NBA: LeBron James wants to team up with me

Guys there is already content on patreon, if anyone wants to become a jonnin, hogake or God Shinobi.

patreon.com/Chuga320 (Have than 50 additional chapters)

—————————————————————————————————————————————

In the second game against the Hawks, only a few minutes after Curry started, he accidentally twisted his ankle during a disguised drive and had to leave the game. Although the MRI after the game showed no serious issues, he did sustain an injury during the game. Leaving the court also had a significant impact on the team's game condition.

Especially Wang Chong, who was still playing at that moment. He didn't know that Curry's sprain wasn't severe. He thought Curry had been injured after only a few games into the regular season.

Due to Curry, who had played 26 games with the Warriors originally, being injured during the season, even Wang Chong was mentally unprepared for this.

Unexpected events caused Wang Chong to become a little distracted on the court, and other players were also concerned, leading to the Bulls' loss to the Hawks.

After the game, it was revealed that Curry was fine, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

In the past two seasons, Curry had become Wang Chong's most capable right-hand man and the Bulls' second-leading scorer. The three-point deterrent formed by Wang Chong and Curry together made it much simpler and easier for other Bulls players to score on the court.

Everyone knew that if the Bulls lost Curry, it would be a huge blow to a team already aging with Garnett and Billups. It was a stroke of luck that Curry wasn't seriously injured.

However, Wang Chong didn't believe that to be the case in his heart, because he knew full well that as long as there was no surgery, Curry's ankle issue would not be resolved, and the injury was just a matter of time.

Moreover, this unexpected incident made Wang Chong realize that the current time and space were a timeline completely interrupted by his intervention. It wouldn't be surprising if there were changes, such as Curry and Billups getting injured earlier than they did in the original timeline.

Among other things, the two of the Bulls would have to reach the finals each season and play many more games than they originally did.

Normally, the Golden State Warriors with Curry would have vacationed after the regular season. Players would finish their season in mid-April and head out to fish early.

However, during the two seasons Curry was with the Bulls, he traveled with the team until June.

This meant they had almost two months less of rest time compared to regular players. Additionally, the intensity of the confrontations and physical effort in the playoffs were much higher than in the regular season. The accumulation of fatigue and injuries often led players to sustain injuries prematurely. This wasn't surprising.

Along with this shortened season, the league's schedule was highly compacted. The original 82 games were compressed to 66 to ensure every team could play against each other, making the schedule tight and unreasonable.

In the first 9 games of the Bulls, there were 7 away games and 3 home games, with 4 consecutive away games and 3 consecutive away games. Traveling back and forth across the United States doubled the players' fatigue and made it even harder.

That said, Wang Chong still didn't expect the injury wave to hit so soon.

After losing the first game of the new season, the Bulls immediately regained momentum and defeated the Timberwolves, Wizards, and Cavaliers in subsequent games, winning three consecutive victories with an 11-1 record, continuing to lead the league.

But on January 13, during the Bulls' away game against the Boston Celtics, what was bound to happen occurred.

Billups jumped to try to block an advance from Rondo with the ball. The referee blew the whistle for a defensive foul. After both players collided and fell to the ground at the same time, Rondo quickly got up, but Billups appeared to be in pain. He fell to the floor holding his ankle and was helped off the court by the team doctor. He would not return to the game.

This game also marked the Bulls' second loss of the regular season.

The Celtics were indeed very strong at this time. The veteran Pierce was still averaging more than 18 points per game, and Kevin Durant was averaging 29.2 points per game, nearly leading the league in scoring.

Moreover, the Celtics also boasted outstanding young talents like Rondo, Millsap, and Al Jefferson. Their starting lineup was almost flawless, and the team had a high level of understanding and cohesion.

In Wang Chong's opinion, the Celtics could not be underestimated and were more than capable of competing with the Heat in the Eastern Conference.

The Heat, who had suffered a miserable loss to the Bulls in the playoffs last season, had undergone a transformation in the new season.

Just like their surprising defeat to the Mavericks in the Finals, the Heat learned from their pain and reorganized the team's structure. The original double-core strategy with Wade and James became a James-centered approach, with Wade relegated to the second line and calmly assisting James.

Making concessions within one's own team is something only a good player like Wade can do.

But undeniably, this approach was the right one.

James, who regained the tactical central position as the main force, became like a tiger released from its cage. He immediately led the Heat to play a sharp offensive game, averaging 28 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game, leading the Heat to a 10-3 record, only behind the Bulls in the Eastern Conference.

As for the Bulls, after losing to the Celtics at home, their balance dropped to 11-2.

The result of one game didn't matter, but the aftermath of Billups' injury cast a shadow over Chicago.

An MRI showed that Billups had torn the Achilles tendon in his left foot. The injury was serious, and it was almost certain that he would be out for the remainder of the season.

Soon after the start of the regular season, the Bulls lost another general.

Although Billups' role had diminished in recent years, often the responsibility of ball handling and offense would fall to Curry. Billups more frequently acted as a spot-up shooter and an external defensive leader, a kind of 3-and-D shadow of a player, but after all, he was the hero who had won four consecutive championships with the Bulls. Once one of the Big Three in Chicago, Billups' season-ending injury had a larger impact on the team's morale than his own strength.

"Billups tore his Achilles tendon and ended the season, overshadowing the Bulls' title defense."

"Without a general, what impact does Billups' season-ending injury have on the Bulls' strength?"

"Unfortunately, the legendary star's career may be coming to an end. The 35-year-old veteran has suffered such a severe injury, and experts say Billups is already considering retirement."

Although the Bulls immediately promoted Danny Green to the starting shooting guard position after Billups was sidelined for the season, Green did an excellent job and his impact on the court was not inferior to Billups' this season, particularly in perimeter defense. With Green's height of 1.98 meters, his defensive impact was even better than Billups', who stood at 1.91 meters.

However, the external media could not help but downplay the Bulls' championship prospects.

Having learned from past mistakes, Wang Chong was mentally prepared this time. Billups' season-ending injury did not derail his plans. The Bulls, with Danny Green filling in at the starting position, did not lose much of their effectiveness.

On January 14, the Bulls defeated the Toronto Raptors 98-77 at home, and on January 16, they beat the Memphis Grizzlies 102-87 on the road, followed by victories over the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Bobcats, Brooklyn Nets, and other lower-ranked teams.

This allowed the Bulls to win another six consecutive games, raising their record to 17-2. They not only continued to lead the league but also created a significant gap in victories with the Miami Heat.

Everything seemed to be going in the right direction, but what came next was still to come.

On January 25, 2012, exactly one month after the start of the regular season and the Bulls' twentieth game against the Indiana Pacers, the Bulls suffered their third loss of the season.

It was truly insane to say that the Bulls had lost only three games, and yet had a player injured in each game.

In this third loss, Curry was injured again, and it was his ankle once more.

This time, Curry's injury was obviously much more serious than the previous one. According to the post-game examination, Curry would need to rest for at least five to six weeks, meaning he would be out for nearly a month and a half. With conservative treatment, the symptoms would be treated but the root cause left unresolved, leaving the possibility of re-injury after recovery.

After some struggles, Curry finally made a decision and chose to undergo surgery for his ankle injury to completely solve the problem once and for all.

However, the surgery also meant a longer recovery period. Curry would not be able to return to the game in the 2011-2012 season, meaning he would be reimbursed for the season.

After Billups was reimbursed for the season, the Bulls lost another general. And unlike Billups, whose tactical status in the team had become smaller, Curry was the Bulls' second-leading scorer.

Without Curry, the Bulls' offensive power would immediately drop a level. How could they compete with the Big Three teams like the Lakers and the Heat?

From the Bulls' perspective, they definitely didn't want Curry to undergo surgery. After all, this was related to the team's quest for a fifth consecutive championship.

However, Wang Chong sided with Curry, meaning that even the team's pressure was in vain. Wang Chong's transcendent status with the Bulls meant that when he spoke, others had to listen, regardless of the team. The general manager had no choice but to accept that the team's second-best player had to undergo surgery, leaving the team with no one to back up.

In fact, Wang Chong didn't want this outcome, but there was nothing he could do about it. If Curry wanted to undergo a transformation, the surgery was inevitable. No one could guarantee that Curry wouldn't suffer a more severe injury if he chose conservative treatment. As for the team's future development prospects, Wang Chong could only choose this path.

As mentioned earlier, Wang Chong had suggested that Curry undergo surgery earlier to solve the ankle problem, but at that time, Curry's injury wasn't as severe, and it was completely understandable that Curry couldn't make a decision. No matter when Curry underwent surgery, it was clear he wouldn't be playing in any season, and the Bulls might not win their fourth consecutive championship.

In just 20 games, the Bulls lost both Billups and Curry. The impact was so great that people couldn't help but lament how difficult it was to win consecutive championships. Injury is the factor that can sideline even the strongest players in the league.

Even the Warriors, who were almost considered the strongest lineup in league history, couldn't avoid this. In the 2018-2019 season, the Warriors suffered one injury after another, especially the injuries to key players Durant and Thompson, which led to them losing to the Raptors in the Finals and missing the chance to create a three-championship dynasty.

However, the Bulls had no chance of continuing their title defense, which made almost every team in the league breathe a sigh of relief.

It was impossible to avoid. The Bulls had won four consecutive championships. If they continued to defend their title, it would have been five consecutive championships. Since the merger of the NBA, no team had ever won championships for such an extended period.

In recent years, in order to fight against the Bulls, many super teams had emerged in the league. The Big Three of the Heat, the Big Three of the Knicks, and the Big Three of the Lakers this season were all created to defeat the Bulls and end their championship monopoly.

Unexpectedly, the Bulls fell short this season. They lost two generals right from the start and essentially withdrew from the championship race.

It was undeniable that Wang Chong was incredibly strong and his individual power was undoubtedly the best in the league, but it was hard to overcome four fists with only two. After all, all his main opponents were equipped with their own Big Three.

As for the Bulls' current lineup, aside from Wang Chong, they only had the twin towers of Kevin Garnett and Marc Gasol in the paint.

Of these two players, Garnett was already 35 years old, as old as Billups. Even if he were lucky enough to avoid injury, he might shrink under the following intense schedule. With the compressed calendar, it might be difficult for him to get through the playoffs.

As for Gasol, as a supporting interior player and defensive champion, he was quite good, but it was still a little difficult for him to take on the primary offensive task. No one expected Gasol to be able to do this. Even in Gasol's best season last year, he averaged just around 14+9 per game.

Overall, the external judgment was that without Curry and Billups, thanks to Wang Chong's support, Garnett and Gasol, the Bulls wouldn't be ruined, but in the playoffs, their best case would be second place. The only way to beat the Heat was by defeating them in the first round or in the Eastern Conference Finals.

As a result, the most likely final matchup was between the Big Three of the Miami Heat and the Big Three of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The matchup between these super teams also had a certain appeal. After all, seeing the Bulls compete for the championship year after year in recent seasons, to be honest, the neutral fans were getting a little tired.

"Unfortunately, the Chicago Bulls have fallen out of the championship race. There is a high probability that the championship in the new season will be decided between the Heat and the Lakers. Which of these two Big Three teams, appearing in the last two years, will be better?"

The league had begun generating momentum for the Big Three matchup, with all kinds of overwhelming publicity, and it seemed as if nothing was going on with the Bulls.

However, even though Wang Chong knew the chances were quite slim, he had no intention of giving up.

"I've just lost two key players. Do you really think I'm going to be defeated?"

End of this chapter

Note: Hi if you really like NBA novels, you can support me either in this pg with stones, reviews etc, or in patreon since the niche of sports and specially NBA is very small is Webnovel since people prefer to read Naruto, Pokemon, comics etc.