The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 540 - 228: Is LeBron Getting Better?

Chapter 540: Chapter 228: Is LeBron Getting Better?

December ended with the Pacers achieving 13 wins and 2 losses. Su Wan averaged 25.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. His shooting accuracy was 52.1%, three-point shot accuracy 40.2%, and free throw accuracy 86.4%.

However, he did not win December’s "Eastern Conference Monthly Best;" the award went to LeBron James.

LeBron averaged 29.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 8.4 assists, with 1.8 steals per game.

His shooting accuracy was 48.9%, three-point shot accuracy 34.4%, and free throw accuracy 78%!

Leading the Cavaliers, he brought them to a 14-win and 2-loss record.

Currently, they’re ranked second in the Eastern Conference, just two wins behind the Pacers.

They’ve even pushed the Celtics beneath them.

However, the Celtics’ decline followed after their match with the Pacers.

That crushing defeat shattered some spirits. After that match, they suffered a "three-game losing streak," which allowed the Cavaliers to overtake the Celtics, reaching second place in the Eastern Conference—an impressively surprising turn of events.

Otherwise, the league would not have awarded the "Eastern Conference Monthly Best Trophy" to him.

The general media consensus about him was:

"As long as he doesn’t face Su Wan, LeBron can deliver a performance worthy of the Chosen One!"

See, this is what they mean when they say "a player’s reputation is closely tied to their on-court performance!"

LeBron nearly depleted all the goodwill "The Chosen One" had accrued, yet he managed, with his robust statistical performance, to salvage his reputation.

Of course, this also has to do with Nike’s relentless support.

It’s nothing personal—it’s more reliable than LeBron’s own father!

However, Nike has also come to terms with the situation. The $100 million spent on LeBron James and other resources are now seen as unrecoverable. At best, they can maintain his "Superstar" status, but they should hold no illusion about anything beyond that.

Especially regarding the incidents with Su Wan...

Recently, Nike shifted its promotional focus to building up the rivalry between Su Wan and Kobe.

Yes...

They are crafting a rivalry,

not a "passing of the torch" battle like the original "23 vs 24."

No choice there. While Kobe might have secured a championship to prove his worth, he doesn’t hold the upper hand against Su Wan. As Su mentioned to Shaquille, he had already beaten Kobe in the Finals. If there’s a challenge, it would be Kobe challenging him.

And his target this season is to get revenge on the Celtics.

Even if he were to lose to Kobe in this season’s finals, it would still be a 1-1 tie.

But if Shaquille lost to Kobe, that would be a catastrophe!

Without such a crisis, where would this driven Shaquille O’Neal come from?

People are forged through adversity!

Nike’s focus has now shifted to promoting the rivalry battle between Su Wan and Kobe, seemingly letting LeBron fend for himself.

Unexpectedly, LeBron, in this "semi-abandoned" state, performed well and managed to snatch December’s "Monthly Best" from Su Wan!

Cleveland media suddenly became ecstatic, loudly proclaiming, "It’s time for LeBron to be the regular season MVP!"

Barkley commented, "Clearly, Cleveland has a bunch of people who forget the pain once their wounds heal!"

He shares the same view as most of the media:

Whenever the Cavaliers face the Pacers, a big defeat delivered by Su Wan would immediately cause the Cavaliers to collapse.

This has happened countless times before.

And this...

Is just another instance!

Cleveland, keep laughing—wait until the Cavaliers face the Pacers in the first match of the new season, then you won’t be laughing anymore!

On January 8th, amid high expectations, the Pacers went to Cleveland to challenge the Cavaliers.

Media had already gathered, waiting for the Cavaliers’ anticipated devastating loss.

But unexpectedly...

After the first quarter finished, the score was 27-28.

The home team, Cavaliers, were leading!

Bill Walton began analyzing in detail the transactions the Cavaliers had made up to this point: "They signed Mo Williams, whose contract had expired with the Bucks, traded for Shawn Marion from the Phoenix Suns using Vince Carter, and also brought in Quentin Richardson and Channing Frye. This creates a very potent ’One Star and Four Shooters’ setup!"

But this isn’t their regular lineup.

Typically, Vallejo starts as the center for the Cavaliers.

And the team’s bench includes strong substitutes like Delonte West and JJ Hickson, Wally Szczerbiak, and others.

"This setup is entirely built around LeBron James!"

At the start of the season, these transactions and signings by the Cavaliers didn’t catch much public attention, but now...

"Given the consecutive defeats to Su Wan in recent years, we might have underestimated LeBron’s leadership. When he’s not partnered with star players, the team actually exhibits better chemistry!"

In the ABC studio, former Grizzlies head coach Hubie Brown also changed his stance.

Initially, he too thought the Cavaliers would face a hefty defeat against the Pacers tonight. But surprisingly...

They replicated the Pacers’ past strategy by using a fast-paced small lineup, effectively exploiting Shaquille O’Neal’s slow movement, consistently launching counterattacks.

"This Cavaliers lineup seems to counter the Pacers well!" even Barkley admitted.

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