LeBron James, your house got robbed.

Chapter 104 The Banana Boat Brothers, Sharing the Same Fate

After several rounds, James, under Leonard's increasingly aggressive harassment, completely gave up on entering the midfield position and instead started to stand at the top of the key to distribute the cards.

Wade watched as James passed him the ball, and he could only grit his teeth and drive into the paint, throwing himself into the air again and again, just like in the 06 Finals.

However, this time Wade's knees could no longer support his large Euro steps. Every time he changed direction without slowing down, Chen Shuo could almost hear the sound of bones grinding together.

Weight gain and injuries have long since robbed Wade of his lightning speed, but his repeated desperate breakthroughs, jump steps, and physical confrontations still allow him to evoke some of his former glory.

The excessive exertion on offense made it difficult for Wade to keep up with Paul's pace.

Paul, who had been frustrated throughout the entire series, suddenly erupted in the third quarter.

After a pick-and-roll with Chandler, facing a double-team from Wade and Bosh, Paul dribbled the ball through Bosh's legs, broke through from out of bounds, received a pass from himself a second earlier, and sprinted straight to the basket.

Without Bosh, the Heat's interior defense is easily crippled.

The fans at Quicken Loans Arena almost stood up, cheering and dancing for the spectacular pass between the player and the ball.

In a brief two minutes, it suddenly turned into a scoring duel between two top-class guards.

Paul, caught up in the action, still retained his cunning and ruthlessness.

They suddenly abandoned pick-and-rolls and started focusing on Wade's isolation plays.

The situation suddenly changed, and Wade inexplicably took on both offense and defense on the court.

Throughout the series, the team was targeted for a sudden mismatch, and it was Paul who started to specifically target and wear down Wade.

The continuous changes in direction and pullbacks, the shifts in rhythm and pauses—every dribble was a provocation to Wade's nerves.

By the time Spoelstra reacted and began to double-team, Paul had already provided enough of the Heat's last strong point to wear them down.

Despite knowing that Wade was overworked, Spoelstra still couldn't get Wade off the court.

The only option was to call a timeout to let Wade rest and simultaneously rearrange the tactics.

The pause has ended.

When James failed to get the ball at the top of the key, he glanced at the basket, and then plunged headfirst into the encirclement of Leonard and Garnett, which sealed the start of the "black five minutes."

Leonard forcefully snatched the ball from James and passed it to Thompson on the fast break, who then drained a three-pointer.

In the next five minutes, the Cavaliers suddenly increased their defensive aggression, almost overwhelming the Heat and causing them to make repeated mistakes, allowing the Cavaliers to launch a series of fast breaks.

Thompson hit four three-pointers in five minutes, extending the lead to more than 20 points.

The defense chants from the Quicken Loans Arena fans, running in unison, were like heavy hammer blows to the Heat players' mental defenses.

James looked up at the impregnable Quicken Loans Arena and knew that the situation was hopeless.

He needs to figure out what to do in the summer.

Stay with the Heat, or leave?

The broadcast camera panned across the faces of the Heat players, lingering meaningfully before finally focusing on Larry Nance Jr. on the sidelines.

If the Cavaliers win this game, Nance, as a Cavaliers legend, will present the award.

The atmosphere at the stadium was exceptionally enthusiastic, with Cleveland fans practically itching to celebrate the victory before the game even ended.

The momentum was completely in the hands of the Cavaliers, while the Heat only had a 6-man rotation.

Nobody thought they had a chance to turn things around.

But at the start of the fourth quarter, Wade took the lead and stepped onto the court, just as he said, to fight until the last second.

TNT's studio.

O'Neal looked at his little brother.

Time flies. Back then, Wade was the one who gave him the nickname "Flash." Now, Wade's peak speed is gone, and he can only rely on his willpower to keep going.

Kenny Smith was the first to ask, "Is this the last game for the Heat's Big Three?"

Barkley was probably recalling his own experience of forming the Big Three.

"A superstar team up does not guarantee success."

"For them, the most urgent task is to solve the locker room problem."

"Someone must be held accountable for this defeat."

"The three giants who teamed up at their peak must find a suitable reason to continue."

"To give everyone on the team hope that next season will be different."

Smith continued, "There are some facts that I need to make clear to you, and to the fans watching on TV."

"Next season, the Heat's roster will likely be relegated further."

"Look at JR's performance in the playoffs, a $300 million non-full mid-level exception contract won't be enough to keep him."

O'Neal, on the other hand, has a lot of confidence in the Heat.

"Trust Riley, he'll get this sorted out."

The match unfolded as expected.

Fueled by their home crowd, the Cavaliers were unstoppable, relentlessly attacking the Heat on both ends of the court and quickly extending their lead.

Until there were 7 minutes left in the game.

Spoelstra called a timeout and substituted his starters, preparing to concede defeat.

James felt a huge sense of relief. Every second he spent on the court was agonizing, and his chaotic thoughts made it impossible for him to play normally.

Repeated mistakes allowed the Cavaliers to launch counterattacks, widening the score gap to an insurmountable distance.

"Coach, I want to stay on the court."

Spoelstra glanced at Wade, but still insisted on substituting him out.

Meanwhile, Tyronn Lue also substituted his key players on the other side.

The cheers erupting from the quick loan center nearly lifted the roof off. At this moment, they no longer needed to suppress their emotions and pretend to be calm, letting out their excitement and fervor.

The Cavaliers have reached the NBA Finals for the first time in five years, marking their second appearance in the Finals in history. Coincidentally, LeBron James was present both times.

Chen Shuo glanced at the players the Cavaliers substituted into the game.

Jeremy Lin, Draymond Green, Trevor Ariza, Chandler Parsons, and Thomas.

Tucker was suspended for five games, and the playoff 12-man roster, besides the starters and Battier, consists of these players.

This roster still looks very competitive, especially compared to the roster the Heat brought in.

Chen Shuo glanced at the 38-point deficit on the court, a mischievous thought suddenly rising in his mind, and waved Parsons over.

What followed was quite predictable.

This isn't the first time any of us have done this; saying things like this is just part of our daily routine.

Jeremy Lin relentlessly pushed the pace, while his teammates kept pulling in three-pointers, making the home court's basket seem to favor their own players.

When the final buzzer sounded, Paul's face darkened when he saw the score difference.

The Cavaliers are down 134-76. Can't the Heat score just two more points? They're completely stuck with 58 points, aren't they?

Paul didn't delay; he quickly got up and walked to the Heat's bench to hug and greet the players, especially his Banana Boat crewmates. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to find James if he was a moment later.

Although Paul didn't say anything, just exchanged simple pleasantries, the exhilarating feeling of shaking hands with an enemy was simply the most wonderful feeling in the world.

Looking back at the confetti flying everywhere and the fans who were almost going crazy and letting loose, Paul could no longer hide his excitement.

Finally, I stood on the stage of the finals.

During the offseason, he had actually imagined this scenario: after receiving a call from Kobe, they couldn't wait to discuss the team's tactics and future games.

Paul was very confident in his ability to team up with Kobe to contend for the championship.

Unexpectedly, by a twist of fate, I did make it to the NBA Finals this season, albeit in Cleveland.

As league staff carried the trophy into the arena, the fans erupted in cheers. Being able to witness the awards ceremony at home undoubtedly prolonged the joy.

The league representative handed the trophy to Larry Nance and said into the microphone, "Our guest today is Cavaliers legend Larry Nance."

Amid cheers from the entire stadium.

"Larry, please award the trophy to Dan Gilbert."

After raising the trophy to the fans, Nance handed it to Gilbert, who was standing next to him.

Gilbert accepted the trophy and held it high, sharing the joy with the entire stadium.

He then handed the trophy to Paul, who was standing next to him, and took the microphone to speak: "Two years ago, I made a solemn promise to you in a letter."

"Now, with the painful memories behind them, the people of Cleveland have regained their courage and are on the right path."

"Thank you for your long-term support, and thank you to the great guys behind me for their hard work and dedication on the field. I am proud of each and every one of you."

Gilbert's speech was brief; after warming up the audience, he handed the microphone to Paul.

As the team's leader, Paul should be the one to speak in this situation.

While Paul was speaking, Chen Shuo waved to the fans in the stadium, and the fans understood and cheered in unison.

"MVP, MVP, MVP"

Without the ugly MVP selection process, everything would be even more perfect, but of course, this is just Chen Shuo's wishful thinking.

Chen Shuo later reflected on the situation and concluded that if there had been an MVP award, there would have been no DPOY or other awards.

Stern, who led the league for 30 years, clearly understood the art of balance.

Paul spoke and then skipped over Tyronn Lue.

Chen Shuo took the microphone and sincerely said to the veteran next to him, "You will be Cleveland's MVP forever."

Paul didn't say anything. Right now, his only goal is the championship, and everything else has to take a backseat.

Before the playoffs, Chen Shuo simply felt that Paul deserved an MVP award.

Paul, especially in the Eastern Conference Finals, always quietly controlled the tempo and was always the calmest battlefield commander on the court.

Even after losing the MVP award, he was able to maintain his composure and remain unaffected by Riley's underhanded tactics, proving himself worthy of being the leader of this Cavaliers team.

Then Chen Shuo turned to the fans and players at Quicken Loans Arena: "We've been through a lot together this past season, but I assure you the story continues."

Never be satisfied with the status quo, and always maintain a spirit of pursuing excellence.