LeBron James, your house got robbed.

Grant was speechless; this guy had actually guessed right.

Although James went all out from the start of the game, unleashing his signature bull-like charge, attacking the home team's basket time and time again without holding back.

The Cavaliers were dominated by the visiting team throughout the game, but by halftime, they were still leading by 5 points, which was unbelievable.

During halftime, Gilbert visibly relaxed, put down his glass, and asked:

"Chen, how confident are you about winning your bet?"

Chen Shuo thought for a moment before speaking:

"There's always an element of uncertainty in any competition, at least 80%."

He wasn't certain of victory, which made it seem unreal.

Even though the Cavaliers ultimately won the game, it felt like they were just lucky.

Gilbert, intrigued, continued to press:

"You guessed the referee's standards correctly."

"But that's not enough for us to win the game."

"Even if the game stays close until the very end, their chances of winning aren't high; they have three star players who can decide the game."

Chen Shuo nodded slightly, agreeing with Gilbert's statement.

Yes, it's rare to have three top-ten players in the league on one team.

Then the tone shifted:

"But basketball is a team game involving five players, and the Heat haven't found a suitable system that allows them to achieve more than the sum of their parts (1+1+1>3)."

"Most of the time, they still solve problems through one-on-one play."

"And we are not at a disadvantage in every position."

Chen Shuo then passed the message to Gilbert.

Although the latter has not been involved in management this season, he is still quite familiar with his own players.

After a brief comparison, he began to speak:

"Hickson, we still have an advantage at the center position."

Chen Shuo received a satisfactory answer. Involving the person being persuaded often makes your words seem more credible.

"That's right. The Heat assembled a Big Three and ate up 90% of the salary cap. None of their three centers are very effective."

"Neither Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Joel Anthony, nor Dampier can match up against Hickson."

"Hickson can guarantee our rebounding advantage; he was very aggressive in this game."

Without giving Gilbert time to process the information, Chen Shuo threw out another bargaining chip.

"In addition to that, there is another advantage: physical stamina."

"This is the Heat's second game of a back-to-back. In their last game in Houston, they were locked in a close contest until the very end."

"The Big Three will all be playing for more than 40 minutes, which means they will face the problem of exhaustion in the final moments of the game."

"When the game enters the decisive, physical moment, both sides, blinded by rage, will inevitably go all out, resulting in a drop in shooting percentage. Stamina and rebounding will determine the outcome."

Gilbert stopped asking questions, simply picked up the glass of bourbon whiskey, and raised it to Chen Shuo.

Then, turning their attention to the field, the second half of the match between the two teams was about to begin.

The Heat's starting lineup for the second half changed center, moving Bosh to the center position.

Chen Shuo glanced at the sidelines and saw Heat head coach Spoelstra staring at him with wide eyes, constantly reminding his players to push for a fast break.

The Heat's key to survival lies in their ability to transition between offense and defense.

To facilitate counterattacks, James usually gets to grab the defensive rebounds so that he can quickly initiate fast breaks.

Fortunately, the Cavaliers, playing at home, were more committed than ever before and managed to get into position on defense before James could launch a fast break.

Offense requires talent, while defense relies more on the player's willingness, which is why defense is more stable and better able to maintain a minimum standard.

Seeing that the fast break was not going to work, James held the ball at the top of the key to observe the situation.

Facing Hickson's defense, Bosh simply pulled along the baseline to a point inside the three-point line, which was exactly the limit of his shooting range.

In other words, Bosh hasn't developed his three-point shooting ability yet; otherwise, he would simply stand outside the three-point line.

Hickson, wary of Bosh's projections, followed him out without much thought.

At that moment, James, at the top of the arc, raised his hand in a shooting stance.

Anthony Parker, who was guarding him, did not fall for the fake and firmly maintained his defensive position, but unfortunately James was completely unreasonable.

Lowering his center of gravity and slouching, James squeezed in from Parker's left side. The 35-year-old Parker was trying to defend, but James simply hoisted him onto his shoulder and carried him all the way to the basket.

Before Hickson could get back into position in the paint, James jumped, grabbed Parker's arm, and powerfully slotted the ball into the net.

He even yelled "and 1!" at the referee.

Even Chen Shuo, a 20-year LeBron hater, had nothing to say about this play; in terms of physical strength, LeBron James is an absolute genius.

It seems that James cares more about winning this game than the media reports suggest, and is determined to prove his choice by sweeping his former team.

He missed the free throw, resulting in a classic 2+0 for James.

The roles of offense and defense have reversed.

Since they didn't have any absolute strong points, the Cavaliers played very evenly in this game, with almost everyone taking the initiative to attack when given the chance.

Baron Davis received the ball on the wing, facing Chalmers, intending to use his size to bully the rookie as well.

He dribbled between his legs repeatedly, accompanied by a slight shoulder shake, and found a weak spot in Chalmers' defense.

He yanked the ball with his left hand and stepped forward, trapping Chalmers to his side. His heavy body blocked Chalmers from view, leaving him only able to watch Davis make the layup.

"Snap—"

Wade burst out from the side, leaped up, and delivered a thunderous block, securing the rebound.

On the other side of the court, James had already sprinted down the court. Wade crossed half-court to deliver an alley-oop, and James caught the ball high in the air, slamming it into the basket with both hands.

James and Wade connect.

Many fans who watched this Heat team play later understood that the fast break was the hallmark of the Heat's rise to prominence.

Once the Heat get into a run, it's easy for them to go on a mini-run and blow out the opponent.

Chen Shuo turned his gaze to the sidelines, where head coach Byron Scott's immediate priority was to call a timeout.

Scott clearly didn't realize this and continued to leave the game to the players on the field.

The Heat did not miss this opportunity.

Wade and James suddenly double-teamed, forcing turnovers and scoring on fast breaks, going on a 9-0 run and instantly reversing the score difference.

Scott seemed to wake up from his daze and called the first timeout of the second half.

Grant's voice came through, his tone tinged with displeasure:

"LeBron definitely traveled on that play just now, the referee should have blown the whistle, damn it!"

Although Grant was pointing his finger at the referee, Chen Shuo knew that the guy was actually after him, indirectly refuting his previous speculation.

Meeting Gilbert's probing gaze, Chen Shuo simply said:

"There may have been other forces interfering with the referee's judgment."

In the first half, the referees awarded James three turnovers, which coincided with my prediction.

After halftime, the game took a dramatic turn, with the Heat allowed to exert their full strength without even using the rules to interrupt the game or slow down the momentum.

The contradictions suggest the intervention of other forces, which could only be the powerful interest group behind James.

The most suspicious party is NIKE, which placed a huge bet on James.

Judging from subsequent public opinion, in the 21st century, NIKE infiltrated the league in all aspects, and league officials, referees, commentators and media may have received lobbying funds from them.

This is nothing new in the United States; after all, this is the pattern of behavior from the president up to the president.

However, Chen Shuo did not reveal the truth completely, but left it open for Gilbert to think.

After being reminded by Chen Shuo, Gilbert immediately understood the reason. As the team owner, he even knew more details.

The current situation involves a power struggle between the league office and off-site sponsors.

Seeing that Gilbert had realized the truth, Chen Shuo continued his performance:

"This is the crucial moment of the game; we need someone to step up and help the team get through this most dangerous time."

Chen Shuo glanced at the Cavaliers players.

He believed that someone would step up and hold off the game, otherwise, if the score gap widened to more than 10 points, it would be a pipe dream for this Cavaliers team to come back.

Ryan Hollins and Alonzo Kee are both defensive players, so expecting them to respond to the opponent's offense is unrealistic.

JJ Hickson was arguably the best player in the game, scoring 12 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and blocking one shot in the first half.

However, their ability to launch independent attacks is also limited.

The Heat are currently double-teaming aggressively at the top of the court, which has created quite a few three-point opportunities.

Baron Davis and Anthony Parker both have impressive three-point shooting records, but Parker has become more of a pure shooter in recent years, and statistically he is better than Davis.

But Davis is, after all, the man who led the Warriors to an upset victory in the 8th round, a typical clutch player. In such a crucial moment, Chen Shuo still had more faith in him.

"James and Wade's double-teaming at the perimeter created many open looks, and Parker and Davis need to capitalize on those opportunities."

Chen Shuo ultimately opted for a conservative approach, refusing to name his preferred candidate.

Upon hearing this, Gilbert followed Chen Shuo's gaze and watched the players on the field.

After Davis dribbled past half-court, facing Wade's close defense, he didn't choose to attack, but passed the ball to Parker at the top of the key.

But the intention behind the shot was too obvious, and James dove out to tip the ball away before Parker could catch it.

Then, ignoring where the ball landed, he ran straight towards the opponent's half.

In James's mind, after he flicked the ball out, Wade should receive it and make a long pass to him to complete the fast break.

Unfortunately, in this battle for possession, Davis, with a physique that is in no way inferior to Wade's, got the ball first and made a through pass to Anthony Parker, who was completely left unmarked.

Without hesitation, the latter took the ball, drew his bow and shot, the basketball drawing a beautiful arc in the air before piercing the net.

Twenty thousand Cleveland fans chanted in unison, their shouts echoing throughout Quicken Loans Arena, deafeningly loud.

Instead of criticizing the players' mistakes, Spoelstra shouted from the sidelines:

"Serve quickly, get moving!"

Bosh was the first to understand the coach's intention. He came to the baseline, took the ball, and threw it directly forward.

In the previous possession, James, who was already on a fast break, easily received the ball in the frontcourt and scored a tough two-pointer.

Chen Shuo nodded noncommittally, acknowledging that fast breaks were indeed a powerful tool for scoring.

How can this not be considered a tactic?

Fortunately, 35-year-old veteran Anthony Parker got back into the game with that shot.

In the following rounds, they hit two more three-pointers, keeping the score close.

The referee blew his whistle, signaling the first official timeout of the third quarter.

Chen Shuo silently breathed a sigh of relief; this was arguably the most dangerous moment.

Gilbert, a smile already on his face, said to Chen Shuo:

"It looks like Anthony stepped up first."

He's starting to believe Chen Shuo's words; maybe the team really can win this game.

Although it's just a drop in the ocean compared to the current problems, at least we've gotten our revenge.

If he loses all four battles, he won't have the face to attend the next board meeting of bosses.

After the timeout, the Heat launched an attack.

"Defnse——Defnse——Defnse——"

The 20,000 fans in Cleveland, their unified cheers like tangible ripples, gave Quicken Loans Arena a sense of imposing grandeur.

When Wade's mid-range shot missed, Hickson leaped high and secured the rebound, prompting a deafening roar of cheers from the arena, as if the game had been won.

With the support of their home fans, the Cavaliers fought bravely and withstood the opponent's continuous attacks.

At this point, even Gilbert could see the Cavaliers' winning advantage.

Throughout the entire third quarter, James and Wade remained on the court, attempting to sweep the Cavaliers in one fell swoop.

Surprisingly, the Cavaliers players became even more determined and resilient despite wave after wave of attacks.

In the fourth quarter, the Big Three took turns resting on the bench, but the Cavaliers players were like they were on steroids, completely tireless, like wolves that hadn't eaten for ten days, relentlessly attacking their opponents.

By the time the Big Three returned to the court, the score had already widened to more than ten points.

The Big Three took turns scoring individually, which allowed them to put the ball in the net, but they couldn't make up for the points they conceded on the defensive end.

With offensive rebounds being dominated and defensive positioning lapses, even Davis, who was practically out of steam, improvised two three-pointers, effectively ending the game.

This highly anticipated game ended with a score of 102-90, as the Cavaliers defended their home court.

James, the former darling of Quicken Loans Arena and son of Akron, ignored his opponents and walked straight to the player tunnel amidst a chorus of boos.