NOVPUBChapter 1007: Chapter 583 Persistent Hatred_3 Chapter 1007: Chapter 583 Persistent Hatred_3 This trade, too, wasn’t going to change the game, but with it, Trem had something to show the fans.
After all, the team’s resources were limited and there were no suitable trade targets on the market.
Getting Hoyes was a pleasant surprise.
The trade deadline of 2014 ended amid complaints from the media.
That day, the most significant trade in the NBA was the Bucks trading Turner for Fredette, followed almost effortlessly by the Clippers obtaining Hoyes.
And then? The rest of the trades generated less buzz than Sinky’s 76ers having 30 second-round draft picks over the next three years.
After the trade window closed, the last uncertainty of the regular season was the final ranking of the teams.
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The Clippers aimed to integrate their new lineup while ensuring the second spot in the Western Conference.
The Spurs were ahead by four wins in the West, and barring any surprises, catching up to them was nearly impossible.
Entering March, Rivers put Hoyes into the starting lineup.
He wanted to see if Hoyes’s performance was really as bad as the stats suggested, or if the 76ers’ “tanking” strategy had impacted his play.
The result was disappointing.
Hoyes’s form had indeed declined.
Although his performance was not as poor with the Clippers as with the 76ers, expecting him to return to his early-season level was almost impossible.
With the Clippers, Hoyes averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds per game, with his three-point shooting percentage climbing from 28% to 36%. That was the only good news—his outside shooting was recovering, but in other aspects, he was similar to his time with the 76ers.
Rivers gave him several games to find his form, but when he couldn’t, Rivers decisively benched him.
Next, Rivers reinstated Pachulia to the starting lineup.
With the regular season entering the final phase, the Clippers didn’t plan to gamble any more matches testing things out.
By late March, Yu Fei shifted into playoff mode. Playing 36 minutes per game as arranged by Rivers, he went all out, averaging 34 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists per game, leading the team on a critical ten-game winning streak during the positional battle phase and putting a three-game distance between them and the third-placed Golden State Warriors.
With only 7 games left in the regular season, the Clippers’ record stood at 56 wins and 21 losses.
Although Yu Fei’s joining the team heralded the Clippers’ rise, their ascent from only 34 wins last season to a third-place 56-win record in the league still amazed everyone.
If significant reinforcements like Pierce aren’t counted, it could be said that Yu Fei alone helped the Clippers win 22 more games. Moreover, the regular season wasn’t over yet, and 56 wins wasn’t their limit.
“Do you want to be the Most Valuable Player this season?”
That’s what a reporter asked Yu Fei when the Clippers and the Lakers had their last city derby of the season.
“I won’t hold such personal honors, which even I can’t remember how many times I’ve received, to heart,” Yu Fei said with a light smile, “If I’m chosen, I’ll congratulate myself, then focus on the playoffs. For me, the championship is what matters most.”
The reporter curiously asked, “But, you have more championships than MVPs, right?”
Yu Fei’s gaze swept toward Kobe, who was practicing his shots with concentration. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
“No one ever thinks they have too many championships,” Yu Fei said, “Besides, historically, I’m not even the person with the most championships.”
The reporter was eager to ask Yu Fei if he understood the difficulty of winning eight championships in the modern era.
In a league with 30 teams and a comprehensive salary cap system, winning eight championships in 13 years is completely different from winning 11 championships in a non-commercialized league with only eight teams and no rules to curb super teams.
Did he really understand?
Perhaps he would never understand.
Maybe it was just his modesty, but the humility of the strong often shames the defeated, because the cost of that humility is built on the pain of the losers.
Walking by the court, Yu Fei noticed that half of the fans in attendance were carrying various Clippers merchandise, signaling their allegiance for the night.
According to the schedule, tonight was a Lakers’ home game.
Half of the Lakers’ home crowd were Clippers fans.
Was this a joke?
But one couldn’t blame the fans because the Clippers’ games this year had been too thrilling, with their highlights flooding the internet. Griffin’s dunks, Antetokounmpo’s unique playing style, and the GOAT’s individual performances had far more talking points than the Lakers did.
For now, the fans were just fair-weather supporters—backing the Clippers when they were up and returning to the Lakers if they bounced back.
However, if the Lakers continued their decline and the Clippers won championships in this period, then the Lakers’ core support in Los Angeles would truly be challenged.
“Yo, Kobe, have you broken No. 23’s total scoring record yet?”
Yu Fei casually asked before the game started.
“Still a few hundred points short,” Kobe said, “I need to wait until next season.”
“You gotta work hard,” Yu Fei said, “the day you break the record, I’ll ask for a day off even if I have a game just to witness it.”
Kobe rolled his eyes: “Do you hate MJ that much?”
“I don’t hate him,” Yu Fei said, “I just can’t help but loathe him.”
Kobe envied Yu Fei’s ability to hold onto that hatred for so many years, and it seemed as though it hadn’t faded with time.
On the contrary, as time went by, Yu Fei’s hatred seemed to grow stronger.
Why? Because he could no longer make Jordan pay on the court for past grievances.
Kobe envied such persistent capacity for hatred.
In contrast, he no longer hated Shaquille O’Neal.
Because O’Neal had retired, and Kobe was no longer a top contender, their feud had dissipated with the wind. Occasionally, he would wonder if they could have defeated the Bucks back in 2004 if they had worked together.
Unfortunately, that would always be just an “if.”
Kobe believed that even if given another chance, he and Shaquille O’Neal would still fall out, as it was in their nature.
Character determines fate.
That night, Kobe was on fire, scoring 40 points, and took the Lakers into overtime against the Clippers. However, Yu Fei and Griffin completely dominated the overtime, embarking on a 14-0 run, crushing the Lakers.
The Clippers sounded the horn for the end of the season.
Starting with the Lakers, they lost only one of their following six games, entering the playoffs with a record of 62 wins and 20 losses.
