The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 613 - 242 "Black Eight Miracle"_4

Chapter 613: Chapter 242 "Black Eight Miracle"_4

And it wasn’t like now...

with a 1-3 deficit.

Even a narrow victory would have been better than facing a "Black Eight" situation!

The Cleveland media acquiesced to this wave of opinion. They talked about the "curse" that has haunted Cleveland for decades—the same "curse" that always seems to hit the Cavaliers with strange problems during their moments of glory.

They had once thought LeBron would be the "City Son" to break this curse.

Now, it seemed that breaking this curse would require several keys. LeBron alone was not enough.

The "New York Times" immediately said, "The keys have always been in your hands, but you gave them up yourselves!"

And who they gave up on...

No need to elaborate!

Many media outlets said the same:

The Cavaliers’ misfortune might be due to bad luck, but much of it also lay with the team itself.

From the start, they favored LeBron to such an extent, that many superstars and solid players were sent away...

And not just Su Wan!

There was Andre Miller, Bozer, Ricky Davis, and even "Big Z". Imagine if the Cavaliers hadn’t favored LeBron so much and had allowed him to integrate like a normal rookie with these players. Would they have ended up in their current predicament?

So it goes...

"Pity has its roots in contempt!"

You Cavaliers deserved your misfortune!

Just when the Cleveland media had fallen into despair, the Cavaliers suddenly announced that Shawn Marion would return in Game 5 of the series.

This gave the Clevelanders tremendous hope.

At this moment...

Marion, standing in front of the cameras asserting he would definitely play in Game 5 and saying, "I don’t want to sit on the bench and watch my team get knocked out," looked so cool.

They believed the Cavaliers would achieve an "epic comeback"!

In the history of the NBA, this sort of thing had happened before.

The most famous example:

the ’02 Pistons vs. Magic series!

In fact, it wasn’t the only first-round series to see a team trailing 1-3, then winning three straight to complete a "major upset."

The reason this series is often mentioned is because of McGrady’s notorious trash talk, and how swiftly he was "slapped in the face" by the turn of events—it’s just too memorable.

Now, this round was serving as inspiration for the Cavaliers’ players.

But the result...

Marion, returning from injury, performed well with 21 points and 7 rebounds.

But LeBron James, as the leading player, was extremely off his game, not only making frequent egregious mistakes but even missing an open shot from the basket.

In the end, LeBron James shot 3-for-15, was 7-for-10 from the free throw line, and scored only 16 points, along with 8 rebounds and 8 assists, while turning the ball over seven times.

This was in stark contrast to Derek Rose’s 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists.

The Bulls advanced with a 98-89 victory, officially eliminating the Cavaliers by a margin of 9 points.

The second "Black Eight Miracle" since the first-round changed to a best-of-seven format had been born.

Amidst their injury woes, the Cavaliers failed to seize the opportunity, and the Bulls created this "miracle"!

Barkley said pointedly, "LeBron’s mental toughness is simply too poor!"

He believed, it was clear to everyone, this wasn’t LeBron’s true skill level.

Faced with the pressure of a "Black Eight," known as a "franchise player" with known issues in handling pressure, LeBron’s underperformance...

was his own fault too!

Barkley was ready to unleash criticism, but watching LeBron’s dejected back, he ultimately empathized and sighed.

There isn’t an NBA player who doesn’t want to win.

No one wants to lose in such a disgraceful manner.

It’s really tough at times like these.

"Try again next year, LeBron. In fact, the Cavaliers played really well during the regular season. Apart from the Pacers, they did well against any team. It’s just that Shawn’s injury came at the most hopeless time!" Kenny Smith also lamented.

But Barkley hinted something else, "LeBron’s second contract expires this summer, doesn’t it?"

Kenny Smith still didn’t catch his drift, casting him a puzzled glance:

What do you mean?

Are you suggesting LeBron might leave?

Impossible!

The Cavaliers have just suffered a "Black Eight." How could he leave without avenging this "disgrace" on the Bulls?

Kenny Smith thought Barkley was awkwardly criticizing LeBron.

I’m calling the cops!

But Barkley began to state the facts, "Kenny, you’ve got to realize, the Bulls will certainly be stronger next year, the Pacers have been LeBron’s kryptonite for so many years, and last year LeBron and the Cavaliers also lost to the Magic. As for the Celtics... The Cavaliers’ regular-season record against them is 1 win to 2 losses!"

Looking around, it’s all teams they can’t beat...

"If you were LeBron, would you leave?"

Kenny Smith shook his head. He didn’t agree with what Barkley said, or rather, he would have agreed normally, but not now: "The Cavaliers have just experienced a ’Black Eight’; this is not the moment for LeBron to leave. If he still wants to catch up to Su Wan, then he absolutely can’t leave. Like Su two years ago, he has to pick the team back up; otherwise, he’ll never get the chance to be compared to Su Wan again!"

Barkley inwardly muttered,

Do you think by not leaving you can measure up to Su Wan?

But he had to admit there was some logic in Kenny Smith’s words.

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