NBA: LeBron James wants to team up with me

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Wang Chong, who traveled from the future, was mentally prepared for the bold moves of the alliance.

In other words, the current league is slightly better under Stern's control. When a pure businessman takes over the presidency of the NBA in the future, the league will become even darker than it is now.

However, Wang Chong still has absolute confidence that he will continue to win regular-season MVPs in the future, tying Jordan with five MVPs and even surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with six MVPs.

At least next season, with Curry coming back in full form and Butler growing on the bench, the Bulls will immediately return to the top. By then, the team's record will hit a new peak, surpassing 70 wins, along with Wang Chong's strong personal performance. The league won't even want to hand out the MVP.

After all, no matter how dark the league gets, they can't completely ignore the opinions of the media and the fans. They must consider exaggerated selections, or else once the credibility of the league is lost, the entire NBA will be doomed.

May 28, 2012, Opening Game of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The United Center in Chicago was packed.

The Bulls and Heat faced off in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive year. However, compared to the strong Bulls of the previous year, this season's injury situation had dampened the spirits of the local Bulls fans.

Bulls Starting Lineup: Isaiah Thomas, Danny Green, Wang Chong, Garnett, Gasol.

Heat Starting Lineup: Mario Chalmers, Wade, James, Shane Battier, Chris Bosh.

The game began!

Local fans, who initially thought the Bulls would face a very tough match, were surprised to find that the situation wasn't as bad as they had imagined once the game started.

From the beginning, Wang Chong of the Bulls was in full swing, constantly using his superb scoring ability to rack up points, making it hard for the Heat to stop him.

In the first quarter, Wang Chong scored 16 points and grabbed 4 rebounds, leading the Bulls to a 34–28 advantage, 6 points ahead.

In the second quarter, the Heat launched a slight counterattack to close the gap, but the Bulls responded with an 8–2 run before halftime, extending their lead once again.

The competition was far more exciting and intense than anyone had imagined.

The Heat had a well-organized lineup, with a clear advantage, especially on the perimeter. Wade successfully neutralized Thomas, and Battier defended Wang Chong throughout the process. Although the effect was moderate, James also performed very well on the other side. Even though his scoring efficiency wasn't as high as Wang Chong's, he wasn't far behind.

But something went wrong within the Heat, and they were directly overwhelmed by the Bulls' twin towers, Garnett and Gasol.

Let's talk about Gasol first. His main opponent in this game was Bosh.

During the Heat's two consecutive championships, Bosh's tactical role in the team was even higher than Wade's, as he took on responsibilities for both offense and defense. During his time with the team, he essentially played a role similar to Garnett during his time with the Celtics. Although Bosh didn't have Garnett's defensive prowess, his defense and defensive rotations greatly improved the Heat's overall defensive capabilities during those championships.

However, Bosh's strong defense was reflected primarily in his excellent mobility and footwork to prevent pick-and-rolls and help defense. His thin body and physicality made him weak when facing teams with strong interior lines.

In the 2012–13 season, the Heat faced the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Bosh faced Roy Hibbert, known as Black Big Yao, and was decisively beaten.

After 7 games, Hibbert averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds per game, becoming the Pacers' leading scorer. Meanwhile, Bosh was defeated, averaging only 11 points and 4 rebounds per game.

At that time, everyone thought Hibbert was too strong and would become one of the best centers in the league.

But it turned out that the Eastern Conference Finals against the Heat became Hibbert's most representative performance of his career. In the following seasons, Hibbert's game deteriorated rapidly, and within a few years, he was reduced to a player who couldn't even get the ball.

At that time, people realized it wasn't Hibbert who was great, but that the Heat's interior line was simply too weak.

Now the question is, who's better: Gasol or Roy Hibbert next year?

Although Gasol's current strength hadn't reached its peak, he was definitely stronger than Hibbert.

So, in the matchup between the Bulls and Heat, Wang Chong let Gasol take the lead as soon as the game began. He frequently attacked the paint, which Bosh couldn't resist.

By halftime, Gasol had scored 17 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and blocked 2 shots, completely dominating the interior. This was also the main reason why the Bulls still held the lead in the game despite being at a disadvantage on the perimeter.

Not only Gasol but Garnett also had an excellent performance in this game.

Originally, in the 2011–12 season, when the Celtics faced the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, Garnett was one of the Celtics' main players against the Heat. He averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds in 7 games but was unlucky. Bosh averaged only 11.7 points and 7 rebounds per game against Garnett.

However, unlike Hibbert's defeat in the 2012–13 season, Bosh only played 3 games in the Eastern Conference Finals due to previous injuries. He had just returned from injury and was almost back to normal.

In the current Heat team, Bosh didn't get injured during the playoffs and has stayed healthy, but the player facing Garnett had changed from him to James.

In terms of size and strength, James was definitely worthy of Garnett, but the height difference between them was considerable. Garnett's characteristic fadeaway move couldn't be defended by James, meaning Garnett's ability to attack tough situations was poor. He was only good at quick, cold shots and couldn't achieve the attacking effect of other top power forwards, like Duncan's 45-degree rebound jumper or Nowitzki's isolated shot. Otherwise, Garnett and Gasol could handle it entirely.

In the second half of the game, the Heat still had no answer for the Bulls' twin towers inside. Although Wade and James made many steals on the perimeter, they connected with each other for fast breaks, which were extremely sharp. However, whenever the score tightened between the two teams, Wang Chong always stepped forward and used a simple mid-range shot to extend the gap again.

In the end, the Bulls defended their home court successfully, winning the opening game of the Eastern Conference Finals 107–101, taking a 1–0 lead.

In this game, the Bulls' twin towers were the absolute protagonists. Gasol scored 24 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots, while Garnett scored 18 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and had 4 assists, dominating the Heat's interior.

Bosh was crushed by the two men, switching roles defensively and offensively, and only managed 9 points and 6 rebounds on 3-of-8 shooting.

Wade and James performed quite well. James scored 30 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and had 11 assists, while Wade had 27 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals.

The Bulls' defensive line flaws were exposed in this game.

Thomas was still too young, and even though he faced Wade, even Miami's starting point guard, Chalmers, caused him many problems. After all, the regular season and the playoffs are two different levels of competition, and there's a big gap between them. Thomas' strength in his rookie season and the future of the 175-pound strongest player on the planet was still insufficient.

The Heat was obviously aware of this issue, so in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, they frequently targeted the backcourt, especially the point guard. They pressured the full court and double-teamed, causing Thomas to completely lose his presence on the court. He made 7 turnovers in a single game.

The Heat also took advantage of the frequent mistakes by the Bulls in the defensive zone, launching fast break counterattacks. At this point, Gasol's flaws were also exposed.

Gasol Jr., positioned as a heavy interior center, was still too slow. Unlike his older brother Gasol, his footwork was slower, and his recovery speed wasn't timely enough.

The Bulls already had a defensive hole in Thomas in the backcourt. When the Heat's speed ramped up and they executed multiple fast breaks to attack the basket, Gasol was limited by his movement speed and couldn't return to defense quickly, putting all the pressure on Garnett and Wang Chong.

Garnett was aging, and his competitive status and physical strength had significantly declined. Wang Chong had put so much energy into maintaining the team's offense that the energy he could expend on defense was limited.

Problems arose on the defensive side, which led to the Bulls losing their second home game, tying the series 1–1.

Since Wang Chong joined the Bulls and began their consecutive championship journey, the Bulls rarely lost home games in the playoffs. This had turned the United Center into a well-known "Devil's Arena" in recent years, different from the geographical advantage of the Los Angeles Lakers' Staples Center.

Basically, few teams have been able to win a playoff game on the Bulls' court in recent years.

The Heat succeeded, but once again, they won without a real victory.

The Bulls have injured three of their key players this season, and there's almost no one available at the point guard position. In this situation, the Heat must target the Bulls' point guard position in order to win the game, even if they win the game. The ball movement process was also quite ugly.

On June 1st, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Heat returned to their home court and continued using the strategies from the previous game. They successfully won Game 3 and took the lead with a 2-1 advantage. This was also the case. This was the first time in recent years that the Bulls were trailing in a playoff series.

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But Wang Chong stood up in Game 4. He hit 20 of 28 shots, 5 of 8 three-pointers, 9 of 10 free throws, scoring 54 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and making 7 assists, leading the Bulls to victory in Game 4. The series was tied 2-2.

This game made Heat fans realize that the game was far from over. No matter how many injured players the Bulls had, as long as Wang Chong stayed healthy, they should not take them lightly.

On June 7th, in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Battle of Tianwang Mountain, there was no retreat for either side. Losing this game would put them behind 2-3, facing a potential elimination point from the opponent.

The Heat's Big Three, especially James, were under immense pressure.

James, who joined the Miami Heat amidst all sorts of infamy and teamed up with Wade and Bosh, had been ridiculed and belittled for his performance in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. If he lost again this time, it could very well be his last chance to win a championship!

The enormous sense of crisis pushed James to explode with tremendous offensive power. He hit 19 of 26 shots, scoring 45 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, and making 5 assists!

However, even so, James still couldn't lead the Heat to win the Battle of Tianwang Mountain, because there was someone on the opposing side with even more offensive firepower than him: Wang Chong.

In this game, Wang Chong and James battled each other throughout, hitting 18 of 30 shots. Although Wang Chong's shooting percentage was lower than James', it was because the Heat made numerous defensive moves to limit Wang Chong's scoring. Wang Chong had many opportunities at the free-throw line in this game, hitting 15 of 17 free throws, scoring 62 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, and making 4 assists.

The superstars from both teams competed against each other. Wang Chong's 62 points surpassed James' 45 points. The Bulls also defeated the Heat and won the Battle of Tianwang Mountain, taking the lead in the series with a crucial victory, leading 3-2.

This result was unexpected for everyone.

When the Heat first took a 2-1 lead, many truly thought the Bulls' season was over. Unexpectedly, the Bulls won two games in a row, completely turning the situation around!

Wang Chong scored 54 points in one game and 62 points in the next. With his incredible individual skills, he led the Bulls to change their destiny!

"He truly deserves to be the strongest scorer in the post-Jordan era. The Bulls won the championship so smoothly that no one realized how strong Wang Chong was. This time, many players on the Bulls were injured, but they still eliminated the best player!"

"At the end of the road, will the Heat's Big Three fall to Wang Chong for two consecutive years? Then, what was the point of forming the Big Three?"

In this desperate situation, James was now truly anxious.

He could not lose again, really, he could not afford to lose again!

But at that moment, the Heat's momentum was completely overwhelmed by the Bulls. Two days later, in Game 6 of the series, the Bulls dominated the Heat on their home court, leading by 12 points in the first quarter.

The fans in the Heat's home court were starting to feel desperate. Was the Bulls' injury situation so severe that they couldn't even win? Who else in the league could defeat them?

But no one realized that James, who had lost his focus, had now set his sights on Garnett.

In this series, James had been primarily responsible for guarding Garnett, while the task of defending Wang Chong had been handed over to Shane Battier. Anyway, in recent years, James' defense against Wang Chong had not been very effective. Instead of wasting energy there, it was better to focus all his efforts on the offensive end.

Garnett was no longer the Bulls' main offensive threat, so defending him didn't require much effort.

But just because he wasn't the main point of attack didn't mean he wouldn't attack at all.

When the opportunity arose, Garnett would still go for the ball.

During the Bulls' offensive possession, Garnett caught the ball inside and made his signature jump shot.

Garnett's fadeaway jump shot was smooth and elegant, no worse than those of Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and other fadeaway masters.

After a picturesque move, the ball landed precisely in the basket, and Garnett smiled in satisfaction. But as he landed, he had an extra step to rest.

Without any defense, Garnett stepped directly onto his foot, and the next moment, he fell to the floor in pain.

"My God! It looks like Garnett has sprained his ankle! Are you telling me the Bulls now have a fourth key player injured and unable to play?"

On the bench, Coach Thibodeau suddenly stood up, his face dark.

Everyone knew the consequences if another key player got injured at such a critical moment!

Wang Chong, who was on the court, squinted and looked at James, who was extending his hands with an innocent expression on his face, his eyes gleaming coldly.

End of this chapter

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