Chapter 144: Why do I have to choose a bottle of poison?

It is said that there is a joke that only Americans can understand - "You said you were going to Cleveland? Hahahahaha..."

The status of this city in the American comedy world is roughly equivalent to the status of the big city Tieling in China. It is a place that has contributed tons of jokes to countless audiences.

Cleveland is broken, down, and depressed, and no one wants to look at the city -- except on Cavaliers game day.

Being able to have James is one of the luckiest things in this city.

It is this superstar born in Akron that allows Cleveland to appear in the eyes of Americans with a more positive image at certain moments.

This season is even more so. In the past ten games, James has led the Cavaliers to an excellent record of 9 wins and 1 loss, ranking first in the league and making Cleveland fans extremely proud.

Look, the Cavaliers are back up again, this year's championship is ours!

Hey, why do I use "again"?

It was only then that they realized that the Cavaliers ruled the regular season every year and failed in the playoffs. The difference was only a matter of whether they were eliminated sooner or later.

In fact, the Cavaliers fans are also very satisfied with this. What kind of bears were the Cavaliers in the past? The deepest memory left by people turned out to be "the shot" that made Jordan's name go down in history. There was no achievement at all.

Now it can be ranked in the forefront of the regular season every year, the second round of the Eastern Conference is guaranteed, it is commonplace to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, and even made it to the finals once, what kind of bicycle do you need?

But they are satisfied, does not mean that James is also satisfied.

The name "Little Emperor" has been called out a long time ago, but he has not been able to match the results, which makes James already dissatisfied.

James is not satisfied with making the playoffs, he aims to surpass Jordan.

In terms of personal honor, what he can achieve is an MVP and a scoring champion, which pales in comparison to Jordan at the same time.

What he is better than Jordan is that he reached the finals in the first seven years of his career, but was swept by the Spurs without bloodshed - so it is better not to make it.

James' patience has reached its limit. He has given everything for his hometown team. It's time to touch the O'Brien Cup, otherwise he doesn't mind making some changes.

Under his pressure, the Cavaliers finally made a big move. They exchanged three-year draft picks for Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson, as his helpers, to launch the most violent impact on the championship.

James was very satisfied with this, and even wanted to renew his contract with the Cavaliers in advance, but in the end, reason prevailed. Without seeing the championship, he would not be bound to the city of Cleveland for another four years.

But the facts are gradually dispelling his doubts. After the start of the regular season, James' record of 9 wins and 1 loss was placed in front of James, which made his confidence even more inflated.

Unlike James carrying the team forward alone in the past, Monta Ellis took a lot of possessions and relieved him a lot of burden.

He averaged 22.4 points per game, making him the second Cavaliers player to average over 20 points per game in so many years besides James.

And Stephen Jackson also showed the experience and strength that a veteran should have. With fewer shots, his efficiency has improved a lot. He is a strong substitute for James, so that he does not need to play nearly 40 minutes per game, which greatly reduces exhausted his energy.

After Mo Williams assumed the role of the sixth man, he showed his offensive ability during the rotation period and provided strong fire support for the Cavaliers' bench. He can be called a bench bandit and increased the depth of the Cavaliers' lineup.

In addition to the fact that the degree of running-in is not enough, the Cavaliers are making great strides on the road to victory. It is also widely believed that this year is the closest the Cavaliers are to the championship.

It was in this situation that the Warriors came to Cleveland to challenge the top team in the East!

...

brush!

In the practice gym at the Quicken Loans Center, Monta Ellis made a three-pointer, swung his arm, and walked to the sidelines.

After this shot, he completed today's training plan and can rest.

Cavaliers players on other courts also reached the end of practice, talking and laughing loudly with each other.

Successive victories have kept the entire team in a very harmonious atmosphere, and everyone is united as if there is no contradiction.

Bang!

James ended today's practice with a one-step tomahawk dunk from inside the free throw line, which drew loud applause from the crowd:

"My God, the king is showing his power!"

"Good!!!"

After landing, James smiled and walked towards his teammates, jumped into the air, and collided with them to celebrate.

He enjoyed the feeling of being surrounded by stars and the atmosphere of victory.

As soon as James turned his head, he saw Monta Ellis, strode towards him, hugged him, and said with a smile:

"My brother, we will win tomorrow, let the Warriors see what a good player they let go!"

Monta Ellis nodded emphatically:

"Thank you, LeBron."

"It's nothing, we are brothers, and I will definitely help you out!" James patted Monta Ellis on the shoulder and said very domineeringly.

Others also gathered around and interjected one after another:

"Yes, players like Monta will be traded. Coach Z's vision is too bad."

"It's a good thing, Monta wouldn't be in Cleveland if it wasn't for him."

"That's right, let's win the championship and let that Huaxia guy regret it to death!"

The last sentence was said by Delonte West. After James heard it, he frowned and reprimanded softly:

"Delonte, don't talk nonsense, don't use words like 'Huaxia guy'!"

Delonty West was taken aback, and quickly apologized:

"I'm sorry, LeBron, I said the wrong thing."

James' expression eased:

"The Cavaliers have many Chinese fans. They are our staunch supporters. Coach Z is the owner of the Warriors. Don't call them insulting words in the future, understand?"

Although Delonte West didn't take it seriously in his heart, he still nodded again and again, and the others also looked solemn, expressing that they had heard it.

James looked around for a week, very satisfied with the expressions of everyone, and suddenly smiled:

"Let's go, guys, don't go to the nightclub today, go home and rest, tomorrow is a must-win game!"

Seeing that James smiled, the serious atmosphere dissipated in an instant, and everyone laughed and said:

"Let's go, let's go home."

"LeBron, you must pass the ball to me more tomorrow!"

"You are talking nonsense. As long as you have a chance, LeBron's pass will be in place. Don't be overwhelmed by that time."

"Nonsense, I catch the ball very steadily..."

Amidst a burst of laughter, the Cavaliers players surrounded James and left the Quicken Loans Center arena. After watching him drive away, they each drove back to their homes.

Meanwhile, the Warriors are training in an arena not far from the Quicken Loans Center.

After back-to-back games against the Knicks and Bucks, the Warriors got two days off.

They arrived in Cleveland on November 11th. Zhang Yu gave the team a day off for a little rest. Today they will conduct low-intensity training to maintain their state and prepare for tomorrow night's game.

Zhang Yu watched the players practice three-pointers from the sidelines, frowned slightly, and said to Ron Adams beside him:

"Ron, I've been thinking about how to defend the Cavaliers for the past two days, but I have no idea. Do you have any suggestions?"

Ron Adams pondered for a moment and said:

"From a star point of view, James is the absolute core of the Cavaliers. We must contain his performance. But the Cavaliers are not like before, with Monta Ellis as the second ball-holding point. He is capable of absorbing a lot of For the possession of the ball, we also need to focus on marking... Ronan, we have to make a choice."

Zhang Yu sighed softly:

"I just can't make up my mind on who to focus on, and Mo Williams and Stephen also have a certain ability to attack the ball. The Cavaliers' ball-holding points are no longer the same as before. They are overly concentrated on James, which is difficult to deal with. "

Ron Adams glanced at Zhang Yu, the meaning is obvious, the Cavaliers have changed so much, isn't it all caused by you?

You committed sins back then, and now the retribution is coming.

The corners of Ron Adams' mouth raised slightly, a little gloating.

No matter what opponent or situation Zhang Yu faced, he always showed confidence. Even if he lost the game, his tactical arrangements were very reasonable. It was mostly because the players were not as strong as the opponents, or the players were not in good condition.

Now facing a team with few weaknesses like the Cavaliers, he wanted to see how Zhang Yu would respond.

This is not an old coach who picks his own way. He has been in the NBA for so many years, and he has seen too many high-spirited head coaches, who get depressed after losing.

Zhang Yu has been winning since the NCAA, and was eliminated in the first year of March Madness, which was a failure of wrong kills.

He needs an "absolute failure" to make him recognize a reality-in the NBA, victory is a luxury, and failure is the norm.

Ron Adams and Silas had reached a consensus long ago in private. The Warriors were almost certain to lose this game. The Cavaliers had overwhelming strength, and the Warriors' defense simply couldn't match. This was a strength gap that tactics couldn't make up for.

Zhang Yu looked at the shooting practice of the players on the court, walked back and forth with his head down, rested his left hand horizontally, and propped his right hand up, rubbing his chin, pondered for a long time, and finally hammered his left hand, saying ruthlessly:

"Why do I have to choose a bottle of poison and be led by the nose by the Cavaliers? If you want to win, you have to be surprised!"

...

Before the game the next day, the two sides were interviewed by the media. The reporter asked Monta Ellis:

"Monta, you are going to play against your old club today, do you have anything to say?"

Monta Ellis was prepared and said without thinking:

"I feel good. The Cavaliers are a great team. I've won here. I'm just grateful to be able to come to Cleveland and play under LeBron instead of staying in Oakland and losing one game after another. One game, and I'm so thankful the Warriors traded me here!"