The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 282 - 171 "Chosen One" LeBron, Face Your Destiny!

Chapter 282: Chapter 171 "Chosen One" LeBron, Face Your Destiny!

It’s no wonder Su Wan would say that, mainly because the Cavaliers’ schedule in March was too enjoyable, featuring 14 games, none of them back-to-back, and only 4 teams ranked within the top eight in the Eastern and Western Conferences, the rest were basically tanking teams, including two games against the Raptors and two against the Bobcats.

LeBron, for all his traits, had one standout quality, he hardly ever slipped up against weaker teams and would even pull off some eye-catching stats.

His campaign in the 2024 Olympics with the "Dream Team" reflected the truest part of his professional career.

He started off strong against weak teams, but as the opponents got tougher, he relied on his teammates to consistently deliver MVP-level performances in critical moments, nervously securing victories and eventually, with his significant media influence, grabbing the final MVP trophy, making others think he was the biggest "C" in the team.

The team’s results in March and his stats once again proved that this LeBron trait had never changed.

Including that "Monthly Best Player Award", LeBron had now secured the "Monthly Best" two times this season.

This made him incredibly proud.

If it weren’t for considering his teammates’ feelings, he probably would have openly confronted Su Wan in front of the media,

"I’m leading Cleveland, a bunch of players picked from who knows where, to two monthly bests, while Su leads Ron and Jermaine, All-Star players, and also only got two monthly bests this season!"

Summary:

Su is not as good as me!

Of course, there was another reason:

The first game for the Cavaliers in April was a home battle against the Pacers.

He couldn’t brag about it.

Who asks Su Wan’s teammates to be stronger than his?

After snagging the "Monthly Best Player Award" for March, LeBron felt more and more that the real reason he wasn’t as good as Su Wan was his teammates weren’t up to par.

If he switched roles with Su Wan, he’d show Su Wan what "cruelty" means!

Just you wait!

So...

"Mike, I feel a bit of soreness in my wrist."

On the day of the game, LeBron James approached Mike Brown, wearing a pained expression, massaging his wrist.

Mike Brown was shocked, quickly summoned the team doctor, and also removed LeBron from the starting list, adding him to the daily observation list.

The Cavaliers’ PR department also released the news:

LeBron would miss today’s game against the Pacers due to a wrist injury.

The Cavaliers’ fans, upon seeing this message, were instantly filled with worry. — Over the past month, LeBron’s on-court performance and leadership had once again filled Cleveland with confidence in him.

They were not so worried about the outcome of this game, even if they lost to the Pacers, their position as eighth in the Eastern Conference was still secure.

They were ahead of the ninth-place Philadelphia 76ers by a full four games.

With seven games left, they just needed to win 2 to 3 to be sure of making the playoffs.

What they were more concerned about now was LeBron’s wrist injury situation, whether it would cause him to miss the Cavaliers’ first playoff journey since the 2000s.

Compared to them, the external speculation was a bit crazier:

"LeBron was still executing slam dunks two days ago, I really can’t believe he suddenly got injured two days later!"

"If I were LeBron, I would choose to come up with an injury in this game too!"

"Actually, it’s a wise decision, whether it’s the team’s idea or LeBron’s own wish, rather than facing another setback, it’s better to avoid this regular game against the Pacers!"

Hmm...

Given LeBron’s current media image, many people were skeptical whether his injury was real or fake.

Many believed he was just feigning injury to avoid Su Wan.

Of course, for this decision, some mocked, but others agreed.

LeBron, seeing such public opinion, felt hurt, he really wanted the team doctor to issue a medical report verifying his injury, if not for the equipment problem. Luckily he couldn’t respond directly, but Nike was there to act on his behalf.

Soon, much of this unfavorable public opinion vanished.

The "mainstream" voices generally took over the market:

"LeBron is the soul of this Cavaliers team, if he really encountered a severe wrist injury, it would be a blow to the Cavaliers!"

"Right now, for Cleveland, the most critical thing is to protect LeBron’s wrist!"

"The whole of Cleveland is hoping for good news!"

...

Su Wan was also asked about LeBron’s sudden injury and his absence from tonight’s game before the game.

He smiled and said, "Hopefully in the future, I won’t have to post a missing person notice to find him."

The interviewer first looked puzzled, quickly catching on, "Do you think LeBron is just avoiding you?"

Su Wan shook his head, "I didn’t say that, I just wish him good luck!"

Just one game without "milking LeBron," it’s not a big deal.

Everyone is still young, there will be plenty of opportunities!

Unless LeBron and later Embiid, like when encountering Jokic, always have various reasons for missing games...

In the end, the Pacers easily defeated the LeBron-less Cavaliers 99 to 78, by 21 points.

Of course, even if LeBron had been there, the outcome wouldn’t have been much different.

It was a slaughter!

Su Wan scored 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in three quarters, then just sat on the bench.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.