LeBron James, your house got robbed.

While both are Great Lakes cities, Detroit is utterly rotten compared to Cleveland.

If I remember correctly, Detroit will file for bankruptcy in two years, becoming the largest municipal bankruptcy case in U.S. history.

As for the team, the Pistons have reached the Eastern Conference Finals for five consecutive years since defeating the Lakers in 04.

But now only two of the original five players remain. Ben Wallace left and then returned, but can only play the role of a veteran in the locker room. The team has completely entered the rebuilding phase.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, they will enter a long period of reconstruction.

They will only slowly recover and rise again, becoming dark horses to win the championship, once the league gradually loosens its standards for defense.

This is the script of the Detroit Pistons, and also the underlying character of this city.

On the court, Brandon Knight, facing Paul's defense, made two quick crossover dribbles in a row, then suddenly pulled the ball back and changed direction, but Paul anticipated it and slapped the ball out of bounds.

Chen Shuo silently applauded this round.

As long as Paul doesn't encounter tall guards who overwhelm him, such as Deron Billups, his one-on-one defensive ability is still quite outstanding.

Knight, a guard who relies on dribbling rhythm to generate explosiveness, is the type of player Paul most likes to defend.

This Pistons team is currently in a period of chaos, lacking a well-established system and a definite cornerstone, with the starting five players taking roughly the same number of shots.

Despite years of training, Stuckey's skill level is limited. Monroe, as a traditional center, has excellent low-post skills but was born at the wrong time. This team even needs the aging Prince to carry the workload.

A team whose entire structure can be seen at a glance.

After glancing at the score of 65:78 on the big screen, Chen Shuo estimated that the game would be won in three quarters without any problem.

Although the score difference wasn't large, with only a ten-point difference, the Pistons' firepower made it unlikely they could catch up.

After a brief discussion, the referee and linesman determined that the ball had grazed Knight's leg and gone out of bounds, awarding possession to the Cavaliers.

The roles of offense and defense have reversed.

Paul started with a pick-and-roll, but Chandler was a step too slow to move up, allowing Knight to exploit his size advantage and aggressiveness to get past him.

Paul continued to keep the ball active, ran a second pick-and-roll with Chandler, and easily made his signature mid-range jumper against Monroe.

Chen Shuo clasped his hands together, his eyes still fixed on the game, his attention no longer on the field, lost in deep thought.

The Cavaliers ultimately secured a comfortable 83-95 victory on the road.

The team had no rest time at all; they went straight to the bus after the game and will face the Milwaukee Bucks tomorrow night.

The league has clearly put more thought into the arrangements for the shortened season, with both opponents being teams from the same Central Division.

On the bus, perhaps because of the victory, or perhaps because there were many young players, the bus was filled with excitement and noise, showing no signs of fatigue.

As the helmsman of this team, Chen Shuo requires himself to always remain calm.

Chen Shuo chose the last seat so he could observe the team's internal movements.

The bus seats were in pairs, and Paul and Chandler sat together; the two got along well.

Paul kept gesturing with his hands to indicate the name. Although Chen Shuo couldn't hear the conversation clearly, he guessed it was about details in the lecture hall.

To be honest, Chandler, who comes from rural California, is an honest and hardworking guy. Someone else probably wouldn't be able to stand Paul's personality.

Earning a million-dollar annual salary, I'm here listening to your rambling.

Behind them were Tucker and Ariza.

Chen Shuo's eyes were thoughtful.

It's clear that a small circle has formed with Paul at its head. Chandler and Ariza were teammates with Paul during their Hornets days.

Tucker and Paul are both from the North Carolina basketball circle, have known each other since childhood, and even teamed up to participate in AAU competitions.

On the other hand, the rookies are sticking together for mutual support.

The 2K duo of Leonard and Thompson remained silent—silent.

Chen Shuo couldn't think of any other words.

Green and Parsons sat behind him; neither of them had received many opportunities yet.

Next up is Jeremy Lin. Chen Shuo noticed that Lin and Green were having a pleasant conversation and seemed to have a good relationship, probably because they had crossed paths during their time in the Development League.

The veterans huddled together, Jamison and Thomas whispering to each other, while Battier took out his phone to show pictures of his children.

They really are men with families.

The two closest to Chen Shuo were Samuels and Casspi, who were benchwarmers on the team. They were both in the same boat and could only stick together for warmth.

Scott must have heard Paul's commotion, because he suddenly turned around and joined the discussion.

After getting a general understanding of the situation, Chen Shuo looked away, gently rubbing his temples as he continued to ponder the issues from the day.

……

Back-to-back game against the Pacers.

The Cavaliers' deep frontcourt completely shut down Danny Granger, the team's leader, and Paul George, the team's future star.

Both players are of the same type: they are defensive workhorses who can do a lot of work. They are good at defense, can run off-the-ball tactics, can also play a few games with the ball, and can respond to spot-up plays. They are good at everything but don't have any particular strength.

Their limited ball-handling skills restrict them from positioning themselves deep in the paint, forcing them to rely on outside shooting, which ultimately prevents them from reaching the ranks of top-tier forwards.

George had a breakout season with his shot, surpassing his own ceiling and breaking into the superstar category for several seasons.

However, George doesn't have much screen time right now, while Granger is being played by Ariza, Leonard, and Battier.

Sweating profusely, I was caught in a dilemma.

Only West's skillful, intermittent play helped the team stay close in the score.

Paul's leadership was reasonable, but he still couldn't deliver a decisive blow and was unable to widen the score gap.

The game went down to the wire, with the Cavaliers winning by less than double digits.

Chen Shuo watched as Green and Parsons got up to celebrate with their teammates, their smiles tinged with a hint of forced smiles.

Despite it being a back-to-back game, Scott didn't extend the rotation, and neither Green nor Parsons got playing time.

Chen Shuo understood that Green and Parsons were quite capable in terms of immediate combat effectiveness.

With a shortened season and a tight schedule, including more back-to-back games, long rotations are still very necessary.

Especially considering that neither of the two core players, Paul and Chandler, are particularly durable stars.

But these are not the main points of the problem.

This match confirmed Chen Shuo's reflections from yesterday: his team-building strategy had been flawed.

This team has too many utility players and lacks offensive development methods.

Paul and Chandler's pick-and-roll is the primary starting point.

Besides, Jamison can score a few goals in isolation, and Jeremy Lin can drive and dish off the bench, but neither is particularly efficient.

Battier and Ariza are excellent defenders, but they lack the ability to participate in tactics on offense and can only respond to spot-up plays when left open.

Ariza has exceptional physical attributes and possesses a certain ability to break through defenses, but the Cavaliers under Paul's leadership have a relatively slow overall pace, resulting in few fast break opportunities.

Even at the peak of his career, Leonard was a one-on-one machine outside the system, with limited ability to participate in tactics.

It's also impossible to expect Leonard to evolve into a one-on-one machine in his rookie year.

Of these, only Thompson has strong tactical ability as a shooter.

For now, it seems the only option is to give Clay more screen time.

Chen Shuo decided to wait until this away trip was over and then find some time to have a good talk with Scott.

After a day of rest, the Cavaliers will face the New Jersey Nets on the road.

When the two point guards met in 05, Paul was subjected to intense pressure on the defensive end due to Deron Williams' larger size.

Fortunately, the Nets have been terrible these past two years, and the Cavaliers easily took a victory.

In the final game of the road trip, Paul returned to his hometown and faced Kemba Walker, scoring 39 points to lead his team to a big win, washing away the frustration of being bullied by Deron Williams in the previous game.

The team flew back to Cleveland with a five-game winning streak and the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

That night, Chen Shuo stared at the video recordings of the team's recent games, watching them repeatedly, trying to find a way to break the deadlock.