The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!-Chapter 718 - 263: Is the Final Blow to Play LeBron James to Death Coming?_4
Chapter 718: Chapter 263: Is the Final Blow to Play LeBron James to Death Coming?_4
Wade also said, "This year, we can definitely create a grand scene!"
On April 16, the second day after the regular season ended, the League announced the "Rookie of the Year," with "redshirt" Griffin taking the final "Rookie of the Year" title, averaging an exceptionally vigorous 23.1 points and 11.1 rebounds.
Moreover, the Clippers made it to the playoffs.
Whether it was personal stats or team performance, they completely outdid 2010’s top pick, John Wall.
Not to mention off-the-court influence.
This was also the first time in Clippers history that a player became "Rookie of the Year."
The Clippers’ official website even posted an article to celebrate.
On April 17, the NBA officially announced this season’s "Best Sixth Man" award...
Averaging 21.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1 steal, LeBron James unsurprisingly defeated the other contenders and became this season’s "Best Sixth Man."
The Heat Team issued a statement to celebrate, congratulating LeBron on this honor.
The Miami media also believed that "LeBron’s sacrifice was visible to everyone. His energy off the bench was undeniable, and this was why he won this award!"
As for LeBron’s team, they heavily advertised the award: "Everyone questioning LeBron’s ability to adapt can shut up now. This season, LeBron has proved that he can do anything to win, including being a substitute. Everyone should realize, for a player of LeBron’s caliber, how hard it is to accept coming off the bench!"
They even drew comparisons to Allen Iverson.
Recently, Allen Iverson made headlines due to his unwillingness to come off the bench with the Pistons and rumors of his impending retirement emerged. Iverson had bluntly stated, "Have you ever seen a regular season MVP coming off the bench?"
But it wasn’t long before the media shot back: "LeBron has never won a regular season MVP! Nor has he led a team to the Finals as the sole star. He has no right to be compared to Allen Iverson!"
Other media went even further, saying: "Why don’t we ever hear about LeBron’s injuries at this time? Is he waiting to bring them up when he fails again?"
Seeing the situation, Richie Paul immediately told LeBron, "The time isn’t right yet, hold on a little longer."
When Su Wan heard about LeBron receiving the "Best Sixth Man" award, he found it somewhat magical but also quite amusing. Of course, the key question was, now that LeBron had this award, could his status rise any further?
If the Heat Team won the championship this season, there might be some possibility...
If they failed...
Then there really would be no chance!
If Pat Riley ran out of patience and traded him again, with his "sixth man" role, it was unlikely any team would see him as the "Absolute Core."
It seemed, this time, they were truly about to play LeBron out!
Su Wan sighed, "It’s not easy."
Knowing that LeBron was only carrying the title of "Chosen One," it took Su Wan a full seven years to completely play him out. If LeBron had entered the League a couple of years later and snagged a regular season MVP, it might have taken a decade to play him out...
LeBron’s "health bar" was evident.
However, he was still one "final blow" away from being completely played out.
If the New York Knicks wanted to encounter the Heat Team this year, they would have to reach the stage of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Su Wan had not yet faced the Heat Team with LeBron coming off the bench; judging from their state against other teams, they were absolutely a championship-caliber strong team, and a tough battle awaited.
Su Wan had no fear, though. On the contrary, he couldn’t wait to face this Heat Team, which had swept the League after the All-Star Weekend, to see if they truly had the strength, or if they were just another "fluke"!
On April 18, the "Most Improved Player Award" was announced and belonged to the Forest Wolf’s Kevin Love.
His average stats jumped from 14 points and 11 rebounds last year to 20.2 points and 15.2 rebounds this year.
A new "Wolf King" had grown up unnoticed.
Meanwhile, the 2010–2011 season playoffs had officially begun.
The New York Knicks’ first round of the playoffs was against the Orlando Magic Team.
In the 2009 playoffs, the Magic unexpectedly defeated the Cavaliers, marking the pinnacle of Howard’s professional career. It was thought he would rise further and become the face of the number five spot in the NBA, but his performance with the Magic in recent years was less than expected.
The Magic Team’s performance issues could be blamed on management for letting go of Tekeglu.
But since Howard himself couldn’t advance further, the responsibility had to fall on him.
Including the hyping of this playoff series, the "Best Defensive Player Award" rivalry between Tyson Chandler and Howard was emphasized, with hardly any media mentioning the "04 generation conflict." The current Howard and Su Wan were obviously not on the same level.
And from the "Challenger" perspective, the Magic Team didn’t have the ability to challenge the Knicks this year.
Not only were the Knicks ranked third in the Eastern Conference while the Magic was only sixth.
More importantly, the Magic lost all three regular-season matchups against the Knicks.
Apart from the "Best Defensive Player Award" struggle, the biggest talking point of this series turned out to be...
Whether Howard would explode in conflict with the New York Knicks players.
Last time, flustered, he shoved Tyson Chandler and got a beating from Su Wan and Artest, leading to a League penalty. Such incidents, having occurred once, could happen again, and everyone was waiting for the second time to unfold.
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