The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!

The Pacers team now also possesses these traits.

That doesn't mean they're guaranteed to take the championship, but...

The fighting spirit they can demonstrate in the playoffs is definitely more prominent than their fourth ranking in the Eastern Conference.

Especially when they face a team whose style is restrained by theirs!

I hear you're the first in the league this season?

What a coincidence, I'm the best at defeating the number one in the league!

LeBron James entered the game earlier than ever this time, just 7 minutes past the first quarter, and Spoelstra called him onto the court.

The only game Heat Team won so far was by relying on the "Three Giants" to continuously break through under the basket.

Now Spoelstra could only hope this lineup would work again.

Of course, from Rick Carlisle's perspective, it was a complete mistake.

He could clearly use "zone defense" to ensure tightening up under the basket, but he stubbornly chose "man-to-man" defense, which led to the situation where he later had to rob Peter to pay Paul. Only after the score fell behind, did he remember, oh right, I still have a zone defense I could use!

The score was closing in, but ultimately there wasn't enough time.

They lost by 5 points in the end, 91 to 96.

The most significant impact on the Pacers lineup after Su Wan's departure was the lack of explosive power in scoring.

So, once they fell behind by too many points, trying to catch up was a very difficult task.

This was also a problem originally with the Grizzlies team.

But that Grizzlies team had more serious issues in this regard. At least this Pacers team had more scoring options, and a more versatile frontcourt playstyle, and Rick Carlisle's thinking was clearer than that of the Grizzlies' coach at the time.

Indeed, it was proven that when the Pacers pulled out the zone defense, even with the Three Giants on the court, Heat Team couldn't take advantage.

Half-time ended with Heat Team trailing by 10 points, 42 to 52.

The incessant cheering from the crowd made Heat Team's bench seem somewhat gloomy.

It's worth mentioning that originally Pacers fans came to the arena to support Herbert, but as the season progressed, they found that, even after Su Wan left, the team wasn't in such bad shape.

Especially in this playoff series, seeing that they could still defeat Heat Team, defeat LeBron, they were extremely excited.

The voice of the "Pacers" from the commentator's booth, Bobby Leonard, said, "Defeating LeBron is in the bloodline of this team."

That was one of the legacies Su Wan left to the team.

The venue was filled with various taunts:

"LeBron, now you have peak teammates too, why can't you still beat the Pacers? Oh right, we don't even have Su Wan this time!"

"Admit it, LeBron, you're just not up to it!"

"The Pacers will always be your daddy, LeBron!"

...

Damn it...

These damn guys!

LeBron James's expression was extremely unattractive.

Every shout from the Indiana Natives poked at his heart, making him feel as though his pride was being trampled.

Keep in mind, before this series started, he was very confident that Heat Team would defeat the Pacers this time, even though their record against the Pacers during the regular season wasn't that great.

But LeBron believed that after making enough sacrifices, Heat Team had gotten on the right track.

Unstoppable!

Whether it was Su Wan's Knicks or this Pacers team without Su Wan, who used to be his nightmare.

This time they would all be his stepping stones.

He would prove that given teammates of the same caliber, he could do what Su Wan had done, and even do better.

But now, reality had slapped him hard.

It was proven...

That even with two peak teammates, he still couldn't defeat the Pacers team, even though this Pacers team didn't have Su Wan...

No!

That's impossible!

There must be something wrong!

LeBron James didn't believe his ability was inferior to Su Wan's, he was the "Chosen One" after all!

He quickly found the problem:

Chris Bosh and Wade!

Those two bastards!

How could we lose if you took me as the core?

Yes, that's it!

He suddenly understood the "key" to the issue.

But right now, he had something more important to do than denounce those two...

That was to lead the team to win against the Pacers.

Damn it!

The glory was taken by them, but now I still have to lead the team forward.

If I had known...

I wouldn't have come to Miami!

LeBron now deeply regretted joining these two losers.

What made him feel even worse was that despite sacrificing a lot of his stats and honors for the team, when he returned to the court in the second half, he was the one being booed the loudest.

These damn Indiana people, as if they only had eyes for him...

Well, don't blame me for not being polite then!

LeBron felt this was the Indiana people asking for it.

If they simply won the game quietly, without provoking him, then he definitely wouldn't have done this.

Now he was very angry...

No matter what, he had to win the game.

The third quarter came, and he aggressively pushed into the basket area.

That fervency surprised Spoelstra.

In his memory, LeBron James wouldn't do such dirty work like boxing out because it was too exhausting. He also wouldn't guard those players who held the ball for long periods, because it drained too much physical fitness. All his energy was used on offense.