jokić.

He was like a toy in front of Jokić, quickly accumulating four fouls, and the Heat's interior started collapsing, a familiar feeling returning.

Then, as Curry got lost in the Clippers' defensive system, the Heat had to rely on the early century's "rugged isolation play" to stay in the game, but Jimmy Butler's performance was too rough, and Kevin Love was too soft. And James, who should have stood out at such moments?

He didn't expect the interior to be so vulnerable, closely watched by Yu Fei the whole game, ending up with just 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, leading to Miami's heavy defeat to the Clippers in the first game.

Tonight, Yu Fei went all out in defense and rebounding, contributing 19 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 steals.

Statistically, he wasn't as comprehensive as the ever-running Antetokounmpo, nor did he score the highest points in his team like Thompson, but he confronted James in the right way at the right moments.

After the match, Wade revealed his secret with Yu Fei.

"Before the game started, I asked Frye: 'You've already won ten championships, does the game still bring you joy?'" Wade said, "He replied: 'Not really, but winning the game itself is a joyful thing, especially when my opponent is LeBron.'"

The GOAT likes to win and doesn't want to lose to LeBron, thus he willingly plays a supporting role in an apparently decided game.

Some media began to call out: "Perhaps the day has finally come when Frye is no longer the best player in the finals!"

Has that day arrived?

If judging by the first game, perhaps it has.

In the second game, when Curry wasn't effectively defended, and Antetokounmpo struggled against the defense of James and Butler, who do the Clippers rely on? Jokić? No, once Curry goes off, Jokić is the first to suffer.

Thompson?

Thompson's greatness lies in his magical threes at critical moments, but when he's off his game, fans tend to overlook him.

Correct, the pressure will once again fall on Yu Fei.

Facing a red-hot Curry, he scored 38 points, but the game still leaned towards a loss.

The series tied 1 to 1.

From the overall score, the Clippers have achieved their strategic goal.

The Miami Heat no longer have the home court advantage.

"Is this the best outcome for you?" a reporter asked Yu Fei.

Yu Fei greedily said: "The best outcome would be leading 2-0."

As the venue switches to Los Angeles, Yu Fei discovered something ironic.

Curry, as the son of the small ball era, his team should have played the most epochal game. But what happened? Except for Love, who has been degraded to a mere space-creating interior for the big shots, the Heat's style was unusually retro.

This was the change they made starting from the third game.

They decided to follow the Eastern Conference's tradition and brawl with the Clippers.

By brawling, the Heat effectively reduced the Clippers' shooting accuracy, but facing a severe disadvantage in the interior, this tactic was hard to sustain.

When the Heat took back the home court advantage in the third game through brawling, they faced a crushing defeat in the fourth game.

The Clippers, with their unrivaled rebounding pressure crushed the Heat, leveling the series, leading to the fifth game—King of the Hill.

"Even if I have to sell my soul to the devil, I must win this game."

James solemnly expressed his commitment to this game before it began.

Hearing James's declaration, Yu Fei skeptically remarked: "I'm not sure the devil would be interested in such a weak soul."

Pre-game trash talk was necessary, as the contradictions between the two sides had reached this point. If they didn't exchange some jabs, the fans would feel unsatisfied.