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

The crazy opening night belonged not only to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who crushed the team by 58 points, but also to the Miami Heat, who were aiming to defend their title.

In another nationally televised game that same evening, the Miami Heat hosted their Eastern Conference rivals, the Boston Celtics.

This is also a clash of titans, a battle between Mars and Earth.

The match was extremely fierce, with both sides engaging in almost constant physical contact.

Ultimately, the home team Heat narrowly won the game 120-107 thanks to Dwyane Wade's several key and unreasonable breakthroughs in the fourth quarter, achieving a winning start to the new season.

Throughout the game, Dwyane Wade remained the most reliable Flash in high-level play, efficiently scoring a team-high 29 points.

LeBron James also had impressive stats, recording a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds.

Embarrassingly, during the crucial fourth quarter, when the game was close and the score was close, James suffered a severe thigh cramp and collapsed to the floor in pain. He was eventually carried off the court by two teammates, missing the final few minutes that would decide the outcome of the game.

In the post-match press conference room.

Having just finished treating his cramps, James limped slightly as he sat down at the podium.

The reporters below, besides being concerned about his injury, naturally wouldn't miss out on today's biggest breaking news in the United States.

"LeBron, you beat the mighty Boston Celtics tonight. But at the same time, the Cleveland Cavaliers crushed the Washington Wizards by an incredible 58 points in their season opener! This is a very rare massacre in league history."

An ESPN reporter, microphone in hand and sharp-eyed, asked, "The Cavaliers have displayed terrifying three-point firepower and a completely new defensive system. What are your thoughts on this young team's performance? Have they become the biggest threat to the Heat's title defense?"

Upon hearing the words "Cavaliers" and "58 points," James's face instantly darkened, and the smile that had been on his lips because of the victory vanished without a trace.

He cleared his throat and began the classic "debate" in an extremely disdainful tone:

"Listen, man. You can't compare these two games. You know, there's no comparison at all."

James spread his hands, a matter-of-fact expression on his face, "We beat the Boston Celtics tonight! They're a championship-caliber team with a deep pedigree and superstars! We were in a real war!"

"And what about them? They only beat the Washington Wizards, a weak team that's in a rebuilding phase and can't even get close to the playoffs."

"Making a few lucky three-pointers against a weak team in the regular season and racking up an exaggerated point difference doesn't prove anything. Championships are never won by beating weak teams. If they face a truly strong defensive team, those fancy three-point shooting tactics will definitely be exposed."

James didn't forget to save face at the end: "As for my cramps? That's because I put in so much effort and sweat against the Celtics. That's the intensity a defending champion should have, not some childish game of scoring 58 points."

This statement, filled with "you know what I mean" and a sense of comparison, quickly spread across the United States via the internet.

James' fans echoed this sentiment, believing the Wizards were too weak and the Cavaliers were simply picking on an easy target.

……

The next day, in the Cleveland Cavaliers' headquarters office.

Su Yang sat in a large leather office chair, with James's sour interview from the previous night playing on the tablet in front of him.

"Pfft..."

Su Yang couldn't help but laugh out loud, and casually turned off the video. "He cramped up and left the game in the final quarter, and won thanks to Wade's heroics. After the game, he threw a punch in front of the microphone. That's really too much like an emperor."

Su Yang didn't bother to respond to James's criticisms in the media at all.

There's no point in engaging in endless verbal battles. When the playoffs arrive and the real competition begins, he'll naturally show James whether those "flashy three-pointers" can actually kill.

At this moment, Su Yang's attention was completely focused on the noise outside.

His desk was covered with the salary structure sheet for this season and the future salary cap projection report that the team's general manager, Grant, had just sent over.

"Boss, our current total salary is far below the luxury tax threshold of 7000 million."

Grant stood at his desk, reporting on the team's finances. "Aside from the five-year, $8300 million max contract extension you offered Stephen Curry this summer, and Marc Gasol's multi-million dollar contract, our team's current core is entirely comprised of rookie bonuses!"

At this point, Grant himself found it somewhat unbelievable.

Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Khris Middleton, Patrick Beverley...

These players, who shone brightly in the opening game and struck fear into the hearts of the entire league, are all still on their rookie contracts!

They earn a base salary of one or two million or even hundreds of thousands, yet they deliver All-Star caliber performances!

"This is called the rookie contract bonus period."

"Based on their respective contract terms, we can reliably profit from this extremely cheap period of opportunity until at least 2016 or even 2017!"

"However, there is one thing that needs to be planned in advance."

Su Yang focused his attention on the name on the list that earned him a multi-million dollar annual salary—Marc Gasol.

"Mark's contract expires next summer. Boss, do you think we need to offer him a maximum contract extension?" Grant asked, voicing his concerns.

In Su Yang's "death lineup" system, whenever there is a need to speed up the pace and create extreme spacing, the slow-footed heavy center Marc Gasol will be substituted out, and Anthony Davis will be moved to the center position.

In the era of small-ball, the role of traditional heavy center forwards is gradually being marginalized.

Spending a lot of money to re-sign a player who might not be able to play in crucial moments doesn't seem to fit the Cavaliers' future team-building strategy.

But Su Yang shook his head without hesitation.

"Continue! Not only should we renew his contract, but we should also offer him a lucrative and respectable one!"

Seeing Grant's puzzled expression, Su Yang stood up and walked to the tactics board.

"We can dominate the regular season with our 'death lineup,' but if we want to build a dynasty, we only have a few real rivals, and the Miami Heat are the biggest obstacle in our path!"

"To completely shut down LeBron James in a best-of-seven playoff series, a small-ball lineup alone won't be enough. We need to tailor-make 'three iron chains' specifically for him!"

Su Yang drew three circles on the tactics board.

"Look at how the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs contained him back in the day!"

"The first line of defense is a tough, low-center-of-gravity perimeter defender who is unaffected by fakes! Just like Shawn Marion, Kidd, or even Barea back in the day! And for us, Kawhi Leonard is the perfect lock-up in the entire league!"

"The second line of defense is a highly mobile forward with a large defensive range who can leave himself open at any time to quickly sweep and help out! Our Anthony Davis can fill that position."

Su Yang pounded on the paint area of ​​the tactics board, "And this crucial third iron cable is the final rim protection barrier! A top-tier heavy center who, like Tim Duncan and Tyson Chandler, doesn't even need to jump; just his size and weight are enough to yank LeBron down from the air!"

"Marc Gasol, that's our Chandler!"

"As long as these three iron chains are on the court at the same time, even if LeBron had three heads and six arms, he'd still have to take a lot of damage to get past me when he drives into the paint!"

After listening to his boss's insightful tactical analysis, Grant suddenly understood!

Marc Gasol may not have explosive stats in the regular season, but in the playoffs, during the brutal battle against the Heat, he was the most crucial trump card in defending LeBron James!

"I understand, boss. I will do my best to push for contract renewal negotiations with Mark next year."

"As for Metta World Peace, whom we acquired from the Lakers in the offseason in exchange for Jeremy Lin, he still has defensive prowess, but he's too hot-tempered and getting old. If a suitable opportunity arises mid-season, or if a championship-contending team needs a veteran, we'll trade him for some draft picks."

"Patrick Beverley can be kept. Curry sometimes needs that kind of mad dog-like substitute to bite and change the rhythm of the game."

Having clarified the team's future salary structure and player rotation, Su Yang stretched lazily.

In the end, competitive sports are not only about tactics on the field, but also about the strategic planning and capital maneuvering behind the scenes by management.

"Go, Grant. Tell Coach Scott that the new season is going to be long, and that we should have our 'Death Lineup' practice a variety of tactical routines."

Su Yang looked out the window at the azure sky of Cleveland.

"After all, once we reach the Eastern Conference Finals, this will be a big gift we're going to give the Miami team."