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Chapter 273 James, who never disappoints when it comes to being disappointing

The accolades that once shone upon James now seem like a curse.

When CCTV discussed LeBron James, Yu Jia said, "In the NBA, we always say that gold will always shine. But in the past few seasons, James has proven with his performance that he is a superstar who seriously lacks substance."

Meanwhile, TNT's Shaquille O'Neal gave a similar assessment: "While ESPN's opinion on Stephen is debatable, in my opinion, LeBron James is definitely the most overrated player in the history of basketball."

It lacks substance.

Most overrated.

If this had happened in the same historical period, Yu Jia and O'Neal would have been criticized for their "malicious slander" of James.

But now
What? Are we not allowed to say a few truths before the game?

At Oracle Arena, Qin Yue, who easily defeated Bogut in the opening jump ball, immediately gave Curry an open shot opportunity from the high post.

Unfortunately, Curry overexerted himself.

The basketball bounced off the rim and went out of bounds.

Back to Wolves' offensive round.

On the court, just as James was about to launch an attack after receiving the ball at the high post on the right side, the sudden whistle from the sideline referee immediately made his expression turn ugly.

Why does James look so grim right now?

Because James had long considered initiating traveling violations as one of his advanced offensive skills, he was clearly unable to adapt to the new standards of refereeing after losing his "Chosen One" aura in a short period of time.

In his previous life, Qin Yue recalled Phil Jackson describing LeBron James as follows: "I never thought LeBron James was a role model for young players because he traveled almost every possession, and his basketball was utterly unwatchable to me."

Perhaps the Zen Master thinks the claim that James travels every possession is an exaggeration.

But throughout James' long career, his game footage is definitely the one among the NBA's many superstars that can't withstand close scrutiny.

As for the reason?

Of course, LeBron James, who always habitually shifts his pivot foot when receiving the ball and takes an extra step when starting, is a rare player in NBA history who has mastered the art of traveling.

On the court, James, who was called for a traveling violation, immediately complained to the sideline referee: "I couldn't have traveled on that play. I've played like that for ten years and I've never been called for a traveling violation."

Ten years?
It's incredible.

At that moment, looking up at James, the young linesman Chris Mobley couldn't believe that in the past decade, no one had been willing to stand up and tell this "forsaken son" that a traveling violation like the one he had just committed was not allowed in the world of basketball.

Instead of restarting the game, Mobley pointed to the replay on the big screen and explained to James frame by frame: "LeBron, you have to understand that during a game, the pivot foot of an offensive player with the ball cannot be moved freely."

However, even though Mobley's explanation was reasonable and well-founded, James still firmly believed that he had not traveled on that play.

For this reason, James even arbitrarily altered the rules of basketball: "Under the new rules on traveling and ball handling, since the rules allow players to take an extra step while maintaining a continuous body movement, then in the situation just now, I shouldn't have been traveling."

Mobley discovered that James, who had long been spoiled by his peers, had already tacitly accepted the situation as a legitimate and profitable behavior.

This solidified the young Mobley's resolve.

That is, no matter how much this forsaken son protests.

He would use his keen eyes to tell the other person exactly how to play basketball.

On the court, the Warriors have possession of the ball.

On the wing, when James noticed Qin Yue moving up to the high post to receive the ball, and seeing that Qin Yue's movement at the moment of starting the ball seemed no different from his own just now, James immediately jumped up and down anxiously, saying, "He traveled! He traveled too! Why didn't you call it?"

Walking?

On the sidelines, watching James's comical expression, Mobley stood there dumbfounded, thinking to himself: Why would James think Qin Yue traveled when he received the ball so cleanly and started his run?

Meanwhile, Qin Yue, who had dribbled into the Timberwolves' paint and made a brilliant pass to Wallace to complete the attack, turned to James and said, "If you're an outsider who doesn't understand basketball, you can just shut up."

After a pause, realizing that James probably genuinely didn't know the difference between himself and him, Qin Yue bluntly said, "Do you think everyone plays like you? Taking as many steps as they want?"

Faced with Qin Yue's angry rebuke, James, not daring to retaliate, obediently shut his mouth.

But James harbored deep resentment towards the young linesman, Mobley.

Especially after James was called for a traveling violation by Mobley in the next possession.

"Who gave you, an amateur referee, to officiate a professional game?" James roared at Mobley. "You're just spouting nonsense!"

Seeing this, Mobley did not hesitate to call a technical foul on James.

TNT, after reviewing the slow-motion replay that confirmed James had indeed moved his pivot foot in advance, commented O'Neal: "Ten years later, a referee is finally willing to tell LeBron that he's actually been playing football all along."

In Qin Yue's previous life, no one knew how much of the 50,000 points James scored in the regular season and playoffs was inflated with the tacit approval of the referees.

But Qin Yue is certain that once referees start to call James strictly, even if James can play until he is 45, it will be difficult for him to achieve the "411 Project" by simply accumulating seniority, which not only makes everyone feel less inferior but also allows them to live a very comfortable life.

The emperor's new clothes have been torn to shreds.

The chosen one becomes the forsaken one.

Having lost the support of the referees and the backing of the referees, James has returned to where he was originally supposed to be.

At the free-throw line, Qin Yue executed a technical foul and made the free throw.

The Warriors still have possession of the ball.

On the wing, with Qin Yue providing cover, Curry successfully hit his second three-pointer of the game.

It's worth mentioning that compared to last season, Curry's "American-style Iaijutsu" has clearly reached a higher level this season.

As is well known, American Iaido is all about attacking the enemy unexpectedly.

In this play, Curry's catch and adjustment were incredibly fast, and at the moment of release, he gave Ridnour, who was guarding him, no time to think.

Immediately afterwards, Wolves regained possession.

After committing two consecutive traveling violations, James's cautious manner as he received the ball at the high post prompted Barkley to chuckle and remark, "Is LeBron trying to tame his still untamed limbs?"

It has to be said that even in the long history of the NBA, James is the only player who can repeatedly oscillate between what seems out of place and what doesn't.

What's jarring about LeBron James's playing style is that many of his offensive techniques give the impression of severe incoordination.

This is precisely the root cause of the lack of aesthetic appeal in James's playing style.

This is also the main reason why no basketball enthusiast wants to hear someone on the court say that they play like LeBron James.

What makes it feel natural is...
In many of the possessions where James gains an advantage through traveling, you'll find that his traveling is so smooth, so smooth, that most people wouldn't even notice it without slow-motion replays. Unfortunately, that night, James ran into the hot-headed Mobley.

On the court, Mobley called three consecutive traveling violations against James.

Admittedly, the current NBA allows players to perform a three-step layup using the "012" combination.

But this doesn't mean James can keep going indefinitely, going from 00000 to 12.

Mobley's ruling remains perfectly correct.

As for James?
At this moment, already carrying a technical foul, he just shook his head with a cold smile, then silently retreated to his own half of the court.

James felt he was being targeted by the referees.

Little did they know, TNT, O'Neal and Barkley were already laughing uncontrollably at his comedic performance on the court, saying, "LeBron is like a textbook example of how to do things wrong, every move he makes is as funny as Chaplin."

Since entering the NBA in 03.

If we disregard James's stronger physique...

The only improvement James has made in his skills is probably his truly threatening bald-face shot.

However, in Qin Yue's memory, the reason why James's "bald lion" shot was threatening was mainly because the defenders had to give him some shooting opportunities to guard his "American step".

However, since the referees are not going to favor James tonight, Butler, who is responsible for guarding James, will naturally not give James the opportunity to fire freely from the outside.

In the next offensive possession for the Timberwolves, Butler successfully forced James into a situation where he could only force his way through with his left hand.

In the Warriors' paint, Qin Yue's timely help defense forced James to randomly pick a loser to pass the ball after he jumped.

Why is he the unlucky one?
Since James only starts looking for a passing target the moment he jumps, how can he have the time to ensure the quality of the subsequent pass?

On the opposite high post, facing this cannonball-like pass, Yi Jianlian, who failed to touch the ball, could only signal to James that the ball was his mistake after James added another turnover to his stats.

However, just as Yi Jianlian chose to take the blame...
In this episode, Andre Varejao, who I've seen before, joined forces with Jamison on the sidelines to yell at James: "LeBron, stop causing trouble for your teammates. Can't you, you softie, take the shot yourself?"

During their time with the Cavaliers, Jamison and Varejao suffered greatly from James's random passing and blame-shifting tactics.

Even if you manage to receive a pass from James that's considered irresponsible, if you can't score, you'll still be labeled as a "CBA teammate."

What? You say you scored? What do you say that?
Of course, it was James who made a pass of the century, showcasing his historic basketball IQ to the world.

At Oracle Arena, after a series of mistakes at the start of the game, LeBron James' expression immediately turned ugly when he was mocked by two of his former teammates.

Meanwhile, Varejao made a bet with Jamison: "I bet a hundred dollars that LeBron will say after the game that he played with an injury tonight and that's why he didn't perform well."

Upon hearing this, Jamison rolled his eyes at Varejao and said, "Ander, if you really want my hundred dollars, you can just say so."

On the court, it's the Warriors' offensive possession.

Curry, who was tightly marked by Rubio this time, changed his approach.

After a sudden pause, he cut back into the Wolves' penalty area.

Seeing this, Qin Yuexuan, who had anticipated Curry's movements, passed the ball to Curry using a ball-leading maneuver, and Curry, the center, scored two points under the Timberwolves' basket.

TNT's Barkley commented on Qin Yue's assist, saying, "That's why we always say Messiah is a historically great passer, because he has an eye for spotting his teammates' movements."

In response, O'Neal, dissatisfied with his own life, remarked, "And what about LeBron?"

Barkley laughed and said, "Shaq, LeBron isn't as bad as you think. At least when you're open, LeBron can still pass the ball to you."

That's right.

Although James' playmaking skills cannot compare to Qin Yue's.

But on the court, James is still a good passer as long as his teammates are open.

For example, in the next possession, Bogut, who cut down the middle, successfully received a brilliant pass from James.

just
James, who thought he had an assist in hand, never expected that Bogut would be mercilessly blocked by Qin Yue in the next second.

Leaving aside Bogut's character, let's talk about Qin Yue's past life.

Later in his career, Bogut did indeed develop a floater with a high finishing rate.

However, generally speaking, if an inside player always has to use floaters as his primary offensive weapon, it means that he is a player who seriously lacks finishing skills.

At that moment, Bogut's layup, which resembled a slow-motion replay in a movie, provided Qin Yue with ample time to replay his jump.

Then, without any suspense.

The "White Duncan," who had been suppressed by Qin Yue since college, had his basketball slapped away by Qin Yue.

Immediately afterwards, Curry, who had secured the second ball for his team, dribbled the ball towards the Wolves' half.

no doubt.

This is definitely the episode with the most painful groin pain in James' life.

Before the game, James could never have imagined that the Timberwolves would start with a score of 0-27.

As time went on, Barkley, who had realized the opening game would turn into a disaster, said on TNT: "Will the Timberwolves, who didn't score a single point in the first seven minutes of the first quarter, set a new NBA record for the biggest losing margin tonight?"

O'Neal, standing nearby, remarked, "Why is it always LeBron who gets injured in these kinds of records?"

From the "101 tragedy" two years ago.

This night is very likely to mark the start of the NBA's biggest losing margin record.

While others are making progress, I am still sinking into that endless abyss.

No one knows how James is feeling.

But online, this was definitely the happiest time Durant ever had discussing LeBron James with netizens using his alternate account.

"This is LeBron James, the worst marketing product in NBA history."

"Of course, we have to admit that LeBron is still an extremely dominant player. As for what he dominates, isn't helping the opposing team dominate his own teammates a form of dominance?"

"I don't want to say that 'KD' kicking LeBron out this summer was a wise move, but it turns out that LeBron never disappoints when it comes to being disappointing."

……

PS: Update is late but it's here. (I read Yang Hansen's physical test report today, and he's quite good compared to other players in the same position, especially his speed. He was clearly underestimated because of his previous "health-conscious" basketball style in the CBA.)
(End of this chapter)