"He is the future."
No one responded to Jim O'Brien's remark. The coach was known in professional basketball circles for being talkative, and he would spout a litany of thoughts to himself whenever he saw anything related to basketball, even if no one else was engaging with him.
Was Yu Fei "the future"?
Perhaps, but the weight of the term "future" is not something the average player could bear.
Meanwhile, the dynamics of the game on the court were changing.
In one-on-one matchups, Eddie Griffin had a significant advantage over Jack Dawson; as long as he got the position, a pass to the Black Team would likely lead to a score or a foul.
After five minutes of matching up, Yu Fei had figured out Rodney White's style.
This guy was versatile, but he also had many weaknesses.
As a power forward, he lacked ball-handling skills. He had a mid-to-long-range shot, but his shooting form was poor, and his accuracy plummeted under defensive pressure.
So when Griffin once again dominated Dawson, scoring an and-one, the White Team called for a timeout.
"We need to strengthen our interior defense," Joe Johnson expressed his dissatisfaction with Dawson's defense subtly.
He could have made his point more clearly, just like Yu Fei did.
"Jack, do you know why Kate Winslet got divorced?"
Faced with this seemingly out-of-the-blue question, Dawson shook his head, puzzled.
Yu Fei said, "It's because her status in Hollywood was far greater than her husband's, making them mismatched."
Just as Dawson began to grasp the implication, Yu Fei revealed his point: "So it's time for you to 'divorce' the black version of me. To deal with this impostor, we should let the original warrior give him a severe punishment."
Taking on Griffin was no easy task, and if Yu Fei was willing to step in, Dawson had no reason to refuse.
Yu Fei then gave Dawson some tips on defending Rodney White and told Roy, "Pass me the ball a few times after the timeout."
"No problem!" Roy was in a good mood now, as he was performing well today.
After resuming from the timeout, Griffin missed the bonus free throw.
Yu Fei casually grabbed the rebound, meaning Roy didn't even have to pass the ball. Yu Fei had a habit that many scouts saw as a flaw—he liked to take it up the court himself after grabbing a defensive rebound, rather than passing it to a guard.
Rodney White was still matched up with Yu Fei.
Fei immediately lowered his center of gravity and leaped up slightly; with his right hand, he slapped the ball behind him and used the hop to angle his body cleverly. Anyone who was obsessed with ankle-breakers could recognize the move—a Crawford-style behind-the-back dribble.
This was a move Yu Fei had loved in his previous life, and now that he suddenly pulled it off, White was caught off guard, stumbling forward and sliding to the floor.
"OHHHHH!!!"
He had proved himself in college, but in Vogel's view, Griffin's college resume was not a merit but a demerit—a short college career subtly indicated he was a half-finished statue unlikely to achieve success.
In college, he punched teammates, cursed coaches, played extremely selfishly in games, consumed all the ball rights that came his way, and blamed his inefficiency on incompetent coaches and upper-class players who didn't help.
His highlights had mesmerized many, but what transpired in this game best reflected the difference between Yu Fei and Griffin.
Yu Fei had a solid technical foundation, able to play both inside and outside. When he was on the perimeter, Vogel couldn't find a trace of an inside player in him.
When he moved to the inside, Vogel couldn't believe this was a perimeter player who could attack the zone with back-to-basket guard-like moves.
After defending Griffin one-on-one inside, Yu Fei drove a three-man fast break and assisted Roy in dunking for a score at the frontcourt.
Griffin grew increasingly furious.
He called for the ball again, and when Kedrick Brown hesitated over this choice, Griffin cursed, "Damn nigga, give me the fucking ball!"
Griffin got the ball and learned his lesson; he didn't try to overpower Yu Fei physically but instead turned around for a jump shot.
He was really too naive!
Yu Fei could discern his offensive choice from the footwork he displayed even before he caught the ball.
This shot, aimed with determination, was preemptively read by Yu Fei, and Griffin's attempt was blocked with a cruel rejection as soon as it left his hand.
Yu Fei did not intend to harm Griffin, it was just that the timing of the block was terribly unfortunate.
When Yu Fei's block came down, the ball flew in an arc straight into Griffin's face.
You can imagine what happened next.
Griffin's nose was bloodied by the ball, and Yu Fei, without a hint of apology, mocked in a tone no one could accept, "I gave you the ball, what can you do with it?"
No one had told Yu Fei that Eddie Griffin was different from those he had humiliated in the past—this was a man prone to emotional instability.
He was expelled from high school for fighting and had a record of hitting teammates in college. Now, humiliated and trampled upon, Griffin's dark side was unleashed, and he roared as he lunged at Yu Fei.
That punch, full of force, swung at Yu Fei's face.
Dodged by Yu Fei with a close call, he could even feel the breeze from the punch.
If that had hit...
Yu Fei was furious. Why couldn't this guy take a loss? Didn't people like Jianzhong, who provoked others before the game had even started, know that they should prepare to be severely humiliated? Want to fight? Who's afraid?
Yu Fei was ready to fight when Roy rushed from the side to hold Griffin, "Stop it! Don't fight anymore!"
Well done, Brandon, you're really my good brother!
Yu Fei aimed at Griffin's face and swung his own punch.
You know, when your opponent is held back, it's very hard for your fist to hit nothing but air—if you don't believe it, you can ask Dr. J, he's quite experienced in this.