The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!

After the first quarter, LeBron James scored 6 points with 1 assist.

Of those 6 points, 4 were scored at the start of the game; afterward, he didn't get many good opportunities, shooting only 1 out of 5. The worst part was, at the Knicks' home court, the referees couldn't favor him as they did in Miami by calling those "air fouls."

Even slight physical contacts that involved some confrontation were ignored by the referees.

Without whistle protection, LeBron's breakthrough threat significantly diminished.

This was why LeBron performed so poorly in the first quarter.

Adam was watching the game.

Two words described his current feeling:

Disgusted!

This LeBron…

Why is he so useless!

They even legitimized his traveling.

Why can't he still dominate the court?

Forget about shooting; he's even struggling to push through…

What disgusted Adam even more was that Su Wan used his innovative footwork in this game—this season he had used this move only twice, both times against the Heat Team.

Adam could see now.

It was deliberate!

He wanted to kick LeBron's ass, hard.

No…

It wasn't just about kicking LeBron's ass!

He was slapping Adam Joke in the face!

It wouldn't do…

Adam now realized that merely adjusting the "traveling" rule couldn't let LeBron compete with Su Wan.

He had to give LeBron another buff!

What should he do?

LeBron's main issue is his poor ability to get free…

If he wanted the opponents to be afraid to touch him…

He got it!

A new way to strengthen LeBron popped into Adam Silver's mind:

Cylinder protection!

This concept had been part of the refereeing criteria since the rule changes in 2004.

But it hadn't been strictly enforced until now.

Specifically, from the moment the offensive player shoots until his feet land, the "cylinder" formed around his body's central axis is protected.

What does this mean?

Simply put, it's an "invincible zone"!

Unless it's within the reasonable collision zone, even if there's no contact, but if a defender touches this invisible "cylinder" while the player is shooting, it's still a foul!

If they took this rule seriously…

Wouldn't LeBron's breakthroughs become fiercer?

The more he thought about it, the less disgusted Xiao Hua felt…

Not really!

Watching the second quarter start, Su Wan again scored using the "soma step," and Xiao Hua immediately turned off the TV.

Thinking back to his rule changes, which inadvertently enhanced Su Wan the most, Xiao Hua really couldn't sleep all night.

He hurriedly went to find David Stern, wanting to have a meeting with the referees to emphasize the enforcement of "cylinder violations" in the coming period.

David Stern didn't agree, "No, this would have too big of an impact!"

Players need time to adapt to such a rule.

Hence, it is often better to announce this rule before the start of a new season.

Furthermore…

Not only do players need to adapt, but referees also need to adjust.

This really wasn't a decision that could be implemented in the middle of a season.

Adam felt his hands were tied.

But what could he do?

David Stern was still nominally the commissioner of the league, and if he wanted, he could continue in this position indefinitely. Competing with David Stern was not an option.

It was best to shelve such thoughts for now…

Adam couldn't implement what he wanted right away.

On the court, LeBron didn't produce the impressive stats Adam had hoped for at the start of the game.

After establishing a sufficient lead, the Knicks tightened their defense on LeBron.

This wasn't specifically targeted at LeBron.

Rather, Tyronn Lue and Mike Malone noticed that when the ball wasn't in LeBron's hands, he seemed lost on the court, unsure what to do, often positioning himself on the wings, making it easy for the Heat to play "4 on 5" on the offensive end.

For the New York Knicks, this was certainly a favorable scenario.

Thus, the double-teaming of LeBron was more resolute.

Barkley shook his head repeatedly, "Why hasn't LeBron developed his off-ball skills yet?"

This had been an issue since his time with the Cavaliers, and two years into his tenure with the Heat, this issue persisted.

He couldn't understand.

Shaquille O'Neal, having been LeBron's teammate, knew LeBron's thoughts well, "His understanding of the game is different from ours. In his view, many things he is capable of doing within his skillset are enough to make him the absolute core of a team, and for the things he can't do, it's simple—let the team find someone to compensate!"

For example, shooting!

Or off-ball movement!

Or defense!

As for himself...

Why should he know these?

Does he ever not have the ball?

Barkley was often astounded by LeBron's basketball philosophy.

It remained the same after all these years.

He said, "LeBron is lucky to be a basketball player of this era! If he were in the '90s, he would have struggled to be a team leader!"

That era was not only more barbaric in terms of fans but also players.

The only way to win their respect was through sheer skill!

If LeBron's basketball philosophy was as Shaquille O'Neal described, then there weren't many players in the '90s who would have respected him.