Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

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Jordan didn't know whether Yu Fei could limit McGrady. If he could, that would be great; if not, there was still a reason to keep him on the bench after the game.

As for Jordan himself, he didn't care if people said he was avoiding a duel with McGrady because even in the game against Pierce, they didn't face off many times. In the end, the media would naturally tell the story of passing on the torch based on the few direct confrontations and the data of both players on the court.

"Come on, Chris, the ball!"

On the perimeter, Yu Fei waved to Whitney.

Normally, it should be Ratner coming high to get the ball for coordination, but Yu Fei's gesture for the ball interrupted the tactical process.

Before, if someone other than Jordan had done this, Collins would be furious, but when Yu Fei did it, it seemed perfectly normal.

The establishment of power and status is often subtle.

Without realizing it, Yu Fei had become a privileged player in Collins's mind.

"Is this okay?" Hill, who knew Collins well, said, "Doug doesn't like to see someone straying out of the tactical system."

Yu Fei didn't respond. He had McGrady's moves from his one-on-one against Jordan in his mind.

For a moment, Yu Fei, like McGrady, protected the ball with both hands and started testing with his right foot.

Because Yu Fei had previously made a three-pointer, his probing step was more threatening than McGrady's – the difference lay in the starting speed.

Yu Fei didn't have McGrady's first step which left Jordan eating his dust.

Left, right, forward, back, then left again... After nearly 5 seconds, Yu Fei finally created a crack in Hill's defense. Without hesitation, he drove forward, and Hill's defense line immediately collapsed.

His defense isn't good!

That was the impression Hill gave to Yu Fei.

The Magic's center, Steven Hunter, came out to help, but Yu Fei didn't get greedy. After drawing the defense to himself, he fed Jahidi White with an assist.

White caught the ball and dunked it forcefully.

"Ahahaha~~~" White was thrilled with his dunk and shared a powerful high-five with Yu Fei.

In many ways, Wizards fans regarded White as a relic of an era, a shorter center who would fight with all his strength when his body allowed, but was usually troubled by taller, more agile opponents. The Wizards' PA system would often play Cab Calloway's blues classic "Minnie the Moocher" when White scored, and then the crowd would join in singing, "Ja-hidee-hidee-hi... Ja-hidee-hidee-ho..."

Tonight, as White dunked, the song echoed once more.

White had expressed dissatisfaction with this before because it made him look like a clown; however, now he had completely embraced it and would even sing along with the fans.

The Magic Team wasn't aware that the Wizards had made an adjustment on their matchups.

When McGrady ran forward, he found Yu Fei was by his side.

"Get lost, I want to be matched up with Michael," McGrady said, having no interest in the rookie.

"Sorry," Yu Fei said, "the old man got scared of you, so I've taken over this matchup."

Although McGrady didn't know what had happened, it definitely wasn't because of what Yu Fei said – Jordan got scared.

The defensive side had the initiative in matchups, and this era wasn't about calling people out. So, McGrady didn't mind blowing up the rookie first.

The Magic's tactics were a bit like the Wizards', also using a big man to get the ball at the free-throw line.

However, the problem was that while the Wizards used a big man to coordinate, the Magic merely used their big man as a passing station.

McGrady ran to the left side and suddenly accelerated, using Grant's excellent screen to shake off Yu Fei, pulled up, and hit an elegant long two-pointer.

"Swish!"

9 to 6.

McGrady had taken care of all the Magic's scoring since the start of the game.

The arrangement for Yu Fei and McGrady's matchup had also become clear.

Jordan's reasons for switching defense with Yu Fei were unclear to Collins, but if they wanted to suppress Yu Fei, letting him match up against McGrady was the best choice.

Because relying on Hill to suppress Yu Fei was somewhat inadequate.

Collins knew Hill's defense well, and with his current condition, it was unrealistic to expect him to teach Yu Fei a lesson.

So, let the Eastern Conference's best player do it.

T-MAC, bring out the shot-blocking skills you had on the Raptors!

As it turned out, McGrady was not going to actively match up with Yu Fei on defense.

This became a peculiar scene on the court.

Yu Fei attacked Hill on offense and defended against McGrady.

Simply put, he was matching up with Magic's number one and number two on both ends of the court.

Back on Wizards' offensive half-court, Jordan, like Yu Fei, ignored tactics and took McGrady one-on-one.

Now McGrady truly switched to Raptors mode, his normally dead fish-like eyes brimming with spirit. His 203 cm height and long arms covered Jordan, whose youthful vitality made it difficult for His Airness to find a comfortable shot.

Although Jordan wasn't one to create difficulty for himself like Kobe might, he wasn't going to pass this shot; he would rather die with the ball in his hands.

Jordan unleashed a barrage of feints and fake moves, but McGrady refused to jump. In the end, Jordan had to force a pull-up and increased the arc of his shot, only to miss and everyone went back on defense, either cheerfully or muttering under their breath.

McGrady's speed on the fast break was astonishing, but unfortunately, Magic's starting guard Darrell Armstrong didn't see it, so the Wizards' defense got back in place.

Armstrong attempted a three amidst the chaos and missed.

The arc of the rebound was perfect, and Yu Fei leapt from the side, grabbing the ball. After landing, he immediately accelerated.

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