Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 1062: Chapter 602: The Art of Awarding Chapter 1062: Chapter 602: The Art of Awarding “`

71 wins gave the Clippers home-court advantage in all of their playoff series.

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At the same time, it also bolstered Yu Fei’s momentum for the MVP once again.

Last year, he won the MVP because he led the unexpected Clippers to an impressive record that shocked everyone, and the momentum of his competitors was not strong, allowing him to win the award easily.

This year, Yu Fei’s biggest selling point is leading the team to the third-best record in history—71 wins, while his personal stats showed a trend of turning back the clock. After a crazy March, Yu Fei ended up playing 77 games, averaging 31 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game.

However, the team’s improved record is not enough to be the main bonus point for his MVP contention. After all, he has led his team to even better records before. Moreover, with the Clippers’ recruitment of Yao Ming and Klay Thompson, plus the growth of Antetokounmpo, despite the widespread media skepticism about these moves, suggesting the Clippers were doomed, the results proved otherwise, and the media’s standards have shifted as a result.

As for individual stats, although Yu Fei’s numbers are undoubtedly at MVP level, compared to his past performances, this isn’t his most spectacular season. It can be said that his stats no longer have the same shock effect on the public. He had averaged 36 points in the era when defensive rules were relatively lax, achieved triple-doubles during the Bucks’ second championship run, and even maintained triple-double averages after transferring to Seattle.

Yu Fei’s stats have numbed people.

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Therefore, even with an impressive record and eye-catching personal stats, Yu Fei’s MVP momentum is still not as strong as Durant, who led the Knicks to a 65-win season. Durant’s average stats are 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists; apart from scoring 1 more point, Yu Fei thoroughly dominates in all other aspects, but the media can always pin the “aesthetic fatigue” label on the GOAT to diminish this gap.

Furthermore, New York’s market influence and media power are in no way inferior to Los Angeles. Moreover, within Los Angeles, the Clippers do not have a monopoly, they can’t fully gain the whole region’s media’s undivided support.

This is also Nike’s top priority. They urgently need one of their signed players to win the MVP, which would be a strong boost for the entire brand.

But Yu Fei doesn’t care about the power struggle behind the MVP.

For him, having one more MVP or not doesn’t make much difference—after all, he already has 6 MVP trophies.

He is now focused on the first round of the playoffs.

This year’s Western competition is absolutely fierce.

After the dissolution of the Brooklyn Nets’ Big Three, the Western teams picked over the carcass of the Nets.

Anthony went to the Lakers, Howard went to the Rockets, and Paul joined the Pelicans.

These three teams are currently ranked fourth, fifth, and sixth in the Western Conference respectively.

The Lakers have the highest ranking, followed by the Rockets, and the Pelicans with the thinnest base are in sixth place.

Ahead of them are the Clippers, Spurs, and Golden State Warriors.

That’s the competitive pressure in the West, where even acquiring a healthy All-Star player does not guarantee a place in the top tier.

However, the rise of these three teams has indeed squeezed the living space of other teams.

The Timberwolves were knocked out of the playoffs under these circumstances.

The Mavericks, who have been battling with the Spurs since the 2000s, also fell behind this year, barely making it to the eighth spot in the West, facing the boss level Clippers in the first round.

The Mavericks are no longer championship contenders.

Their last hope for a championship was the season when Tony Parker had just transferred to Dallas.

But Parker’s peak ended in the summer of 2013; as a star player who relied on speed, injuries, and age caused his decline to be faster than the running speed of his prime.

After Parker’s decline, the Mavericks could only make up for the quality of the ball handler by quantity.

They brought in another veteran, Monta Ellis, then signed an even older veteran, Andre Miller, to work with Parker and ensure the system could run smoothly.

Nowitzki was also not at his peak; the German tank of the early years could compensate for defensive shortcomings with offense, but now, to prevent his defense from being a disaster, the Mavericks signed Tyson Chandler for the cleanup, and last summer, they brought in Chandler Parsons from Seattle.

Today’s NBA is no longer the NBA when Cuban first bought the team.

The league has implemented strict penalties against those rich and capricious teams; Cuban, who is actually not so wealthy among the group of owners, naturally has also become what he once hated.

He began to calculate each expense, no longer acting recklessly, and aside from Nowitzki, he was willing to give up anyone.

Years later, facing Yu Fei’s team in the playoffs again has a different meaning for the Mavericks’ veterans.

Before the start of the series, someone asked Nowitzki: “What’s different from 2006?”

“There is a difference,” Nowitzki said, “This time nobody thinks we can win.”

Before the start of the first game of the series, Yu Fei and Parsons caught up with each other.

Parsons didn’t originally want to leave Seattle, but if he wanted more money, he had to.

Loyalty is one thing; more money is another.

Parsons unhesitatingly chose more money.

“How do you like it in Dallas?” Yu Fei asked.

“I quite like it here,” Parsons said, “There’s not as much pressure as in Seattle, and not as many eyes watching me.”

That’s why the Mavericks are no longer the same as before.

They have become a team like the Bucks.