Coach, Without You, There'd Be No Me!

"Mike, I'm going back to the old system. I'm the leader of the Cleveland Cavaliers!"

LeBron James cared a great deal about what the fans were saying, so he immediately went to see Mike Brown.

Mike Brown seemed to have known all along that LeBron James would come to him.

He patted LeBron James on the shoulder and said, "LeBron, you don't need to pay attention to what other people say. They might be spies sent by other teams, deliberately saying things like that."

Huh?

LeBron James looked at Mike Brown, half convinced and half doubtful.

Mike Brown continued, "Have we not won these past few games with ease? That proves we're on the road to a championship.

"And, LeBron, do you know how Basketball God Jordan played before he won a title?

"He tried to do everything himself, and as a result, he couldn't win a championship for a long time.

"It wasn't until Zen Master Phil Jackson arrived and told Jordan, 'You just focus on scoring. Leave the rest to your teammates,' that Jordan won his first title.

"It's the same with us. In my eyes, you're an all-around player. You shouldn't give up your all-around game just to score. You need to unleash your full potential."

After listening to Mike Brown, LeBron James found himself nodding. He was an all-around player!

Seeing this, Mike Brown pressed his advantage. "LeBron, don't you want to win a championship? In my eyes, you're the best player from the 2003 draft class. It's just a shame that the first player from your class to win a title was Dwyane Wade."

LeBron James: "..."

"I'll be the second player to win a title!"

LeBron James said resolutely.

"Of course. I think so too. But if you still think something's not right, LeBron, we can give it a try."

Mike Brown tried to give LeBron James a way out.

LeBron James looked at Mike Brown expectantly, as if asking, What are we going to try?

"For the game on the second, we'll go back to our old system. You can try it out and see which system makes it easier to win. How does that sound?"

Mike Brown proposed.

"Sounds good, Mike!"

LeBron James agreed without hesitation.

Mike Brown's lips curled into a slight smile.

As far as Mike Brown was concerned, this was the best way to handle things. Let LeBron try it himself and see if he wanted the stats or the wins!

If LeBron James ultimately chose the stats, then Mike Brown wouldn't have anything to say.

He'd just have to drag Su Yi along for the ride, however unpleasant it was.

After all, LeBron James was the core of the Cleveland Cavaliers!

Everyone, from the owner to the staff, doted on him.

Unfortunately, no one had expected that one day they would spoil him, only for him to leave them behind.

Time passed, and December 2 arrived. The Toyota Center Arena in Houston was about to host a game between the Houston Rockets and the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers.

"They're shaking hands! Yao and Su are shaking hands!"

Yu Jia, a commentator for Dragon Country Central Television's sports channel, sounded a little excited.

The scene returned to the Toyota Center Arena.

Yao Ming walked over to greet Su Yi, who had recently scored 30-plus points in five straight games. "Yi, seeing you in person is even better than hearing about you. You're not only great on the court, but you've got movie-star looks, too."

Standing in front of Su Yi, Yao Ming couldn't help complimenting his features.

"You're exaggerating, Yao. But you really are tall. My neck's starting to ache."

Su Yi replied with a smile.

"Well, I can't have my legs aching instead. Guess your neck will just have to take the strain."

Yao Ming quipped.

"Hahahahaha."

Su Yi burst into laughter.

The two then chatted amicably about their experiences playing in the NBA. Su Yi was even curious to hear how Yao Ming had been "picked on" as a rookie.

Yao Ming recounted one story after another about being "picked on" as a rookie.

Each time Yao Ming finished a story, Su Yi would say, "I've been through that too."

They were both in the same boat!

The two couldn't help embracing again.

Seeing that the game was about to start, Yao Ming said goodbye.

Before leaving, Yao Ming warned him, "Yi, I won't go easy on you later."

With that, he turned and headed for his team's half of the court to warm up.

Watching Yao Ming's towering figure, Su Yi couldn't help smiling.

This game had nothing to do with me.

Before the game, Mike Brown had sought Su Yi out to explain the situation.

Su Yi said he understood completely, and that Mike Brown could go ahead with the plan.

After all, without Mike Brown, he wouldn't have earned the team's trust so quickly or gained so many fans.

To Su Yi, Mike Brown was truly the person who had recognized his talent.

There were plenty of swift horses, but few who could recognize them.

Especially in the NBA, that big melting pot—who didn't have talent?

But having a good coach made all the difference.

Take Darko Miličić, the second overall pick in the 2003 draft, who had been selected ahead of Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and a host of other prospects. He'd been ruined!

Across three years with the Detroit Pistons, his total playing time might not even have matched the time Su Yi had played in a single month.

No matter how talented you were, if you didn't get playing time, you couldn't show what you could do!

Su Yi remembered a past interview in which Carmelo Anthony said, after his retirement, that he didn't even know why Darko Miličić had been drafted ahead of him.

Su Yi had no idea how Carmelo Anthony could say something like that. If Carmelo Anthony had gone to the Detroit Pistons, his situation would probably have been about the same as Darko Miličić's.

Even if he hadn't been ruined, he would at least have wasted three years.

After all, the Detroit Pistons' head coach was Larry Brown.

Larry Brown was known for being strict and conservative, and rarely gave rookies a chance.

Rookies were practically spectators during their first season.

Carmelo Anthony should have been glad he went to the Denver Nuggets, who made him their centerpiece and developed him from his rookie season.

Carmelo Anthony didn't let the team down, either. In his first season, he led the Denver Nuggets into the Western Conference playoffs.

Over those three years, his stats had risen steadily each season.

Su Yi turned his gaze away and joined the warm-ups.

After more than ten minutes of warm-ups, the starters from both teams took off their jackets and walked onto the court.

When the fans at the arena and watching on TV saw the Cleveland Cavaliers' starting lineup, they were stunned.

Su Yi, who had scored 30-plus points in five straight games and led his team to five consecutive wins?

He was nowhere to be seen in the Cleveland Cavaliers' starting lineup.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had returned to their old starting lineup: Eric Snow, Larry Hughes, LeBron James, Drew Gooden, and Big Z.

If they'd been at Quick Loan Center Arena, the fans would probably have been furiously cursing Mike Brown by now. But here at the Toyota Center Arena, it wasn't so bad.

Unfortunately, quite a few local Chinese fans had come specifically to see Su Yi. Finding out he was a reserve left them deeply disappointed.

The Cleveland Cavaliers' bench:

"Sorry you have to sit this one out, Su!"

Mike Brown patted Su Yi on the shoulder. He felt truly remorseful about the situation.

"Coach, without you, there'd be no me! However you want to handle things, I'll do it!"

Those words went straight to Mike Brown's heart.

Mike Brown's heart had now completely swung over to Su Yi.

Su Yi made him feel fulfilled as a head coach.

As for LeBron James...