The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!

It was because he could quickly circumvent the defenses, allowing the Heat's double-teaming on LeBron beyond the three-point line to be particularly successful!

And when LeBron couldn't break through easily, Howard, used to him "feeding the ball," was immediately in trouble. Coupled with the obstructions of Kevin Love and Chris Bosh under the Heat's basket.

Kevin Garnett was crushed into pieces by his template "Little Garnett."

Howard also couldn't push through the unchanged-weight Kevin Love.

Originally not passing, now unable to secure a position under the basket.

By the end of the game, Howard scored 19 points and 9 rebounds, far below his season average.

LeBron was the same, double-teamed throughout the game, he only managed 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists, with a shooting percentage of just 30%!

In contrast, on the Heat's side:

Wade scored 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists; Chris Bosh 25 points, 12 rebounds; Kevin Love 19 points, 10 rebounds!

Not only were the stats outstanding, but the efficiency was also extremely high.

Wade's shooting percentage was 50% in this game, while Bosh and Love's shooting percentages were even as high as 60%!

You can see from this how easily the three of them played tonight...

The Heat won by a total of 18 points!

With 3 minutes left in the game, the Timberwolves announced they were giving up on this game.

LeBron sat down on the bench.

The live camera started making a scene, repeatedly showing close-ups of LeBron biting his nails on the bench, and every time his image appeared on the big screen, it was followed by a huge wave of boos from the audience.

This continued until the end of the game.

The Miami fans bid farewell to LeBron with all sorts of trash talk, just like when he first arrived:

"Where are the eight championships you promised, LeBron? Is that an ice sculpture in Minnesota?"

"Having you was Miami's disgrace, LeBron!"

"LeBron, now you have another father, which is Miami!"

...

And all LeBron could do was flee amidst the boos.

After the game, he didn't accept any interviews, which will earn him a fine from the league. But more than the fine, he didn't want to face the media at this time.

In the following days, the Miami media were relentless in criticizing LeBron. Just as these headlines were fading, LeBron and the Timberwolves faced another "highlight battle."

On January 6th, LeBron will return to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers' record isn't too great; with the talents of Irving and "Thick Eyebrow Brother," they still need time to develop.

They're currently ranked 9th in the Eastern Conference, with a significant gap from the Timberwolves, who are ranked 4th in the Western Conference.

But two days before this match, Howard sprained his shoulder in a game against the Thunder Team, preventing him from participating in tonight's game.

In other words, tonight the Timberwolves will be led by LeBron alone.

Oh, and the "Old Wolf King" Kevin Garnett...

He will join LeBron in facing the Cavaliers' "future core" Kyrie Irving and "Thick Eyebrow Brother!"

The Timberwolves' record was originally much better, and besides criticizing LeBron for his actions in the summer of 2010, Cleveland media had little else to report. But with Howard injured, missing this game, they got excited, clamoring that this game would definitely see LeBron leaving Cleveland with his head bowed.

Howard, seeing these reports, apologized to LeBron: "Buddy, I really wish I could face all this with you!"

Previously, on Howard's first night back with the Magic Team, LeBron had been proactively passing to him, which moved Howard a lot and stayed in his heart. He was all prepared to fiercely grab rebounds for LeBron in this game, to take care of his "second-in-command," but ended up getting injured...

LeBron, however, confidently said: "Don't worry, buddy, even without you, we can still take down the Cavaliers!"

He was confident...

But when the game started, the Timberwolves quickly found themselves at a disadvantage.

The Cavaliers' defense strategy against LeBron was the same as the Heat's before, employing various early double teams, not allowing him good control of the ball.

Not having Howard inside tonight, relying solely on Kevin Garnett, was utterly "a lone tree can't support a forest."

The Cavaliers opened the game from the inside, eventually winning 95-86, with a 9-point advantage over the Timberwolves.

Watching LeBron, expressionless, leave early, the Clevelanders in the audience couldn't have felt more vindicated!

The two "top picks" also had impressive stats:

Kyrie Irving scored 25 points and 6 assists;

The "New No.1 Pick" Anthony Davis scored 23 points and 9 rebounds, having quite a show;

Seeing their brilliant performances, the Clevelanders were smiling from ear to ear.

Of course, the most important thing is:

The Cavaliers defeated the Timberwolves!

They defeated LeBron!

Since 2010, it's been three years, and Cleveland has not only not won a championship, but hadn't even made it to the playoffs. But the good thing was that LeBron hadn't won a championship either, and going to the Heat Team brought him "disgrace," look at who Pat Riley traded him for when he left Miami:

Kevin Love!

An "regular season superstar" who debuted in 2008 but had never made the playoffs!

From this, you can see that his market value was already declining.

No wonder, joining the league at 18 in 2003, he's now 28. If he doesn't achieve success within the next two years, reaching 30 will be a very sensitive phase.