LeBron James running away? He's going all in on Curry.

As February began, with Stephen Curry sidelined, the NBA's power structure and various rankings underwent another dramatic upheaval.

In the wild West, the seasoned San Antonio Spurs quietly went on a winning streak, returning to the top of the Western Conference standings.

Following closely behind is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have completely unleashed a youth storm!

The "Thunder Trio" of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden are overflowing with talent and are gaining a huge following in the league with their explosive performances.

The Los Angeles Lakers are ranked third in the Western Conference.

Surprisingly, even though David Stern blocked the trade for Chris Paul to the Lakers during the offseason for "basketball reasons," Kobe Bryant did not slack off.

This stubborn Black Mamba unleashed his fury on the court, single-handedly carrying the aging Lakers team to a top-three finish.

As the standings changed, the NBA's official MVP rankings also underwent a major reshuffle.

With Stephen Curry no longer his biggest rival, LeBron James unsurprisingly topped the MVP list!

Following closely behind are Kevin Durant, who rose to prominence with his unstoppable scoring ability, and Kobe Bryant, who ranks third.

Chris Paul, who finally donned the Clippers jersey and led the "Lob City" team to take off, ranked fourth.

Let's turn our attention back to the east.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers, who were on par with the Heat and Bulls at the beginning of the season, have unsurprisingly fallen behind.

Led by Paul George, the Indiana Pacers have steadily climbed to third place in the Eastern Conference.

The Boston Celtics, with their deep-rooted history, have climbed to fourth place.

The Cavaliers, having lost their absolute core Curry and traded away veteran defender Battier, have seen their record decline and are currently barely holding onto fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

As for the Philadelphia 76ers, they have fallen directly to eighth in the Eastern Conference and are in danger of dropping out of the playoffs at any time.

"This is the price of losing the core. The Cleveland fairy tale is over."

"Su Yang traded five years of top salary for human touch, but lost this season."

The Cavaliers' decline was anticipated by the media across the United States.

In their view, it was already a miracle that this team, cobbled together from rookie minimum contracts and overpriced big men, could hold on to fifth place in the Eastern Conference during this shortened season.

By the second half of the season, the Cavaliers will inevitably plummet to the lottery.

What convinced the media even more that the Cavaliers had "given up" was the attitude of the team's owner, Su Yang.

Since that press conference announcing the minimally invasive surgery that shook the league, Su Yang seemed to have vanished into thin air, never stepping into the private box at Quicken Loans Arena again.

In the paparazzi's lens, this young and wealthy Chinese nouveau riche completely reverted to his playboy nature.

He was either in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, accompanying the stunning Dilraba on a boat trip, or flying to New York's luxury shopping district, leading the radiant Gulnazar on a shopping spree.

Every day, he's surrounded by Dilraba and Gulnazar, with women on both sides, luxury cars and yachts—he lives an incredibly carefree life.

"He's already given up on this season. After all, he has his own first-round pick and the Hornets' unprotected first-round pick in his hands. Even if the Cavaliers have a terrible record, he can still be a winner in the draft." Basketball pundits have all given this final verdict.

James, far away in Miami, thought the Cavaliers were going to tank; the New York media thought Su Yang had given up; even David Stern thought the Cavaliers had given up and were ready to be ridiculed.

But the Cavaliers players, who were at the center of the storm, never received a single instruction to tank!

Cleveland, Quicken Loans Arena.

"Defense! Stick with him!"

On the training field, head coach Byron Scott was yelling at the top of his lungs.

Although they lost Curry, their sharpest weapon, this team, under Su Yang's previous iron-fisted coaching, has been deeply imprinted with the genes of "team" and "defense".

Patrick Beverley gnawed at his opponent like a mad dog, Kawhi Leonard's "death grip" was becoming more and more mature, Klay Thompson was running tirelessly looking for open shots, and Marc Gasol and Paul Millsap in the paint built an impenetrable wall.

But basketball requires not only defense, but also scoring.

In recent games, the Cavaliers' offense has remained stagnant.

Beverley is an excellent defensive specialist, but his poor vision and passing ability make him completely incapable of fulfilling the responsibility of connecting the team.

While Marc Gasol can facilitate from the high post, the lack of a pick-and-roll initiator on the perimeter allows opponents to collapse their defense with impunity.

The team is like a tank equipped with top-notch armor, but it has lost its core engine!

With more losses than wins, their record is struggling to stay on the edge of the playoffs.

This dull and oppressive atmosphere continued until a regular season game in early February.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the New Jersey Nets.

This game was incredibly close, even ugly. The Cavaliers' offense completely stalled; halfway through the third quarter, the team had only managed a paltry 45 points!

Beverley was forced to sit on the bench due to four fouls accumulated from his overly aggressive play.

Meanwhile, the other minimum-salary point guard seemed to be sleepwalking on the court, not only making repeated mistakes but also being thoroughly dominated by Nets guard Deron Williams.

"Damn it! We need someone to get the ball across halfway! We need someone to break down their defense!"

Byron Scott was stamping his feet in frustration on the sidelines. He glanced at the bench, his gaze sweeping desperately over the row of dejected players.

Finally, his gaze fell on a short, yellow-skinned man sitting next to the water dispenser, wrapped in a towel, who didn't even have a chance to warm up.

Jeremy Lin.

Jeremy Lin.

This fringe player, who was acquired by the owner in a second-round pick a month ago, has no presence on the team. In fact, to save money, he has reportedly been sleeping on the sofa in rookie Klay Thompson's apartment for the past few days.

"Jeremy! Go to the technician's table and substitute!"

Scott was desperate and just wanted a point guard who could safely dribble the ball across half-court.

Hearing the coach's call, Jeremy Lin paused for a moment, then suddenly ripped off the towel from his head, took off his training clothes, and his eyes flashed with a heart-stopping hunger and fervor!

This is his last chance. If he can't stay in the NBA, he might even have to pack his bags and go to overseas leagues to make a living.

"Beep—!"

Substitution during a dead ball situation.