The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 459 - 211 Cleveland Faces Conflict Again, What is the Spirit of the Older Generation!_5

Chapter 459: Chapter 211 Cleveland Faces Conflict Again, What is the Spirit of the Older Generation!_5

The result...

"Smack!"

Everyone had heard of the "Double Ghosts Slap the Door."

But this time, it was the "Four Ghosts Knocking." Su Wan, Artest, Shaquille, and Foster, burst out from the four corners of the court – east, south, west, and north. They swatted the ball right to the ground.

LeBron, his head spinning, lay awkwardly on the floor. Looking up, he faced Su and the other three. It felt just like Sha Yi getting up in the middle of the night to see "the four disciples," calling him to get out of bed—his whole body went numb.

The Quicken Loans Arena fans were also holding their heads.

It was as if the Pacers’ defense hadn’t hit the ball in LeBron’s hands but rather their very brains.

A sense of despair spread across the stands:

No!

Why is it that every time he faces the Pacers, he gets into such a mess!

Even the most loyal Clevelanders were starting to break down at this moment.

They’d seen this scene too many times, nearly to the point of vomiting!

Every time, Su Wan mounts LeBron’s face. Couldn’t there be a surprise, just once?

Vince Carter became the only glimmer of hope amidst the despair.

He...

was still scoring!

His form tonight was indeed good.

Unfortunately, surgical precision couldn’t save the Republic, and Vince Carter’s solo plays couldn’t save the Cavaliers.

At halftime, Carter had 20 points, but the Cavaliers were trailing by 18.

LeBron’s halftime stats were dismal: 6 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 turnovers.

Back in the locker room, facing Vince Carter’s eye-catching stats for the game, LeBron bit his lower lip, suddenly feeling a surge of rage: "I’ve drawn so much defense, can’t you guys make the shots?"

If these guys could score like Vince Carter, would the Pacers still dare defend him like this?

Channing Frye showed an expression of disbelief.

If LeBron’s performance had been even slightly better, he could have accepted such words, but the question was...

Didn’t they know who was performing the worst for the Cavaliers in the first half?

Even though they were off their game, they still managed a 40% shooting percentage.

But LeBron himself hadn’t even hit a 30% shooting percentage and still had the nerve to criticize them.

But Frye just kept all this to himself.

Seeing Gibson has settled into a bench role since this season, Channing Frye, a third-year rookie, didn’t need to jeopardize his starting position over a momentary urge to speak out; he was counting on a good performance to sign a new contract and leave Cleveland next summer!

Indeed...

A superstar like Shaquille O’Neal could just say "trade me" to the press and be on his way.

But rookies like them had to keep their dissatisfaction bottled up until they had a chance to break away...

Otherwise...

They would end up like Gibson.

This year was also Gibson’s contract year, and had he performed like last season, he could definitely sign a contract worth at least 9 million next summer. Yet, with an average of only 15.3 minutes of playing time this season, he could only scrape together 5.3 points and 2.3 rebounds. Even if there was a new contract next summer, it was more likely to be a minimum salary.

Tragic with a capital T!

Other than cooperating with LeBron, there was no other way.

Vince Carter quietly watched as LeBron raged, full of contempt in his eyes.

The media always said he lacked a fierce competitive spirit, but by comparison, he found LeBron’s demeanor to be the most disgusting.

As the tactical core, he couldn’t perform well himself, yet he blamed his teammates!

This was something unacceptable for a generation that grew up watching Michael Jordan play basketball.

But he didn’t say anything.

Vince Carter wasn’t one to argue with teammates. If he was displeased, he’d keep it to himself, or show his attitude through action. Before the second half, he said, "Later on, watch my position and pass me the ball!"

The other players glanced at him, thought about his first-half performance, and had no objections.

Mike Brown immediately looked toward LeBron but found LeBron was also looking at him, his expression seeming to say:

Aren’t you going to stop this?

Mike Brown could only say, "In the second half, we still need to create opportunities for LeBron first, let him find his form. That’s our key to turning this game around!"

"Then why didn’t you say that just now?" Carter, seeing Brown immediately challenge him after he had spoken, frowned, feeling targeted, which was evident in his tone.

Everyone heard the displeasure in his tone.

Carter, however, didn’t continue to fire at Mike Brown but cast a meaningful glance at LeBron to the side: "If you think the ball should be yours, then stand up and tell me yourself that you want it – not through the coach!"

"This is the Cleveland Cavaliers, after all!"

"I’m just the new guy!"

"If you’re afraid of not performing well after taking control and leading the team to a loss, unwilling to bear the consequences, well then..."

"I’m sorry, just give me the damn ball!"

"I’m not afraid of taking responsibility in a loss!"

"Besides, I am the one who performed the best in this game!"

When Vince Carter said these words, LeBron once again saw the shadow of Shaquille O’Neal.

Why did these stubborn old timers always stress such trivial matters?

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