Public Opinion

"Su could score 30+ without breaking a sweat, while you only got 22 points because the refs took pity on you!"

"Ten free throws and you still only scored 22? Even the refs couldn't save your brick factory!"

"Su-Zhan Duo? No, it's LeBron's dictatorship basketball!"

"LeBron should become a manager. He loves controlling the team, after all!"

"Mike Brown? Maybe he should change his name to Mike No-Brains!"

"You've got a winning strategy for five games, but you insist on going back to the old losing playbook."

"Please, take your LeBron instruction manual and get lost!"

The first five games had let Cleveland Cavaliers fans feast on delicacies, but tonight's game had made them choke down gruel again.

The fans couldn't take it, and they let loose with a flood of abuse.

LeBron James and Mike Brown were the main targets.

Mike Brown already knew about it by the time he got back to the hotel. The corners of his mouth lifted. This was a good thing.

LeBron James held such a lofty place in Cavaliers fans' hearts for several reasons. First, he was born in Akron, Ohio, and had grown up watching games at the Cavaliers' home arena. He was a true hometown kid.

Second, he was the team's hope for a revival. His stats over the first three games had been outstanding, especially last season, when he averaged a staggering 31.4 points, seven rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.6 steals, leading the team into the playoffs.

Finally, his public image had been handled very well. They promoted only the good side of LeBron James and never said a word about the bad.

It was like saying LeBron James was great at scoring without ever explaining what made him great or what skills he had.

They promoted how well-rounded LeBron James was based solely on his stats, but never mentioned how much of the team's possession he monopolized or how much he drained his teammates to put up those numbers.

Take rebounds, for example. That alone made things very clear.

His rebounding numbers looked pretty good, but when you took a closer look, almost all of them were defensive rebounds.

And offensive rebounds?

Last season, he averaged just 0.9.

So much for that supposedly historic physical talent.

His efficiency at grabbing offensive rebounds was worse than that of Steve Nash, a skinny 191-centimeter guard who weighed just 84 kilograms.

So there was an absurd amount of padding in those stats of his.

"Fuck! Rich, what the hell is going on? Get someone to handle this right away! Make them shut up!"

Back at the hotel, LeBron James swore at his agent, Rich Paul.

"Don't get worked up. I'll find someone to deal with it right now."

Rich Paul hurriedly called someone and told them to take care of it.

After a few hours, the fans' voices had been drowned out.

LeBron James thought the matter was over, so he lay down to get some sleep.

But the next day, several media outlets published reports about LeBron James's "appalling" behavior:

<From "King" to "Tyrant"—How LeBron Is Killing the Cavaliers' Future!>

<The Stats Don't Lie—James Had the Worst Efficiency on the Team in His Comeback Game!>

<The Selfish King! James Sacrifices Team Wins to Protect His Status!>

<The Cost of Tactical Regression—The Cavaliers' Offensive Spacing Plummets by 37%!>

<TPA Data Proves Su Is the Cavaliers' True Leader in Plus-Minus!>

<Exclusive! James's Team Demanded the League Ban Su's Stats!>

<Sponsor Pressure? Nike Accused of Interfering with the Cavaliers' Tactics!>

In an instant, it set off a storm across the entire country, even around the world.

Fans everywhere were discussing it like crazy.

Within half an hour, someone had put together a 50-minute video and uploaded it online, so everyone could see the difference between games with Su Yi as the offensive centerpiece and games with LeBron James in that role.

After watching it, the difference was immediately clear!

Xu Rui had, of course, asked someone else to make the video.

Meanwhile, Nike rushed to issue a statement: "We think very highly of Su, and we're actively working to sign him as an ambassador!"

In other words: This has nothing to do with us. We didn't put pressure on anyone!

Nike's statement only added fuel to the fire!

By the time LeBron James woke up, he was completely dumbfounded. He immediately called Rich Paul, waking him up.

Once Rich Paul realized how serious the situation was, he immediately contacted several media reporters he'd worked with many times before.

But the reporters all refused to answer their phones.

Rich Paul was left utterly baffled. What the hell was going on?

Portland International Airport:

A plane from Houston slowly touched down at Portland International Airport.

As soon as the cabin door opened, Su Yi stepped off the plane.

He had come here to go to Beaverton and sign a contract with Nike.

But Beaverton didn't have an airport. The nearest one was Portland International Airport.

"Yi!"

Xu Rui had arrived at Portland International Airport early to wait for Su Yi.

"A Rui, thanks for going to all this trouble."

Su Yi hugged Xu Rui.

When they let go, Xu Rui introduced him to the six lawyers standing behind him.

"Hello!"

After they exchanged greetings, the eight of them headed to Nike's offices in Beaverton.

The talks went very smoothly, and Su Yi eventually signed his name to the contract.

"Looking forward to working together!"

"Looking forward to working together!"

Nike's executives had wanted to take Su Yi out for a meal, but he politely declined. He needed to fly back to Houston right away and rejoin the team.

Meanwhile, in Houston, LeBron James and his team were at a loss as the controversy continued to grow.

They still hadn't found a way to deal with it. They had wanted to ask Nike for help, but Nike wasn't responding.

Ding-dong!

Just then, the doorbell rang. Rich Paul went to answer it, and when he opened the door, he found Mike Brown standing there.

LeBron James was a little surprised to see who had arrived.

Mike Brown got straight to the point. "LeBron, have you come up with a way to deal with the controversy you're facing today?"

Before LeBron James could answer, Mike Brown continued, "LeBron, I've got a good plan. How about we go back to our old tactics?

"As long as we win, we can drown out all the criticism!"

As far as Mike Brown was concerned, winning was everything in sports.

LeBron James's already dark expression darkened even further at those words.

He waved a hand. "Mike, one game doesn't prove anything."

Mike Brown: ********

Mike Brown cursed LeBron James over and over in his head.

Even now, he was still clinging to those so-called stats and that core-player status.

If you couldn't win games, you were nothing.

People had indulged you before because the team had no replacement.

But now a replacement had appeared. LeBron James was no longer the only option.

That meant they couldn't tolerate you forever!

Mike Brown forced a smile. "Fine. Then in the upcoming games, we'll still build the offense around you."

LeBron James nodded in satisfaction.

"I won't keep you, then. I'll be going."

After Mike Brown stepped out of the room, the smile on his face vanished at once. He left in a huff.