Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1128 - 625: Don’t Stop Talking About LeBron_2

Chapter 1128 -625: Don’t Stop Talking About LeBron_2

“Where is LeBron?” Rivers asked, “If we put all our efforts on defending Curry, wouldn’t that free up LeBron?”

Yu Fei calmly said, “I’m not afraid of someone who can score 30 points in a whole game, I’m afraid of someone who can score 30 points in one half.”

To put it simply, it’s a choice between two poisons. Curry’s poison acts fast and can kill quickly, while James’s poison might lead to a slow death if unchecked.

But James’s offensive explosiveness, no matter how boldly estimated, isn’t as deadly as Curry’s when he starts shooting.

Therefore, from the moment the game started, an invisible lock had Curry trapped.

Whenever Curry calls for a pick-and-roll, a switch is sure to follow.

If Curry tries to move off the ball, his defender will relentlessly chase after him.

Meanwhile, on the offensive end, when Yu Fei gets the ball, he calls a pick-and-roll targeting Curry.

This intense, full-scale targeting allowed Curry to start the game by making only 1 out of 7 shots.

Now is the time for the Miami Heat to rely on James.

James’s sense for the game is undoubtedly top-notch. Seeing the Clippers targeting Curry, he instantly realized it was his chance to shine. Thus, he continues to feed the ball to Curry while seizing opportunities to score himself, directing Butler to tightly guard Antetokounmpo.

Meanwhile, the Heat fully utilized Love. However, Yu Fei quickly noticed the shift from one side to another in their strategy and ordered Jokić to put pressure on Love.

Curry was trapped in his so-called “Wall of Sighs”, and both tactical masterminds behind the teams were actively maneuvering their teammates. Yu Fei was gearing up, waiting to explode in the second half; meanwhile, James stubbornly kept Curry attacking under unfavorable conditions, leading to Curry scoring only 5 out of 15 shots in the half, and Love fouled three times. Under Yu Fei’s coordination, the Clippers demonstrated excellent team offense, entering the second half with a 4-point lead.

At this point, James suggested, “I might need to take on more responsibility.”

Even though James promised to “share the keys” with Curry before joining Miami Heat, everyone knew it was Curry’s team.

This power struggle was strategic. Usually hardworking and enduring, waiting for Curry to underperform before stepping in to save the day—a few more instances like this, and naturally, James’s status would surpass Curry’s.

So-called “sharing the keys”? Just a joke!

In NBA history, successful cases of “sharing the keys” are few. The most recent one was in 1983, between Dr. J and Moses Malone. But the key to that success was that among the two key sharers, one was past his prime.

That was Dr. J, the original owner of the key.

He once dominated another top basketball league, but upon entering the NBA, he transformed into a player version of Doc Rivers, like a walking comeback king, reaching a point where he had to share the keys to achieve results.

What about Curry? He’s four years younger than James, already holding two championships, and had just replaced James’s peer, Wade, as the leader of Miami Heat.

He repeatedly expressed his willingness to “share the keys”, but James didn’t buy it. With his years of internal competition experience, how could a team leader allow a newcomer to arrive and become an equal? In James’s eyes, Curry was like the 1994 Olajuwon, a player who needed Drexler’s help to continue his glory.

Unfortunately, he is not Drexler, a naturally crowned king cannot bend to others.

That’s fate; one can’t easily see through the true nature of others unless they’ve come from another era.

If it were Yu Fei, he would never refuse to be teammates with Curry. He is the kind of person who, for victory, can endure what others cannot.

Losing the Finals MVP to a suddenly leading substitute? Endured.

Having the Finals MVP snatched twice by a teammate who led a comeback from a 1-3 series deficit? Endured.

This same teammate who snatched the Finals MVP whining everywhere like a little wife, irritating himself and the other teammates? Endured!

Yu Fei believed, even if James really took over Curry’s leading role, Curry could endure it, but James didn’t believe such a person existed in this world.

That is why the Miami Heat lost tonight.

The Clippers’ strategy to besiege Curry was simple: never let him find his shooting rhythm. Once Curry heats up, a few trailing three-pointers could instantly turn the tide of the game.

Yet, merely besieging Curry doesn’t guarantee a win. The Miami Heat had enough experience to use Curry to draw fire and then let others shoot over his shoulders to pierce the opponent.

James displayed his king-like strategy in what seemed like a highly publicized but ultimately trivial game. He could have taken advantage while Curry was besieged to gain an edge, yet he chose to maintain a superficial balance, passing a bland first half.

It was an overly clever decision by an overly smart man, leading to a foolish outcome.

Watching James potentially make a move yet continue playing so-called team basketball, Yu Fei felt a premonition.

“He’s starting again.”

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So, at the start of the second half, Yu Fei suggested to the coaching team to make adjustments; let Yao Ming start as the center to strengthen the defense under the basket, with himself taking the power forward position, Antetokounmpo moving to small forward, and Siakam coming off the bench as power forward.

The Clippers intended to restrict James’s breakthroughs using physical fitness and athletic ability.

As for Curry? After half a game of torment, they could afford to relax their defense slightly.