December ended with the Pacers achieving 13 wins and 2 losses. Su Wan averaged 25.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks per ga. His shooting accuracy was 52.1%, three-point shot accuracy 40.2%, and free throw accuracy 86.4%.
However, he did not win December’s "Eastern Conference Monthly Best;" the award went to LeBron Jas.
LeBron averaged 29.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 8.4 assists, with 1.8 steals per ga.
His shooting accuracy was 48.9%, three-point shot accuracy 34.4%, and free throw accuracy 78%!
Leading the Cavaliers, he brought them to a 14-win and 2-loss record.
Currently, they’re ranked second in the Eastern Conference, just two wins behind the Pacers.
They’ve even pushed the Celtics beneath them.
However, the Celtics’ decline followed after their match with the Pacers.
That crushing defeat shattered so spirits. After that match, they suffered a "three-ga losing streak," which allowed the Cavaliers to overtake the Celtics, reaching second place in the Eastern Conference—an impressively surprising turn of events.
Otherwise, the league would not have awarded the "Eastern Conference Monthly Best Trophy" to him.
The general dia consensus about him was:
"As long as he doesn’t face Su Wan, LeBron can deliver a performance worthy of the Chosen One!"
See, this is what they an when they say "a player’s reputation is closely tied to their on-court performance!"
LeBron nearly depleted all the goodwill "The Chosen One" had accrued, yet he managed, with his robust statistical performance, to salvage his reputation.
Of course, this also has to do with Nike’s relentless support.
It’s nothing personal—it’s more reliable than LeBron’s own father!
However, Nike has also co to terms with the situation. The $100 million spent on LeBron Jas and other resources are now seen as unrecoverable. At best, they can maintain his "Superstar" status, but they should hold no illusion about anything beyond that.
Especially regarding the incidents with Su Wan...
Recently, Nike shifted its promotional focus to building up the rivalry between Su Wan and Kobe.
Yes...
They are crafting a rivalry,
not a "passing of the torch" battle like the original "23 vs 24."
No choice there. While Kobe might have secured a championship to prove his worth, he doesn’t hold the upper hand against Su Wan. As Su ntioned to Shaquille, he had already beaten Kobe in the Finals. If there’s a challenge, it would be Kobe challenging him.
And his target this season is to get revenge on the Celtics.
Even if he were to lose to Kobe in this season’s finals, it would still be a 1-1 tie.
But if Shaquille lost to Kobe, that would be a catastrophe!
Without such a crisis, where would this driven Shaquille O’Neal co from?
People are forged through adversity!
Nike’s focus has now shifted to promoting the rivalry battle between Su Wan and Kobe, seemingly letting LeBron fend for himself.
Unexpectedly, LeBron, in this "semi-abandoned" state, perford well and managed to snatch December’s "Monthly Best" from Su Wan!
Cleveland dia suddenly beca ecstatic, loudly proclaiming, "It’s ti for LeBron to be the regular season MVP!"
Barkley comnted, "Clearly, Cleveland has a bunch of people who forget the pain once their wounds heal!"
He shares the sa view as most of the dia:
Whenever the Cavaliers face the Pacers, a big defeat delivered by Su Wan would imdiately cause the Cavaliers to collapse.
This has happened countless tis before.
And this...
Is just another instance!
Cleveland, keep laughing—wait until the Cavaliers face the Pacers in the first match of the new season, then you won’t be laughing anymore!
On January 8th, amid high expectations, the Pacers went to Cleveland to challenge the Cavaliers.
dia had already gathered, waiting for the Cavaliers’ anticipated devastating loss.
But unexpectedly...
After the first quarter finished, the score was 27-28.
The ho team, Cavaliers, were leading!
Bill Walton began analyzing in detail the transactions the Cavaliers had made up to this point: "They signed Mo Williams, whose contract had expired with the Bucks, traded for Shawn Marion from the Phoenix Suns using Vince Carter, and also brought in Quentin Richardson and Channing Frye. This creates a very potent ’One Star and Four Shooters’ setup!"
But this isn’t their regular lineup.
Typically, Vallejo starts as the center for the Cavaliers.
And the team’s bench includes strong substitutes like Delonte West and JJ Hickson, Wally Szczerbiak, and others.
"This setup is entirely built around LeBron Jas!"
At the start of the season, these transactions and signings by the Cavaliers didn’t catch much public attention, but now...
"Given the consecutive defeats to Su Wan in recent years, we might have underestimated LeBron’s leadership. When he’s not partnered with star players, the team actually exhibits better chemistry!"
In the ABC studio, forr Grizzlies head coach Hubie Brown also changed his stance.
Initially, he too thought the Cavaliers would face a hefty defeat against the Pacers tonight. But surprisingly...
They replicated the Pacers’ past strategy by using a fast-paced small lineup, effectively exploiting Shaquille O’Neal’s slow movent, consistently launching counterattacks.
"This Cavaliers lineup seems to counter the Pacers well!" even Barkley admitted.
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