Chapter 900: Chapter 285: LeBron’s Awkward Predicament
Without ever having won a Regular Season MVP, if the Timberwolves trade him, they might only get a "potential rookie" in return; refer specifically to Ray Allen back in the day...
The people of Cleveland eagerly await that moment.
After tonight’s game, they firmly believe the Cavaliers’ path will grow wider, while LeBron’s path will become narrower!
Tonight, LeBron looks significantly better compared to his expression during the game against the Heat.
First, the scoring gap wasn’t large;
Second, Howard didn’t play in this game;
And also...
His personal stats tonight were quite decent.
LeBron scored 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists tonight!
The "double-teaming" tactic has its nuances...
The Cavaliers are still far less competent in execution compared to the Heat.
However, the attacking nature of the Cleveland media is no less than the Heat, with the "Cleveland Plain Dealer" directly calling LeBron a "traitor," and termed this loss to the Timberwolves as: "The fate of a traitor!"
The Orlando media joined in the applause.
However, LeBron’s nightmare wasn’t over yet.
On January 15th, as the mockery from Cleveland slightly diminished, the Timberwolves arrived in New York for their next game against the Knicks!
This is the second meeting of the season between the two teams.
This time, however, there wasn’t much outside chatter.
The previous controversy was mainly about "LeBron and Howard, or Stephen Curry and Su Wan, which duo is the strongest this year," but the issue is, in the last game, the Timberwolves were beaten so badly that using this angle again would be disrespectful to Su Wan and Curry!
Not to mention, Howard will be missing this game as well, making it even more predictable...
On the day of the game, a message came from the Timberwolves:
LeBron felt discomfort in his groin during practice and will miss tonight’s game against the New York Knicks.
New York media immediately erupted with mockery.
Barkley said, "Honestly, I’m not surprised to hear this news; in fact, it’s expected!"
Shaquille O’Neal said, "There’s really no need to do this; if I were the Timberwolves’ coach, I would just rest LeBron. It’s a game they can’t win, so it’s better to let LeBron rest!"
Afterwards, he heard Barkley laughing loudly and couldn’t help but laugh as well.
If it were someone else injured, their sarcastic remarks would definitely draw criticism online, but because it’s LeBron, instead everyone finds it...
Funny!
As for the reason, well, those who know understand.
LeBron, that’s how he is!
The game time arrived quickly.
During this period, the New York Knicks have continually performed stably and dominantly, having lost only 7 of their 41 games.
Su Wan is currently averaging 28.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game, with a 51.4% field goal percentage, 44.4% three-point percentage, and 92.3% free throw percentage;
Stephen Curry is averaging 23.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists per game, with a 45.6% field goal percentage, 42.3% three-point percentage, and 85.4% free throw percentage;
The two are the "absolute core" of the New York Knicks this season, and the Knicks’ offensive system is built around them.
This game was no different; they scored consecutively at the start, taking an 11-3 lead, forcing Philip to call a timeout, and the cameras panned to LeBron and Howard on the bench.
They stared blankly at the court with expressionless faces.
This expression persisted throughout the entire game.
Ultimately, Su Wan scored 26 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Stephen Curry had 19 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. The stats don’t look amazing, but in reality, they didn’t play past the second half of the third quarter.
The New York Knicks established a 28-point lead in just two and a half quarters, decisively securing the victory.
Once again, LeBron left the game early before it was over.
A reporter clearly heard him mutter under his breath:
"Fxxk!"
No wonder he felt so frustrated.
In this past month, he was first beaten by the Heat, then by the Cleveland Cavaliers. After being beaten by these two former teams, Su Wan also gave his team a thorough beating right under his nose.
If he didn’t break down, he wouldn’t be LeBron James.
He truly became "Godfather" James!
After the game, a reporter asked Su Wan his thoughts on LeBron’s injury.
Su Wan replied, "I hope he recovers well!"
This was the only question related to LeBron.
The next question was...
"Su Wan, do you think the New York Knicks can achieve a ’three consecutive championships’ this season?"
When the season started, most media outlets believed that the New York Knicks shouldn’t have much problem securing a "three consecutive championships."
After all, the "Thunder Three Youngsters" dissolved.
The Pacers haven’t strengthened significantly either.
With LeBron’s departure and Wade’s aging, the Heat Team shouldn’t pose much of a threat to the New York Knicks.
But looking at the current situation...
The Thunder "Three Youngsters" disbanded, yet the Thunder Team has become stronger, and they are now at the top of the Western Conference.
Meanwhile, after transitioning their core, the Pacers have gradually found their stride; this team is now on fire, having followed a "7-game winning streak" with a recent 2 losses, and now another "8-game winning streak."