The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 385 - 197: Rest Easy, LeBron

Chapter 385: Chapter 197: Rest Easy, LeBron

Richie Paul really is...

such a good brother!

LeBron James revealed a satisfied smile.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt this was a good plan.

What else could prove his importance better than this?

Of course, just to be safe, LeBron James still checked the upcoming schedule, as if they were all weak teams, and he sat out, it could put him in an embarrassing situation instead.

The good news was that the Cavaliers’ opponents for the next week were all tough teams; they would face the Pistons, Mavericks, Wizards, and the Nuggets—all playoff-level strong teams.

Especially the Mavericks.

They had the second-best record in the League, only behind the Pacers.

Even with LeBron playing, the Cavaliers would find it tough against the Mavericks.

They lost by 8 points in their last battle.

Let alone without him...

Humph!

It would definitely be a massacre!

LeBron could already envision the team getting thrashed by thirty points by the Mavericks, then the whole of Cleveland wailing and crying, begging for his return.

Then he would take back all his rights from the unwilling gaze of Shaquille O’Neal, in one fell swoop!

If Su Wan could take you down, then so can I!

The next morning, LeBron immediately called Mike Brown and reported that his back injury had resurfaced, saying he wouldn’t be going to the arena for training. When Mike Brown heard about the back injury, he became nervous right away, "How is it, serious?"

LeBron was vague, "I won’t know the specifics until I see the doctor and get a check-up."

Mike Brown nodded, "Okay, contact me if you have any issues. LeBron, the team will fully support you, and what you need to do now is focus on recovering. You know, how far the Cavaliers go all depends on you!"

Those words nearly made LeBron roll his eyes in delight.

That’s just the reaction, just the reaction!

Just wait, you will all soon know what it means for the Cavaliers to be without me!

Mike Brown quickly announced the news at the training ground.

Shaquille O’Neal perked up the moment he heard it.

He had been in a truce with LeBron for many days.

The management’s cold treatment of the dispute between him and LeBron, with no trades happening, meant he could only drag this out with LeBron, thinking this season would pass with mutual disdain.

But who would have thought!

God had given him such an opportunity.

To further his ambitions!

As soon as the training ended, he said to Gibson, "Buddy, play the upcoming games like they’re the playoff—no, you haven’t played in the playoffs, just play as if it’s the last game of your career. Whether you can gain more say on the court, it all depends on the next few games!"

Gibson was still a kid, so he hadn’t realized that the battle for team sovereignty had begun.

But Shaquille O’Neal, who had long engaged in locker room politics, naturally understood the principle of "No one fears winning, lack of anyone leads to embarrassment."

Once the LeBron-less Cavaliers went on a winning streak, he could again smack talk with gusto!

Although this was difficult.

Shaquille had seen the Cavaliers’ schedule for the upcoming week; it was filled with strong teams.

But...

In front of the "heated shark," all strong teams are paper tigers!

It had been a long time since Shaquille O’Neal had felt so fired up during the regular season.

The Cavaliers’ locker room, due to LeBron’s sudden "injury exit," stirred with undercurrents once again.

On the Pacers side, after the All-Star Weekend, they welcomed the challenge from the Los Angeles Lakers.

Su Wan, admitting defeat from their last loss to the Lakers, but his heart was filled with reluctance.

He was determined to regain lost ground in this game.

The Lakers side was equally high-spirited.

The reason, naturally, was Kobe.

There was no way, with Kobe’s personality, he would not take Popovich’s words to heart.

Especially with reporters fanning the flames: "Greg thinks Su Wan’s abilities are not inferior to yours, do you agree with his view?"

Kobe just smiled faintly, "After this game, you’ll know whether I agree or not!"

And once Kobe exhibited his desire to fight, the entire Lakers team—who would dare not charge forward with howls?

This game was also called a "Finals preview" by many media outlets!

Of course, a large portion of the media came from Los Angeles.

The Dallas media did not agree with this claim, having been targeting Indiana, they redirected their fire towards Los Angeles:

"Let’s discuss the finals when the Lakers’ record surpasses the Mavericks!"

"Anyone who doesn’t know would think the Lakers are the current number one in the West!"

"This season, the Mavericks have no rivals in the West, including the Lakers!"

...

The arrogant Dallas people now only had Su Wan and the Pacers in their sights.

The dominant record of the Mavericks gave them an unshakable confidence, believing they could definitely avenge their disgrace this season and reciprocate Su Wan’s humiliating "throat slash" gesture!

What?

You say the Pacers’ record this season is even better than the Mavericks, so why are the Dallas people still so confident?

Dallas people: Don’t you understand what’s called ’East is weak, West is strong’?

The Pacers have played more Eastern Conference teams, naturally, their record is better!

If this year’s Mavericks were in the East, their record would only be more terrifying!

In their last game, Rick Carlisle had already recognized the power of the Kobe-Yao connection.

Therefore, from the very beginning of this game, he tried to cut off the connection between Kobe and Yao Ming.

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