Chapter 1250: Chapter 396: Transfers, Hype, Customization? Marching, Fighting, Conquering!
Just as Lenny Wilkens thought, Kevin Garnett could not inspire the team for a third time in the same way.
When the Knicks once again fell into a crisis of self-doubt, it seemed they were truly driven to a dead end.
This time, KG couldn’t even smash a chair; even if he smashed the whole of New York, it wouldn’t give everyone a boost anymore.
Even the best chicken soup becomes greasy when consumed too often.
KG himself knew that his chicken soup was no longer nutritious, so after losing Game 5, he said nothing at all.
The young players of the Knicks could now only rely on themselves.
Meanwhile, another young person driven to the end of his rope was LeBron James.
The latest news claimed that the Cleveland Cavaliers were no longer close to acquiring Andrei Kirilenko, which was a bolt from the blue for the Little Emperor, and all of Rich Paul’s predictions were coming true.
He had told LeBron James that Cleveland couldn’t attract star players and that the Cavaliers’ reinforcement plans were impossible to succeed.
LeBron did not believe it, because the new owner, Daniel Gilbert, seemed like a smart person and was also willing to take action. In just one year, he had already invested tens of millions of US Dollars extra into the team.
Even though LeBron James only wanted to renew with a 1+1 contract, Daniel Gilbert chose to agree a few days ago.
Regarding AK47, his rumored association with the Cavaliers was deliberately spread by both parties’ teams since mid-season, and it seemed certain that the Emperor holding the AK was a done deal.
But as the offseason truly arrived and other teams began to engage with the versatile Russian forward, everything changed.
Andrei Kirilenko was rumored with almost every team that had cap space, completely treating Cleveland as the last choice.
No wonder his wife allowed him to cheat once a year, because he truly did not refuse anybody.
Even worse, the team currently closest to AK47 was the Denver Nuggets — Carmelo Anthony had led the team into the playoffs for two consecutive years, and the media was already voicing "perhaps Carmelo is more worth anticipating than LeBron." If the Nuggets acquired Andrei Kirilenko, if Carmelo Anthony achieved better records next season, such voices would no longer be suppressible.
Carmelo Anthony and the Little Emperor’s competition began in high school, as they were the hottest two talented high school players then, the first to have high school games broadcast nationwide on television since Roger. However, upon entering the NBA, their situations differed significantly, with Nike pinning their hopes for revival on the more promising Little Emperor, never investing too many resources in promoting Carmelo Anthony.
After all, Carmelo Anthony’s background wasn’t clean, and he wasn’t perfect in front of the media, making him unsuitable to be crafted as a national idol.
But now, the Little Emperor, who captured all the resources, faced the embarrassing situation of possibly falling behind in the same-door competition.
If a Chosen One couldn’t even surpass his same-class Carmelo Anthony, it would become the greatest joke in NBA history.
Therefore, Andrei Kirilenko’s destination pulled at the Little Emperor’s heartstrings.
The current outcome also left him deeply struck.
Do I really have no attraction at all? If Andrei Kirilenko chose to flirt with a big city team, LBJ’s heart would feel a little better.
But the Russian preferred to go to cold high-altitude Denver rather than come to Cleveland, which hurt the Little Emperor, feeling like seeing his girlfriend cheat with a short and shabby Indian man, thoroughly humiliated.
If Andrei Kirilenko does not appear in the Cavaliers’ lineup next season, LeBron James would be very lost.
The night of Game 6 of the Finals began, with LBJ gathering with several core circle members to watch the game.
Before the game started, Rich Paul once again spoke about the AK47 recruitment: "I told you long ago, Daniel only wants to make money from you and never thought about making Cleveland great. If they put all their effort into recruiting, the Russian would never choose Denver."
"The matter isn’t settled yet, buddy."
"It’s come to this point, and you’re still planning to deceive yourself? Admit it; transfer, hype, customization, repeat these steps, and we can establish our kingdom in this era. Loyalty and one person, one city belong to the last era, you see, Karl Malone only understood this at 41 years old, going to Los Angeles, but unfortunately, it was too late."
LeBron James did not answer, merely staring at the TV.
Maybe even he himself didn’t notice that he always habitually used avoidance to solve problems, always.
Game 6, Madison Square Garden, New York fans like prisoners sent to the gallows.
They struggled internally, on one hand, the Knicks still had a chance to win.
But on the other side, the probability of them being killed tonight was also high.
Yao Ming, KG, and Wade were silent on the court, lacking the excitement of Finals Game 1.
All defensive strategies had failed on Roger, whether he could finish the game depended solely on his personal condition.
Personal condition, this was today’s biggest suspense.
After the last game ended, Roger showed an unprecedented fatigue over his 12-years professional career.
His ribs were already broken, and his fingers had been suffering since the last round.
No one knew how long he could hold on; maybe at some unpredictable moment, Roger would completely collapse.