For LeBron James' postseason experience, which was even more miserable than Su Feng remembered...

Having grinded in the Eastern Conference for 11 years, Su Feng could feel the "despair" written all over James' face, even through the screen.

Because in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Celtics had easily eliminated the Bulls 4-0...

Therefore...

Whether it was James or Wade leading their teams to advance...

In the next round of the playoffs, they would have to engage in a showdown with the Celtics, one of the acknowledged favorites to win the championship this season.

So...

On this night when the Cavaliers and Hawks were tied 2-2 in their series...

James and Wade both wanted to ask the other:

You're trying so hard, but even if you win, won't you and your teammates be too exhausted to take down the Celtics?

E

Now that they'd reached Game 7...

James and Wade were well aware...

That this was no longer just a matter of life or death.

But...

They were simply using their pain to entertain the fans and their upcoming opponents.

May 2nd.

Cleveland.

Shaquille O'Neal, who had called on the Cavaliers players to step up and help James during the pre-game interview, was the first to falter.

Because ever since arriving in Cleveland, O'Neal, feeling that he was at least a dynasty-level player, had abandoned the "underhand free throw" he had used for many years...

Therefore, in this Game 7, facing Budenholzer's suddenly inspired "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy...

O'Neal suddenly felt like he was being targeted.

However, after O'Neal was "strategically subbed out" by Mike Brown...

Budenholzer discovered...

That there was a reason why people hadn't been using the "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy against O'Neal in the past two years.

Because in the Quicken Loans Arena, as O'Neal rolled out of that damned low post, James instantly gained the freedom to breathe.

That night, in front of the TV, Kobe admitted that he was indeed enjoying himself.

However, in the second half of the game, just when everyone thought the Cavaliers had victory within their grasp...

Jamal Crawford, who was unstoppable once he went crazy on the court, stepped up and stole the spotlight that originally belonged to James and Wade.

In the third quarter, Crawford, who made 9 consecutive shots, not only stunned the Cavaliers players on the court...

But he also successfully helped the Hawks reverse the situation.

And in the final quarter...

The impact of James' excessive weight gain also caused him to gradually fall behind in the prolonged battle with Wade.

There was no way around it.

As everyone knows, if you single-mindedly pursue development in terms of thickness and strength, you naturally won't be able to last long.

So men, sometimes being smaller isn't necessarily a bad thing.

In the final quarter, Wade did not disappoint the stage that Crawford had set up for him.

In the end, in the Quicken Loans Arena, Wade led the Hawks to defeat the Cavaliers 101-95, successfully advancing to the next round with a 4-3 series victory.

On the court, at the moment when the fourth-quarter timer reached zero...

James, who felt at the beginning of the season that he was ready to challenge for the championship, could not calm down for a long time.

And afterwards, even though Stephen Curry, who had previously been eliminated by the Mavericks with Uncle Nash and returned home, kept comforting James...

In the short term, James also needed to seriously consider...

Whether his decision to gain weight was right or wrong.

"So, who was it that said I didn't understand basketball before?" That night, watching Kobe, who had effectively cursed James, Su Feng laughed.

Kobe: "......"

The story between James and Wade, and how James could emerge from his self-imposed isolation, will be put aside for now.

On May 3rd, after enjoying nearly a whole week of happiness, the Lakers welcomed the Trail Blazers to the Staples Center.

Before the game, when previewing this series, all eighteen experts from North America unanimously favored the Lakers to advance to the next round.

However, Su Feng, who knew Carter, Pierce, Garnett, Paul, and others inside and out, believed...

That in this series, the Lakers had to be prepared to play six games, or even a Game 7, against the Trail Blazers.

Because as a Buff monster who specializes in helping opponents tighten their screws...

Su Feng knew very well...

That this Trail Blazers team could drop the ball against anyone.

Except when playing the Lakers...

They would temporarily put aside their grievances and focus all their attention on how to score.

Of course, no matter how many games it took for the Lakers to get past the Trail Blazers in this series...

Compared to last year, with Kobe's return from injury, the Lakers, with their deeper roster, were not afraid of the challenges ahead.

After all, in the history of the NBA, if losing a Game 7 meant the end...

Then who knows how many teams would have missed out on the championship?

In short.

There is also a difference between Game 7s.

For example, Wade, who had just fought a decisive battle with James...

Just looking at Wade's sore thighs the next day...

How could he recover in a short period and stage a comeback in the first two games against the Celtics?

But the Lakers were different.

Su Feng knew very well that even if it took the Lakers seven games to get rid of the Trail Blazers...

In the upcoming Western Conference Finals, their condition could quickly recover to full health.

And on the evening of the 3rd, at the Staples Center, on the court, as the two teams finished warming up...

The big screen in the arena then showed the starting lineups of the two teams.

Trail Blazers: Garnett, Battier, Pierce, Carter, Paul.

Lakers: Gasol Jr., Marion, Su Feng, Kobe, Dragić.

Due to his fear of this Lakers' offensive power, before the game, Paul, who felt that Adelman was indecisive, stole the tactical board that originally belonged to Adelman with the support of his brothers.

"Why can't we use Shane (Battier) at the power forward position when we play the Lakers?" Paul questioned Adelman at the Trail Blazers' pre-game preparation meeting.

And hearing this...

Although Adelman had a lot he wanted to say...

Paul successfully convinced the team's elder brothers.

Because based on Garnett's weight and playing style, he could fully assume the center position for this Trail Blazers team.

And with him at the center position...

Battier, who possessed accurate shooting and excellent help defense, could not only exert his greatest effect on this Trail Blazers team, but the Trail Blazers would also gain far more offensive space on the court than before.

See...

That's why Su Feng believed that this Trail Blazers team had the ability to go to Game 7 with the Lakers.

Because...

God knows how much these guys on the Trail Blazers...

Wanted to beat him once in the playoffs!

…

ps: A classic short chapter is here! I will make up for today's guaranteed chapter when I save manuscripts tomorrow! Qiao is going to adjust his schedule, mwah!