Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Due to foul trouble, McGrady's time on the court was limited in the first half, and the Magic had hoped Hill would hold the fort but didn't expect him to fall like the invincible Zoffy once again.

The moment Hill fell, you could see the expression of shattered dreams on Doc Rivers's face.

The best team in the Eastern Conference, 60 wins, entering the finals to block the OK Lakers' triple crown...none of these things would happen now.

McGrady didn't feel it as deeply as Rivers, he felt a sense of loss.

A year ago, he was brought in to support Hill, a year later, it had turned into Hill supporting him.

So far this season, even though McGrady averages 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, he always feels restrained, unable to play to his full strength because he needs to give Hill the ball so he could quickly regain his feel for the game.

However, this respectful cooperation did not yield good results, and the Magic's winning percentage so far this season was only 50%. Therefore, some compared them to Julius Erving and George McGinnis of 1977.

Both duos had similar styles and needed to give way to each other to coexist, with the latter making it to the finals. In this era of weak competition in the Eastern Conference, getting to the finals was the minimum expectation for the Magic.

Hill was injured again, and so-called finals aspirations were now empty talk. McGrady didn't know what he had lost in that moment, but he knew the ball would once again be solely in his hands.

For a young superstar only 22 years old, was there anything better than having unlimited ball rights?

In the second half, McGrady erupted for 24 points, but the Magic's morale was down, and the comeback didn't materialize. Ultimately, the Wizards, playing at home, defeated the Magic 105 to 94.

The same problem could yield different answers on different nights.

Today, Richard Hamilton, who scored the highest on his team, was asked in an interview what he did to help Jordan in this game.

"Put the ball in the baby!" Hamilton said excitedly, "That's what I did, just putting the ball in!"

Then, the reporter asked, "Tonight was Frye's first career start, but you were substituted. Do you think there's a competition between you two?"

"No, if you watch our games often, you'll know that this season we've used all sorts of starting lineups. Anyone could start, anyone could be a substitute, I'm not worried about it."

Jordan was delighted, although McGrady's final stats outshined his own, the Magic lost the game.

As long as you win, there will be experts speaking for you.

Moreover, Jordan's performance was indeed crucial; if he hadn't made McGrady fall into foul trouble in the first half, Hill might not have fallen so soon, and the Magic's morale wouldn't have collapsed.

"I don't have any advantage over Tracy," Jordan said humbly but proudly, "The only thing I have is experience, something he lacks. I know how to create opportunities, he's still young and has a long way to go."

Jordan was inevitably asked about Yu Fei's impressive performance in his first start.

"He performed outstandingly," Jordan said succinctly, "I'm happy for him."

In contrast, Collins was more direct and realistic.

When asked about Yu Fei's performance, Collins replied, "His performance was surprisingly good."

"Will he continue as a starter?"

Collins said self-deprecatingly, "Unless we don't want to win."

"What about Kwame Brown?"

"Right now, we can't expect to get anything from him immediately," Collins said pragmatically and calmly, "He and Frye are two extremes."

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Tonight, Yu Fei played for 30 minutes, scoring 17 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and dishing out 3 assists; he was mostly satisfied with his performance.

"Frye, this is your first start, how many points would you give yourself?"

"You know, I don't like to rate myself, that's for the fans and the media."

"Do you think you'll continue to start?"

"You know, I can't decide who starts, that's the coach's job."

"How do you think your chemistry with MJ is on the court?"

Good question, one of us likes to play fast, and the other, despite no longer being able to handle set pieces, still likes to grind through them. What do you think our chemistry is like? I think it's a bit better than Tian and Doinb's in the second week of the S11 group stage, what about you?

"No one fits better with MJ than me."

The pleasant evening passed quickly.

The next day, the Magic announced that Grant Hill's left ankle had suffered a severe contusion, and he would be out indefinitely starting today.

This news reminded people of last April when Hill suffered a fracture on the inner side of his left ankle. Now with a severe contusion on the same ankle, could he ever fully recover?

Regardless, this was now Orlando's worry, as the Wizards needed to immediately head to Philadelphia for a back-to-back game against the 76ers that night.

This was also the Wizards' last game in November.

Having already secured two consecutive wins, the Wizards hoped to gain a third away victory, boosting their confidence for December's games.

With Allen Iverson's absence due to injury, last season's Eastern Conference champion started off with five straight losses this season.

This undoubtedly proved Iverson's value, for his inefficiency was exactly why the 76ers went so far last season.

Not long ago, Iverson signed a lifetime contract with Reebok, and as a fellow Reebok member, Yu Fei, upon arriving in Philadelphia with the team, was arranged by the company to attend an event with Iverson.

Privately, Iverson was the version of Kwame Brown he dreamed of being.

Iverson had a "big brother" vibe; wherever he went, he had the demeanor of a boss, but Yu Fei had no intention to get any closer to him.