NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 861 "A Single Tree Cannot Support the Whole" (Chapter without a main character)

On Sunday, May 26, 2013, the Heat, facing a do-or-die game, were once again in trouble.

Before the match, no one had high hopes for the young players. As the match progressed, the sharp criticism on social media began to decrease, and those following the game realized one thing:

"The 'Big Three' are just like the Lakers' duo back then, except they weren't good enough."

There are no excuses. Tonight, Wade was just as bad as he has been in the past two games. James suddenly missed shots in the second quarter, and the chosen one failed to show his MVP style.

By the end of the third quarter, Bosh had scored 8 points on 4-of-11 shooting, leaving commentators speechless. In his third year with the team, the once-popular "Dragon King" seemed to be declining year by year.

"Lee! Lee! Lee!."

During the break, shouts erupted again in the arena as excited New York fans hoped Li You would make his appearance earlier, and many spectators in the screaming seats joined in the cheering.

With the score at 65-80 after three quarters, the Knicks led by only 15 points.

The team's three-point shooting was mediocre tonight, giving the Knicks opportunities, but the Heat performed even worse.

"The opponent won't make a mistake! Listen, everyone get ready to shoot, we have time to turn the game around."

"Keep playing defense, stay patient, and trust your shooting."

Sitting in front of everyone, head coach Spoelstra was sweating profusely. In the most crucial game, James had only made 3 of 12 shots so far. The MVP had completely lost his way, missing all his jump shots.

Nodding repeatedly and with a serious expression, James gave a simple response, acknowledging that it was indeed his problem; the opponent boldly retreated, and he failed to respond during the game.

The fourth quarter will determine whether the Heat will face a "battle for honor" the day after tomorrow. At this crucial moment, Coach Spoelstra made a bold substitution, benching both Wade and Bosh.

When TNT commentator Kevin Harlan noticed the Heat fielding a lineup of Ramon Sessions, Mike Miller, Shane Battier, LeBron James, and Chris Anderson, he commented in surprise:
"A bold tactical change! Clearly, the Heat are hoping to close the gap with three-pointers during this period."

"Most importantly, James has to step up and change his slump."

Taking advantage of the Heat's inbound pass, Reggie Miller began to endorse the new MVP, clearly fed up with James' performance tonight:

"Everyone knows that the Knicks will collapse their defense when facing James's penetration, and the MVP should be prepared in advance."

"15 points. The Heat still have time, provided they can make those jump shots. Otherwise, the Knicks will win easily tonight."

"."

As the two gave their brief comments, James received the ball on the right wing and drove past Ibaka. On the Knicks' side, Vucevic was already positioned near the basket, while Jimmy Butt and Irving also retreated from the top line.

As James was in the air, he noticed Danny Green turning his head. James found Mike Miller in the left corner, who caught the ball and made a jump shot over the defender!

68-80, the three-pointer reignited the atmosphere on the Heat's bench; they desperately needed that kind of jump shot.

With the point difference narrowing, the Knicks didn't rush to attack. After Irving encountered repeated delays on the perimeter, he initiated another pick-and-roll.

James double-teamed Ibaka at the top of the key, and when Ibaka received the bounce pass, he hit a mid-range jumper near the free-throw line.

Irving, who committed three turnovers in the first half due to double teams, showed a significant improvement in his performance in the second half. He clapped repeatedly when the rookie retreated on defense and loudly reminded his teammates to match up in time.

When James once again drove hard to the basket near the top of the key, Jimmy Butler, who was guarding him, reminded his teammates to help defend. Soon, the Chosen One found Ramon Sessions in the right corner of the paint.

Irving merely raised his hand to help defend, but Sessions, who received the ball, decisively took a jump shot and, as if by magic, hit the three-pointer.

71-82, the score difference was narrowed again, and the atmosphere in the arena became a bit noisy, while James, who was retreating on defense, continued to encourage loudly.

The opponent's rapid comeback made Irving a little nervous on the court. When he saw Li You making a tactical gesture to him from the sidelines, he took the ball from the baseline and breathed a sigh of relief.

The double screen at the top of the key allowed Irving, who was holding the ball in his right hand, to quickly get rid of Sessions. However, the Heat decisively switched their defense, and James went straight for the rookie. The two became entangled and ended up on the right wing.

Irving's sudden stop and behind-the-back dribble prompted him to reassess the defense, but unfortunately, his playmaking ability was mediocre, and he was pressured by the opponent and unable to make a decision immediately.

Remembering Li You's instructions, the young man no longer hesitated. He crossed his legs and accelerated, but was blocked by James's sliding step. Irving immediately pulled back with a crossover step.

Just when James thought the rookie would break through again, he controlled the defensive distance and raised his right arm. But Irving stepped back forcefully and then decisively launched a three-pointer!

"Oh!"

Amid gasps of surprise, James's desperate attempt to block the shot nearly resulted in a foul, but the basketball just barely grazed his fingertips, arcing wildly into the net.

Madison Square Garden erupted in cheers as Kyrie Irving pounded his chest after scoring, and even bumped chests with Jimmy Butler on defense. The second-year rookie delivered a strong response in the conference finals.

At 71:85, the Heat's bench fell silent again.

Wade stared intently at the crowd on the court, while Bosh beside him had a blank look in his eyes; they couldn't even compete with the rotation players.
Instead of posting up, James cut laterally to the right elbow area, received the ball, and immediately faced the basket. Facing Butler's collapsed defense, he quickly took a jab step and pulled up for a jump shot.

Once James regained his touch, he quickly retreated on defense and, seeing Irving trying to isolate at the top of the key, immediately signaled to his teammates to double-team him.

Battier left Butler open in the right corner and rotated to defend Danny Green, who received the ball on the right wing. Green immediately passed the ball to Green.

When Butler received the ball and quickly broke through along the baseline, James on the other side of the basket directed Anderson to rush in. The moment Vucevic received the pass and attacked the basket, the chosen one immediately sprang up to block the shot.

Gasps erupted again in the arena as James slammed the ball down over the big man.

Anderson immediately regained possession of the ball and tried to pass it to a teammate, but Butler suddenly reached out, stole the ball, and quickly passed it out. Ibaka caught the ball on the lower left side of the basket and jumped up, at which point James had no time to jump.

With a loud "boom," Ibaka slammed the ball into the basket with both hands, almost straddling James. After landing on the rim, he provocatively pushed James forward.

The already frustrated Chosen One immediately joined in the shoving, while Butler held onto the ball and refused to pass it to his opponent, and players from both sides surrounded him.

"What's up, man?"

Butler, shrugging, shouted loudly to indicate he meant no harm, while Ibaka, pulled away by his teammates, kept shaking his head. Influenced by the heated atmosphere, the young man was particularly excited and joined in the shouting:
"Where's the MVP? He's vanished tonight!"

With the score at 73-87, the gap showed no signs of narrowing. On the sidelines, Coach Spoelstra urged his players to remain calm while also hesitant about whether to make a substitution.

With the Knicks' starting lineup yet to return, this presented an opportunity for the Heat. Ultimately, Spoelstra chose to trust James and persisted with the "best tactics" in crucial moments.

The Heat sped up their offensive pace. A pick-and-roll at the top of the key saw Sessions shake off his defender and drive to the middle for a layup, but he missed. James tipped the ball away with Ibaka on the line and drew a foul on the putback.

"Shh!"

Amid boos, Butler made one of two free throws, and the Heat continued their early double-teaming. This time, Butler missed a three-pointer from the right corner, but Danny Green grabbed the long rebound. When Irving received the ball again at the top of the arc, cheers erupted once more. He set a high screen, pushed the ball aside, changed direction, and weaved through the crowd.

Seeing Irving break through the middle again, James moved his feet in advance and tried to block the young man's layup attempt.

Despite not jumping very high and losing his balance after the contact, Irving still managed to dodge the block by maneuvering in the air, pulling the ball to the side with his right arm and barely managing to throw it toward the backboard.

On the other side of the basket, Ibaka was ready to rush in, but to everyone's surprise, the ball bounced off the backboard a few times and finally swished through the net.

"An incredible shot! Kyrie Irving outmaneuvered the entire Heat defense!"

Kevin Harlan loudly praised the Heat for scoring with a casual toss, while Reggie Miller, showing some sympathy for the Heat, muttered his comments:
"It seems this wasn't a night for LeBron James. In these few minutes, the MVP showcased his abilities on both ends of the court, but unfortunately, the opponent responded accordingly."

"Perhaps the Heat should consider making a change; time is running out."

When James made another pull-up jumper from the right elbow, head coach D'Antoni stood up as well, indicating that the opponent had regained his shooting touch.

With the score at 76-89, after Danny Green missed a three-pointer, Anderson, who had managed to secure the rebound, immediately passed the ball to James.

With no double-team, facing Jimmy Butler, James dribbled across half-court to the right wing, then suddenly stopped and started again, forcefully driving to the basket.

The ball spun around near the restricted area, and James came to the paint for a fadeaway jump shot, but missed.

"Oh!!"

Joyful cheers erupted again in the arena. The Heat failed to capitalize on this opportunity, much to the delight of the New York fans in attendance.

Irving, who passed the ball out early, received a handoff pass from Ibaka at the top of the arc, only to be switched onto by James.

The sudden double-team almost caused the rookie to make a mistake, barely managing to pass the ball back to Butler, who was receiving it at the mid-court line. Butler immediately passed the ball to Ibaka, who was rushing to the basket.

Battier's defense didn't have much effect. He held off Ibaka with his right hand, dribbled the ball, and scored with a layup off the backboard.

With the score at 76-91, the Heat called a timeout with 7 minutes and 56 seconds remaining in the game, and the deficit was still 15 points.

James walked toward the bench with a dark expression, but he couldn't say anything at this moment. After all, he had dug the hole for himself in the previous games, and he could only sulk in his seat.

Seeing that both sides had switched back to their starting lineups, Reggie Miller glanced at the stats and sighed with a hint of helplessness:

"Just like in the regular season, the Heat can only hope that the Knicks go cold from the outside, as they will have a hard time capitalizing on turnovers to complete their signature transition offense."

"When the opponent resolutely tightens their defense, the game becomes like this. Unfortunately, a 15-point difference is very fatal at this stage."

"I can't imagine a scenario where Li would give his opponent a chance."

In the first possession after the timeout, James assisted Battier for a long two-pointer from the left corner after stepping out of bounds.

Amidst the cheers that echoed throughout the arena, Li You, who was double-teamed early on, accurately found Ray Allen on the right wing. With a switch and a diving save, Haslem was completely beaten.

Bosh had no choice but to send his opponent to the free-throw line. Ray Allen started gesturing early, and unsurprisingly, he made both free throws.

Trying to help his partner, Wade moved laterally on the top line to the right wing to receive the ball and then broke through, using all his speed but still couldn't shake off Li You's defense.

He had no choice but to pass the ball near the paint, and James received it at the top of the key. After a screen, he forced his way in from the left wing, stopped abruptly near the paint, and took a step-back jumper that went in.

Although Bosh was left open, the Chosen One no longer trusted his teammates. In the final minutes, the point difference still did not narrow, and the Heat's starting lineup began to frequently engage in one-on-one attacks.

With 2 minutes and 09 seconds left in the game, James made a turnover, and Wade on the other side was intercepted by Li You before he could receive the ball, resulting in a foul.

With the score at 89-102, the roar in the arena grew louder and louder as the New York fans prepared for victory.

It was still a high pick-and-roll at the top of the key. Bosh, who was chasing out, slowed down. He watched as Li You took the ball with his right hand, increased his stride, and forced his way in. He tried to slide his feet, but he was still easily beaten.

Wade and Bosh chased down the defense into the paint, and Haslem also collapsed to close in. Just as the three were about to surround him, Li You, who was faking a layup, flicked his wrist, and the basketball suddenly flew past the defense to the back.

Gasol caught the ball, took a step, and with no one guarding him, slammed it home with both hands!
"It's over! It's hard for the Heat to create a miracle. Perhaps after tonight, the 'Big Three' model will be completely defeated."

"Loyalty never fades! Lee will once again lead the Knicks to the NBA Finals."

"The great achievements continue, and the Knicks' success model deserves our further reflection."

Kevin Harlan started his usual boasting, and Reggie Miller stopped calling it a "miracle," especially after seeing James commit another turnover, at which point he could only comment with disappointment:

"In his MVP season, James has consistently performed exceptionally well. I don't want to be too critical of his performance in the first three quarters tonight, but by superstar standards, he let the team down tonight."

"Perhaps he will choose to leave next season. After the Celtics, the Heat, although young, may also enter a rebuilding period."

"As many have been saying, Lee may not face any strong opponents in the final years of his career."

"From 98 to 2016, this is the era of Li."

"."

With 21.2 seconds left in the game, James finally hit a three-pointer in the fourth quarter, but it was too late. The Heat could only continue to foul, watching as Li You made both free throws.

Despite their efforts in the final moments, the Heat gave up after missing a three-pointer and watched the clock tick away.

92-110, the buzzing sound rang out, and the cheers in the arena couldn't stop. The Knicks had secured the series victory with a 3-0 lead.

Head coach Spoelstra stood frozen on the sidelines. The coaching staff's game strategy was working. Li You was passing the ball aggressively, and the Knicks failed to mount a furious offensive attack, but the Heat also dug themselves a hole.

The bench remained silent. James played 44 minutes, shooting 10-for-25 from the field, 1-for-5 from three-point range, and 9-for-12 from the free-throw line, scoring a team-high 30 points, along with 9 rebounds and 11 assists.
He scored 16 points in the fourth quarter but couldn't save the team. The chosen one, who nearly achieved a triple-double, left quickly with his head down and without saying a word after the game.

The jeers from both sides of the player tunnel turned into noise, and Wade couldn't hear what the smug fans were saying at all; his mind went blank.

Before entering the locker room, Bosh, who had been following silently behind, suddenly asked in a low voice:

Will LeBron leave? Maybe we shouldn't have teamed up in the first place.

Wade, who had stopped walking, also looked confused. He still didn't know if his good friend had made a decision, and could only respond unconsciously at this moment:
"I don't know, Bro. Maybe basketball shouldn't be like this."

(End of this chapter)