LeBron James, your house got robbed.

Chapter 101 Riley's Military Order

Midtown Manhattan, New York.

Stern looked at the chaotic match on TV, his face ashen.

"This is the good thing you've done."

Xiao Hua lowered his head and dared not speak.

This wasn't actually at his behest. Before taking over from Stern, he wouldn't openly confront the president; at most, he would tacitly approve of it happening.

There were other forces at play behind this, and Xiao Hua was aware of it but did not stop it.

The players on both sides on the field were gradually separated.

A close-up shot showed James's dark eye sockets.

Stern, of course, was aware of the situation within the league and did not continue to criticize Silver. Instead, he immediately called Mike Bentham, who was in charge of refereeing matters.

Without any discussion, they directly informed us: "We need to make some changes to the referees."

"Furthermore, we must not let this conflict affect the balance of the game."

After hanging up the phone, Stern looked at Silver: "Go prepare a public relations campaign to minimize the negative impact of this incident."

"Just focus on dealing with the media for now."

Xiao Hua slowly nodded and withdrew, thus temporarily excluding himself from the situation.

He understood that the president's real anger wasn't about the whistle during a game.

After all, the president had done this kind of thing quite a few times back in the day.

The commissioner was even angrier at the league office for losing control over the referees, something Stern could not allow.

Stern quickly regained his composure and silently watched the game on the field.

Referee Foster put on his headphones and repeatedly watched the footage of the fight between the two sides.

The final ruling was not made until the voice in the earphone was heard.

Tucker, who threw the first punch, was ejected from the game, while the other two sides were equally punished.

Both Garnett and Paul made hand movements immediately, and each received a technical foul.

James grabbed Tucker's jersey, and JR Smith also made a hand gesture, each receiving a foul.

As for the other substitutes who rushed onto the field, Foster completely ignored the situation, believing that there was no one to punish them.

The technical fouls from both sides canceled out.

Only Tucker's flagrant foul was valid, giving the Heat possession of two free throws and possession.

This punishment was entirely within Chen Shuo's expectations.

The alliance will try its best to stabilize the situation and minimize the damage.

Tucker was the one Chen Shuo sent out to be the first to stick his neck out.

Even if he is suspended, it will not affect this series.

In exchange, Chen Shuo will give Tucker ample playing time next season and help him secure a big contract.

As for the other players on the field...

Garnett's reputation for fighting and retreating is widespread; his boundless passion is actually quite rational, and he wouldn't risk his life in this situation.

Veteran Chen Shuo was even more reassured, knowing that as long as Paul didn't run into Rondo, he could still maintain his composure.

Moreover, the first thing Tyronn Lue did upon rushing onto the court was to call out to Battier and Thomas, and to pull Paul and Garnett back first.

This was a long-planned conflict, and Tyronn Lue and Chen Shuo had an unspoken understanding about it.

The planning began as early as the series against the Pacers, the game in which Tucker was brought in.

However, the team had too few thugs like this, so Chen Shuo had no choice but to use Tucker to do this dirty work.

To be honest, Tucker isn't very professional at doing this kind of thing.

Although Tucker was passionate and tough, he lacked the essential traits of a villain, which is why Chen Shuo secretly taught Tucker a couple of lessons.

If that person comes to report next year, everything will be much easier.

For that guy, this kind of thing is commonplace. When it comes to breaking someone's defenses, ten Tuckers can't compare.

Chen Shuo thought about it for a moment.

It seems this trade will have to go to the Celtics, as they have the right draft pick and both sides have a good track record of trading.

Tucker left the American Airlines Arena amidst a chorus of boos, but looking at him with his head held high and chest puffed out, he resembled a victorious rooster.

James, sporting dark circles under his eyes, stepped to the free-throw line. Tucker's punch was both accurate and powerful, completely catching him off guard.

Perhaps due to impaired vision, James missed both free throws at home.

In the next game, the Cavaliers brought back their starting lineup and immediately adopted a 3-2 zone defense.

Following the earlier conflict, both sides escalated their actions, their arms frequently becoming entangled, and someone would fall to the ground if not careful.

Foster kept a close eye on every detail, occasionally blowing his whistle to interrupt the game.

Foster's 17 years of refereeing experience combined to deliver a superb performance, with not a single mistake or oversight.

They gradually brought the competition under control.

When the game returned to its normal format, it was back in the Cavaliers' control.

The two corners of the 3-2 zone defense became complete traps, and Wade and Chalmers were frequently double-teamed, resulting in turnovers.

At the start of the fourth quarter, James covered his eyes and walked toward the player tunnel.

Spoelstra was substituted out of the starting lineup and conceded defeat.

Fans at the American Airlines Center got up and left the arena in small groups, leaving the stadium empty when the game ended.

The Cavaliers ultimately crushed the Heat by more than 30 points on the road, bringing the series score to 2-1.

After the game, Chen Shuo didn't rush to celebrate with the team.

Chen Shuo dialed Gilbert's number directly, and a familiar voice came through.

"Hey, we won another game."

After Chen Shuo gave a brief response, just as he was about to get to the point, Gilbert spoke first.

"I guess you want to amplify the impact of this conflict."

"I'm already doing it."

"Unfair refereeing decisions leading to on-field conflict, Chen, what do you think of this title?"

"This is a good topic that can get more attention and more traffic to this series."

"It also allows us to have a fairer competitive environment."

"You are the most adept general manager at using public opinion I have ever met."

Chen Shuo remained silent.

Gilbert's learning ability is just too fast.

These things are not difficult to understand in themselves, and there is no high learning threshold. Many people are just limited by the times.

Three days later, in Cleveland.

Even Chen Shuo had to admit that Gilbert was definitely a good partner.

They are extremely efficient at getting things done, using any means necessary and never hesitating to invest in anything.

Following Game 3 between the Cavaliers and the Heat, various conspiracy theories favored by the American public swept in, interpreting Tucker's heavy punches on the court as a protest against unfair calls.

Gilbert spent a fortune, leveraging almost a third of the media resources to seize the moral high ground and portray the Cavaliers and Cleveland as champions of justice.

In order to gain more traffic, Gilbert also subtly brought up the feud between James and Cleveland, aiming to make this case a topic of conversation for Americans for many years to come.

The forces behind James reacted a beat too late, but then used more media resources to engage in this media war, regaining control of public opinion and making these issues known to everyone.

This effectively became part of Gilbert's plan.

Adam Silver, who was sent by the league to suppress public opinion, never expected such a large-scale public outcry. He was powerless to reverse the situation and could only try to steer the public opinion to other topics, such as the Western Conference Finals and the five draft picks in the Celtics' hands.

In desperation, Adam Silver dropped a bombshell, prematurely revealing the possibility of a "Big Four" formation in the City of Angels, which slightly reduced public attention on the Eastern Conference Finals.

After this incident, Adam Silver felt that instead of reforming the referees, the league office should focus on acquiring more media resources.

Adam Silver has decided that once he takes office, he must firmly grasp public opinion in order to facilitate the realization of his grand plan.

Despite the pressure from public opinion over the past few days, the game in Game 4 was conducted in a consistent manner, and the Cavaliers quietly took their second victory from Miami, bringing the series score to 3-1.

This has put the Heat's Big Three on the brink of elimination.

With Game 5 back in Cleveland, the series is very likely over.

If the Big Three can't even get out of the Eastern Conference, they will become the biggest laughing stock in NBA history.

On the eve of the game, Riley, who had been silent for a long time, finally appeared and made a solemn pledge in front of all the reporters: "If we don't win, we'll dismantle the team."