Chapter 597 - 89: O’Neal’s Awakening

Moreover, when the Knight got up, he was grimacing in pain. It had been a hard, nasty fall.

The Cavaliers didn’t call a timeout.

They inbounded the ball quickly.

The ball went to James. Turkoglu was on him again, and again, Turkoglu defended with his hands behind his back, using his footwork and body to block James’s drive.

It took James nearly four seconds just to get into the frontcourt.

He quickly opted for a three-pointer... CLANG!

The three missed.

Millsap secured the rebound.

2.1 seconds were left in the game.

O’Neal committed a foul.

It was meaningless.

Back on the other end, Millsap sank both free throws.

The Magic Team led by 7 points.

The Cavaliers subbed out their starters.

With 2 seconds left, they gave up.

The entire arena was filled with sighs and angry curses.

Many fans couldn’t accept this outcome. They believed that with all the progress the Cavaliers had made this season, they should have been challenging for the championship, they should have been getting their revenge on the Knicks.

How could they not even beat the Magic Team?

But they just couldn’t.

On television, Reggie Miller said sarcastically, "Two players from New York changed the course of the battle. Hardaway and Millsap just torched all the Cavaliers’ ambitions for this season! Hardaway, truly worthy of being Jordan’s successor!"

In fact, the other "successor to Jordan," Grant Hill, who had left the game with an injury, had also played up to his reputation in this game.

They might be old, but when they pulled themselves together, they could still teach the young Little King a lesson.

"Who can say the Magic Team lost that trade now?"

"But no matter how you look at it, the biggest winner is the New York Knicks!"

Reggie Miller said excitedly on TV.

On the court, the Magic players were ecstatic. They had achieved a difficult victory, a great victory.

Hardaway was tossed high into the air. They would face the New York Knicks next. The two teams that made a trade during All-Star Weekend would now meet at the summit of the East.

Although this outcome was disheartening for the Cavaliers and their supporters, they had to accept the fact that time could not be turned back.

Their soaring ambitions had now turned to dust.

Moreover, the failure in this series meant their rebuild over the past two seasons was a complete failure.

It also meant that by choosing James as their cornerstone, it would be difficult for them to achieve better results.

They had even managed to recruit O’Neal, but in the end, they couldn’t even get a chance to face Su Xi.

"Without a doubt, this was a conspiracy by the Knicks. That trade the Knicks made was a two-pronged strategy. On one hand, they strengthened themselves; on the other, they strengthened the Magic. They had the Magic eliminate the Cavaliers. Isaiah Thomas is truly a brilliant conspirator."

ESPN’s Mike Breen spoke eloquently on television.

Thomas would surely love such an assessment.

He enjoyed these kinds of profound, mysterious comments. He liked being portrayed as a villain lurking in the shadows, scheming and plotting everything.

It made his intelligence seem very high.

In reality, everyone knew why that trade was made.

But this was the result now.

It benefited the Knicks.

The Knicks beat the Magic like they were beating a child. Even though the Magic had eliminated the Cavaliers, no one had any confidence they could defeat the Knicks.

This led some of the Knicks’ opponents to start making pessimistic statements: The New York Knicks would most likely win the championship again this season.

After the game, the reporters’ questions also mostly revolved around the Knicks.

Even though the Knicks hadn’t played, they were everywhere.

Stan Van Gundy was asked how he felt about the upcoming Eastern Conference Finals.

He answered, "We will focus on doing our best. We will carry the momentum from this victory and keep moving forward."

Then, a reporter from Cleveland said sourly, "So, do you feel that your victory is actually the biggest help to the Knicks? If the Cavaliers had made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, they would have had a better chance of stopping Little Sheep Su Xi."

This question infuriated Stan Van Gundy. He said, "If you’re so capable of stopping Little Sheep Su Xi, what have you been waiting for all these years? You lost all four games to the Knicks in the regular season. Was it because they were being kind?"

"And what makes you think you’re qualified to challenge the Knicks? Your home-court whistle? Or your fans’ foul language?"

Stan Van Gundy went on a full-blown offensive, maxing out the sarcasm.

The reporter was quite embarrassed.

Although they were angry, they had no way to rebut him.

Stan Van Gundy added one last shot: "In fact, this game was a freebie we gave you."

The series should have ended in Game 6.

That was what Stan Van Gundy truly believed.

In contrast to Stan Van Gundy’s all-out verbal assault, the losing side was dejected.

Mike Brown once again stepped up to take all the responsibility. He said it was a problem with his tactical arrangements, never once mentioning James’s terrible free-throw percentage tonight, nor his missed shots and fatal turnovers in crucial moments.

The team needed a scapegoat, and it could only be him.

He said a lot of technical things, talking about rebounds, the number of three-pointers made, possession efficiency... and so on.

But none of that was important.

Finally, a reporter asked him a question: "Do you think we can make it to the Eastern Conference Finals again next season?"

Mike Brown fell silent.

He knew this loss had completely broken the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers had assembled such a powerful lineup tonight, with every advantage of timing, location, and personnel, yet they still couldn’t defeat the Magic. How could they even talk about next season?

Next season, James might be even stronger.

But O’Neal would inevitably decline further.

Furthermore, it was hard to say if O’Neal could even maintain his fighting spirit. He had essentially been making one last push this season, but he failed.

He had to watch as his former partner, Hardaway, achieved success.

For a moment, he even thought: ’If I were partnered with Hardaway, we couldn’t possibly be worse off than we are now...’

He didn’t mean to look down on James, but he truly felt... nobody was afraid of LeBron James.

’It’s true that James is The Chosen One.’

’It’s true that he has immense talent.’

’It’s true that his basketball IQ is very high.’

’It’s true that his stats are beautiful.’

’But... opponents have absolutely no fear of him.’

’When Turkoglu was guarding him in the final moments, he dared to tauntingly put his hands behind his back.’

’Would he dare do that to Kobe?’

’Would he dare do that to Little Sheep Su Xi?’

’If a perimeter player, a perimeter player who wants to be the absolute best, there is one essential element he must have: the ability to strike fear into his opponents.’

’Only by making opponents fearful can the big men get more opportunities, can teammates get more opportunities.’

’Only by breaking down the opponent’s defense with your own ability, forcing them to commit heavy resources to you in the toughest spots, forcing them to adjust their defensive line—only then can your teammates benefit.’

’Anything else is just benefiting from the system, no matter how good the stats are. You could even say... it’s leeching off your teammates.’

At this moment, O’Neal missed Kobe more than ever before.

Kobe might not have passed him the ball, but Kobe could genuinely solve problems on the perimeter.

Kobe could genuinely make his life in the paint comfortable.

But alongside James, he felt his own abilities were being diminished. James needed him on one hand, but on the other, didn’t give him enough opportunity to fully utilize his skills.

It was fine in the regular season.

But when the intensity ramped up in the playoffs, his performance dropped off significantly.

O’Neal even thought: ’James doesn’t need a superstar teammate at all. He just needs a roster perfectly tailored to his style of play, one that lets him dominate while the other players move around his specific tendencies. When he needs an assist, his teammates can hit their shots. When he needs to get on the break, his teammates can hold down the defense and grab a rebound or box out. When he needs to drive, his teammates can space the floor.’

’That way, James’s stats will be great, and the team’s record will improve.’

’He might even win a championship!’

’When it comes down to it, James is a system player.’

’Or rather, a super-system player.’

’He’s not even qualified to be mentioned in the same breath as guys like Su Xi, Kobe, and Jordan.’

This was O’Neal’s verdict.