Champion Creed-Chapter 1008 - 326: For the dearest Michael Jordan and LeBron James (Requesting monthly votes!)_5
Eric Snow saw that Jordan couldn’t receive the ball, so he passed it to the Chosen One wearing number 23.
Shandon Anderson is good at defense, but when James started to sprint, Anderson was still shocked by this high schooler’s strong physique.
High school rookies all have a common problem, which is getting their body accustomed to the physicality of playing against adults.
Whether it’s Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, or Kobe, they all went through this process.
Roger actually had to go through this process too, but his offensive skills were already outstanding when he joined the league, which compensated for his physical shortcomings, allowing him to have a brilliant rookie season.
And LeBron James might be the only high school player who can compete against NBA players in his rookie season without being at a disadvantage!
James pushed Shandon Anderson aside and then drove straight to the basket.
The first point of Cleveland’s Chosen One’s professional career was about to be born.
But as soon as James released the ball, he felt a huge shadow swallowing the entire paint.
Yao Ming’s hand hung in the air, swatting hard from the side and pinning the ball against the backboard!
For James, having a towering shot blocker in the paint is the worst situation.
His playing style heavily relies on finishing at the basket, and Yao Ming’s team is strongest at rim protection defensively.
The fans were all dumbfounded; everyone knows not to easily challenge the rim guarded by Yao Ming. They thought James, the Chosen One who has been hyped for so long, would have some strategy, but... did he just blindly charge in to give away the block? 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Roger’s voice immediately came through: "Damn it, I don’t know why LeBron attacked the basket, doesn’t he have a complete skill set? Isn’t he the combination of Michael and Magic? Why did he choose the hardest way to score? Wasn’t the 2003 first overall pick supposed to crush the 2002 first overall pick?"
In front of the TV, Cavaliers fans realized that things weren’t as rosy as they imagined.
Soon, their worries became reality because the Knicks scored easily again.
With Tim Thomas, a shooting power forward, creating space, Yao Ming easily received the ball in the low post and went one-on-one with Big Z.
During the original timeline with the Rockets, Jeff Van Gundy and Yao Ming knew that gaining weight would increase the risk of injury, no one was an idiot.
But back then, Jeff Van Gundy told Yao Ming: "Do you want a ten-year legendary career or a fifteen-year mediocre one?"
This made Yao Ming choose the former.
But in this timeline, the New York Knicks did not require Yao Ming to crazily bulk up, which allowed him to retain his agility.
So when facing a slow opponent like Big Z, Yao Ming first spun with his back and then faked, spun again, and took a fadeaway shot. A series of moves similar to Olajuwon playing with David Robinson, allowed Yao Ming to easily take down Big Z.
Compared to last season, Yao Ming was more confident and his skills more refined. His low-post plays were the Knicks’ most reliable offensive tactic.
to 0, the Cavaliers’ inside was as fragile as paper, unable to stop Wade, nor could they do anything about Yao Ming.
Roger shouted in disappointment: "Where’s LeBron? Where’s Michael? They need to step up!"
Jordan decided to step up, but as soon as he got the ball, Wade stole it.
An exasperated Jordan tried to grab Wade’s jersey immediately, but by the time he turned around, Wade had already run several steps away.
That speed represented an insurmountable gap.
Wade scored with a fast-break dunk, Knicks lead 6-0!
Michael Jordan and LeBron James looked at each other, bewildered.
They had imagined the possible scenarios for tonight, envisioned the sweetness of victory tonight, but the current situation was far from what they had imagined.
In their minds, both of them probably heard a voice simultaneously: "Bro, something feels off!"
Before all this, mainstream media believed the Cavaliers could easily handle the Knicks.
Yao Ming? A young guy who hasn’t figured out how to play in the NBA.
Dwyane Wade? A product of a blind draft choice by the Knicks.
And on the Cavaliers’ side, with an underestimated Michael Jordan and a Chosen One in LeBron, it seemed impossible for them to lose.
Yet after a few exchanges, the Cavaliers couldn’t even gain a slight advantage.
Roger was secretly pleased, but still put on a tough and serious face:
"Michael said his achievements wouldn’t be worse than my Amar’e. That means Cleveland Cavaliers are at least an Eastern Conference semifinals team. So they absolutely won’t lose tonight, the Knicks are just temporarily ahead. I believe Michael and LeBron aren’t those hypocritical, arrogant, and incompetent fools."
The more Roger said this, the more confident the fans were in James and Jordan.
The higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment. So, Roger didn’t mind raising people’s expectations of Michael Jordan and LeBron James a bit more.
For the dear Michael Jordan and LeBron James, Roger was willing to get slapped in the face once.
After all, it’s not him who’s going to feel the pain.
Consider it their punishment for not respecting the GOAT enough.
