The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 391 - 198 Completely Falling Out_2

Chapter 391: Chapter 198 Completely Falling Out_2

Is he trying to shut me up with this approach?

Hmm...

Shaquille O’Neal didn’t believe that a mere week or so of injury could change LeBron’s attitude. If he had been fooled by LeBron’s little tricks, then his many years in the NBA would have been a waste.

Where are there so many instances of "let bygones be bygones" in the league?

Most of it is just acting for the occasion.

Since LeBron wanted to act, Shaquille decided to play along.

Shaquille O’Neal also prepared to take an "indirect" approach. Faced with questions from reporters about "whether LeBron’s return would affect the Cavaliers’ chemistry during their four-game winning streak," he said very "generously," "LeBron is no rookie now, I believe he can blend into the whole team, and our winning streak will not stop."

Hmm...

He too started to praise!

And when the interviews of the two men were released, the fans in Cleveland were naturally overjoyed.

They really didn’t expect that upon LeBron’s return from injury, his relationship with Shaquille O’Neal would be so harmonious!

What could possibly stop the Cavaliers now?

However, they soon realized they had celebrated too soon.

LeBron’s first game back was at home against the San Antonio Spurs.

Under the Spurs’ defense, Channing Frye and "Ah Q" combined for only 1 hit out of 7 from the three-point line, and Gibson’s breakthroughs were contained and did not shine as brightly as during the "four-game winning streak."

Shaquille O’Neal was even more frustrated by the double teams.

As for LeBron James, as the player Popovich let go of tonight, he got 28 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 turnovers.

In the end, the Cavaliers lost to the Spurs by a score of 89 to 99, a deficit of 10 points.

And that was just the beginning. The Cavaliers then consecutively lost to the Golden State Warriors and the Miami Heat, and even lost the "second battle" against the Nuggets.

A "four-game losing streak" descended upon the Cavaliers just like that.

The most embarrassed person was naturally LeBron James.

After all, the biggest change for the Cavaliers from the "four-game winning streak" to the "four-game losing streak" was his return... ƒreewebɳovel.com

And it was very obvious post-return that he did not fit in with the current playing style of the Cavaliers.

"He still needs some time, I believe he will adjust quickly!"

Even though Shaquille O’Neal had been speaking up for LeBron, the fact that he continued to do so after a "four-game losing streak" truly surprised the reporters.

Was there really no problem with the atmosphere in the Cavaliers’ locker room?

Had Shaquille and LeBron really made up?

What they didn’t know was that during this "four-game losing streak," Shaquille had seen LeBron trying to fit into the Cavaliers’ system. He hadn’t come back trying to take over, but instead tried to integrate into the current playing style of the Cavaliers.

This was unexpected to Shaquille and greatly changed his opinion of LeBron, leading him to believe that LeBron really started to change, which was why he specifically spoke up for him.

This time, it wasn’t just "showing off" in front of cameras, but his real thoughts.

Shaquille was just like that, as a teammate, as long as he wasn’t pushed to the limit, he would still speak for his teammates.

The "Shark" felt no issues; during this time, LeBron truly tried to fit into the "four-game winning streak" tactics of the Cavaliers.

This wasn’t his own idea but that of Bill Duffy.

Even LeBron’s attitude towards Shaquille on his first day back in the locker room, and his compliments to Shaquille in front of the media, were all urged by Bill Duffy.

Originally, LeBron would definitely not listen to Bill Duffy so obediently, but after following Richie Paul’s bad advice and resulting in an even more passive situation, he now heeded every word of Bill Duffy and did as told.

But he wanted to fit into the current tactics of the Cavaliers, and...

He really didn’t know what to do without the ball in his hands.

What is moving without the ball?

He didn’t understand!

What are tactics?

He didn’t learn!

Since his freshman year of high school, he always had the ball, commanding his teammates; how would he know how to cooperate with them?

Thus, he struggled in these four games.

Apart from the first game where Popovich let him off, in the other games, he averaged only 21.3 points, 6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and a shooting percentage lower than his usual 48.1%.

This made him much more cautious when shooting.

If Su Wan watched his games, he would definitely exclaim that this was the playing style of a "93-year-old man."

But what could be done? His off-ball skills were truly limited, and just a simple cut to the basket already used up all of his "primal energies."

Su Wan also saw how Shaquille O’Neal was defending LeBron, which surprised him a bit. Could it be that the two really overcame their differences and reconciled?

Thinking about Shaquille, it was indeed possible.

Su Wan really disliked these "lovey-dovey" plot twists.

Just as he didn’t plan to pay any further attention to the Cavaliers, the long-unseen "clown" Bill Simmons suddenly jumped out, as always offering an alternative perspective, claiming the Cavaliers faced the "four-game losing streak" because Shaquille O’Neal’s enthusiasm during this period wasn’t as high as during the "four-game winning streak."

"He just wants to see LeBron’s embarrassed look, to prove that he is the real ’Absolute Core’ of the Cavaliers—that is Shaquille O’Neal!"

LeBron, seeing his analysis, hailed it as sensible, and at the same time, a flame of nameless anger surged within him.

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