Don't talk trash to him.

Chapter 243 "Black Eight Miracle"

Yao Ming was injured and left the field.

The final examination report was a stress fracture, the same as O'Neal Jr.

What is supposed to come will come.

Su Wan had a premonition of this.

Yao Ming originally fell due to a stress fracture.

People who usually suffer this kind of injury often have bones that are not strong enough to withstand long-term loads, and then become increasingly brittle. Ultimately, a very ordinary confrontation may lead to the injury.

This time, Yao Ming listened to Su Wan at the most critical moment and did not renew the contract in advance.

In order to stay healthy during the contract year, there was no secondary weight gain in the end.

But Su Wan just gave him this cheat.

But after he transferred to the Lakers, he played in the finals for three consecutive years, each year from October to June. In these three years, there was only one year when he did not play in international competitions. In other words... Yao Ming spent 10 months out of the 6 months in the past three years playing in competitions, and he had to stay in the training camp for at least 12 month out of the remaining 9 months.

Born in 80, he is exactly 30 years old this year.

In which year did Shaquille O'Neal's relationship with Kobe Bryant officially deteriorate?

02...

Shaquille O'Neal, who was born in 72, was exactly 30 years old that year!
Since then, Shaquille O'Neal has been injured frequently.

His physical fitness can't even handle it, let alone Yao Ming.

Su Wan actually had the idea of ​​reminding Yao Ming, but after the conversation in Tianjin last summer, Su Wan could clearly realize that Yao Ming wanted to go that path.

So it can be said that it is his fate to retire early due to exhaustion.

If he couldn't do his best to "respond when called", how could he embark on that path?

After the Los Angeles media learned the news, they wailed. They knew clearly what Yao Ming's stress fracture injury meant...

The New York Times directly issued a "death notice": "Los Angeles will become the first team in NBA history to win 72 games and lose 10 in the regular season and ultimately fail to win the championship!"

The Los Angeles media were very unconvinced, but they really couldn't find any reason to refute.

Originally, the Lakers with Yao Ming could only match the Pacers 55-.

Now that Yao Ming is gone, let alone the others, Pau Gasol will definitely be killed by the Pacers' inside players.

If it were three years ago, Kobe might have had some hope of defeating Suwan alone, but now, as can be seen from last season's finals, Kobe can no longer suppress Suwan.

It is simply impossible to defeat the Pacers relying on the outside shooting!

Unless, the Pacers fail to make the finals in the Eastern Conference.

Can……

The 65-win Cavaliers are the meat * weapon between Suwan and the Pacers;
The third-placed Eagles team were just a bunch of fledglings in front of Su Wan.

The only hope is the Boston Celtics, who eliminated the Pacers in June 08.

But at that time, the Pacers only had Suwan on the team, and he could not support the team alone.

What's more, Kevin Garnett's condition is obviously not as good as before after his serious injury...

The Los Angeles media looked through the Eastern Conference teams and discovered that the team with the greatest hope is actually their "arch-rival" Boston Celtics?

The Pacers should make it to the finals!

Losing to Polis is okay, but losing to Boston is definitely not okay!

Especially letting them win the championship by stepping on our heads, that would be a shame among shames!

Pure Lakers fans will never accept such a thing.

The Los Angeles media also doesn't want to see this happen.

In addition to the Lakers game on the first day, there is also a game between the Bulls and the Cavaliers in the East.

There is still a big gap in wins between the first and eighth in the Eastern Conference.

Originally, the media thought this would be a one-sided victory.

But it turns out that the Chicago Bulls are quite perseverant.

It can also be seen that this team specifically studied the game videos of the Pacers and the Cavaliers.

The restrictions on LeBron are very effective.

"British" Luol Deng, plus Joakim Noah in the interior, made LeBron's breakthrough very difficult.

The two teams played very tensely, and until the last 5 minutes of the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers only led by 4 points.

Ok……

That's what LeBron's team is like.

No matter what kind of opponent we meet in the playoffs, it always gives people a 50-50 feeling.

In the end, Marion's "Crossed Machine Gun" at the baseline and a "one-arm slam dunk" after an open cut scored 5 points in a row, helping the team to get through the dangerous situation.

This dunk also became one of the "Top Ten Dunks in Team History" as mentioned by the Cleveland media the next day.

The win was so thrilling that some Cavaliers fans couldn't help but mutter in their hearts:
There won't be any accidents, right?

Good ones don’t work, bad ones work.

In the second game of the series between the Cavaliers and the Bulls, Shawn Marion, the hero of the first victory, leaned sideways and hit Joakim Noah's elbow with his entire back connected to his shoulder while competing for a rebound with Joakim Noah.

When he landed, the hacker's face was distorted with pain.

Then he was taken back to the locker room by the team doctor.

The Cavaliers fans at the scene were stunned.

Not to mention that Marion was the second highest scorer on the Cavaliers during the regular season, averaging 18.6 points per game, in addition to 8.4 rebounds, including about 3 offensive rebounds per game.

Take the previous game of this series, for example. We won it thanks to him.

Now that he's suddenly injured, the Cavaliers are now...

It’s so difficult!

Sometimes, even the fans can see that the situation is not good, which means the situation is really critical.

The game had just resumed and the Bulls launched a 10-3 "shock wave".

It was only at this time that the Cavaliers fans realized that compared to the losses caused by Marion's absence on the offensive end, the problems exposed on the defensive end were even greater.

Without him, the Cavaliers only had JJ Hickson on the wing.

Originally, he averaged 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this season.

But that was originally...

He was originally going to be the starter this season.

Now that the Cavaliers have Marion, he has been sitting on the bench.

His growth was not as expected.

Although he was a rookie in 08, his performance after entering the court was still like that of a greenhorn.

The Cavaliers couldn't stop Derrick Rose's breakthrough.

He scored 25 points in the last game.

It is worth mentioning that...

Derrick Rose is a bit like Reggie Miller. In his rookie season, he averaged 16.8 points and 6.3 assists per game. In the playoffs, those numbers became 19.7 points and 6.4 rebounds. In his second season, he averaged 20.8 points and 6 assists per game in the regular season. In the playoffs, he averaged 26.8 points and 7.2 assists. In his third season, he averaged 25 points per game in the regular season. In the playoffs, he averaged 16 points in 27.1 games, including the "Lu Bu vs. Three Heroes" in the Eastern Conference Finals!
also……

Suwan believes that he will become the "second youngest regular season MVP" in NBA history, which makes him feel pressure. At the same time, this pressure gives him motivation, allowing his second season of his career to have a certain increase compared to his original data. This season he can get 22.4 points and 7 assists.

A rookie's average statistics can often represent the extent of their improvement in personal condition.

Hence the saying “watch for three years to see if a new star can perform well”.

LeBron doesn't count.

Because even his fans themselves said that LeBron in 09 was still young James.

He entered the league in 03 and was still young James in 09. The "chosen one" is just different.

Other rookies are watched for three years, but the “Chosen Ones” are watched for 6 years!
In this game, Derrick Rose had a more accurate judgment of the Cavaliers' perimeter defense, so he played very well in the first half of the game and scored 15 points. After Marion was injured and left the game in the third quarter, half of the Bulls' "scoring spree" came from his breakthrough.

After returning from the timeout, the Cavaliers made a wave of adjustments, but unfortunately the adjustments were not significant.

Mainly because no one can use...

The original inside line of the Cavaliers in 10 was "Big Z", "Big Shark" and Varejao, three "meat shields" used in turns.

Now "Big Z" is on the Heat, "Big Shark" is on the Pacers, and there is only Varejao. There is no one around him to help interfere, so Derrick Rose is not very afraid of him.

how to say.

There are three "meat shields", and only the weakest one is left!

Bill Walton watched Rose dominate the Cavaliers' basket and said, "If Derek really becomes the regular season MVP in the next two seasons, I don't think I would be surprised!"

He had to admit that he smelled the scent of MVP in Rose.

The inability to defend Derrick Rose is not the most critical issue. Another point is that the Cavaliers lack a main attacker.

After Shawn Marion left the court, the Bulls focused more attention on LeBron.

Everyone knows that once LeBron has no one to help him contain, his disadvantage of not being able to shoot will be infinitely magnified, and it will eventually turn into ugly layups against people again and again.

Put all your hopes on the referee.

But how can LeBron now enjoy the treatment of "the chosen one"?
The treatment he receives from his whistle is just that of an ordinary “super giant” level.

For the entire series, the average is probably around 6.

This is because he has no other means except breakthrough...

Seeing that this kind of defense was indeed effective, the Bulls implemented this defensive strategy more strictly.

Kenny Smith said: "To be honest, Suwan and the Pacers have really taught other teams how to limit LeBron over the years!"

It’s just that other teams tend not to defend like this during the regular season. Only in the playoffs will they focus more on targeting and take such extreme measures.

This is actually a kind of gambling.

The bet is that LeBron's teammates can't play well.

During the regular season, the defensive intensity is not that high and ordinary players can also perform well, so the limiting effect of this defense on LeBron will not be too obvious.

However, in the playoffs when the defensive intensity is even higher, everyone's enthusiasm is raised and they are all working hard to enter the next round.

At this time, the psychological pressure on role players increases.

Some role players who can perform well in the regular season will suddenly slump in the playoffs.

This happens every year.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be such a term as “regular season star”.

The types of players who are often prone to slumps, among which the highest proportion is...

It's the pitcher!

Because they have few ways to adjust their touch when they miss a shot, as long as they are kept out of shape, you can constantly hear the "bang bang bang" sound of misses after they shoot.

And the Cavaliers...

They're all pitchers!

Including Mo Williams at the number one position.

When he was on the Bucks, he had some ability to break through with the ball.

But when he joined the Cavaliers, he slowly became a spot shooter...

Mo Williams' technical decline during his three years with the Cavaliers was actually reflected in many of LeBron's teammates afterwards.

This is also the reason why they often disappear from the league quickly after ending their partnership with LeBron.

There is no way. Technology will degenerate if it is not used or practiced.

It’s hard to pick it up again!
The fundamental reason for LeBron James' failure in the 1.0 period was that he did not give any stage to his teammates.

Until he joined the Heat, due to Wade's status, he gave up the ball a lot of the time.

Then he finally found the way to win that suited him best.

Get a lot of data, then hand over the critical moments to attacking players like Wade or Irving, then establish good relations with the media, and finally successfully win the Finals MVP trophy to prove that he has won the "boss champion."

His fans call LeBron in this mode "Peak James."

But in fact, LeBron's playing style has essentially remained unchanged from the time he entered the league in 03 to the realization of "father-son basketball" in 24.

The biggest difference between failing to win the championship or winning it is nothing more than whether the "big leg" he holds on to can help him hold on at the most critical moment.

So in 13, more people remembered Ray Allen's three-pointer; in 16, more people remembered Irving's buzzer-beater; in 20, more fans remembered Anthony Davis!
They all have one thing in common:

Supported the team at the most critical moment!
Unfortunately, there is no such person in the current Cavaliers. Or it could be said that there was one originally, but he was squeezed out by LeBron.

The Bulls finally won the first game of the series, and the score returned to 1-1.
Bill Walton looked at the final score difference of 109 to 95, 14 points, and said seriously: "If Sean can't come back in the next series, then the Cavaliers are likely to be eliminated in the 'black eight'!"

When the Cleveland media saw Yao Ming injured, they wanted to gloat over his misfortune:
You guys worked so hard to tie the "best record" in the regular season, and now Yao Ming is out for the season. It's your turn, and the "72-win" team can't win the championship. It's going to be fun!
Unexpectedly, Marion was injured at the same time as Yao Ming in the second game of the series.

To be honest, it’s hard to say which one is more shameful, “72 wins and runner-up” or “65 wins and being eliminated in the last eight”!

They can only pray that Shawn Marion is only injured in this game and there will be no problem after examination.

result……

The shoulder was severely sprained, and Marion's old back injury was also affected. Now Marion's entire arm cannot move, and it has been confirmed that he will not be able to play in the third and fourth games of the series.

For the Cavaliers, this news was basically like a bolt from the blue.

For the Bulls, this is no less than a shot of "stimulant"!
In the second game of the series, after Marion was injured, they were very clear about what kind of advantage they had gained, which made them more motivated to achieve a "black eight" and their fighting spirit increased.

What's more, they have two home games coming up!
This is more of a motivation.

In the first game back at home, the Bulls started with an aggressive "attack wave". By the end of the first quarter, the score difference reached 9 points. If Jamison had not stood up in the second quarter, the Cavaliers would have fallen behind by more than 15 points at the end of the first half.

But in the end, the Bulls still led by 7 points into the second half.

Logically, Jamison recovered 2 points in the second quarter, so he should have continued to play in the second half, and maybe the Bulls' defense could have been loosened. However, the first person who couldn't help himself was LeBron James.

He saw that the Bulls were still leading by 6 points at the end of the third quarter.

Although he only had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, he couldn't help it. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, he took the attitude of a leader, set an example, took the lead, and kept holding the ball and attacking.

During this time, Jamison was unable to touch the ball.

Derrick Rose used his personal offense to successfully compete with LeBron.

9 minutes into the fourth quarter, LeBron had scored 12 points, but the score gap didn't narrow at all.

While LeBron continued to attack with the ball, Rose also scored 8 points and 3 assists. His contribution on the offensive end alone was greater than LeBron's.

In the final two minutes, the Bulls began to focus all their attention on LeBron.

LeBron couldn't squeeze Noah, so he finally remembered Jamison.

But for a scorer like Jamison, condition is very important. How can he continue his good form when his touch has been cold for such a long time?
98 to 90, an 8-point difference, the Bulls won the first game back at home.

After winning this game, the Bulls were obviously more confident.

Not only are they more confident, but the Bulls fans and the Chicago media are also extremely confident.

In the fourth game of the series, more Chicagoans came to support the Bulls.

德里克-罗斯在这场比赛砍下了38分8助攻，对飚砍下40分6篮板7助攻9失误的勒布朗，帮助球队将大比分变成了3-1！

There is only one step left to "black eight"!
The media did not have much ridicule towards LeBron, but instead felt sorry for him.

If Marion hadn't been injured, although the Cavaliers had a hard-fought victory in the first game of the series, it shouldn't have been a problem for them to win in the end.

Instead of like now...

Trailing 1-3.

Even if it is a miserable victory, it is better than being defeated by the "black eight"!

The Cleveland media followed this wave of views. They mentioned the "curse" that Cleveland has not been able to win the championship for decades. They believe that it is this "curse" that makes the Cavaliers always encounter some inexplicable problems when they are in their prime.

They thought LeBron would be the "Son of the City" who broke this curse.

It now seems that breaking this curse requires several keys, and LeBron alone cannot do it.

The New York Times immediately said: "You have already held the key, but you gave it up!"

Who gave up...

No need to say more!

Many media outlets have the same meaning:
The Cavaliers are unlucky, but their bad luck is not entirely due to bad luck. A large part of the reason lies with themselves.

LeBron was treated differently from the beginning, and so many stars and talented players were sent away for him...

It’s not just Su Wan here!

There are also Andre Miller, Boozer, Ricky Davis and "Big Z". Think about it, if the Cavaliers didn't favor LeBron so much and let him run in with these people like a normal rookie, would the Cavaliers be in their current situation?

so……

There must be something hateful about pitiful people!

You, the Cavaliers, deserve the bad luck!

At a time when the Cleveland media was in despair, the Cavaliers suddenly announced that Shawn Marion would return in Game 5 of the series.

This gave Cleveland people great hope.

this moment……

Standing in front of the camera and expressing that he would definitely play in the fifth game of the series, Marion looked so handsome as he said, "I don't want to sit on the bench and watch the team get eliminated."

They believe that the Cavaliers will complete a "Jedi comeback"!
This situation has occurred before in the history of the NBA.

The most famous examples:
02 Pistons vs. Magic!
In fact, this was not the only series in which the team fell behind 1-3 in the first round and then won three consecutive games to complete a "big reversal".

The reason why this round is often mentioned has to do with McGrady's "trash talk" and the scene where he was immediately "slapped in the face" after saying the "trash talk". It is so memorable.

Now this series is motivating the Cavaliers.

But the result...

Shawn Marion, who returned from injury, played well and scored 21 points and 7 rebounds.

LeBron James, the main player, was very depressed in this game. Not only did he make frequent outrageous mistakes during the game, he even missed an open layup.

最终勒布朗-詹姆斯15投3中，罚球10罚7中，仅仅得到了16分，此外还有8个篮板跟8次助攻，出现了7次失误。

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

The Bulls also officially eliminated the Cavaliers with a score of 98 to 89, a difference of 9 points.

After the first round format was changed to a best-of-seven format, the second "black eight miracle" was born.

When the Cavaliers encountered an injury crisis, the Bulls seized the opportunity and created this "miracle"!
Barkley said: "LeBron's mental quality is really too poor!"

He believes that everyone knows that this is definitely not LeBron's true level.

But the "black eight" was in front of him, and the pressure was indeed great. LeBron is known to have a poor ability to withstand pressure, and he eventually performed poorly...

It's also to blame!
Barkley was ready to criticize LeBron, but looking at LeBron's lonely back, he finally sighed with empathy.

There is no NBA player who doesn't want to win.

I didn't even expect to lose in such a humiliating way.

It's really uncomfortable at times like this.

"Try harder next year, LeBron. Actually, the Cavaliers played really well in the regular season. Except for the Pacers, they played well no matter which team they met. It can only be said that Sean's injury came too despairingly!" Kenny Smith also expressed regret.

Barkley said something meaningful: "LeBron's second contract expires this summer, right?"

Kenny Smith still didn't understand what he meant and gave him a puzzled look:

What do you mean?
You mean LeBron is going to leave?
How can it be!

The Cavaliers had just been defeated by the Chicago Bulls. How could he leave the Cavaliers if he didn't return this "shame" to the Chicago Bulls?

Kenny Smith thinks Barkley is disparaging LeBron.

If you do this again, I'll call the police!

Barkley began to present facts and reason: "Kenny, you have to know that the Bulls will definitely be stronger next year. The Pacers have been restraining LeBron for so many years. Last year, LeBron and the Cavaliers lost to the Magic. As for the Celtics... the Cavaliers had a record of 1 win and 2 losses against them in the regular season!"

Looking around, all the teams are unbeatable...

"If you were LeBron, would you leave?"

Kenny Smith shook his head. He did not agree with what Barkley said. Or rather, he would have agreed at first, but now he absolutely did not agree: "The Cavaliers just experienced being eliminated in the black quarterfinals. There is no way LeBron will leave at this moment. If he still wants to catch up with Suwan, then he must not leave. He must carry the team back up like Suwan did two years ago. Otherwise, he will lose the opportunity to be compared with Suwan forever!"

Barkley said secretly in his heart:
Do you think you can compare with Su Wan if you don't leave?

But he had to admit that Kenny Smith's statement made some sense.

Now LeBron cannot compare with Suwan, only his performance on the court, honors and team achievements cannot be compared. If he leaves the Cavaliers under the current circumstances, not only his performance on the court cannot be compared, but even his spirit cannot be compared.

That's the real way to be killed!

The two of them were arguing about whether LeBron would leave, but the scene at the Quicken Loans Arena was dead silent.

All Clevelanders looked at LeBron with complicated expressions as he walked into the home team's tunnel.

They want to say something to LeBron at this moment.

But I don’t know what to say.

Cavaliers fans were a little unhappy with LeBron tonight.

They think LeBron shouldn't have performed like this in this game. If he had performed better, the Cavaliers would not have lost tonight.

LeBron let them down tonight.

Can……

Thinking of him as the "Son of the City" of this city and the attention he brought to the Cavaliers over the years, they hope that LeBron can sign a third contract with the Cavaliers this summer.

Stay and pull the team out of the "abyss".

Just like...

They didn't want to mention that name.

But two years ago, Suwan's decision to stay touched many Indiana people and made many Cleveland people drool with envy.

Who doesn’t want the “son of the city” in his or her own city to be as dedicated and conscientious as Su Wan?
They believe that LeBron will not let them down.

LeBron's back disappeared into the home team's player tunnel.

When the reporters saw him, they rushed over immediately, but were separated by the staff. LeBron walked into the locker room with a blank expression and locked the door, so no one could get in. No one knew what happened inside, only LeBron was inside. Ten minutes later, LeBron walked out. Some reporters could see that LeBron's eyes were red. They could probably guess what happened after LeBron entered the locker room.

Later in the interview, LeBron's hoarse voice also made this clear.

Suddenly a reporter asked: "LeBron, do you want revenge on the Bulls?"

This question is actually equivalent to asking "LeBron, will you leave?"
LeBron barely had a second to react: "Of course, there is no doubt that no one can doubt my will to win. I even want to play another game with the Bulls right now! This is not our true strength, this is absolutely not!"

By the end, LeBron couldn't sit still anymore.

Looking at his appearance and listening to his answers, the Cleveland media felt much more relieved.

They believe that LeBron will definitely sign with the Cavaliers this summer!
At the same time, Rich Paul walked out of the airport in Cleveland. He glanced at the latest news on his mobile phone with helplessness on his face.

Still lost!
Being "black eight"...

He knew this return would be challenging.

But he really didn't expect that the challenges he would face would be so daunting.

LeBron James' current reputation has declined compared to two years ago, and he is now probably just like an ordinary "superstar". This wave of "black eight" is probably another blow to his reputation.

The road ahead...

Which way should I go?
Rich Paul's face was full of embarrassment.

The next morning, the news that the Cavaliers were eliminated by the "black eight" became a hot topic across the United States, and the people of Los Angeles finally got good news.

Regardless of whether the Lakers can win the championship, it is a foregone conclusion that the Cavaliers won 65 games but were eliminated in the black eight.

They have to give a good ridicule.

The New York Daily News once again mentioned the title of "Chosen One": "Is this the stress resistance of the Chosen One? Would God be mad to death if he knew that the child he chose had such stress resistance?"

Suwan, who has led the Pacers to the second round and is waiting for the Hawks and Heat to decide the final winner, saw the Cavaliers being eliminated. He said: "After falling behind 1-3, even if Sean announced his comeback, I knew that with LeBron's psychological quality, it would be difficult for him to complete a big turnaround. But I was a little surprised that he was eliminated without winning a single game. I can only say... He really hasn't made any progress in all these years!"

Shaquille O'Neal seized the opportunity and launched another fierce attack: "See? I told you long ago that if you let Kwame Brown take over his growth environment and let him play with Michael in his rookie season, then this hat of the biggest dud will be his!"

Su Wan thought about it and did not agree with what Shaquille O'Neal said.

There is also a possibility that Jordan used Pippen and unknowingly degenerated into a "spot shooter".

Ok……

With the Cavaliers eliminated, the biggest "fun" of the playoffs became the Lakers.

Everyone wants to see if they will become the first team in NBA history to win 72 regular season games but not win the championship. However, this did not affect the Lakers' 4-0 elimination of the Thunder.

Although Kevin Durant won the "Scoring Champion", he is still too young in front of Kobe.

Meanwhile, the Hawks eliminated the Heat 4-2.

Wade made a classic statement after the game:

"This is the last time I'll be eliminated in the first round in my career!"

Second update today.

Please give me monthly tickets, brothers!!!
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(End of this chapter)