Champion Creed-Chapter 1457 - 456: I Don’t Want to Talk About a Dog

LBJ is undoubtedly an outstanding dark horse, but Kobe is not a suitable talent scout.

At such a time, shouldn’t Kobe voluntarily give up his leadership position considering how badly James is playing?

What gives him the right to criticize LBJ so harshly?

LeBron James didn’t encounter a brainless good buddy, it’s entirely not his fault, the responsibility lies with Kobe.

Brandon Roy pointed at Kobe’s image in the newspaper: "I’m curious, what will happen after those words, will LBJ play in the next game?"

This is the dilemma Phil Jackson is facing now; he doesn’t know whether to continue putting James on the court in the next game.

Yesterday, Kobe had the guts to publicly say such things because the whole Lakers team is dissatisfied with James. If James is allowed to play, the Lakers might lose their fighting spirit.

But if James isn’t allowed to play? There’s never been a precedent in NBA playoff do-or-die games for benching a star player with a DNP. And substituting Vujacic for James as a starter, can that guarantee better results?

Whether to play James or not has become a decision Phil Jackson must make.

Even if the Lakers’ hope is dim, who is willing to admit that the Super Lakers have failed? Phil Jackson still wants to find a perfect way to salvage the situation.

After today’s training, LeBron James also tried to patch things up.

He knows that this is the greatest crisis of his career, the turning point that decides whether he is "great" or "mediocre," this is his "Sputnik moment."

He cannot not play; he can’t end this season with the image of a "coward." He can’t endure a greater failure after leaving Cleveland under scorn.

If he gets DNPed, then no marketing strategy will be effective.

So, after training, James spoke in the locker room: "Hey guys, next game I’m going to put in double the effort, I know we’re down 0-3, but we need to win one game, take it step by step. We need to focus on G4, that’s all you can think about. Obviously, we haven’t been playing well, missed some opportunities. But we need to take it game by game, get ready."

Howard looked at James puzzled, Chauncey Billups chuckled and shook his head.

Kobe’s reaction was much more direct, he turned to Phil Jackson and said: "If LeBron plays next game, I won’t play. We don’t need him."

Phil Jackson’s eyes widened; these words sounded familiar to him.

years ago, Roger similarly humiliated Pippen. The greatest insult to a star player is saying he’s not needed.

No wonder people say Kobe is the man closest to Roger.

But what will the outcome be?

Roger’s "we don’t need him" became a heroic moment because Roger led the team to win without Pippen playing.

Can Kobe lead the team to victory without LBJ?

James couldn’t believe Kobe was so firm: "Hey, the most important thing now is for us to unite."

"True, us, but not including you LeBron Phil. Let me emphasize again, if LeBron plays, I won’t play. At least, I won’t be on the court at the same time as him. Obviously, this is a democratic country, we have to talk about democracy. My proposal, who supports, who opposes? Those opposing can raise their hands."

No one raised their hands; James was abandoned by the whole Lakers team.

This was a bloody election for LBJ.

Shaq was right, as a star player, a leader, if you can’t lead by example, this is the end result. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

James looked at his teammates in disbelief, he couldn’t imagine he’d end up like this.

His eyes widened like a gambler who lost everything and refused to accept reality: "Do you really think you can do better without me!?"

"Who knows unless we try?" Kobe answered mercilessly.

Just like that, in series G4, when Mike Breen saw Sasha Vujacic adjusting his hair near the midfield line, he could hardly believe his eyes.

"Wait, isn’t LeBron James starting today?"

The world was in uproar, Nike executives nearly fainted.

Their most popular basketball spokesperson had been benched in this Super Lakers team!

Reebok’s star was starting, Adidas’ star was starting, only Nike’s star was left on the bench. To Nike, this was practically an accident!

On the bench, James glanced at the stands, hoping Los Angeles fans would collectively shout "We want LeBron."

But no one did, instead someone yelled "LeBron, get out of Los Angeles."

James wished he could bury his head in his clothes, a critical game, as a star player, he was benched by the coach, it was extremely humiliating.

But James had nowhere to escape, Roger just gleefully approached the Lakers’ bench: "What’s going on LeBron? Do you plan to sit on the bench and drive me out of the league?"

"It’s just a strategic adjustment!" James shouted something he didn’t even believe himself.

"Yes, I understand, it’s simply roster optimization. Every competent coach needs to learn to kick garbage players out of the starting lineup. Phil, although you’ve never beaten me, at least you’re doing pretty well in this aspect."

"Shut up, Roger! Shut up!" James nearly exploded, his dignity was stomped into pieces.