The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 698 - 259 They fouled, they committed a foul!_4

Chapter 698: Chapter 259 They fouled, they committed a foul!_4

A player accustomed to catching the ball and launching into an attack with various shooting methods being confined to the corner for three-point shots is indescribably uncomfortable--no need to elaborate on that.

Although Wade is also a wing who primarily focuses on breakthroughs, he possesses a decent mid-range "jump shot" and is a passer who can find teammates during his penetrations, which is fundamentally different from LeBron, who can only pass to stationary targets.

Bosh can follow up behind to finish at the rim.

Or he can wait at the top of the key to make a mid-range jump shot.

With these two powering through, the Heat Team stubbornly clung to the score.

When Tyronn Lue saw Chris Bosh exerting pressure, he immediately started to limit him, first by having the perimeter player on the same side ready to help defend whenever he moved at the top.

Then, along the baseline, Danilo Gallinari and Tyson Chandler positioned themselves close to the three-second zone.

At this point, LeBron’s burden on the team when off the ball became evident.

The New York Knicks were not at all worried about his wing jump shots.

Moreover, the guy simply didn’t move positions and just stood on the wing in a ready pose to catch the ball and merely observed.

Such positioning made the wings for the Heat Team appear incredibly crowded.

The area where Chris Bosh could maneuver was really not that large.

Barkley, observing this scene, made a judgment, "The functions of these three giants of the Heat Team actually overlap somewhat, and when there’s an overlap of functions, the effect of the ’Twin Stars’ is definitely better than that of the ’Three-headed Monster’!"

This point, in the history of the NBA...

Alright!

Truly, there are no examples to find!

The notion of rookies from the same draft class teaming up three years in advance at the peak of their careers to go for a championship is absolutely unique in NBA history.

Chris Bosh played somewhat restrained in the second quarter.

At one point, the Knicks pushed the lead to more than 8 points.

Su Wan looked at LeBron, who was unwilling to budge as if his feet had taken root and sprouted on the floor, and turned his head to ask Spoelstra, "How much does the audience pay you when the Heat Team’s starting five are on the court during a game?"

Spoelstra: "..."

LeBron James: "..."

One of the sideline referees almost couldn’t hold it in and almost laughed out loud.

Su Wan’s sarcasm was truly brutal.

By the end of the first half, the New York Knicks comfortably pulled away to an 11-point lead.

The first thing Spoelstra did upon returning to the locker room was to gather everyone in front of him for a meeting. He had an idea in mind, to let LeBron sit out early in the third quarter and then join the rotation earlier during the bench period to lead during the reserve rotation.

Well...

In plain terms, it was to have LeBron play with the reserves.

It wasn’t about getting him ready in advance.

But rather about a rational distribution of the surplus "perimeter assault shooter" resources.

Su Wan’s sarcasm was harsh yet so true; without the ball, LeBron standing on the court was indeed no different from an audience member.

He lacked active movement, and there were no quick cuts...

Okay, according to Spoelstra’s observations, he had never actually played that way before; his mind was completely devoid of any such tactical concepts.

If that was the case, wouldn’t having him play during the bench transition phase, when Su Wan and others were off the floor and facing the Knicks’ defensively weaker substitutes, allow him to shine and also help the Heat Team take more initiative during that time?

The only thing now was to find a reason for LeBron to accept this.

That’s why Spoelstra, still a rookie head coach, wasn’t tough enough!

If it had been Pat Riley, there would’ve been no consideration of what LeBron thought.

In the end, the suggestion from the Heat Team’s assistant coaches to Spoelstra was unanimous:

Act first and report later!

Spoelstra, not knowing how to make LeBron accept it, eventually nodded and agreed.

The second half of the game continued.

At the start, LeBron, Wade, and Chris Bosh were all still on the floor together.

The situation was similar to the first half; LeBron did not dare to hold the ball against Su and Artest, but standing on the wing, he was useless, leaving the entire Heat Team stagnant. Fortunately, the state of the New York Knicks during this time was not great either, so the lead didn’t extend much—just about 13 points.

With 7 minutes and 14 seconds left in the third quarter, Spoelstra gave his assistants a look and promptly took LeBron out early.

LeBron didn’t say anything.

He had somewhat felt as if he was prolonging the inevitable while standing on the court.

Sitting down on the sideline, he actually breathed a sigh of relief.

It was curious; once he was substituted, the lineup was revitalized with the addition of James Jones on the wing, who could shoot three-point shots. Suddenly, the entire Heat Team seemed to be electrified, and their combat effectiveness surged.

Together with the New York Knicks, apart from Su Wan, other scoring options were not in good form; eventually, with 2 minutes left in the third quarter, the lead was cut down to 9 points.

As both sides brought in their reserve rotations, Spoelstra shouted towards the bench, "LeBron, you’re in!"

LeBron thought he had heard wrong.

Me?

To play during the reserve rotation?

Serious?

His expression turned gloomy.

Damn it, the game isn’t over yet, we haven’t lost yet, and now they’re using me as a substitute?

There were ten thousand reluctances in LeBron’s heart.

So much so that he didn’t even notice what Spoelstra was trying to say to him.

He simply brushed past him.

The "shoulder bump" still occurred.

A chorus of boos rang out from the crowd.

Barkley, as if discovering a new world, exclaimed, "The Heat Team just took LeBron off the court, and now they’ve got him playing during the reserve rotation period?"