LeBron James, your house got robbed.

Chapter 103 Foolish Insistence

Quick Loan Center.

Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals is highly anticipated.

Many star players and celebrities appeared on the court, including Mark Price, the Cavaliers' core point guard in 90, Larry Nance Jr., the first Slam Dunk Contest champion, and Cleveland native rapper Marc Cudy Jr.

Even Kim and Khloé from the Kardashian family showed up at the sidelines to ride the wave of popularity, which is enough to show the story and hype surrounding this series.

Gilbert, watching James warm up on the court, turned to Chen Shuo and asked, "Will James believe the information we released?"

Upon hearing Gilbert's question, Chen Shuo didn't answer directly but instead asked, "Boss, what do you think?"

Gilbert paused to think for a moment before giving his answer.

"I'd only believe half of it; he's one of the smartest Black people."

"However, given his personality, you have basically achieved your goal."

As James' former boss, Gilbert also has a deep understanding of James' mentality and thoughts.

When Chen Shuo proposed this psychological warfare plan, Gilbert agreed almost immediately.

Perhaps driven by the desire for traffic, Gilbert seemed overly enthusiastic.

Gilbert orchestrated and implemented the entire plan.

As a long-time LeBron James fan, Chen Shuo was both angry at his lack of ambition and saddened by his misfortune. He shook his head helplessly and said, "His cleverness has backfired."

Gilbert pondered Chen Shuo's casual remark, then exclaimed, "This is the most accurate and apt description I've ever seen."

"Nothing sums up James' character better than this sentence."

"You're surprising me more and more."

Gilbert got more and more excited as he spoke, and Chen Shuo could only explain, "It's just an old Chinese saying."

"Oh, the ancient wisdom of the Far East."

Chen Shuo looked completely bewildered and ended the conversation with silence, turning his gaze to the Heat players who had finished warming up.

He had seen the Heat's pre-game interviews, where Wade addressed the Miami fans in front of the media: "We will fight to the last second and bring the game back to Miami."

On the other side of the venue.

Wade gathered his teammates together, forming a circle around them and giving them a pre-game pep talk. After his speech, Wade looked at James and said, "Brother, this is your moment."

"Go and lead us to victory in this game."

James's eyes were determined as he bumped fists with Wade.

With the sound of the whistle, the match officially began.

Bosh jumped for the ball for the Cavaliers.

After James dribbled past half-court, he passed the ball directly to Wade, then used a screen to get into position at waist level, receiving the ball while holding Leonard.

Chen Shuo recognized it at a glance; it was a classic positioning tactic.

This is also a tactic that the Heat have been using, with James initiating the attack from the back of the court.

Backing up allows you to protect the ball to the maximum extent, and the pressure is less when passing or shooting compared to facing the basket.

In the previous few games, James also used the back-to-the-basket move, but not many times.

The Cavaliers' defensive strategy was to have Leonard defend one-on-one.

Garnett decides whether to help defend based on the situation, but most of the time his focus is on cutting off James' passing lanes.

If James drives to the basket, Chandler will pull back to protect the rim.

In contrast, the Cavaliers focused most of their efforts on James' face-up drives to the basket.

The two sides have already played four games, and James is naturally aware of the situation.

Without attempting a front-line drive around the paint or finding an open shot on the perimeter, James immediately made a decisive move, dribbling with power and finding space before turning and shooting a jump shot.

The basketball bounced on the rim a few times before finally veering off the rim and going out of bounds.

Chen Shuo's eyes narrowed slightly.

Luck was on the Cavaliers' side this time.

James' first shot was very important to him.

This is his assessment of the shot distribution in this game.

The roles of offense and defense have reversed.

Paul steadily controlled the pace, and after a pick-and-roll with Garnett, he passed the ball to Garnett.

On the verge of going home with a loss, JR Smith finally focused on defense, blocking Thompson's running path and successfully switching onto Chalmers.

Although Chalmers created a mismatch with Leonard, at least he didn't directly give Thompson an opportunity to run into the box.

Just as JR was celebrating his successful defensive switch, the boxer suddenly appeared in the paint and slammed the ball into the basket.

JR Smith looked at the replay on the big screen with a puzzled expression.

While focusing on the weak side, Paul didn't stop after passing the ball. Instead, he ran directly towards Garnett empty-handed, using his assistant's handoff to break through to the free-throw line. Facing Bosh's comeback attempt, he skillfully delivered an alley-oop.

Paul was constantly being double-teamed and forced to leave the game, leaving him extremely frustrated.

Despite maintaining composure and controlling the pace of the game, he successfully initiated the attack by blocking and splitting the ball.

But Paul still wanted to contribute more. After expressing this desire to the coaching staff, Nurse and Kerr specially designed Paul's off-ball movement routes after passing the ball, thus forming the offensive initiation after receiving the ball again.

Chen Shuo could sense that the Cavaliers' offensive system was constantly being refined and improved throughout the playoffs.

The combination of the strong side with the ball and the weak side without the ball is also more closely intertwined and varied, no longer entirely dependent on Garnett as the central axis.

The only problem might be that Kawhi's ability to create his own offense is limited.

There are many mismatches in every game, and players like JR Smith, Chalmers, and Miller have all defended Leonard.

Chen Shuo decided to focus on training Kawhi Leonard's ball-handling and independent offense during the summer. He did not aim to quickly reach the peak level of Kawhi Leonard like Michael Jordan. He only needed Kawhi to exploit defensive weaknesses and mismatches, which would be enough to make the team's offensive system more perfect.

Turning back, James once again dropped to the low post to receive the ball, which completely surprised Chen Shuo.

Riley's pledge did have an effect.

James held the ball with his back to Leonard. Compared to the previous possession, this shot was more sudden and concise. Almost the instant he received the ball, he turned and completed the jump shot.

"Swish"

The basketball went through the net.

After scoring, James pumped his fist to encourage himself.

The game on the brink of elimination ultimately led James to make a change.

In the following possessions, James began to use more post-up mid-range shots. While his efficiency wasn't high, his volume did increase, helping the Heat maintain their lead in the game.

Chen Shuo still had one last card in his hand that he hadn't revealed.

We must find the right moment to strike decisively, leaving no loose ends, as the series will inevitably change as it continues.

The first half between the Cavaliers and the Heat was very close.

James initiated the play with his back to the basket, while Wade went all out, sparing no effort to cut to the basket for assists.

Even the James-Wade connection, which had been cut off by the Cavaliers for a long time, appeared in the last possession before the end of the first half.

It was the same back-to-the-basket move by James, but Leonard stayed very close, preventing James from easily turning and shooting. Garnett's help defense had also moved in.

Just as the ball was about to be put to the basket, Wade shook off Thompson and cut inside, taking off in a flash. James, understanding perfectly, threw the ball behind his back, and Wade dunked over the unsuspecting Chandler.

Although the score difference between the two sides was not large, with the Heat trailing by 3 points, the Heat had clearly regained their momentum.

The opportunity Chen Shuo had been waiting for came at the start of the second half.

As James was getting ready to go on the court, he heard Gilbert's voice behind him: "Hey, you played well. It reminds me of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pistons in 07."

James didn't turn around, but his body visibly paused for a moment.

Chen Shuo never expected that Gilbert would be even dirtier than himself.

Capitalists are indeed all black-hearted.

Chen Shuo's gaze immediately fell on Leonard on the court. The [Death Coil] badge reappeared, along with an hourglass timer.

Thibodeau's whip will deplete Leonard's skill progress.

After a whole season of experience, Leonard has consistently been the primary defender against the opponent's key player, and his "Death Coil" skill is now extremely close to the gold level.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it's estimated that by the end of this season, or even during the finals, everyone will be able to upgrade to the Gold Badge.

The last time I used the small whip on Leonard, it only took about 10 minutes for [Death Coil] to drop by nearly one-tenth of its progress.

According to Chen Shuo's rough estimate, it would take at least 10 games or equivalent training sessions to fully recover.

Therefore, Chen Shuo was very cautious in using the small leather whip, always waiting for the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

Now is the best time.

In the first possession of the second half, James was still positioned in the midfield, and Wade lobbed the ball to James to start his run.

Thompson, who had been specifically instructed during halftime, stuck to Wade very tightly this time, like a piece of chewing gum.

Seeing no opportunity, James lobbed the ball inwards, intending to take it himself, and the immense force knocked Leonard aside.

This time, Leonard maintained his balance, took a step to the side, and as James exerted force again, he reached out and slashed directly at the exposed basketball.

James reacted and tried to block Leonard to save the ball, but Garnett quickly bent down to pick it up and threw it forward.

Paul caught up with the ball first, and ignoring Chalmers' interference from behind, he actually jumped up and delivered a powerful dunk.

A sharp crack ignited the dormant volcano of Quicken Loans Arena, with 20,000 people shouting and cheering in support.

The referee pointed to the free-throw line and gestured for additional penalty.

Paul stepped up to the free-throw line.

Cleveland fans chanted "MVP" in unison.

James watched Paul shoot free throws, the MVP chants filling the arena making him feel like he was in another world.

The roles of offense and defense have reversed.

James still tried to initiate plays with his back to the basket from the waist, and he could clearly feel that Leonard's defense was much more intense than before.

This time he was more careful with the ball, keeping his right arm raised at all times to prevent Leonard's long arm from interfering.

He still finds space through confrontation, then turns and jumps to shoot.

James stared intently at the arc of the shot after it was released.

The basketball eventually bounced off the front edge of the rim.

Leonard's defense was very tight, not giving him much room to jump, which is why his shot was short.

Chen Shuo focused his attention, keeping his eyes fixed on James.

Until the third round, James still initiated with his back to the basket, found a shooting opportunity after the confrontation, but ultimately passed the ball to Wade.

Wade didn't get open, and facing Thompson, with the stopwatch running out of time, he could only pull up for a big jump shot.

The basketball went in off the backboard.

Chen Shuo didn't care at all. Once James started passing the ball, the game was basically won.

If you don't dare to make a move, you'll lose the chance to take a gamble.

The New York Times report, Rich Paul's verification, Gilbert's praise, and the Hall of Fame-worthy "death grip" all contributed to this.

The seeds of hesitation and weakness have already taken root and sprouted in my heart.

In this game, James will have no chance to overcome his mental demons like he did in "Death Eye".

Chen Shuo looked at James running on the court.

Sometimes, success requires a bit of foolish persistence.