LeBron James, your house got robbed.

The first big show of April was brought to us by the Orlando Magic, who were based in Florida.

Over the past half-season, Howard has had various conflicts with the Magic coaching staff, especially head coach Stan Van Gundy.

Van Gundy wants to replicate the 09 Magic's "one star and four shooters" style of play, and they have taken the most three-pointers in the league this season.

Apart from Howard, the other four starters each attempt 4-5 three-pointers per game.

Ryan Anderson has the second-most field goal attempts in the league with 6.9, while maintaining a high field goal percentage of 39.3%, almost securing the Most Improved Player award.

The Magic are currently ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference, forming the second tier of the East along with the Hawks (30 wins) and Pacers (31 wins).

But Howard was clearly not satisfied with this tactical system.

He needs the ball, he needs to post up, and he craves a bigger role on offense.

Especially after being mocked by the petty Shaquille O'Neal, Howard, whose mind wasn't quite sound, wanted to prove himself even more and hoped to become one of the greatest interior giants in history.

In response, Howard requested a trade from the Magic, and offered three potential destinations, including the Lakers.

This farce continued until early April, when it reached its climax.

The increasingly serious conflict between the coach and players has even led to rumors that Howard has asked the Magic to fire their head coach.

When asked by reporters after training, Van Gundy simply resigned himself to the situation, saying:

"Yes, management has told me it's true, and he did do it."

Then Van Gundy poured out his grievances to the media:

"Actually, I've been facing this for the past year, so I'm used to it now."

"It's 12:02 now, and I'm still the head coach. If they fire me at 12:05, I'll go home and do something, and I'll have a good day."

Van Gundy's account to the media was not yet finished when Howard suddenly appeared. It was clear that "Superman" had not expected his head coach to make the locker room conflict public.

He pushed aside the numerous reporters, walked straight to Van Gundy's side, and, feigning intimacy, put his arm around Van Gundy while smiling and saying:

"Hey Stan, we're not worried about those rumors, right?"

After a moment of surprise, Van Gundy immediately responded as if nothing had happened:

"That's what I just said too. Right now, all we care about is how to win the game."

The video, which went viral online, had everyone in the meeting room doubled over with laughter.

Tyronn Lue joked first:

"If you ask me, Van Gundy is a really good actor, very dedicated."

Cole glanced at the frozen video frame.

"How did he manage to be so calm? Those words came out of his mouth as naturally as if he was going to say them anyway."

Chen Shuo gathered the documents in his hand:

"Steve, I suggest you start learning now. This is an essential quality for an NBA coach."

Upon hearing this, Tyronn Lue immediately became alert.

Is my position as commander-in-chief also in jeopardy?

Tyronn Lue quickly recalled every conversation he had had with Chen Shuo recently.

Trying to find out my oversights and problems.

He understood the true value of the title "Cleveland Dictator" better than most people.

Boss Gilbert has been busy with company business lately and rarely interferes in the management of the Cavaliers, so Chen Shuo can do whatever he wants with the Cavaliers.

Tyronn Lue mingled easily with the players, and naturally learned a lot about Chen Shuo's style from them.

What he remembered most vividly was the story of Chen Shuo chasing Scott for thousands of miles, a story that couldn't wait even a single night longer.

Since then, apart from Paul, there have been no further doubts about the Cavaliers.

Tyronn Lue learned from his mistakes and coached entirely according to Chen Shuo's advice.

If there's any oversight, it might be that a few days ago, the players were gossiping about Chen Shuo and the cheerleaders, and Tyronn Lue chimed in with a few words.

Tyronn Lue swears to God that he only shares these kinds of gossips that everyone talks about, just to connect with the players.

Just as Tyronn Lue was feeling uneasy, he heard Chen Shuo tapping on the table.

The rhythmic and structured arrangement drew everyone's attention.

Let's take a look at our schedule for April.

"These bastards in the league office gave us 16 games to finish in 24 days, five of which are back-to-back games."

"There are also opponents like the Thunder, Bulls, Pacers, and Heat."

Even in the shortened season, the Cavaliers' schedule in the final stages was incredibly difficult.

After everyone had reviewed the schedule, Chen Shuo spoke up again and gave his goal.

"The team is in good form right now, and I hope to win at least 10 games at the end of the season."

"We need to make sure we get the top spot in the league."

Chen Shuo only gave the team five games to spare.

On one hand, Paul is vying for the MVP award, so the team's record is crucial; on the other hand, for the sake of the playoffs, the team should try to take home-court advantage as much as possible.

After all, it's hard to guarantee when the air conditioning in the stadium will break down when the away team is playing at home.

It's also impossible to guarantee that every piece of oak flooring on the court has enough elasticity to allow the basketball to bounce.

This kind of tactic is second nature to old foxes like Popovich and Riley.

With Chen Shuo applying pressure, the coaching staff quickly got into the work, needing to make sufficient plans and preparations for the 16 opponents.

……

The following day, Quicken Loans Arena's first game of April was against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Currently, the Thunder have a record of 40 wins and 12 losses, ranking first in the Western Conference and are on a strong upward trend.

This game is equally crucial for Paul.

Although he doesn't have the same advanced stats as James and Paul, Durant, as the star player of the Thunder, a rising force in the league, also made it into the top three of the MVP list.

Sweeping the Thunder twice during the season should help Paul and improve his image.

Compared to the 25 Thunder who later won the championship, the Thunder with the "Big Three" mostly relied on talent and one-on-one play, without a well-developed system.

In a true comparison, the 25 Thunder's talent was actually not as good as the 12 Thunder, but they had a more complete salary structure and team-building plan.

Of the three Thunder players, only SGA is a confirmed core player.

Besides, Chet's position as the defensive core is relatively stable, while Jermaine, who has always been regarded by fans as the second option, can be replaced at any time.

After all, that Thunder team had a lot of draft picks, and with Presti's eye for talent, it wouldn't be difficult to find an All-Star on a rookie contract to replace Jerry West.

Then J.W. was traded, which freed up salary cap space and allowed for more draft picks.

The new Thunder trio can continue to rotate in this pattern, ensuring their longevity.

On the defensive end, their system is simple and brutal, with a large number of defensive stalwarts rotating frequently, giving their all and sparing no effort to tear apart their opponents during their playing time.

Presti later discovered a little-known secret about player contracts.

Defensive players of the same caliber have much cheaper contracts than offensive players, sometimes less than half the price.

This makes it possible for a team to have a large number of defensive stalwarts.

The Cavaliers' defensive system was partly inspired by this 25-year-old Thunder team.

Chen Shuo looked up at the other side of the field, where Presti still looked a bit green.

During the upcoming offseason, he might make a decision he'll regret for the rest of his life.