LeBron James, your house got robbed.

The Cavaliers' second opponent upon returning to Cleveland is none other than Paul's former team, the New Orleans Hornets, who are also the new destination of Cleveland's number one draft pick.

This game was selected to be broadcast live across the United States from the very beginning.

Despite the vast difference in strength between the two teams, this was the first head-to-head matchup between the Eastern and Western Conference Rookie of the Month, and also the first game since Kyrie Irving, the number one draft pick, returned to Cleveland after being traded.

During that long, hot summer, Irving was the darling of Cleveland.

Returning to this familiar place now, everything has changed.

After Kyrie Irving won Rookie of the Month, he was asked about the impact of the trade on him.

Chen Shuo remembered Irving's answer, his expression calm as he faced the camera:

"This made me realize much earlier that the NBA is a business."

As Chen Shuo sat on the sidelines watching Irving warm up, Grant slowly sat down next to him. Following his gaze, he watched Irving's magnificent ball control, graceful as a startled swan, and as swift as a swimming dragon.

After a long while, Grant spoke:

"Pierce has also been traded."

Chen Shuo slowly shifted his gaze from the field to Grant.

"Los Angeles Clippers, detailed information hasn't been released yet."

Chen Shuo guessed that Sterling was getting restless after seeing the Cavaliers' results.

Seeing that the Cavaliers acquired Garnett and the Spurs got Ray Allen, he followed suit.

But with the Clippers' roster, they have enough one-on-one players to play a whole table of mahjong, so Pierce's arrival wouldn't change anything.

Given Ainge's personality, the Clippers are bound to bleed him dry.

After all, Pierce was the Finals MVP and had the best stats among the Big Three.

Chen Shuo further helped to raise market prices.

Only a cunning old fox like Popovich could resist being fooled, and coupled with the conflict between Ray Allen and Rondo, he was ultimately able to reap a huge benefit.

To understand the root cause of their conflict, we must look back at Paul's trade.

Before the match began, a tribute video for Varejao was played on the big screen at Quicken Loans Arena.

Thank you for the seven years of his youth he dedicated to the Cavaliers, and thank you for his ever-present passion and toughness.

Twenty thousand Cleveland residents came to the event to express their love with cheers and applause.

The Brazilian looked up at the screen, his eyes reddening again, unable to contain his emotions.

Irving stood ramrod straight beside him, his face as calm as a still lake, saying nothing.

The match officially began with the referee's whistle.

Chandler easily jumped for the ball against Okafor.

Varejao returned to Quicken Loans Arena, but was not included in today's starting lineup, as he has been plagued by injuries throughout the season.

The Hornets' starting lineup.

Emeka Okafor and Carl Landry formed the frontcourt pairing.

Grevis Vasquez played point guard, while Kyrie Irving moved directly to shooting guard.

In retrospect, this was indeed a more suitable position for Irving.

Although Kyrie Irving has the physique of a point guard, he can also play a certain role in playmaking.

But in reality, his playing style and technical characteristics are more like those of a wing player like Joe Ko, only at a disadvantage in terms of size and talent.

Hornets head coach Monty Williams has a keen eye for talent and is very insightful in his personnel decisions.

Vasquez has excellent playmaking ability and is also 1.98 meters tall, which can compensate for the lack of height in the backcourt to some extent.

Ariza, the original defensive anchor on the front line, was tricked away by Chen Shuo with a first-round pick from the Cavaliers in 13, so they had to use Italian sharpshooter Marco Belinelli to fill in at small forward.

Now that Paul has publicly committed to re-signing, the Hornets' plans have essentially fallen through.

With this lineup, they are clearly no match for the Cavaliers' pack of hungry wolves.

The Cavaliers almost completely overwhelmed their opponents in the first quarter. The interior combination of Okafor and Landry was completely ineffective against Chandler and Garnett.

The guards made frequent mistakes against the Cavaliers' aggressive defense, and Thompson hit two consecutive three-pointers, extending the lead to 15 points and forcing the opponent to call a timeout.

TNT's commentary room.

Barkley opened his mouth wide and waved his hands:

"This is not even a comparison of magnitude."

"It's like a game between adults and children; I can't bear to watch these cruel scenes."

The smile that appeared at the corner of his mouth betrayed Barkley's stance.

Since the Cavaliers defeated the Heat in their opening game, Barkley has become a loyal supporter of the Cavaliers, raking in a lot of attention.

The Cavaliers' recent aggressive play perfectly aligns with his aesthetic preferences.

Barkley believes the only drawback is that the Cavaliers' pace is too slow. They failed to capitalize on many fast break opportunities, and some fast breaks ended with them stopping to shoot three-pointers from beyond the three-point line.

If given so many opportunities, he would definitely smash the opponent's rim with his dunks, thus living up to his nickname "Flying Pig".

O'Neal naturally sided with the Hornets.

"I have high hopes for Kyrie Irving's growth, but I have to admit that there is indeed a gap in ability in the short term."

Then, the conversation abruptly shifted to off-stage topics:

"Let's talk about the Ray Allen trade."

There's really not much to say about this game; O'Neal couldn't find a suitable entry point.

Just then, Barkley suddenly interrupted him:

"Look!"

Irving dribbled to the midline, suddenly accelerated, and switched the ball to his left hand with a crossover dribble over Paul. He paused for a moment, hesitated, then switched the ball behind his back again, accelerating past Paul's right hand to break through.

Facing the double attack from Garnett, he powerfully struck the ground with one hand, like a butterfly flitting through flowers, passing the ball and the player.

Chandler jumped quickly, and Irving paused in the air for a moment before switching to the right-hand pull-up bar, landing like an antelope with its horns in the net.

"I can't believe my eyes."

Barkley held his large head in disbelief.

The Cavaliers' attack missed.

Possession returned to Irving.

Irving lowered his center of gravity and dribbled from the top of the arc to break through. Thompson got into position first, pressing his chest against Irving's head. Garnett immediately closed in, and the two blocked the free throw line.

Irving dribbled with force, spun around, and slipped through the gap between the two players. Facing the jumping Chandler, he threw a perfect arc ball that just grazed his fingertips.

The Cavaliers' offense missed again.

Possession of the ball returned to Irving.

Thompson instinctively took a step back after two consecutive breakthroughs, and Irving immediately rose up at a 45-degree angle on the right, his long arc piercing the sun.

斩。

Thompson slammed his fist on the falling basketball, filled with frustration.

Fortunately, Paul reorganized the offense. After a pick-and-roll with Garnett, he faced Landry, made a serpentine drive to the baseline, jumped, and hit a mid-range shot, stabilizing the situation.

The Hornets quickly served the ball.

Almost the entire stadium was focused, watching the orange-red ball dancing at Irving's fingertips.

Irving had the ball on the wing beyond the three-point line, and Thompson quickly closed in, chesting up to provide contact.

Irving seized the opportunity, quickly switched hands and dribbled downwards. Thompson rushed over, and Irving danced on the sideline, doing a 360-degree spin, creating space before connecting with a crossover.

After fooling Thompson again, he switched hands once more, dribbled downwards, and jumped to shoot as if no one else was around.

Thompson adjusted his center of gravity and lunged forward to defend, only managing to hit Irving's forearm.

The whistle blew, but everyone stared intently as the orange-red basketball arced through the air and landed steadily in the hoop.

The crisp sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet Quicken Loans Arena.

Landry rushed over and shoved Irving in celebration.

Extreme individualism, four consecutive one-on-one battles, different footwork techniques, different finishing skills, breaking through the league's strongest defensive wall four times.

Irving let his teammates shove him, then turned to look at Chen Shuo on the sidelines.

I regret not seeing what I wanted.

Chen Shuo clapped gently, his expression mild, his eyes full of appreciation.

Kyrie Irving is a rare offensive weapon who is not limited by the environment. His excellent ball-handling skills and comprehensive offensive techniques allow him to deliver devastating blows against any defense.

On the original timeline, Irving's main problem was that his physique as a point guard couldn't support his ability to attack the basket, and his three-point shooting percentage was too low.

The main reason is that Irving was drafted in 2011, and three-pointers are not a staple weapon for top-tier one-on-one players.

Therefore, after selecting Irving, Chen Shuo specifically increased the proportion of three-pointers with the ball in Irving's training plan, thus changing Irving's shot distribution in advance.

The better Irving played at that moment, the more proud Chen Shuo became of his work.

Owen suddenly realized that Chen Shuo did not regret it.

The immense sense of defeat almost overwhelmed Irving on the court.

Just like the title the media gave him.

"The Cleveland Dictator"

He was dictatorial, autocratic, decisive, and cold-blooded. He meticulously arranged everything, each step leading to his own goal with unwavering determination.

How could he possibly regret it?

That summer, just as he had said, Chen Shuo rarely came to the training camp.

But everyone could sense his shadow behind them.

During his time in New Orleans, Irving often thought of that Italian restaurant in Manhattan.

Irving once seriously believed that it was the beginning of a legendary chapter that belonged to him, to Kawhi, to Clay, to Chandler and Danny, and to Chen Shuo.

Irving only stepped to the free-throw line after being prompted by the referee.

"Swish"

After Irving made the free throw, the score was still down by five points.

Looking back.

Thompson used Chandler's screen to slip to the top of the court, received a pass from Garnett, and, facing the chasing Vasquez, raised his hand and shot a three-pointer.

Irving looked at Thompson and suddenly felt a pang of envy.