NBA: LeBron James wants to team up with me

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Regarding the issue of stepping on others, James actually has a history of it, but compared to the league's well-known "stepping" experts like Bruce Bowen, Zaza Pachulia, and the future superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, James' actions were rather mild.

Among these players, Antetokounmpo is the one closest to James historically, and he is the star who truly relied on Irving to win the championship.

If Antetokounmpo hadn't injured Irving, the Bucks would have already lost to the Nets. Once the Nets had beaten the Bucks, the remaining opponents would have been vulnerable.

Wang Chong was almost certain that James did it on purpose. Most likely, he was desperate after losing and would do anything to win.

He was also a bit careless. James had been desperate not just once or twice. The most famous example was his shocking victory in the 2016 Finals, where his actions made Green lose his mind out of rage, resulting in several technical fouls, a suspension, and ultimately giving the Cavaliers a chance to breathe. They gained momentum, won three straight games, and claimed the championship after being down 1-3.

From this perspective, it wasn't surprising that James had intervened, but this guy is a disappointment. He only focuses on the veteran's intervention. He probably knows that compared to the young and powerful Wang Chong, his success in "stepping" is less effective.

Although Garnett is no longer the Bulls' primary scorer on offense, he remains the anchor of their defense. The entire defensive system of the Bulls is based on Garnett.

Once Garnett is injured, it will be a fatal blow to the Bulls' defensive system.

Moreover, James' skills in this area are quite high, not to mention that he was sanctioned with a flagrant foul, yet he didn't even receive a regular foul.

Garnett limped off to the locker room, and the Bulls players looked a bit confused.

"Is this really because God doesn't want us to win five consecutive championships? How many key players have the Bulls lost this season?"

Thibodeau was also feeling a bit overwhelmed at that moment, as the situation had exceeded his control. In recent years, he had done well with the Bulls, winning consecutive championships and leading the team to the best record in history. This made Thibodeau's reputation as a head coach reach its peak.

But, in fact, Wang Chong had more influence on Thibodeau's coaching ability. In terms of defensive tactics, Thibodeau is definitely at the top level in the league. However, a head coach must be responsible for too many aspects and must be able to handle all of them independently. Thibodeau obviously lacked this ability.

Even if Thibodeau coaches many teams in the future, what he's best at is killing key players with a single move. Thibodeau will always be like this in the future, not to mention in the current wind-blown game, in which he had already played too many games. Thibodeau has experience playing against the wind.

The Bulls called a brief timeout, but during the timeout, Thibodeau didn't offer any constructive suggestions. He merely repeated, "Now we have the advantage, no need to panic. If we win this game steadily, we'll be in the Finals!" and other similar phrases.

The Bulls' momentum visibly slowed down, and they played disorganized after the timeout. The Heat took advantage of the opportunity and launched a 12-2 run, quickly eroding the Bulls' double-digit lead.

Seeing the point difference closing, the Bulls players panicked even more, especially Thomas and Butler, who temporarily took the starting small forward position. It was the first time in their careers that they had faced such adversity in the playoffs. It was inevitable.

On the Heat's side, James' face was already full of a smile.

"As long as we win this game and tie the series at 3-3, in the tiebreaker, without Garnett, the Bulls will never be able to compete with the Heat."

Of course, Wang Chong knew this as well. This game could not be lost easily, no matter what.

Even if the Bulls are full of injuries and cannot achieve five consecutive championships, they cannot let the Heat steal the peaches!

The game reached the final quarter, with the two teams at 88-89, just a 1-point difference.

The Heat was full of momentum, while the Bulls were in a slump. No matter how you look at it, it would be difficult to resist the next attack from the Heat.

However, after the start of the final quarter, the Bulls made some adjustments to their lineup.

Thomas, the defensive black hole, was replaced, and the Bulls' starting five became Marcus Thornton, Danny Green, Jimmy Butler, Wang Chong, and Gasol.

The Bulls gave up the point guard position. Although Thornton is 1.93 meters tall, which is the standard height for a point guard, his playing style is more typical of a shooting guard.

"The Bulls' lineup adjustment is obviously to improve the overall height of the team to make up for the lack of defensive ability after Garnett's absence. But the problem is that Thomas left the court, and the Bulls lost another point in the fourth quarter. What about the offensive scoring in this game?"

The commentator's doubts were soon answered.

Wang Chong took control of the ball in the final quarter. On every offensive possession, the basketball had to come to him, and he relied on his exceptional personal skills to score.

At first, the Heat followed Battier's strategy of defending Wang Chong exclusively, trying to completely block the other four Bulls players on the floor. Even if Wang Chong could score, he couldn't do it alone.

But as time went on, something felt wrong for the Heat.

The offensive firepower of Wang Chong was simply too fierce!

First, he drove to the basket and slammed home a one-handed dunk. Then, he hit his signature mid-range jump shot, and on the next possession, he drained a three-pointer.

All three offensive possessions succeeded, scoring 7 points in a row, leaving the Heat flustered and unable to respond.

"No, we can't let Wang Chong keep scoring! LeBron and Sean double-team him, don't let him catch the ball again!"

On the Heat's bench, Coach Spoelstra looked solemn. He stood up, approached the bench, and shouted at James and Battier.

The Heat began double-teaming Wang Chong, but the effect wasn't good.

After being in the league for so many years, Wang Chong, the one and only player in the league capable of scoring at this level, has faced double teams countless times. Unlike Durant, who is afraid of double teams due to his limited physical strength, Wang Chong's physical stats have reached 99, and his speed and strength have improved. His ability to break double teams is formidable.

Furthermore, the Bulls' players were well accustomed to Wang Chong being double-teamed and immediately set screens for him to help avoid the double team.

The result of the Heat's double-team was that Wang Chong stopped playing with the ball and began to attack without it. After running a bit off the ball, he sprinted to the open space to catch and shoot with the help of his teammates' off-ball screens. The offensive efficiency didn't change at all.

Unable to stop Wang Chong from scoring, the Heat could only focus on attacking him. But even with James and Wade teaming up, their offense still couldn't compete with Wang Chong, and the point gap gradually widened.

The unfavorable situation in the battle made James more and more impatient.

You have to understand, this game is a pivotal one for the Bulls. If they lose, the Heat will be eliminated by the Bulls 4-2.

When the Heat attacked, James passed the ball to Butler and rushed directly into the paint. Wang Chong anticipated his position in advance. James, fully charging, couldn't avoid it and collided with Wang Chong head-on. He slammed into Gasol and knocked him down.

Screech!

The referee's whistle blew, signaling that James committed an offensive foul by hitting someone with the ball.

"I didn't foul! He blocked the foul!" James complained to the referee with an innocent look, raising his hands, but was ignored.

On the other side, Gasol and Butler helped Wang Chong up, who had fallen to the ground. Wang Chong rubbed his chest with a pained expression.

It was impulsive. When he saw the opportunity to draw an offensive foul, he advanced without thinking. However, being hit by James was like being hit by a speeding truck. Even though his physical condition had been strengthened several times, he couldn't handle it.

But there was no way around it. Even if it happened again, Wang Chong would step forward without hesitation. After all, the Bulls now had no room for error, and every possession had to be fought for!

The Bulls attacked. Wang Chong received the ball inside, turned his back to James, and made a jump shot. James had no way to defend it and could only watch as Wang Chong scored again.

With this basket, the point gap between the two teams widened to double digits again. With less than 5 minutes remaining, the situation was already quite unfavorable for the Heat.

The Heat called a timeout to adjust, but Wang Chong knew this Heat team well and knew exactly how they would play in crucial moments.

Although it's a small-ball lineup, the Heat lacks the most important aspect of small-ball play: three-pointers.

James and Wade aren't good at shooting threes. Although Bosh is an unusual interior player with the ability to shoot long-distance shots, his three-point shooting is about on par with Wade's.

Among the Heat's key

players, the most accurate three-point shooter is the 3D player Sean Battier, but his three-point shooting power is also limited.

The Heat's strongest offensive method is to break through and attack the basket.

Therefore, Wang Chong suggested to Thibodeau that the Bulls lower their defensive line and strengthen their inside defense. Even if they give the opponent a chance to act from the outside, it wouldn't be a loss.

As expected, Wang Chong anticipated that after the timeout, the Heat's offense would still focus on James and Wade's drives.

Although the Bulls didn't have Garnett, they still had Gasol and Wang Chong. Gasol was about to win Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) next year. Even though it was still early in the season, his ability to protect the rim inside was still the best. With Wang Chong assisting from the side, the Heat's offense failed repeatedly. Only James relied on fouls and free throws to score a few points.

Seeing that the point gap not only didn't shrink but actually widened, the Heat's fans were truly desperate.

This game was like a roller coaster for them. When the Bulls had suppressed and beaten the Heat, they thought it was over, but unexpectedly, there was a twist in the middle. The Heat seized the opportunity and closed the point gap. It was tied, and they were about to win.

Unexpectedly, Wang Chong appeared again in the final quarter, scoring consecutively and completely shattering the Heat's hopes of winning.

In the final minutes, seeing that the point gap could no longer be reached, the Heat didn't substitute their star players. James went wild on the court with the ball, attacking the basket to score. The offense wasn't to win, but to score more before the game ended. Otherwise, how could he still say he didn't lose while scoring 40+ points?

When the final buzzer sounded, James scored 40 points in the game. Judging by the stats, it was a triple-double with 40 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.

But fans didn't believe it. James lost both games in this one. During the game replay, everyone clearly saw the unnatural extension of his legs and feet when he connected a jump shot.

Garnett also said in an interview after the game: "When I landed before, I didn't expect there to be something extra under my feet. It was really strange. Normally, no one would put their feet in that position."

Whether James admits it or not, his act of stepping on Garnett was heavily criticized.

"To win, he actually did something so despicable. He has no sportsmanship. What's even more ridiculous is that he didn't even win the game. It's really shameful!"

"Seeing the game about to be lost, James continued to run to the basket and score to boost his stats to 40+. It was extremely ridiculous."

"What a chosen one, what a superstar—just a clown!"

"The most terrifying thing in this world is comparison. Look at James, then look at Wang Chong across from him, and you see the gap."

Wang Chong scored another 58 points in this game, including 24 points in the final quarter. He helped the Bulls, who were panicking due to Garnett's injury, stabilize the situation, beat the Heat 4-2, and successfully advanced to the Finals.

It's a shame that the Bulls fans weren't happy at all when they should have been celebrating.

After the game, the report of Garnett's examination came out: he had suffered a severe ankle sprain and would be out for three to five weeks, meaning he wouldn't be able to play in the Finals.

The Bulls were really full of injuries and could hardly form a proper starting lineup.

Their Finals opponents, who made it out of the Western Conference, defeated the Los Angeles Lakers' Big Three by 4-2.

Originally, the Lakers' Big Three were one of the favorites to win the championship this year and were also the biggest imaginary enemy of the Bulls in the Finals.

Now everything was settled. All their opponents were healthy and ready to go, but the Bulls had half their players injured. How could they play in the Finals?

Even someone as confident as Wang Chong didn't believe the Bulls could beat the Lakers. Although the Lakers' lineup had many flaws, Phil Jackson hadn't solved the Kobe-Paul incompatibility issue, but even so, the Lakers mostly played two tactical sets—one with Paul and Howard's pick-and-roll and the other with Kobe's individual tactics with the ball. The super abilities of their best stars were enough to make them the best team in the league.

After all, these weren't the Heat's Big Three. With Bosh next to James and Wade, at this stage, Howard couldn't defeat both Bosh together without getting injured.

In fact, without Garnett, the Bulls weren't a match for the Heat. The reason they were able to defeat the Heat was that the Bulls already had a scoring advantage before Garnett got injured and left the game. Wang Chong's explosion in the final quarter just crushed the Heat.

If the two teams reset and played another four quarters, no matter how strong Wang Chong's offensive firepower was, it would be hard to defeat the Heat.

End of this chapter

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