Champions Creed

Chapter 384 Chapter 383: How can someone imitate LeBron James? (Seeking monthly votes!)
Roger and the Warriors finally regained the top spot in the Western Conference in the past half season, but all the championship contenders have made thorough upgrades for the playoffs.

Is Roger anxious? Not at all.

He believes the Warriors' roster is ready to defend their title and can handle any difficulties.

Then who is anxious?

Anyway, the emperor is not in a hurry, but there are many people who are, such as LeBron James.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were supposed to complete some signings to strengthen their roster before the trade deadline, but those plans were aborted for various reasons.

Rich Paul's prediction seems to be coming true. The Cleveland Cavaliers can't attract any stars, and the management is not decisive and brave enough in the trade.

Cavaliers general manager Jimmy Paxson's indecision in several trades caused the team to miss opportunities to strengthen the team.

LeBron James used his own media to express his displeasure, and he didn't even confront Jim Paxson in person because he is a "genuine good guy."

Which "good guy" would quarrel with the management at every turn? Last season, he took the initiative to ask the owner to trade Michael Jordan, which was criticized by Rich Paul. So this season, he will not come forward directly.

So Dave McMenamin was back at work.

"If Jim Paxson had half the courage of his brother John Paxson, the Cavaliers would have already completed the reinforcement. I admire John very much, from beginning to end. He was just an ordinary role player throughout his career, and his highest scoring season in his career was only 11 points. But in the three years when the Bulls established the dynasty, he had countless key shots in the playoffs.

In the first championship in 91, John Paxson ended the magician's legend with consecutive goals in the last quarter of Game 5.

In the third championship in 93, John Paxson's three-pointer in the final moments of Game 6 pushed Michael Jordan to the altar.

He was not a king, but he left his mark in history.

This is John, a man who never fails at critical moments and who embodies the full meaning of courage and responsibility.

Just like LeBron.

And what about Jim? He was selected to the All-Star Game twice, and even made the second team in 84. His achievements were much more brilliant than those of his brother John. At his peak, he averaged 21 points per game for two consecutive seasons.

But there was no time when he took on the responsibility at the critical moment. You would only see him passing the ball again and again at the critical moment.
That's why people are more impressed with John.

Jim is not a natural winner, he always looks ahead and behind. What's more disastrous is that this shortcoming still persists now.

He is always reluctant to part with this player or that partner. Once the other party starts to increase the stakes, he becomes hesitant, fearing that he will suffer a loss in the transaction. He has no strategy or plan. He is just a softie who can be manipulated by others. Come on, you are a professional general manager in a business league!
How long will we waste LeBron's youth? How many more Carlos Boozer tragedies will we have to go through?

Why should a talented LeBron pay for Jim's cowardice?
LeBron was totally held back by him!"

Dave McMenamin vented like an unsatisfied young woman in his column.

In the eyes of many fans, this is a criticism of the Cavaliers management by the media.

But people in the industry know who Dave McMenamin is, so this is actually James declaring war on Jim Paxson.

Jim Paxson was extremely angry about this, but he was not angry because James disobeyed him.

He has been a professional player, a scout, and a general manager of other teams, so he knows that it is normal for management and players to have disagreements, and you can't expect everyone to be united.

What really made Paxson angry was that the damn Chosen One didn't dare to come to see him in person, didn't dare to face him like a man, but instead asked someone to write a short essay to occupy the high ground of public opinion!
What kind of insidious womanizing thing is this?

Jim Paxson angrily threw the newspaper onto his desk. "Why didn't he tell me this in person? Did he not dare? Or did he want to maintain his false image of perfection?"

Cavaliers coach Paul Silas shrugged: "I guess the latter is more of a factor. If he makes a scene with management, his perfect image will be tarnished. Remember last season? The owner suddenly asked us to trade Michael, but LeBron said he knew nothing about it. No one would believe that."

"Shameless bastard, does he think it's useful to use these damn media to put pressure on me? Look at what happened in Toronto, and the one who got kicked out in the end was Vince Carter!" After saying that, Paxson smashed another cup.

It makes sense that the Cavaliers general manager is so angry. It's like you and your colleagues usually get along well, but suddenly one day, someone ruins your reputation behind your back.

The most ridiculous thing about LeBron James is that publishing an article under the name of Dave McMenamin is equivalent to telling the world: "Yes, it is me, LeBron, who is saying bad things about you behind your back."

The bad thing is that most Cleveland fans stand on LeBron James' side and believe that the Cavaliers management's inaction is wasting the talent of the Chosen One.

Jim Paxson doesn't know what's wrong with this world. In the past, if a star player failed to lead the team to achieve the expected results, the star himself would definitely be blamed.

This was the first time that Jim Paxson saw his star player unable to lead the team to achieve the expected results and ended up blaming the management.

Conflicts between stars and management are an important part of the NBA soap opera.

But Michael Jordan discovered that the Bulls management wanted to break up the team after winning three consecutive championships, which led to a conflict between him and the management.

The same is true for Roger.

Although Vince Carter has never brought a championship to Toronto, the actions of the Raptors management have already constituted a break with Carter.

What about the Cavaliers front office? Jim Paxson doesn't remember doing anything to hurt LeBron.

He had always held the high school boy in his hands as if he were some kind of treasure, fearing that he would get hurt in any way.

As a result, this is the reward.

Jim Paxson still remembers the press conference on Media Day a few months ago. The No. 23 player said emotionally: "Jim is like my father. He takes care of me, teaches me, and supports me."

Thinking about it now, Jim Paxson just feels disgusted.

You are in the NBA, not Hollywood. Your words represent you, not the character you play.

But Jim Paxson doesn't think James' childish behavior will have any effect.

The bottom line is, he can’t control the Cavs.

Roger had a completely different idea after reading Dave McMenamin's article. In his opinion, Jim Paxson's career as general manager of the Cavaliers has officially entered the countdown stage.

In order to make the Chosen One happy, the Cavaliers don't care about the life or death of a general manager.

Roger just didn't understand what James was in such a hurry for.

Even if he is given good teammates, can he use them well?

Now that the Eastern Conference is so strong, has he ever thought that his teammates are his only excuse?
This competition had nothing to do with him, yet he had to jump out and look for a role for himself.

After the trade took place, major TV stations immediately adjusted the schedule of live games across the United States.

And none of those adjustments involved the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In order to make time for other games, the upcoming second match between the Cavaliers and the Warriors was even kicked off the national live broadcast schedule.

Roger was saddened by this.

This group of people are so disrespectful to the young king.

As a James fan, Roger must get the media to refocus their attention on LeBron.

So, on February 2, in the second Cavaliers-Warriors battle of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a crushing defeat of 8 to 74.

The huge score difference made it impossible for the media to ignore this game that originally did not receive much attention.

The Warriors' full forward lineup made it difficult for LeBron James to break through, and his jump shots were completely out of focus under Roger's full-court pressure.

But even so, James insisted on playing until the last minute of the game, scoring 27 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, and taught the villain Matt Barnes a lesson.

"I admire LeBron's spirit," Roger told reporters at the press conference, "He never gave up the game."

The reporters burst into laughter, but Roger slammed the table and said, "Hey gentlemen, please be serious!"

The laughter grew louder.

The best comedy in the world is to create contrast, to be serious when it shouldn't be serious.

The Warriors' press conference was filled with jubilation, but for the Cavaliers fans, it was another disappointing night. The loss of this game meant that LeBron James was completely shut out by Roger for the second consecutive season.

The guy who was expected to defeat Roger when he first debuted, has not won even a single game from Roger in the past two seasons.

And every time this happens, Rich Paul will transform into the snake that tempted Eve to eat the apple and whisper in LeBron James' ear.

"I hope you can take a deep breath, stop thinking about the loss, and go back to discuss with the coach and management how to improve the team's combat effectiveness - when the Cleveland Cavaliers have such limited influence."

Rich Paul deliberately emphasized the latter point, as he believed it was very necessary.

It's very important that the guy understands reality and doesn't live in a fairy tale.

This time, James did not refute Rich Paul, nor did he say anything like "I will not leave Cleveland."

Cleveland's kings are already wavering about the future.

For James' team, Roger is their biggest target.

For Roger, playing against James is just a little fun in a long season. He doesn't really care about winning the game against the Cavaliers. The regular season numbers and winning streak are just decorations for the Warriors now.

Exquisite decorations can make a woman charming, but the premise is that she is very charming. There are many factors that determine whether a woman is very charming, including face, legs, and buttocks.

There is only one factor that determines whether a team is attractive: whether they are winners.

Men all like to play against extremely attractive women. Similarly, playing against extremely attractive teams is what piques Roger's interest.

After the All-Star Game, the teams that became extremely attractive after the trade began to play against the Warriors.

And it turned out that their deals were worth it.

On February 2, the Warriors lost to the Dallas Mavericks at home, with Vince Carter scoring 12 points in the game.

Because of the presence of Shaq and Dirk, the Warriors could not rely on their inside players to help defend Carter, which gave Vince Carter a lot of one-on-one opportunities with Tayshaun Prince.

Roger discovered a problem, that is, it was actually difficult for Carter to break away from Prince's defense.

His breakthrough is probably the weakest among the four shooting guards. He relies too much on the first step, but his dribbling level is not as good as the other three, which makes his breakthrough not fatal. In today's game, Carter shot a lot of difficult long two-pointers.

But the problem is that he made all of these difficult long two-point shots.

04-05赛季的文斯.卡特，也许是他大伤之后最强的一个赛季。如果二十年后的球迷想知道巅峰时期的文斯.卡特究竟是什么水平，那最好就去看他00-01赛季以及04-05赛季被交易之后的比赛。

In 00-01, he was in his prime physically and full of energy.

His athletic ability had declined in the 04-05 season, but that was the most bloodthirsty Vince Carter. People saw what a competitive Canadian fly-in looked like. He was eager to prove the stupidity of the Toronto Raptors and to tell the world that it was not him who was wrong, but the damn team.

And in this timeline, he also hopes to prove another thing.

After the game, Carter, who won the game, walked up to Roger and shook his hand. But in addition to being friendly, Carter did not forget to tell Roger: "Look, Roger, I don't need you to lecture me, because I can beat you too."

Roger killed the game with just one sentence: "Beat me? You never even made it past the second round."

"That's in the past."

"No, even now."

"Let's wait and see. It would be even better if I can break through the second round from you."

An unpleasant conversation gave Roger another enemy.

Roger and the shark are gradually letting go of their grudges, although neither side is willing to admit it, but this is the fact.

But now here comes Vince Carter.

It seemed like Roger and the Mavericks would never get along.

The Mavericks' defeat of the Warriors added suspense to the situation in the Western Conference this year.

It turns out that the Mavericks, after acquiring Vince Carter, are indeed qualified to compete with the Warriors.

The impact of the trade has begun to show, and the subsequent All-Star Weekend further demonstrated how harsh Roger's competitive environment is.

Carmelo Anthony was very excited about this year's All-Star Weekend in Denver. As the host, he entertained his childhood idol Roger.

During the game, Anthony patted his chest and said, "I know New Yorkers are not friendly to you. If you encounter any problems outside the arena, feel free to call me and I will solve them for you."

Roger had no doubt that Melo had such ability. If even LeBron James could publicly tweet to celebrate the release of the drug lord from prison, then there was no doubt that Anthony would know even more people in this regard.

But Roger hoped that the day would never come when he would need Anthony's help. If he really encountered something that required the help of the gang, it would definitely be a very bad thing.

Seeing that Roger was not interested in this topic, Anthony talked about the official roster for this year's All-Star Weekend.

He complained in a self-deprecating tone: "I can't believe I didn't make the bench. You know, before the draft, me, LeBron and Darko were the most watched. But now, LeBron made it to the All-Stars, and even Dwyane made it, and I was actually mixed up with Darko Milicic."

"It's a matter of time. It won't take a year. We all know that you are better than any of the All-Stars." Roger comforted Melo.

“Speaking of which, three of this year’s Eastern Conference All-Stars starters are from the New York Knicks, and two of the Western Conference All-Stars starters are from the Dallas Mavericks.

These teams are crazy to win against you, I mean, who would ever put together an All-Star team to beat one guy?

This is the dilemma Roger faces now, his opponent is stronger than ever.

The Lakers had three players selected for the All-Star Game, the Mavericks had three, and the Knicks had three who were all starters.

The Spurs, who have the fewest players, also have two All-Stars.

None of the roster of these championship contenders this year is unsatisfactory.

The Warriors also have two All-Star players, Roger and Stoudemire, but on paper their lineup has no advantage over the other teams.

Roger held the cards and smoked a cigar, seemingly unconcerned: "It doesn't matter, the championship is not awarded to the team with the most All-Star players."

"I trust you Roger, I've seen what you did in New York."

"That was 11 years ago, Cameron, don't mention it again."

Anthony laughed. "It will continue in 2005 as well."

In the All-Star Game the next day, Allen Iverson led the Eastern Conference to victory and became the AMVP. But for AI, which had lost its competitiveness early on, this was just a meaningless consolation prize.

After the All-Star Game, the Warriors suffered an untimely defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The arrival of Caron Butler is a timely addition to the Lakers. The Lakers' flanks have always been weak. In the last matchup, the rotation of Jumaine Jones and Brian Cook was almost broken by Roger.

Caron Butler can't lock down Roger, but he can at least make it less easy for Roger to play.

At the crucial moment of the game, when Roger was defending Kobe who was in hot form, Caron Butler used a fake Buddha move to shake Jason Richardson in the mid-range, then broke through to the inside and successfully scored a goal, killing the game.

After losing to the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers, who completed the deal, also took down the Warriors.

It turns out that these targeted reinforcements worked.

New Yorkers now just feel pity that the Knicks will no longer meet the Warriors in the regular season.

Otherwise they would surely have achieved a resounding and satisfying victory.

Although Sean Battier's statistics are average, his improvement to the Knicks is very obvious.

Their defense no longer has obvious weaknesses and can focus on both offense and defense.

Spike Lee even felt disappointed: "We may not be able to beat the Warriors this season. Look at their recent record. They may not be able to make it to the finals."

The Warriors' record in February was slightly disappointing, but they entered a stable period in March.

However, the records of the Lakers and the Knicks in March were both terrible. The Knicks once won 3 consecutive games, and the Lakers regained the lead and became the first in the Western Conference.

The chemistry between Kobe and Caron Butler is amazing, and they feel like they met too late.

Caron Butler was touched by Kobe's persistence in winning, and Kobe also liked Butler's serious attitude towards the game. On every flight to an away game, Kobe would tirelessly study the game video with Caron Butler. Every afternoon when Kobe was self-torturing, only Caron Butler could accompany him to the end.

Few people know that Caron Butler is one of the few good friends of Kobe Bryant, a low EQ monster. It's just that the Lakers in the 04-05 season were too uncompetitive, and Caron Butler only stayed in the Lakers for one year, so this relationship is not known to many people. Why is Kobe so harsh on Kwame Brown? One of the reasons is that he traded away his best friend Caron Butler.

In this timeline, the combination of Kobe and Caron Butler will sooner or later become popular under the name of "Brother Basketball".

Amid the Knicks and Lakers' strong performance, the Warriors' popularity has declined slightly.

It wasn't until early April that the Warriors faced another heavyweight opponent, last season's Western Conference Finals rival, the San Antonio Spurs, which brought the team back to the center of the spotlight.

The Spurs are one of the few championship-contending teams that remain competitive without relying on major mid-term trades.

But so far this season, they have a very embarrassing record - they have never defeated the Warriors.

Including last season's playoffs, the Spurs have lost seven consecutive games to the Warriors.

Roger's strong rule over the Spurs completely bankrupted the media narrative that "Tim Duncan is the only player not ruled by Roger."

Roger is keen on such dominance, especially in the context of having allowed the Mavericks and Lakers to win some games in recent times.

The San Antonio Spurs will want to prove they can beat the Warriors, which would give the team some confidence before the playoffs begin.

But Roger doesn't intend to give them the same comfort as the Mavericks and Lakers.

Manu Ginobili is very confident: "There is no owner in the West right now. We will fight for everything."

Roger didn't respond, but Boris Diaw, ever the casual one, made a joke about Ginobili's comments.

"Why do some people still like to imitate LeBron James who always talks nonsense?"

The French probably don't have a very happy life.

(End of this chapter)