LeBron James, your house got robbed.

Although Gilbert was unhappy with Chen Shuo's appearance, he still gave a brief explanation of his actions, considering their long-standing cooperation.

The collaboration between James and the business forces behind him, especially NIKE, swayed the journalists and media who participated in the voting.

Gilbert already had a close working relationship with these forces back when James was with the Cavaliers.

Most importantly, the league tacitly approved of this behavior.

Stern was unwilling to give all the credit to the Cavaliers and also wanted to salvage the league's facade that he had personally built.

So Paul became the victim.

The Cavaliers won numerous honors, except for the most important MVP award.

Although the league does not have the direct power to decide the MVP, it holds the real underlying rules.

Prior to the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, the league office allocated voting slots to the 30 teams, typically three per team.

The assignments are distributed among the team's reporters by the team's press and public relations department.

However, following this version of the collective bargaining agreement, the league office revoked the power of each team to select its own reporters.

The reason is that this mechanism has drawbacks; team public relations personnel may choose reporters who are "favorable to their team," thereby excluding voters who dislike their team's star players.

After the reform, the league office will directly select a final list of voters from among numerous basketball journalists across the United States and Canada.

Stern's explanation for this was that it was more objective and fair, and not controlled by the team's personal biases.

But, is this the truth?

In Chen Shuo's view, it was simply a matter of changing the choice from "what is beneficial to one's own team" to "what is most beneficial to the league".

The league only needs to control the number of voting invitations issued to decide the MVP.

If some investors could persuade a group of journalists in advance, everything would be much easier to handle.

This is a feast where three parties share the profits.

After understanding all this, Chen Shuo couldn't help but feel saddened by Paul's fate.

Years ago, in the MVP race against Kobe, Paul fell just short.

Paul fell a little short of being an All-Star starter this season.

Paul, who was determined to win the MVP award, fell just short again.

Even though he knew it was capital involved, Chen Shuo still felt a sense of destiny looming over him.

That night, Chen Shuo suffered from insomnia again, a rare occurrence for him.

He thought he understood the league's business game, had clairvoyance about the players' future, and grasped the overall trend of the game, so he could easily tear apart the script written by the league.

Reality threw a bucket of cold water on Chen Shuo's head.

Gilbert casually disrupted Chen Shuo's carefully laid plans.

Chen Shuo thought he could easily tame Gilbert, this beast, by using internet traffic as a rein, but he greatly underestimated Gilbert's ambition and appetite.

Capital never stops.

Chen Shuo understood that he had to give up any hope.

……

Quick Loan Center.

Before the game against the Pacers, Chen Shuo and Gilbert sat in the front row, chatting and laughing.

Gilbert needs Chen Shuo to constantly generate traffic.

With the situation firmly in his grasp, Gilbert was not worried that Chen Shuo would become too powerful and continued to grant Chen Shuo all the necessary authority.

They possess the ambition of capitalists, and also the courage to match it.

Chen Shuo certainly understood Gilbert's thoughts, but he also needed the Cavaliers as a platform.

Cooperation can continue until things completely fall apart, or until one side's needs are met.

As for when the time comes, it will depend on each person's own abilities.

As the referee's whistle blew, Chen Shuo's attention returned to the game.

Neither side made any changes to their starting lineups.

Chandler continued to maintain his good form, easily winning possession for his team against Hibbert.

After receiving the ball, Paul slowly advanced to the frontcourt.

Chen Shuo kept a close eye on Paul's condition.

Although the veteran said that the championship was the most important thing, Chen Shuo had come to know Paul very well after this period of time.

In Paul's eyes, this MVP award is no less significant than the championship trophy.

Facing Darren Collison, who is also 1.83 meters tall, Paul unusually did not start with a pick-and-roll.

I used a crossover step to shift Collison's weight, pulled the ball up to break through, and then stopped abruptly, using my back to shield myself from Collison's oncoming shot.

In the instant he lost his balance, Paul made his shot.

The basketball traced an arc and slid smoothly into the basket after the referee's whistle.

Thompson and Garnett quickly helped Paul up.

Chen Shuo couldn't see any smile on Paul's face.

His face was full of stubbornness and competitiveness.

Earlier, at the American Airlines Arena on the South Coast, James stated during the MVP award ceremony:

"This is a season of redemption."

"We will reclaim the honor we have lost."

Paul took some time in the locker room before the game to watch the live broadcast of the awards ceremony.

Perhaps this statement is more suitable for Paul.

At this moment, Paul clearly wants to reclaim the lost honors on the court.

After making the free throw, Paul remained expressionless in the frontcourt, putting pressure on Collison with all his might.

Collison, who was in a terrible predicament, was caught in the crossfire completely unjustly.

After some struggle, he had no choice but to pass the ball to David West at the center line, who then passed it to Paul George.

George did not make an easy pass when facing Thompson's defense.

Chen Shuo did not see the silky smooth stir-frying performance.

George, a second-year student, didn't have many offensive scenes.

It wasn't until Granger suffered a major injury that George took over Granger's ball possession and quickly rose to become Indiana's young star.

As the Pacers' leader, Granger circled around the baseline, and after being screened by Hibbert, he came to the outside and decisively took a three-pointer when he saw an opening, hitting the bullseye precisely.

3:3

Garnett was actually quite fast in closing the gap, but Granger's shot was decisive enough.

This is related to the Pacers' tactical system.

The Pacers are a defense-oriented team, with all five starters possessing a certain level of offensive ability.

However, none of the five players had the ability to launch an attack, so they relied heavily on flanking maneuvers to find opportunities to shoot.

Once such an opportunity arises, the Pacers' strategy is to take the shot immediately, even if it's only a half-open shot and not a very good one.

During the pre-match roundtable discussion, Nurse provided a very accurate analysis of Granger's offense.

Granger's offense is mostly initiated by getting opportunities to go around screens.

Regardless of whether the subsequent action is a direct shot, another pick-and-roll, or a pass, the initial step is usually to receive the ball around a screen.

Nurse believes that Granger's high center of gravity and ball handling do not support his ability to dribble deep into the paint to initiate attacks.

At the same time, Granger's less-than-ideal weight and strength prevented him from using the same aggressive positioning as Anthony to initiate attacks from the elbow area.

With these two options combined, Granger can only get into a comfortable position to receive the ball by using screens to break free.

Chen Shuo fully agreed with this.

He even believed that Paul George had the same problem.

However, compared to Granger's conservative and stable choices, George, although his ball-handling skills are average, is bolder and dares to make some moves outside the three-point line.

In Chen Shuo's view, Granger and George's true value lies in their combined offensive and defensive capabilities.

These two players are incredibly physically gifted, especially George, who was able to defend from position 1 to 4 almost every game in the later small-ball era.

Although their offense may not be top-tier, their contributions on the defensive end, as well as their versatility in the system and their ability to make secondary passes, make them a top-class forward line.

Looking at George and Granger on the field, Chen Shuo suddenly realized a problem.

In the original timeline, Granger was supposed to be ruined by James in the playoffs, through an "accidental" foot-plant.

Now that the Pacers are facing the Cavaliers, the future of George, Granger, and this Pacers team has taken a turn for the worse.