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

The 2012-2013 NBA regular season progressed at a strange and frantic pace, albeit in a lukewarm manner.

The reason it's considered strange is that the landscape of the Eastern Conference this season has exceeded all the experts' expectations.

As the defending champions, the Miami Heat, led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, started the season with an impressive 10-2 record, continuing their winning streak and demonstrating the dominance expected of a championship team.

But this impressive record of 10 wins and 2 losses only earned them a disappointing second place in the Eastern Conference!

Because ahead of them is the Cleveland Cavaliers, who went on a rampage after crushing the Wizards by 58 points in the opening game!

12 wins and 0 losses!

A twelve-game winning streak to start the season! Undefeated! Leading by a wide margin!

Stephen Curry, fully recovered, is averaging an astonishing 45% shooting percentage, sinking 5.2 three-pointers per game, scoring a whopping 31.5 points and adding 7.8 assists.

The Splash Brothers' shooting, combined with Anthony Davis's rim protection and lob-scoring, made the Cavaliers' "Death Lineup" and "Stretch Lineup" a nightmare for defensive coaches across the league.

In the official rankings released in mid-November, the Cavaliers were undeniably dominant in the first month's competitions.

In the MVP rankings, Stephen Curry has surpassed LeBron James, who averages 27 points per game, to take the top spot!

In the Eastern Conference's first month's "Player of the Month" voting, Curry was elected without any controversy, pushing James out to the candidate position.

This feeling of being completely suppressed by his former team made James, who was far away in Miami, feel like he had a thorn in his side.

The day finally arrived at November 24th.

The Miami Heat traveled north to visit Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

10 wins and 2 losses vs. 12 wins and 0 losses!

This is not only a battle for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, but it is also recognized by all sports media in the United States as "a preview of this season's Eastern Conference Finals"!

Before the match, the atmosphere had already been hyped up to its peak.

In an interview in the visiting team's locker room, LeBron James, who had just lost the Player of the Month award, made no attempt to hide his disdain when asked about the Cavaliers' 12-game winning streak.

"12 wins and 0 losses? That sounds pretty good. But I've looked at their schedule."

James sneered at the camera while tying his shoelaces, "What kind of opponents did they play in their first twelve games? Bobcats, Magic, Wizards... all weak teams that are rolling in the lottery. If they can't even get a winning streak in this kind of sweet schedule, then they should be ashamed."

"The reason they've remained undefeated is simply because they haven't faced a real defense yet, they haven't faced the Miami Heat."

James stood up, patted his chest, and declared fiercely, "But this self-deceiving winning streak will end tonight. We will personally end their winning streak and show those shooting freaks what a championship-level competition really is!"

James's "schedule advantage" theory quickly reached the Cavaliers.

When pressed by the media, Su Yang, who was in the corridor outside the locker room, simply curled his lip in disdain.

Is it really that hard to acknowledge someone's excellence?

Su Yang spoke calmly to the camera, but his tone carried a chilling undertone: "Since he says our winning streak is just a case of picking on a weak person, then tonight, I'll show him what kind of person he really is."

……

At 8 p.m., Quicken Loans Arena was packed. Twenty thousand Cleveland fans, all wearing burgundy T-shirts, greeted the “traitor” in the number 6 jersey with deafening boos.

"beep--!"

With the referee's whistle, the highly anticipated preview of the Eastern Conference Finals officially began!

Cavaliers starting lineup: Curry, Klay, Leonard, Davis, Gasol.

Heat starting lineup: Chalmers, Wade, James, Battier, Bosh.

From the start of the game, the Heat displayed a very aggressive style of play.

James had the ball at the top of the key, facing Kawhi Leonard's defense, ready to use his physical advantage to overpower the second-year rookie.

However, when James was about to launch his attack from beyond the three-point line, he froze.

Not only was he stunned, but the commentators and fans in the entire stadium were dumbfounded!

Kawhi Leonard, who was assigned to guard James one-on-one, did not close in as usual, but instead retreated!

One step, two steps, three steps!

Leonard forcefully retreated to the vicinity of the free throw line!

In an instant, a huge, Pacific-sized open space, spanning three meters in front of James, appeared!

"What...what kind of defensive strategy is this?!" The ESPN commentator was utterly astonished. "Kawhi Leonard has left LeBron James wide open for a full three meters?! Is the Cavaliers humiliating him?!"

Inside the VIP box, Su Yang held a glass of red wine, watching the comical scene unfold.

This is the "Ten Cruelest Tortures of the Qing Dynasty" that he specially prepared for James!

It perfectly replicates the ultimate "allow shooting, defend driving" strategy that San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich used to deal with LeBron James in the 2013 NBA Finals!

In 2012, although LeBron James was at his absolute peak in terms of physical attributes and had amazing impact, his damn shooting ability was still a huge and unpredictable weakness!

"Shoot! LeBron, there's no one in front of you, shoot!" The Cleveland fans on the sidelines started chanting wildly.

James held the ball, his face alternating between pale and flushed.

A three-meter open shot is a huge temptation for any NBA perimeter player.

But he hesitated! He simply didn't have the confidence to sink that damn three-pointer in such a nationally televised game! He was too concerned about his shooting percentage!

"Bang! Bang!"

After hesitating for two seconds, James still chose to drive to the basket, which is his forte.

He suddenly ducked and charged at Leonard, who was retreating to the free-throw line, like a tank!

But that's exactly what Su Yang wanted!

The moment James drove into the free-throw line, the Cavaliers' "three-bar net" instantly closed in!

Leonard kept his center of gravity extremely low, using his long arms and strong core to firmly withstand James's first wave of attack.

At the same time, Anthony Davis, who was originally roaming on the perimeter, collapsed like lightning to help defend, blocking James' passing lane.

Meanwhile, Marc Gasol, guarding the basket, raised his arms high, creating an impenetrable wall of sighs!

Three players surrounded them! The paint instantly became a meat grinder!

James completely lost his vision and shooting angle in mid-air, and could only barely toss the ball toward the basket.

"Clang!"

Missed the shot! Anthony Davis grabbed the rebound, and the Cavaliers immediately launched a counterattack!

Curry received a pass in the frontcourt, pulled up for a three-pointer, and sank it!

3 is better than 0!

This play became a microcosm of the Heat's offensive stagnation throughout the first half.

Not only James, but Dwyane Wade also faced the same predicament.

Wade's drives to the basket are unparalleled in the league, but his three-point shooting is even worse than James'.

The Cavaliers followed suit, with their perimeter defenders frantically flanking from behind, while Anthony Davis and Marc Gasol tightly guarded the paint.

The Heat, a team that relies heavily on penetration to tear apart the defense, were completely bewildered by the Cavaliers' targeted defense of "staying in the pit and switching everywhere"!

The game went on until the end of the first quarter.

The score is 32-15! The Cavaliers are leading by a full 17 points!

And halfway through the second quarter, which is about one and a half quarters into the game.

The national broadcast cameras specifically focused on LeBron James' statistics, and at that moment, all Heat fans felt a sense of suffocation.

Played for 16 minutes.

7投1中！三分球3投0中！罚球0中！

They only managed a paltry 2 points! Plus 3 turnovers!

"Unbelievable! LeBron is lost! Against Kawhi Leonard's defense, he's like a rough guy who can't shoot!"

The commentator's voice was filled with shock: "The Cavaliers' defensive strategy is simply psychological! They left LeBron open for three meters, and LeBron didn't even have the courage to shoot!"

Faced with this highly targeted and even insulting defense, James' mentality visibly collapsed.

He started throwing his hands up on the court, complaining to the referee about being hit on the hand when he broke through, and frequently made basic mistakes on the defensive end, such as failing to defend properly.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers' Splash Brothers were firing on all cylinders, with Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis drawing attention to them.

Every three-pointer that went in was like a resounding slap in the face to James, who had made those bold statements before the game.

"drop--!"

The whistle blew to end the first half.

The scoreboard was frozen at 64 to 46!

The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the defending champion Miami Heat by a massive 18-point margin at home, thoroughly crushing them!

James lowered his head, pulled off his headband, and hurried toward the players' tunnel.

His slightly disheveled figure, contrasted sharply with his arrogant "I'll teach you a lesson" attitude before the game, created the most ironic scene on the national broadcast cameras.