noveldrama
Chapter 766 766 507 Welcome to the Telling the Truth
Chapter 766 766 507 Welcome to the Telling the Truth
?Chapter 766: Chapter 507 Welcome to the “Telling the Truth is Being Negative” Era Chapter 766: Chapter 507 Welcome to the “Telling the Truth is Being Negative” Era “They’re here.”
James understood that the ultimate challenge had arrived.
During the regular season, the Supersonics had achieved a 2-1 record against them despite an incomplete lineup.
However, the Supersonics had never played against the Lakers after the trade deadline.
Since then, the Lakers had maintained the highest winning percentage in NBA history, losing only two games so far, both during the regular season in unexpected defeats.
Entering the playoffs, the Lakers were undefeated, winning by an average of 18 points, surpassing last season’s Supersonics to become the team with the highest average winning margin in the playoffs so far.
The arrivals of Antawn Jamison and Mike Miller made the Lakers the strongest offensive team of the era.
When James and Kobe joined forces, the Lakers had both space and incredible problem-solving ability, with Pau Gasol, who had slimmed down and developed a three-point shot, supporting inside at the center position, Kobe and Hamilton on the perimeter, and Miller sitting on the bench.
The Lakers’ offensive firepower was not something that could be summarized with just ‘strong.’
Their firepower was so great it spilled over.
The Supersonics might lose a game to the Spurs by overturning, but the Lakers’ sheer strength was so great that they could not possibly lose to a clearly inferior opponent if they took the game seriously.
This was why they were the biggest favorites for the championship.
Yet, as the great battle approached, James did not have the vengeful conviction to crush Yu Fei into dust.
The longer he stayed in Los Angeles, the more he felt he was becoming Kobe’s “subordinate.”
Unlike in Cleveland, here James could not utter his favorite phrase, “I will protect someone under my wings.”
That was something Kobe should say.
As an external reinforcement, even though he didn’t need to be overly humble towards Kobe, he also couldn’t issue commands.
Because everything around him indicated that the Lakers were still Kobe’s team.
James had used his passing to nurture Bynum in exchange for his allegiance, but that endeavor only lasted half a season before the player was traded due to force majeure.
James was left isolated once again.
Big Z, who joined the team with him, was completely benched by Marc Gasol; shooter Eddie House became completely marginalized after the arrival of Mike Miller.
His confidants could not enter the team’s main rotation, and his influence indirectly declined.
Not long ago, he and Kobe were selected for the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team, which was effortless for him.
Yet, the most important Regular Season MVP had nothing to do with him.
The last MVP prediction list placed Kobe first, Yu Fei second, Dwight Howard third, Tim Duncan fourth, and Dirk Nowitzki fifth.
James was only sixth.
As long as it wasn’t first, the specific ranking didn’t really matter.
After all, no one would remember who was ranked what.
Yet, James believed this was not the ranking he deserved.
He acknowledged the Lakers were Kobe’s team and accepted Kobe being chosen as MVP, but as another core player of the Lakers, with an average of 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists per game, he surrounded Kobe in all aspects except scoring. He was a significant reason for the Lakers’ 72 wins, but was this how the media treated him?
MVP voting not even in the top five?
People say the West Coast media firmly controlled the discourse and voting rights in professional basketball, but this was not evident in this case.
Kobe and he were both “shortcut takers” who had set aside their prejudices to join forces; why was only he targeted?
This resentment was baseless, and James knew he couldn’t blame anyone; since “the Decision,” the media had viewed him with prejudice.
Even if they won the championship, the disparagement for taking shortcuts would not stop.
On the afternoon of the Western Conference Finals, James seemed in good spirits.
Before practice started, he joked with Kobe.
However, once practice began, James’s subconscious desire to prove himself made him hyper about everything.
He chased down Mike Bibby on defense and was called for a foul.
He flew into a rage, being extremely rude toward assistant coach Brian Shaw.
This form of disrespect to the assistant coach was actually an affront to the head coach as well.
Phil Jackson stepped forward: “LeBron, there’s no replay here, you have to accept the call.”
In Cleveland, James’s word was law, whether it was fouls in practice games, tactical arrangements during game timeouts, or decisions on the last shot of the game; the Cavaliers coaching staff were merely James’s tools.
Coaches are supposed to be the most powerful people on the court, but in specific teams, their authority often vanishes in an instant.
But the Lakers weren’t like that.
Phil Jackson had risen and fallen several times, using his solid track record to become one of the few authoritative coaches in the NBA. James’ central ball-handling system and the Triangle Offense had an inherent conflict; their ideological struggle continued until today, with Jackson not convincing James.
James still believed that the Triangle Offense was not suitable for them.
The Lakers should have concentrated the ball in the hands of one person who could control everything, like the Supersonics did.
Why the Lakers coaching staff didn’t want to do this initially puzzled him, but now he felt that someone didn’t want him handling the ball frequently.
Once he started handling the ball extensively, his statistics would skyrocket, and then, the owner of the Lakers would change.
This cycle of thoughts that ultimately led to a struggle for leadership was unknown to others.
Now James behaved like a competitor who needed to fight for every point.